uneand July 2004 were characterized byslightly higher-than-normal rainfall andwell-below-average temperatures. Tennessee In fact,July may have been the coolest on record,with multiplefrontal passages that reinforcedthe mild temperatures.The stormyweather of May persistedinto the firstpart of June, but July was nearly devoid of severeweather events. Mississippi and "::/Kentucky OhioRiver levels dropped gradually over the periodwithout major rises, allowing for suc- cessfulnesting of LeastTerns on theformer. The mostunusual rarity from the season A = •n[uckyDarn wasa potentialfirst Kentucky record for B= Barkley Darn BooneCliffs State Black Skimmer. Other unusual observa- C=Kentucky Lake i• NaturePreserveß •a tionsincluded a NeotropicCormorant, lin- DE = JonathanBarkley Lake Creek •(••1 ,• ,.•Markland EmbaymentSauerheber U•t, • •m [ • MinorClark Fish geringPurple Finches, and a juvenileRed F=Land Between Slough{ WMAFalls qfth•Ohi• Louisville eFrankfort --• •,Hatcheo,/•,,e RunL Crossbill. Black-necked Stilt and Scissor- theLakes • • • • J G=BloodRiver• ,• • • • m ua q/ •RedRiverGo•z tailed Flycatchercontinued their recent Embay•nt • /" Henderson Bernhe••r•t Boone trendsof nestingin scatteredlocales, and • X• Mammoth ...... an Anhingaat a heronryin Kentucky's •ithlandDam• • m •'a•e•vy ...... southwesternmostcounty may be a promis- BallardWMA,, • •' • AB, • PeabodYWMA ' m•arrenRiver •. ing signof futurenesting. West Nile virus • • u a ..... •½ •ack Mm incidencewas hardly mentioned by rehabil- ' • E'• ChapeL. ..'_B•O•u••,andG• itatorsand health officials, boding well for ,' a Parism- '• birdpopulations. • Landin•SP•

Abbreviations:Ensley (Ensley Bottoms, in- , • ,•, . ,. • , :,•m •. .c•• ShadyVal•y dudingthe EARTH Complex, in sw.Shelby, TN); HeritageMarsh (Heritage Marsh, • ForestSP D• Ri•rUnit S• •'mm• ' --L • ' mSh•bvFarms m N•ia• La•m White,TN); KentuckyDam (Kentucky Dam, Ens•yBofio• • •ndingF •m•ns •se Livingston/Marshall,KY); WhiteL. (White LakeW..M.A., Dyer, TN).

LOONSTHROUGH IBIS Two to 3 CommonLoons lingered above & 20 Jun (VH) was possiblynesting in a ChrisSloan KentuckyDam into Jun, with 3 there3 Jun nearbyheronry (BP) and one still there9 Jul (BP); alsore- An American Bittern was observedon five 224 HicksRoad portedwere singles in basicplumage on L. occasionsin Jul at HeritageMarsh (DDo, Bark[ey,Lyon, KY 3 Jun(BP, EC et al.), on SJS),suggestive of breeding. At leastfive and Nashville,Tennessee 37221 PercyPriest L., TN 6Jun(RC), in Bullitt,KY possiblyas manyas 10 LeastBittern nests 7 Jul (ph. E&JH),and in Meade,KY early werefound at StandiferGap Marsh, Hamil- ([email protected]) Jul-Aug(ph. BLw).American White Peli- ton,TN (DPt) duringthe period.The Ken- canslingered through the season, especially tucky heronrysurvey found GreatEgrets alongthe Mississippi R., aswas evidenced (fromone to 115 pairsper site)breeding at by flocksranging in sizefrom 18 to 193re- six distinctsites in Carlisle,Fulton (2), Hick- BrainardPalmer-Ball, Jr. portedfrom Fulton and Trigg, KY and Laud- man,Lyon, and Marshall (BP, EC et al.); as erdale,Dyer, and Lake, TN. One soaring hasbeen the case in recentyears, at leasttwo KentuckyState Nature Preserves Commission over the mts. in Carter,TN 17 Jul (BS) was pairswere on nestsat OldHickory L., Sum- 801Schenkel Lane rare both for the e. Tennesseelocation and her,TN 26Jun(PC, MZ). At least10 pairsof thedate. A NeotropicCormorant at White nestingLitde BlueHerons were present on Frankfort,Kentucky 40601 L. 7 Jun (?KL,WGC) addedto the handful L. Barkley,Lyon, KY again this year (BP, EC of recordsfor the Region.Again this