2019 Carter and Unicoi Counts

I've included Rick Knight's compilation of these two counts. You'll notice that this the 26th annual Carter County centered on Elizabethton. It teams with a Christmas Count although I think the Christmas Count is on the order of 75 continuous years.

And, in that vein, the Unicoi Count is really kind of young at six-years old. They're done a week apart and really cap the summer almost before the summer gets started. Carter County is more noted for is elevation differences of roughly 1,800 feet in Elizabethton (same as Johnson City) but tops out at 5,200 feet on Roan Mountain. Unicoi County starts about the same and ends at Sam's Gap, along I-26 at the North Carolina line.

###
Carter Co. The 26th summer count was held 8 June with 16 observers in 5 parties plus 2 yard watchers.  115 species were found, which is slightly above the average of 113 per count. The all-time high was 123 species in 2017. Several species restricted to the higher elevations of East Tenn were found.

Highlights:
N. Bobwhite - 1  - they have been increasingly difficult to find.
Ruffed Grouse - 2
Great Egret - 1  - first on this count.
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Am. Woodcock - 1
Eur. Collared-Dove - 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3
Alder Flycatcher - 3
Least Flycatcher - 4
Fish Crow - 1  - first for Carter Co of this rapidly expanding species.
Com. Raven - 5
Red-br. Nuthatch - 5
Brown Creeper - 3
Winter Wren - 8
Golden-cr. Kinglet - 23
Hermit Thrush - 1

20 species of warblers, including: Golden-wg. - 6, Swainson’s - 3, Magnolia - 6, Blackburnian - 4, Yellow-rumped - 1  - on Roan Mtn, where they have nested

Grasshopper Sparrow - 1  - scarce in mountain Cos.
Rose-br. Grosbeak - 11
Purple Finch - 2  - pair with conjunctivitis lingering at a feeder
Pine Siskin - 2

Misses included: Green Heron, Yellow-cr. Night-Heron, Bald Eagle, Gr. Horned Owl, White-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Purple Martin, Kentucky Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Vesper Sparrow.
##############################################

Unicoi Co. The 6th summer count was held 15 June with 16 observers in 5 parties.  107 species were found, which is slightly below the average of 109 species (still a small sample size). Several high elevation species also found here.

Highlights:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Bald Eagle - 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 4
Least Flycatcher - 1
Warbling Vireo - 2
Com. Raven - 8
Red-br. Nuthatch - 6
Brown Creeper - 3
Golden-cr. Kinglet - 4
Hermit Thrush - 3

18 species of warblers, including: Swainson’s - 8, Kentucky - 1, Magnolia - 1, Prairie - 1

Rose-br. Grosbeak - 5

Misses included: Ruffed Grouse, Gr. Horned Owl, Winter Wren, Blackburnian Warbler, Pine Warbler.
################################
 Thanks to all participants.
 Rick Knight, compiler
Johnson City, TN