For those of you that like numbers, hope you like these: 1997 SPRING SUMMARY for KENNESAW MOUNTAIN, GA. How to use this summary: First set of dates is range for this spring, second set of dates is when they were seen every or almost every day (my call), i.e. when they were common. NC means never common. Number after that is peak one day count, with all-time peak one-day spring count in parentheses. No number at all means singles only,= no number in parens means new record count for spring. = Great Egret 5/1 3 birds, second spring record Double-crested Cormorant 4/12-4/16 9-4/12 (65) 5th and 6th spring record= s Northern Harrier 4/19-4/22 4th and 5th spring records Broad-winged Hawk 4/8-5/18 NC 49-4/20 American Kestrel 3/22-4/24 NC 5-3/31 Merlin 4/19 Only spring record = Peregrine Falcon 5/18 3rd spring record Sora 4/27 Only record ever! Spotted on ground, flew into a tree! American Coot 3/28 5th spring record Sandhill Crane 2/20 30 2nd spring record Pectoral Sandpiper 5/5 Only record ever, calling overhead Black-billed Cuckoo 5/4-5/17 NC 4th, 5th and 6th spring records. Invasio= n year! Yellow-billed Cuckoo 5/1- NC 4-5/17 (tie) Chuck-will's-widow 5/5- NC Chimney Swift 4/6- 4/22- 35-4/19 (crushed previous record of 15) Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4/19- NC 3, several times (tie) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -4/21 NC 6-3/22 Olive-sided Flycatcher 5/10 3rd spring record (window is only 5/8-5/14) Eastern Wood-Pewee 4/30- same 6-5/16 Acadian Flycatcher 5/3 *Low numbers and lat= e spring for flycatchers* Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 5/31 Only spring record, 3rd overall ever Great-crested Flycatcher 4/22- 5/1- 3, several times (6) Eastern Kingbird 5/1 12-5/1 (crushed previous record of 3) Purple Martin 4/20- NC 4-4/24 (6) Tree Swallow 4/19-4/24 5-4/24 2nd through 5th spring records N. Rough-winged Swallow 4/11- NC 2, many times (4) Breeding near Vi= s Ctr field ? Barn Swallow 4/19-5/17 NC 2, many times (tie) 3rd through 8th spring records House Wren -5/11 -5/4 4, several times (8) Winter Wren -4/23 NC 2-4/10 (tie) Golden-crowned Kinglet -3/28 NC 1, every time, amazingly (7) Ruby-crowned Kinglet -5/11 -5/4 14-4/25 (23) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3/28- same 13-4/12 (19) Veery 4/24-5/17 same 4-5/11 (17) Gray-cheeked Thrush 4/28-5/18 NC all singles (2) Swainson's Thrush 4/21-5/24 same but only singles some days 8-5/17 (27) Hermit Thrush -5/11 -5/3 7-4/20 (8) Wood Thrush 4/6- 4/10- 12-5/5 = = = Kennesaw Spring 1997 Page 2 Gray Catbird 4/14- never really common 6-5/11 = White-eyed Vireo 3/28-5/25 4/5-5/5 11-4/15 = Solitary Vireo -5/11 -5/5 2, many times (10) Yellow-throated Vireo 4/7- 4/12- 6-4/20 (7) Red-eyed Vireo 4/5- 4/9- 63-5/11 (old rec 50) Blue-winged Warbler 4/13-5/5 4/19-4/30 4-4/26 = Golden-winged Warbler 4/19-5/5 4/23-4/30 4-4/20 = Tennessee Warbler 4/15-5/17 4/23-5/5 4-4/15 (tie) Orange-crowned Warbler -4/27 4/13-4/27 5-4/19 (6) Nashville Warbler 4/22-5/4 plus one 5/18 NC all singles (tie) Northern Parula 4/5-5/25 4/11-4/21 5-4/12 = Yellow Warbler 4/25-5/11 NC all singles (2) Chestnut-sided Warbler 4/20-5/17 4/23-5/11 17-5/11 = Magnolia Warbler 4/23-5/17 5/1-5/17 11-5/10 = Cape May Warbler 4/5-5/11 5/3-5/11 2, several times (10) Low spring fo= r this species Black-throated Blue Warbler 4/10-5/18 4/10-4/16 and 5/1-5/11 7-4/15 (9)= Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) -5/25 -5/10 225-4/20 (old rec 200-4/24/9= 3) Black-throated Green Warbler 3/23-5/18 4/7-5/18 35-5/5 = Blackburnian Warbler 4/7-5/17 4/13-5/17 14-5/11 = Yellow-throated Warbler 3/28-5/3 NC 3-4/5 and 4/12 (4) Huge year for th= is species Prairie Warbler 4/3-5/4 4/3-4/30 7, several times (tie) Many more than normal, for longer Palm Warbler (palmarum) 3/28-5/11 4/11-5/5 10-4/22 (40) Very low number= s (hypochrysea) 4/6 only Need more observers to look= for this Bay-breasted Warbler 4/23-5/18 5/1-5/11 12-5/11 (tie) Blackpoll Warbler 4/16-5/18 4/26-5/11 29-5/5 (32) Cerulean Warbler 4/8-5/12 4/11-4/30 19-4/20 (old rec 18-4/24/93) = Black-and-white Warbler 3/20- 3/28- 23-4/20 = American Redstart 4/13-5/18 4/26-5/5 10-5/10 (15) Not a big spring bird= here Worm-eating Warbler 4/9-5/5 4/12-4/30 10-4/26 = Swainson's Warbler 5/11 2nd spring record Ovenbird 4/5-5/19 4/12-4/30 38!!-4/20 (crushed old rec 5) Monster year f= or this species Kentucky Warbler 4/12-5/13 NC 2, several times (tie) Common Yellowthroat 4/22-5/11 NC 3-4/23 Few in spring here Hooded Warbler 4/5-5/24 4/5-5/13 26-4/14, 4/20 Most common warbler behind YRWA Canada Warbler 4/24-5/18 NC 6-5/11 = Yellow-breasted Chat 5/19 1 (4) Never numerous, but only one all spring= ? *Peak warbler days (species) 24-4/26, 26-5/4, 24-5/5* Summer Tanager 4/7- 4/18- 7, several times (15) Low numbers all spring= Scarlet Tanager 4/8-5/25 4/11-5/6 14-4/16 (43) Also low this year Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4/16-5/16 4/20-4/26 18-5/4 (20) Blue Grosbeak 5/5-5/17 NC 3-5/17 = Indigo Bunting 4/7- 4/14- 20-4/22 = = = Kennesaw Spring 1997 Page 3 Chipping Sparrow 3/20-4/22 NC 14-5/6 = Field Sparrow 3/21-4/24 NC 2-4/22 (tie) Song Sparrow 4/18 1 (2) White-throated Sparrow -5/13 -5/6 48-4/20 = Dark-eyed Junco -4/23 -4/14 12-4/5 (39) Baltimore Oriole 4/22-5/16 NC all singles (3) Purple Finch 3/20-3/24 same! 48-3/22 Few in GA this winter- where are= these birds from? Overall, a very unusual spring. Early species were very early, and late species were later than usual. With a few exceptions, numbers were low in the middle of the season and at the end. Large days were not easily explained by weather or winds, and mo= st big numbers days were followed by very low number days, whether the winds were favorable or not. Thanks to everyone who turned in their numbers, and if you didn't please start next season or you can still turn in checklists from as far back as 1993. Any comment= s on this summary, positive or negative, should be sent to Giff Beaton.