sum- et al.).A TricoloredHeron, a rarebut regular ([email protected]) mer,a few Double-crestedCormorants lin- findin theRegion, was observed at WhiteL geredinto or throughthe season at several 1Jul (CBu,VRe). Nesting Catde Egrets were localities;nesting colonies at KentuckyL., againpresent on three different islands in n. Calloway,KY (at least20 activenests 21 Jun L. Barkley,Lyon KY (BP,EC et al.).The only WATERFOWLTHROUGH RAILS [HC]), RankinBottoms, Cooke, TN (15 ac- nestingsites for Black-crownedNight- SingleSnow Geese at the BrainerdLevee, tive nests25 Jul [MS1,LG]), and Old Hick- Heronsin Kentuckywere again three islands Hamilton,TN 12 Jun (HBi) and in Fayette, oryL., Davidson/Sumner.TN (at leastfive in n. L. Barkley,Lyon (BP, EC el al.) andat KY in earlyJul (WS) werestrange summer activenests 26 Jun [PC, MZ]) were again Louisville(BP, MM). Three differentWhite finds. Blue-wingedTeal, a relativelyrare activethis summer.A femaleAnhinga at a Ibis,an above-averagenumber, were report- breeder,was confirmednesting at five lo- heronryin Fulton,KY 8Jun (?BP, EC) was a ed: imms. were observedin Knox,TN 15-16 calesacross the Region: s. Warren,KY (DR, promisingindicator that nesting birds may Jul (EM) and at ChickasawN.W.R., Laud- CH), StandiferGap Marsh, Hamilton,TN returnto Kentuckyin thenear future. A fe- erdale,TN 18 Jul (JRW),and an ad. wasat (CS, m.ob.), White, TN (DDo), Ensley maleat EagleLake W.M.A., Shelby, TN 13 White L 6 Jul (WGC). 0RW), and White L. 0RW). The four re-

VOLUME 58 (2004) NUMBER 4 539 (420), andFulton (141) (KJet al.). The same SA Acooperative statewidesurvey ofherondes inKentucky yielded further evidence ofamarked increaseof Great Blue surveycontinued downriver 22-23 Jul and /-AHerons inthe Region. Asof the early 1950s, about 900 pairs of nesting Great Blues were known from eight sites in documentedconfirmed nesting at 11 Ten- Kentud•y(more were probably present but unknown toornithologists ofthe era). During the DDT era of the late 1%0s and nesseesites in Dyer(3 sites),Lake (2), Laud- early1970s, this spedes apparently disappeared fromthe state as a breeding bird and was seldom seen at other times of the erdale(3), Shelby(one), and Tipton(2) in- year.However, nestingbirds returned inthe late 1970s inthe w. portion ofthe state, anda gradual increase commenced volving just over2100 birds(19-649 birds soonthereafter. Acooperative survey ofactive heronties conducted in1994 documented thepresence ofmore than 1750 persite) (KJ et al.);also, over 600 birds were pairsat24 sites. In1999, more than 2500 pairs were found at48 distinct colony sites. The 2004 survey yielded aremarkable notedin Tipton,TN 12Jun(JRW). A notice- ableearly-season movement of BlackTerns totalof more than 5150 pairs now present atmore than 70 sites! Banning oforganophosphate pestiddes likeDDT, recent occurred30-31 Jul, with 4-20 reportedat wetlandprotection regulations andinitiatives, andadaptation toreservoirs andother manmade water bodies apparently four localesin Kentucky(RD, ER, TB,fide areall contributing tothis remarkable recovery. HBr, HC) and 3 at Ensley3] Jul 0RW). What will become a first state record if ac- portsfor Tennesseerepresent an above-aver- sideredthe only extralimitalobservations ceptedby the KentuckyB.R.C. was an ad. agenumber. Lingering waterfowl included a (now that breeders seem established all BlackSkimmer observed loafing and flying maleGadwall, a maleRing-necked Duck, 2 alongthe MississippiR. floodplain)were a arounda sandbaralong the w. marginof femaleGreater Scaup, at least 16 Lesser malein s. Warren,KY 2 Jun (DR, NR) and 2 