Observed by Bryan L. Nuse & Chris Skelton, during Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday of Paddle Georgia 2009.
Tuesday’s paddle included the lower stretch of the Coosawattee, which is mainly agricultural with limited riparian woods. Wednesday brought more pastureland as we joined the Conasauga and began the Oostanaula. By Thursday, however, adjacent uplands and bluffs became more common, as did larger tracts of riparian woodland. Note that birding & botanizing were not our primary occupations during our days paddling — these observations are casual and the abundance estimates in particular are very approximate.
For use on these lists, the following qualitative (and loose) index of abundance is defined:
A — Abundant — many encounters per river mile, on average
C — Common — a few encounters per river mile, on average
U — Uncommon — less than 1 encounter per river mile, on average
R — Rare — 1 (or less) to 2 encounters per day (where a day’s paddle is 14-17 river miles)
BIRDS– Great Blue Heron – U Green Heron – U Turkey Vulture – U Osprey – R [Bald Eagle ??] – R Red-shouldered Hawk – C Broad-winged Hawk – R Red-tailed Hawk – U Killdeer – R Mourning Dove – U Yellow-billed Cuckoo – U Chimney Swift – U Ruby-throated Hummingbird – U Belted Kingfisher – U Red-bellied Woodpecker – C Downy Woodpecker – U Pileated Woodpecker – U Acadian Flycatcher – U Eastern Phoebe – U Eastern Kingbird – U White-eyed Vireo – C Yellow-throated Vireo – R Red-eyed Vireo – C Blue Jay – R American Crow – C Fish Crow – U Cliff Swallow – C Barn Swallow – R Carolina Chickadee – A Tufted Titmouse – C Carolina Wren – A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – U Eastern Bluebird – U American Robin – U European Starling – U Northern Parula – R Prothonotary Warbler – R Louisiana Waterthrush – R Kentucky Warbler – U Common Yellowthroat – U Yellow-breasted Chat – U Summer Tanager – R Eastern Towhee – U Chipping Sparrow – R Field Sparrow – R Song Sparrow – R Northern Cardinal – C Blue Grosbeak – C Indigo Bunting – A Red-winged Blackbird – R Common Grackle – R Brown-headed Cowbird – C American Goldfinch – R
TREES– (and a few notable shrubs) Aceraceae_____________________ Silver Maple – A Boxelder – A Florida Maple – U Betulaceae_____________________ River Birch – C Caprifoliaceae_____________________ Black Elderberry – C Cupressaceae_____________________ Eastern Redcedar – U Fabaceae______________________ Sourwood – U Fagaceae_________________________ Bitternut Hickory – U Shagbark Hickory – C ——————— American Beech – U ——————— White Oak – U Swamp Chestnut Oak – U Chinkapin Oak – R Cherrybark Oak – R Southern Red Oak – R Northern Red Oak – U Shumard’s Oak – R Scarlet Oak – R Willow Oak – R Darlington Oak – R Water Oak – U Oleaceae_____________________ Green Ash – A Chinese Privet – A Pinaceae_____________________ Loblolly Pine – U Virginia Pine – U Platanaceae_____________________ Sycamore – A Simaroubaceae_____________________ Tree of Heaven – U Styracaceae_____________________ Carolina Silverbell – U Tiliaceae_____________________ American Basswood – C Ulmacaeae_____________________ American/Slippery Elm – C [uncertain ID, probably both present] Sugarberry – A