KentuckyBend, Fulton 22 Jul (?JR,KJ). Scaup,and a pair of Bufflehead mostor all birds in Ballard,KY 1 Jul (CW). An Ameri- likelyinjured•on L. Barldey,Lyon, KY 3 Jun can Golden-Ploverwas likely an earlyfall CUCKOOSTHROUGH STARLING (BP,EC et al.); a maleRing-necked Duck in migrantin Dyer,TN 20Jun(WGC, KL); an- The onlyBlack-billed Cuckoo reported was Ohio,KY 20-31 Jul (DR, RD, HC); 3 Gad- otherwas noted to bein basicplumage in w. oneheard in n. Livingston,KY 18Jun (BP). wall andan American Wigeon at White L. 10 Fulton,KY 5 Jul (ph. JRW), likewisevery It was a banner season for Barn Owls in Ken- Jul (WGC, KL, BLg);one to 2 NorthernPin- early.The shorebird highlights of theseason tucky,with nine broodsreported, some of tain at White L. 23 Jun-23 Jul (WGC, KL, were 2 different Hudsonian Godwits in Ten- whichwere disrupted by a varietyof natural BLg);a maleGreen-winged Teal at WhiteL. nessee:one at White L. 2-4 Jun (WGC, KL, eventsand humanactivities; broods were re- 20 Jun-28 Jul (WGC, KL, JRW); one to 2 NM) and an ad. femaleat Ensley5-6 Jun portedin Carlisle(DB), Jefferson (DPr), Hart NorthernShovelers at Ensley1 May-17Jul (JRW,,QBG). Among unusually early "fall" (E&SG), Henry (FM, fide EW), Madison (JRW,CBu, VRe), plusanother at White L. transientshorebirds were a moltingad. Dun- (MSc,fide EW), Marion (DJ), McCracken 27Jun-11 Jul (WGC, KL, BLg,JRW). lin in Lake,TN 11 Jul (JRW)and a Wilsong (SL,fide EW), ShelbyOH, fide EW), and A NorthernHarrier in Bradley,TN 19Jun Snipeat Ensley17-18Jul (JRW et al.). There Simpson(RB, fide EW). A callingYellow-bel- furnisheda surprisingsummer record (BJ). was a noticeable movement of Willets in late lied Sapsuckerin Monroe,TN 11 Jun (DV) Sharp-shinnedHawks are uncommon sum- Jun and earlyJul alongthe MississippiR., and two pairswith youngin Carter,TN in mer residents,especially in w. Tennessee,so with singlebirds noted in Dyer,TN 22 Jun lateJun (DHt et al.) furnishedfirst county singleindividuals in McNairy2 Jul (MG) (WGC, KL), at Ensley4 Jul (JRW),and at breedingrecords for thisuncommon South- and Dyer 21 Jul (CBu,VRe) werenotewor- the ShelbyFarms, Shelby, TN 8 Jul (WRP), ernAppalachian breeder. thy An imm. wasnoted in Hamilton,TN 19 as well as 6 at Ensley10 Jul (JRW).Note- A relativelylate Olive-sidedFlycatcher Jul (JSL).Five pairsof PeregrineFalcons worthyearly-season peak shorebird counts was heard at Mammoth Cave N.E, Edmon- againnested along the Ohio R., KY inJeffer- included1387 Least Sandpipers at Ensley17 son,KY 5 Jun (J&PBet al.). A Willow Fly- son,Trimble (2), Carroll,and Greenup,with Jul 0RW) and1060 Pectoral Sandpipers and catchernest discovered4 Jun at Standifer successfulfiedging of one to 4 youngfrom 52 StiltSandpipers at Ensley27 Jul 0RW). A Gap Marsh,Hamilton, TN (DHo, BC) fur- all locationsexcept one of the Trimblesites SemipalmatedPlover at White L. 7 Jun nishedthe firstconfirmed breeding of this (TC, SV). In Tennessee,one fledglingwas (WGC,KL) wasa latespring transient. speciesin se.Tennessee in at least10 years. stillhanging around the nest site with 2 ads. An ad. LaughingGull waspresent at Ken- Two LeastFlycatchers in the Cumberland at ChickamaugaDam, Hamilton 1 Jun (fide tuckyDam Village S.E, Marshall, KY 6 Jun Mts.---oneon BootjackMt., Campbell,TN KC), and 2 fledglingsand 2 ads.were ob- (HC, CP), and one was at Ensley26 Jun earlyto mid-Jun(LB) andone on Fork Mt., servednear the nest site at Alum CaveBluff, (JRW).Eight Caspian Terns were still in the Anderson,TN in m/d-Jun (LB)--were re- GreatSmoky Mountains N.P. 28 Jun (SH) vicinityof KentuckyDam 6Jun (HC, CP).A markablein thatthis species has historically ThreeVirginia Rail nests were found at Stan- first-yearForster's Tern lingered in Marshall, beenlimited as a breederto extremeupper e. difer GapMarsh, Hamilton, TN 21-29 Jun KY to 18Jun(BP). Quite out of placewere 7 Tennessee.Continuing the trendof recent (DPt); one bird at HeritageMarsh 1 Jul ad. Common Terns at Barren River L., years, five WesternKingbird nests were (DDo, SJS)suggested breeding at thatloca- Allen/Barren,KY 29 Jun (DR); one at Chick- foundat Ensley10Jul 0RW). Similarly, Scis- tionas well. Common Moorhens again nest- asaw N.WR., Lauderdale,TN 5 Jul (JRW) sor-tailedFlycatchers bred widely across the ed at the SauerheberUnit SloughsW.M.A., was also an unusual find. It was a mixed sea- Region,with nestsin s. Livingston,KY Henderson,KY (CC); singleindividuals were sonfor LeastTerns. Populations on thelow- (m.ob.), Bledsoe,TN 12 Jun (RS), Maury, presentat Ensley13-19 Jun (CBu, VRe, er Ohio R. againendured near or co•nplete TN 29Jun(TE), Rutherford,TN 3Jul (TW et JRW) and ShelbyFarms, Shelby,TN 21 failureof nestingattempts due to a lackof al.), S. Pittsburgh,Marion, TN 15 Jul (Jl), Jun-2 Jul (CBu,VRe, MW). optimalsites. At least26 nestswere initiated and PresidentgI., Shelby,TN 24 Jul (JRW). at a Marshall,KY industrialpond site along Apparentlyunpaired birds were seen in SHOREBIRDSTHROUGH TERNS thelower Tennessee R. asof 18Jun(BP), but Lyon,KY (a formernesting site) 3 Jun (BP, Unprecedentednumbers of Black-necked a predatorhad destroyedall nestsby 9 Jul EC), at the BrainerdLevee, Hamilton, TN 24 Stiltsappeared in w. Fulton,KY in earlyJul, (BP) and the colonywas not reestablished Jul (,J&VL), and at Ft. Loudoun Dam, with up to 67 counted(49 at one location (BP,EC). On the MississippiR., the story Laudoun,TN 12Jun (KDE). alone)and four nestsobserved 5 Jul (JRW, wasmuch better: a 22 Jul surveydetected A BellgVireo singing at Mayfield,Graves, HC); recedingwater levels likely caused fail- nestingat the threetraditional sites in Ken- KY 21 Jul (GL) representeda new county ure of mostnests (JRW). What mustbe con- tucky in Carlisle (125 birds), Hickman summer record. For the 2nd consecutive

540 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS year,one was found at BlackBayou W.M.A., ed at Edwin Warner Park, Nashville, TN 2 evenrarer breeders, so up to 18 at twoloca- Lake,TN 5Jun (NM, WRP).Two Red-breast- Jun (SB). tionsin Carter,TN (BS,TM) in Jun andJul ed Nuthatches were observed at the tradi- A veryimpressive total of 17 territorial werenoteworthy. tionalnesting area in Wolfe,KY 26 Jun (FR). male Bachman'sSparrows and three con- At least17 SedgeWrens were on territoryat firmedbreeding pairs was talliedat Fort Cited contributors(subregional editors in Ft. Campbell,Montgomery, TN 29Jul (DM); Campbell(Trigg, KY and StewartlMont- boldface):Jane & Pat Bell,Michael Bierly, this is a remarkableconcentration for the Re- gomery,TN) duringJun (DM). Also impres- Harold Birch (HBi), SandyBivens, Horace gion,and especially for Tennessee,from sivewas the tally of 6 territorialmale Lark Brown(HBr), RonnieBrown, Todd Brown, whichonly a handfulof confirmedbreeding Sparrows,plus three probable breeding pairs DennyBroyles, Carolyn Bullock (CBu), recordsare known.One at HeritageMarsh and one non-singingbird foundon Fort LeslieBullock, Cindy Burns (CBr), Phillip 20 Jul (SJS,DDo) wasalso suggestive of Campbell(Trigg, KY and Stewart, TN) inJun Casteel(middle Tennessee), Kevin Calhoon breeding.Single SwainsoWs and Gray- (DM). TwoLark Sparrows were also report- (se.Tennessee), Tina Carter, Hap Chambers, cheeked Thrushes at Land Between the ed from a somewhattraditional nesting area ElizabethCiuzio, Richard Connors, Charlie Lakes,Lyon, KY 3 Jun(BP) were relatively in w. Boyle,KY 11Jul (fideBK). Henslow's Crawford,W. GlenCriswell, Brandon Croft, late.A potentialfirst report for Kentucky was Sparrowscontinue to expand; a small colony Don Davidson (DDa), RoseannaDenton, a non-cavity,globe-shaped nest of European in McCracken,KY in earlyJun (AW, HC) rep- DouglasDowns (DDo), K. DeanEdwards, Starlingsituated in the denseinterior cover resenteda new county summer record. Like- TommyEdwards, Tom Fusco, Eric & Sum- of a redcedar tree in Shelbyin Jun(ph. HBr). wise,small colonies in Coffee,TN (DDa)and mer Garris,Leslie Gibbens, Q.B. Gray, Mark at HeritageMarsh 11 Jul (SJS,EL, DDo)es- Greene,John Hammond, Van Harris,David WARBLERSTHROUGH FINCHES tablishednew breedinglocations for Ten- Hollie (DHo), Don Holt (DHt), Carter An EasternKentucky University graduate nessee.A singing male White-throated Spar- Hooks,Susan Hoyle, Eddie & JenniferHu- studyfollowing up a 2003Golden-winged row lingered in a yardin Jefferson,KY to 8 bet, Jerry Ingles,Bonnie Johnson, David Warbleratlas projecl in se.Kentucky result- Jun(v.r., ph. BW). Jones,Kenneth Jones, Bill Kemper,Steve ed in the recordingof 36 territorialmales Twosmall colonies of nestingBobolinks Kistler,Rick Knight (e. Tennessee),Jack & (23 in Bell,2 in Harlan,11 in Whitley)and werefollowed through the seasonin Boyle Vickie Leather,Betty Leggett(BLg), Ken thediscovery ofseven active nests (one each andMercer, KY (DW, DPe).A male•Ellow- Leggett,Edmund LeGrand, Bryan Lewis in Belland Whitley, five in Bell)(LP et al.); headedBlackbird at the Mercer,KY Bobolink (BLw),Stacy Loe, Glen Lovelace, Jonnie Sue the nestsare the first everxeported from nestinglocale 3 Jun (?DW,DPe) wascer- Lyons,Ed Mannus, Frank Marlow, Tom Mc- KentuckyThe same graduate study located tainlyout of place.Unprecedented forKen- Neil, Mark Monroe,Nancy Moore, Daniel 8 territorial male Brewster'sWarblers (4 in tuckywas the presence of oneto 2 Purple Moss,Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr., Don Parker Bell,4 in Whitley)(LP et al.).Quite unusual Finches(what appeared to bea femaleand a (DPr), David Patterson(DPt), Laura Patton, wasa basic-plumagedChestnut-sided War- first-yearmale) that lingered through Jun at DonPelly (DPe), W. RobertPeeples (w. Ten- bler at Mammoth Cave N.P, Edmonson,KY a feedingstation in se.Jefferson (E&JH), nessee),Clell Peterson,Nicole Ranalli, Ed 21Jul (SK).Surveys for CeruleanWarblers with one last observedthere 3 Jul (ph. Ray,Frank Renfrow,Virginia Reynolds in the Land Between the Lakes N.R.A., E&JH).Early in thesummer, at leastone of (VRe), Vince Robinson(VRo), DavidRoe- KY/TNduring May and early Jun resulted in thebirds had conjunctivitis, which may have mer,John Rumancik, Woody Schatt, Marcia the documentationof only 13 territorial beenin largepart responsible for theirpres- Schroder(MSc), Roi Shannon, Michael Sled- males(MB, BP,VAn). The mostremarkable ence so late in the season.Also unprece- jeski(MSI), Chris Sloan, Stephen J.Stedman, aspectabout this total is that despite several dentedfor Kentucky was a juv. Red Crossbill BryanStevens, Marilyn Vickers, David Vogt, weeksof fieldwork, only that many were thatwas picked up deadin a yardin Fort ShawchyiVorisek, Martha Waldron, Danny foundon a largepublic parcel containing Mitchell,Kenton 14 Jul (CBr,fide MVi). It is Watson,Alan Whited, Eileen Wicker, Char- more than 60,000 hectaresof potentially unknownif the bird wasof localorigin, but lie Wilkins,Jeff R. Wilson,Terry Witt, Bar- suitableforest land habitat! A relativelylate suitablebreeding habitat is presentin the baraWoerner, Mary Zimmerman.We appre- ConnecticutWarbler was seenand heard in formof severalgroves of largeconifers in at ciate the numerous additional individuals Jefferson,KY1 Jun (BP); likewise, a relative- leastone nearbycemetery (fide FR). Pine who contributed information that was used ly latefemale Mourning Warbler was band- Siskinsare rare in summerin Tennessee,and in thisreport; all have our thanks. ' '

thatstate and federal natural-resource andwildlife-management agencies in the two-state regionremain inadequately fundedand staffed, limiting their abilities tofully implement initia- Stateof the Region tivesthat might help conserve habitats onscales large enough tobring about positive trends in BrainardPalmer-Ball, Jr.-Kentucky State Nature Preserves CommiSsion birdpoputatinns. Inmost cases, only federally threatened andendangered species(of which 801SchenkelLane' Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 ß(brainard.palmot-ball•ky.gov) thereare only ahandful inthe Region) havetradltJona!ly receivedsubstantive fundingfor con- servationprojects. ChrisSinan - 224 •licks Road -Nashvi[le, Tennessee 37221 ß(chris,sloan@comcast,net) Forests Birdconservation inTennessee andKentucky facesa number ofchallenges ina continuing envi- Firstand foremost among conservation concerns inthe Region isthe need tohalt or at least flow ronmentoffiscal ½onseffatism andan economy largely based inutilization ofnatural resources, the pace ofhabitat loss, primarily mature forest types. Once mature and diverse incomposition, Thislargely rural, forested Region isof below-average economy,with alandscape heavilyutilized the Region's forests have been õxeatly diminished inquality and extent bymore than two cen- foragricultural purposes, especially inthe flatter portions, which have been largely deared of turiesof harvest and convertion tofarmland and settlement. About 90% of what remains ispri- nativeprairie and woodland. Resource extraction forforest products, coal,oil, and natural vately owned andespedally subject tooveruse andneglectful management, Profound events such gas--alsoremains amainstay ofthe economies inboth states. With the dearth ofsignificant non- asthe appearance ofchestnut blightand Dutch elmdisease haveremoved dominant canopy trees consumptiveeconomic activities, jobsinvolving natural resources remainthe primary source of insome regions. Logging andother disruptionsol foreststructure havebrought abent artincrease personalincome,whichplaces immense strains onthe quality ofthe natural landscape. inBrown-headed Cowbirdbmod parasitism thatilkely has been at leastpartly responsible fora Withsuch stake placed inthe extraction ofnatural resources, environmental regulations decline insongbirds suchas Cerulean Warblers inparts ofthe Region, Where natreal communities remaintooweak toprotect thelandscape fromsignificant changes Inthe foreseeable future.For aredisrupted, exotkplant species havealso become aproblem, ifnot to the extent seen inother example,acontinued lackofa state endangered spedeslist in Kentucky hampers efforts bystate partsofthe continent, regulatoryagenciesto protetra hostof species froma variety ofthreats. Alsoa problemis thefact Onerecent phenomenon thataffected theRegion's forests greatly was adevastating outbreak

VOLUME 58 (2004) NUMBER 4 541 ofthe Southern Pine Bark Beetle inthe early 2000s. This infestation occurred across the Cumber- Regionthan it was 200 years ago. Suitable human-created habitats such as agricultural landand landPlateau and Ridge and Valley subregions andspread out into the Highland Rim and Blue impoundmentmargins areutilized bymigratory shorebirds; however, theRegion's currently rela- Ridge.The result was the near total loss of a "hort-lear'pine component to upland forests tivelyminor contribution tushorebird conservation could be increased if additional habitat was throughoutawide area, which will affect the landscape formany decades tocome. Upland forest createdand managed more efficiently. Unfortunately, inlarge part due to traditionally scarce habitatswith a significantpine component hadbeen whittled away and mismanaged overthe fundingfornon-game species, management schemes onmost public land remain focused prima- courseofdecades, and the beetle infestation wasa finalblow. The most specific loss from this rilyon game species. Until long-term funding for non-game species issecured, many real oppor- eventwas the extirpation ofthe Region's lastremaining Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, whichwere tunitiestoaffect significant non-game conservation goals(such as migratory shonebird manage- trappedand translocated tosuitable habitat inother states. The U.S. Forest Service has pledged to ment}will remain underutilized. Tothis end, it ishoped that recently established funding oppor- restorethe mixed pine-oak habitat type used by the woodpeckers, butit will be nearly acentury tunities(e.g. State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program) will help resource management agencies beforethat can be accomplished. undertakemore comprehensive wildlife management inthe future. Despitediminishing reserves, coalremains ap•mary product ofthe Region, and its extraction willbring considerable lossof additional forested land for some time to come. The most significant Early successional and other naturally open habitats threatfrom mining continues tobe the removal offorests athigher elevations, including vast Savannah(open canopy woodland), early successional (scrub/shrub), andgrassland habitats once mountaintopareas, in the Appalachian I•ountains region, inthe eastern third of both states (Bird coveredlarge portions ofthe central and western areas of the Region (primarily BCR 24, Central ConservationRegion [BCR] 28). And whenever a new marketable wood product arises, the Hardwoods,andBCR 27, Southeastern Coastal Plain). Most of theseopen and transitional Regien'sforests are touted as a source ofrevenue forlocal economies. (betweengrassland andwoodland) areas have been converted tuagricultural useand settlement, whilethe suppression offire has resulted inthe loss of much of the remain- der.Currently, recent human activity actually may have resulted inan increase inearly successional habitatin the traditionally moreheavily forested eastern portionsofthe two states, where timber harvest and mining have dissected anddiminished thewoodlands. Restoration ofdeveloped areas tuopen natu- ralhabitats inthe flatter central and western portions ofthe Region would seemunlikely on a largescale, as the land here has been heavily developed andcarries relatively high value. I•iningin the Region, especially surface and contour mining for coal, pres- entsadouble•dged sword. The loss of natural habitat, primarily woodlands, andthe pervasive impacts toaquatic systems downstream from the mining activitiesis profound and probably irreversible in some cases. However, reclaimedmine land now provides one of the largest and most significant componentsofgrassland andshrub-scrub habitats present inthe Region, ben- eficialfor Heoslow's Sparrows andother species ofnon-forested habitats.

Growthand developmeet Urbanand suburban growth continues inthe Region atan alarming rate. Pop- ulationgrowth and associated development consume tens of thousands of acresofland each year. Much of this development isfocused around cities and towns,where the naturallandscape was converted to farmland many decadesago, but the loss of farmland, a valuable bird habitat inand of itself inmany cases, isalso progressing atan alarming pace, especially nearurban centers.Govemment programs such as the USDA's Conservation Reserve Pro- Oncemature and diverse incomposition, theforests ofKentucky and Tennessee have been greatly diminished in gramthat compensate farmers fortaking acreage out of row-crop production qualityand extent by over two centuries ofhavest and conversion forfarmland and settlement. Diseases such as (predominantlyforcorn, soybeans, andwheat in this Region) have benefited chestnutblight and Dutch elm disease, invasions ofexotic flora, and extreme mining practices have wrought fur- somespecies tied to grasslandand early successional habitats by creating therchanges. The declines ofmany Nentropkal migrant passerines such as Cerulean Warbler (here at Rockport, habitatsthat are othenvise diminishing duetu development. Inthe short Texas)are probably tied to the overall decline inforest quality and to increases inbrood parasitism byBrown- headedCowbird. Plans for mountain-top removal (for coal extraction} areprojected toeliminate forests used by term,the availability ofthese open habitats appears tohave resulted inan almost140,000 Ceruleans inthe next ten years; the world population isestimated at under one-half million. increaseinsome species, such as Northem Bobwhite and Henslow's Sparrow. PhotographbyBar•h Schorre/VIREO. Alsoof concem tomigratory birds isthe recent proliferation ofcommunica- tiontowers: mountain ridges inthe eastern portion of theRegion are now Thecumulative effect of all of these impacts has left the RegJon's forests lacking inheteroge- beinginvestigated forwind-powered energy potential. neousstructure (primarily because ofthe lack of mature trees and canopy gaps) and diminished in speciesdiversity, which has caused a decline Jnsome species that require complex forest strut- The Future lures,such as Cerulean Warbler. The future holds promise ofadditional plant pathogens (such as Despitethe poor prospects formajor shifts inland-use trends inthe Region, there is reason for thefungal blight œhy•ophthora ramDrUm) andinsect infestations (e.g., Hemlock Wodly Adelgid) somedegree ofoptimism. Forexample, among the Region's most threatened bird species, there thatwill further alter the forest composition. Suchthreats will endanger sensitive forest types such havebeen a number ofnotable successes. Numbers ofnesting wading birds (especially Great Blue asthose inthe higher elevations ofthe southem Appalachians thatalready have been devastated Herons and Great Egrets) and raptors (most notably Bald Eagles, Ospreys, andPeregrine Falcons) bya host of human impacts including logging, blights, and acid rain. As the Region's forest blocks areincreasing. BBSdata indicate that while some birds continue todecline atalarming rates, havebecome more •gmented and isolated, theneed tu restore corridors fordispersal andgenetic ersthat were showing significant dedines formore than a decademay now not be declining at connectivityhasincreased. Fragmentation doesnot always occur byconversion ofnative forest tu suchsignificant rates. This may be at least in part a responseturesource agencies' efforts toimple- openlands; the establishment ofpermanent monocultures ofcommercial pineis also aproblem in mentregional wildlife conservation. Avariety ofhabitat preservation efforts are under way in the themore southem and westem portions ofthe Region. Region,most undertaken bystate government resource-conservation andwildlife agencies. Many ofthese efforts are funded primarily through a relatively recently designated series offederal gov- Wetlands emmentprograms (State and Tribal Wildlife Grant, Landowner Incentive Program, various Farm Priorto European settlement, wetland habitats were prevalent p•marily only along the larger river Billprograms). These programs hold some promise toprovide a relatively stable or increasing floodplainsandwere composed mostly ofbotiomland forests, swamps, and sloughs, with a lesser fundingsource inthe near term, especially forincreased monitoring andsmall-scale management amountofmarshland andopen, shallow water pools and mudfiats. The loss and degradation of andhabitat protection projects. Federal agencies and p•vate entities inthe Region are also partic- whatamounted toseveral million acres ofthese natural wetlands through conversion foragricul- ipatinginprojects that involve continued inventory ofwildlife populations toidentify high-p•or- turaluse and settlement hashad aprofound effect on the abundance ofwaterbirds andmany wet- ityareas, conservation ofremaining natural areas, and restoration ofdeclining habitats. The hunt- land-associatedspecies inthe Region. The creation ofreservoirs andwaterfowl-management ingcommunity alsoremains supportive ofa diverse array of wildlife (including bird) conservation unitshave mitigated a certain amount ofthis loss, but some wetland species---e.g., marsh birds activitiesand partnerships continue tuwiden in scope as national bird conservation plans and suchas Least Bittem, American Bittem, King Rail--remain greatly diminished in number as coordinatedefforts provide momentum. breedersin bothstates. Theauthors wish tothank Elizabeth Ciozio, Bob Hatcher, Chuck Hunter, Rick Knight, Frank Ren- Givenwhat must have been the overall lack of migratory shorebird habitat inthe region prior flow,Br'mn Smith, Stephen Stedman, Shawchyi Vorisek, and I•elinda Welton for their contribu- toEuropean settlement, it islikely that this group of birds isactually now more prevalent inthe tionsto the content ofthis summary.

542 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS