Compiled and Edited by Bob Zaremba
(First published in The Oriole, Vol. 72, Nos. 1-4, Pp 25-35)

The fall season is always full of surprises, and this season was no exception. Even with the dry weather that persisted through much of the year, we still had some very good sightings. The first documented breeding of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK in the state, and the increased sightings of Limpkin in the southern parts of the state, may be related to the drought conditions in the region. The fall passerine migration seemed very slow in comparison to past years at the typical hotspots like Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, but that only encouraged birders to explore new locations such as Henderson Park in Gwinnett Co. The mimosa trees in that park hosted a bonanza of WARBLERS, VIREOS, and FLYCATCHERS during migration. Rarities are always exciting when they show up, and this season we were treated to some very good western birds, as well as some unexpected northern species. Finally, there was a very good assortment of GULLS seen this fall, including SABINE’S, FRANKLIN’S and BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE. Although migration seemed slow this year, we ended up with a fantastic assortment of birds throughout the state.
   

The appearance of observations in this section does not suggest verification of acceptance of a record. Records need to be documented and submitted to the Checklist and Records Committee for consideration.

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK - The first evidence of breeding birds in the state was observed in Brooks Co., where C. K. Borg and Brad Bergstrom observed 10 adults on 4 and 5 August. Phyllis Hiers returned to this location on 25 August, and observed one pair with at least 8 ducklings. Julius and Julia Ariail photographed a pair of adult birds with 14 young ducklings on the same pond on 27 August, providing the first documented evidence of breeding in the state. At least 2 birds were still present in the same area on 2 September (fide Jim Flynn).

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE - Eric Beohm reported 2 birds from ENWR on 18 November.

SNOW GOOSE - A migrating bird arrived at ELHLAF on 24 October, and remained through 3 November (fide Carol Lambert). Eric Beohm found a bird in Henry Co. on 2 November, and 15 birds flying over I-75 near Griffin on 3 November.

GADWALL - Steve Barlow found an early returning migrant at ELHLAF on 25 August.

BLUE-WINGED TEAL - A good early count of 50 birds was recorded at SCSP by Eric Beohm on 18 August. Bob Zaremba observed 129 birds in Bartow Co. on 19 September, for another good early count.

NORTHERN SHOVELER - Carol Lambert recorded a good count of 83 birds at ELHLAF on 8 October.

NORTHERN PINTAIL - Marion Dobbs saw one bird in Bartow Co. on 16 August, which was a new early date record for the state.

GREEN-WINGED TEAL - Joshua Spence observed a migrating bird in the Mountain Region on 24 October, for a new early date record in that region.

COMMON EIDER - A female-plumaged bird was discovered on the Andrew’s Island Causeway on 17 October (m.ob.). The bird remained in the area through the end of the season. Amazingly, Jim Throckmorton discovered 2 more birds on Tybee Island on 23 November (CRC 2007-04 accepted).

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - Nick Van Lanen reported a good high count of 25 birds off LSSI on 13 October. Away from the coast, Mark Freeman found 2 birds at Bear Creek Reservoir in Athens on 7 November, which remained in the area until the end of the month.

BLACK SCOTER - Mark Freeman recorded a rare inland record of this species at Bear Creek Reservoir in Athens on 26 November.

LONG-TAILED DUCK - There were only 2 birds reported this season. Eric Beohm and Tracy Kirkpatrick found one bird at WPD on 19 November. Jeff Sewell, Carol Lambert, and Dan Vickers found a second bird on JI on 26 November.

COMMON GOLDENEYE - A female bird was present at ELHLAF from 8-11 November (Carol Lambert).

RUDDY DUCK - Julius Ariail observed an early arriving bird in Lake Park on 30 September.

PACIFIC LOON - Terry Johnson had a great sighting of a single bird wintering at the Plant Scherer ponds in Juliette. The bird was first observed by Terry on 22 October, and was seen by many observers throughout the rest of the season. Another bird was reported from Lake Walter F. George by Eric Beohm on 17 November, but was not relocated (CRC 2008-08 accepted).

PIED-BILLED GREBE - Carol Lambert reported finding 2 breeding pairs at ELHLAF during August.

RED-NECKED GREBE - A single bird was discovered at Plant Scherer in Juliette on 4 November (Terry Johnson, Jerry Amerson). The bird was seen by many observers through 19 November.

EARED GREBE - An unusually early sighting of a single bird at ELHLAF was reported by Carol Lambert on 23 August. This bird remained in the area through the season. Eric Beohm reported a good count of 7 birds at Rum Creek on 4 September. Another bird was present at the Glennville Water Treatment facility on 8 November (Gene Wilkinson).

BLACK-CAPPED PETREL - Individual birds were sighted during 2 pelagic trips out of Tybee Island on 25 and 27 August (fide Pierre Howard).

CORY’S SHEARWATER - High numbers of this species were observed offshore during 2 pelagic trips out of Tybee Island. Participants on the 25 August trip recorded 158 birds, and 108 birds were recorded during the 27 August trip (fide Pierre Howard).

AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER - This species was recorded during the 2 pelagic trips off Tybee Island. Three birds were tallied on 25 August, and 11 birds were observed on 27 August (fide Pierre Howard).

WILSON’S STORM-PETREL - Two birds were observed on the 27 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island (fide Pierre Howard).

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN - The flock of birds previously seen near Brunswick was observed again this season, as Jeff Sewell and Carol Lambert observed 25 birds on 14 October. The peak count of more than 150 birds was recorded at WPD on 18 November (Pierre Howard, Bob Zaremba).

AMERICAN BITTERN - Lois Stacey had a good count of 4 birds at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park near Augusta on 18 November.

GREAT EGRET - Joshua Spence tallied a nice high count of 48 birds in Gordon Co. on 17 August.

LITTLE BLUE HERON - Joshua Spence observed a bird in Gordon Co. on 11 September, which was a new late date record for the Mountain Region.

TRICOLORED HERON - Eric Beohm had a good report of 2 birds at Lake Horton near Fayetteville on 14 August.

CATTLE EGRET - Joshua Spence observed one bird in Gordon Co. on 25 October, which was a new late date record for the Mountain Region.

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON - Eric Beohm reported 2 birds in Spaulding Co. on 8 August.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL - Lydia Thompson reported a good count of 22 birds from JI on 7 September. Beth Willis-Stevenson discovered 2 birds at Hunter Army Airfield in Chatham Co. on 11 September, one of which remained in the area until 5 October. More unusual were the 2 birds discovered by Lynn Schlup in Washington Co. on 26 September.

WOOD STORK - Lynn Schlup had a very good tally of more than 60 birds in Washington Co. on 8 August. Eric Beohm observed 9 birds in Spaulding Co. on 14 August. Michael Beohm recorded this species on 25 September near the Monroe and Lamar Co. lines, which was late for the Piedmont Region.

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE - Dan Demko had a very unusual sighting of 8 birds in White Co. on 2 August. The peak count of 25 birds came on 16 August, when Diana Swan observed them over a field in Long Co. Two birds were observed in Bishop, Oconee Co., through most of August (fide Paul Sykes).

MISSISSIPPI KITE - A single bird observed in Dawson Forest, Dawson Co., in August was a very good find (Georgann Schmalz). The peak count of 86 birds was recorded in Bishop, Oconee Co., on 11 August by Steve Holzman and Paul Sykes. Paul stated that the incursion of kites was far north and inland from the normal distribution of kites in that region. The flocks consisted of adults and a good number of hatch-year kites, and were present for most of August over 4 recently cut hay fields. Eric Beohm had a nice count of 12 birds in Spaulding Co. on 14 August. Joshua Spence also had a great count of 11 birds in Gordon Co. on 30 August.

NORTHERN HARRIER - Two individuals were observed in northern Greene Co. by Paul Sykes on 24 September.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK - Stacy Zarpentine had a nice count of at least 45 birds over the Chattahoochee Nature Center on 1 October.

GOLDEN EAGLE - Walt Chambers sighted a third-year bird over the DeKalb Reservoir on 10 November. On 17 November, Eric Beohm located an adult at WPD. Unfortunately, neither bird could be relocated.

PEREGRINE FALCON - Deb Zaremba had an early sighting of one bird from KMT on 30 August.

BLACK RAIL - Paul Sykes had a nice count of 5 birds still present in a northern Greene Co. marsh on 6 August.

SORA - An immature bird was a good find in Fannin Co. by Tom Striker on 6 September.

COMMON MOORHEN - Carol Lambert reported 6 pairs of nesting birds at the ELHLAF during August.

LIMPKIN - Reports of this elusive species have begun to increase over the past few years, perhaps signaling a movement of breeding pairs from their Florida haunts in response to drought conditions. The 2 birds seen in July at Reed Bingham State Park near Adel were still present on 6 August (fide Brad Bergstrom), and remained at least until 15 October (Marion Dobbs; CRC 2006-21 accepted).

SANDHILL CRANE - Four birds were seen flying over the wetland center at ELHLAF by Carol Lambert on 16 August, which was a very unusual sighting. Gene Wilkinson observed 14 birds in the Glennville area on 9 September. The peak count of more than 350 birds was tallied in Cobb Co. by Ken Blankenship on 22 November.

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER - Ken Blankenship had a very good inland sighting of a bird in Bartow Co. on 13 August.

AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER - Mark Freeman located a bird at a sod farm in Morgan Co. on 27 August, which remained until 30 August. A single bird was present at ELHLAF on 29 August. (Eric Beohm, Carol Lambert). Single birds were also observed in Bartow Co. by Ken Blankenship on 3 September, and in Forsyth Co. by Jim Flynn on 12 September. The Forsyth Co. bird was seen again by Grant McCreary on 13 September.

WILLET - An inland sighting of a bird at ELHLAF was a good find by Dan Vickers on 31 August.

UPLAND SANDPIPER - Pierre Howard counted at least 38 birds at the Marshallville sod farm on 7 August. A new state high count of 52 birds was tallied at the same location by Eric Beohm on 28 August. Eric also reported that at least 13 birds were still present in the same location on 3 September.

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER - Georgann Schmalz and Theresa Hartz had a high count of 11 birds in Bartow Co. on 2 September. A single bird was discovered at the Marshallville sod farm by Eric Beohm on 3 September.

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER - Max Medley and Joshua Spence found 2 birds in Gordon Co. on 15 August, for the earliest report of the season. Later in the month, Walt Chambers discovered a bird in Bartow Co. on 31 August. Also in Bartow Co., 2 birds were discovered by Georgann Schmalz and Theresa Hartz on 2 September. Eric Beohm found another bird at the Marshallville sod farm on 3 September.

STILT SANDPIPER - A nice count of 2 birds was recorded by Eric Beohm at EHLAF on 5 September.

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER - Eric Beohm found 2 birds at the Marshallville sod farm on 28 August. The next day, Marion Dobbs had a nice count of 5 birds in Floyd Co. Another bird was present in Bartow Co. on 29 August (Walt Chambers). The high count for the season was 10 birds observed at the Perry sod farm on 8 September (Jeff Madsen, Jerry Brunner).

WILSON’S SNIPE - Ken Blankenship reported the earliest returning bird in Bartow on 13 August.

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE - The group on the 27 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island observed 30 birds offshore (fide Pierre Howard).

POMARINE JAEGER - A single bird was observed on the 25 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island (fide Pierre Howard). Michael Beohm reported one bird at WPD, a record inland sighting, on 14 September.

LONG-TAILED JAEGER - The group on the 27 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island documented a single bird offshore, which is a very rare sighting of this species in the state (fide Pierre Howard; CRC 2006-15 accepted).

FRANKLIN’S GULL - The only reported sighting this season was a single bird observed at WPD by Eric Beohm on 6 November.

SABINE’S GULL - A very rare sighting of this beautiful gull was documented during the 27 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island. This is only the 4th accepted record of this species for the state (fide Pierre Howard; CRC 2006-16 accepted).

BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - Steve Wagner and Deb Barreiro discovered a bird on the beach on Tybee Island on 22 October, which was a very exciting report from the coast.

CASPIAN TERN - Nine birds were a nice find at Lake Acworth in Cobb Co. by Chuck Saleeby on 19 September.

LEAST TERN - A single bird was seen at WPD, an unusual find, by Michael Beohm on 29 August.

BRIDLED TERN - Observers on pelagic trips out of Tybee Island observed 3 birds on 25 August and 23 birds on 27 August (fide Pierre Howard).

SOOTY TERN - A high count of 29 birds was recorded by observers on the 27 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island (fide Pierre Howard).

BLACK TERN - The earliest report was a bird at ELHLAF on 17 August (Carol Lambert). Observers on the 25 August pelagic trip out of Tybee Island reported a very high count of 631 birds offshore (fide Pierre Howard).

WHITE-WINGED DOVE - A single bird observed at a Bostwick sod farm near Athens by Eric Beohm on 25 August, remained in the same area until 27 August, when it was observed by Darlene Moore. Pierre Howard saw one bird in the dunes near the JI boardwalk on 31 October. Marjorie Clark reported seeing at least 2 birds at her JI feeder intermittently throughout November. 2 more birds were found near a feeder on Tybee Island by Jeff Sewell and Carol Lambert on 23 November.

COMMON GROUND-DOVE - Michael Beohm observed this species in extreme northeast Lamar Co. on 17 September.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO - There were very few reports this season. The earliest was a bird seen at Henderson Park in DeKalb Co. by Patrick Brisse and Ruth Marley on 16 September. Joshua Spence discovered a bird in Murray Co. on 3 October, which set a new late date record for the Mountain Region. This species is hard to find away from the state’s interior, so a report from LSSI on 13 October was very exciting news (fide Jeff Sewell).

BARN OWL - A bird reported from Murray Co. by Joshua Spence on 23 August was a good sighting for that area.

COMMON NIGHTHAWK - Stacy Zarpentine had a high count of 234 birds flying over Roswell on 31 August.

CHIMNEY SWIFT - A very late migrating bird was observed at the Glennville Water Treatment Facility by Jackie Heyda and Leslie Curran on 17 November. This is a new late date record for the state.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD - The earliest reported returning bird was one at a feeder in Floyd Co. on 14 August (fide Rusty Trump).

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER - Single birds were observed by Peter Gordon at Chicopee Woods near Gainesville, and by Tim Keyes at Amicalola Falls State Park, both on 24 August.

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER - They apparently were everywhere this season, as there were reports from Henderson Park in DeKalb Co., Cloudland Canyon, Carter’s Lake, Brooks Co., Dade Co., Washington Co., Columbus, and Spaulding Co., between 27 August and 13 October (m.ob.).

WILLOW FLYCATCHER - Paul Sykes had a bird still on territory in northern Greene Co. on 10 September.

VERMILION FLYCATCHER - A female was discovered at ENWR on 4 November, which remained in that location through the end of the month (Jim Flynn).

WESTERN KINGBIRD - A bird found in Fannin Co. on 17 September was very unusual for that region (Nedra Sekera). Along the coast, John Ester found a single bird on Skidaway Island on 12 November, and Jeff Sewell reported finding a bird on JI on 24 November.

SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER - Lydia Thompson had a rare sighting of a bird at AWMA on 29 September. Possibly the same bird was observed in the same area on 15 October (fide Tim Keyes).

WARBLING VIREO - Pierre Howard and Mark Davis observed a single bird at KMT on 14 September, which was a very good sighting for the park.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO - The peak count came from the Carter’s Lake area, where Joshua Spence had an incredible tally of 15 birds on 21 September. Carol Lambert had a good count of 3 birds at ELHLAF on 29 September.

RED-EYED VIREO - An early high count of 17 birds was notable at KMT on 8 August (fide Deb Zaremba).

HORNED LARK - Jim Flynn and Earl Horn tallied a very good count of 59 birds at the Marshallville sod farm on 19 August.

PURPLE MARTIN - A late migrant was observed by Joshua Spence in Murray Co. on 11 September, which set a new late date record for the Mountain Region.

TREE SWALLOW - A late migrant was observed by Joshua Spence in Murray Co. on 5 November, which set a new late date record for the Mountain Region

NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW - Joshua Spence saw a migrating bird on 31 October in Murray Co., which was a new late date record for the Mountain Region. The latest report this season was a bird at AWMA on 26 November (Steve Barlow).

BANK SWALLOW - Patrick Brisse and Hugh Garrett had a very impressive count of more than 25 birds in Bartow Co. on 5 August. A late migrating bird was observed by Paul Sykes northern Greene Co. on 28 October.

CLIFF SWALLOW - A good count of 272 birds was recorded in northern Greene Co. by Paul Sykes on 6 August.

CAVE SWALLOW - Sightings of this species on the coast are becoming an annual occurrence. Three birds were observed at the AWMA by Bob and Deb Zaremba on 28 October (CRC 2006-20 accepted). Also at AWMA, Steve Barlow found a single bird on 26 November

BARN SWALLOW - A late migrating bird was observed by Joshua Spence in Murray Co. on 31 October, setting a new late date record for the Mountain Region. A very late migrating bird was spotted at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park by Lois Stacey on 18 November.

WINTER WREN - Pierre Howard observed a bird on the boardwalk at CRNRA on 27 September. Russ Wigh photographed a bird at Skidaway Island on 4 October, setting a new early date record for the coast.

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET - An early returning bird in Fannin Co. on 9 September was notable (Tom Striker).

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH - Joshua Spence observed a bird in the Mountain Region on 5 October, which was a new late date record in that region.

SWAINSON’S THRUSH - Joshua Spence observed a bird in the Mountain Region on 16 September, which was a new early date record for that region.

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER - The peak count of 3 birds was recorded at KMT on 14 September (fide Giff Beaton).

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER - The peak count of 3 birds was recorded at Henderson Park in Gwinnett Co. on 16 September (fide Patrick Brisse).

TENNESSEE WARBLER - The peak count of 29 birds was recorded at KMT on 30 September (fide Giff Beaton).

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER - The first bird of the season was observed at the Newman Wetland Center in Clayton Co. by Carol Lambert on 6 October.

NASHVILLE WARBLER - The earliest returning bird was observed in Catoosa Co. by David Hollie on 20 August. Patrick Brisse found another early returning bird in DeKalb Co. on 31 August. A late migrating bird was observed on the Georgia Tech campus by Steve Barlow on 14 November.

CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER - The peak count of more than 25 birds was recorded at Henderson Park in Gwinnett Co. on 4 September (fide Patrick Brisse).

MAGNOLIA WARBLER - A late migrating bird was observed on the Georgia Tech campus by Steve Barlow on 29 November. This could be a new late date record for the state if it was not a wintering bird.

CAPE MAY WARBLER - This species is a rare fall migrant in the Piedmont Region, so sightings this time of year are always interesting. At least 2 birds were seen in Henderson Park in Gwinnett Co. between 20-26 September (m.ob.). In Cherokee Co., Vicki DeLoach’s yard hosted 2 birds. They were first observed on 10 October, and were last seen on 19 October. The latest migrating bird was observed in Columbus by Walt Chambers on 30 October.

BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER - Max Medley discovered this rare migrant at Carter’s Lake on 20 October. The bird remained in the area until 23 October, and was observed by many birders (CRC 2007-03 accepted).

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER - A good high count of 21 birds was tallied at KMT on 3 September (fide Giff Beaton).

PALM WARBLER - Joshua Spence observed a bird in the Mountain Region on 12 September, which was a new early date record for that region.

CERULEAN WARBLER - An early migrant was seen in Albany on 9 August (Alan Ashley). The peak count of 8 birds was recorded at KMT on 2 September (fide Giff Beaton). Six birds were considered to be fairly late migrants at KMT on 11 September (fide Giff Beaton).

BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER - The peak count during migration was 9 birds seen at KMT on 2 September (fide Giff Beaton).

AMERICAN REDSTART - A late migrating bird was observed on the Georgia Tech campus by Steve Barlow on 21 October.

MOURNING WARBLER - Karen Theodorou observed a bird in Lawrenceville on 9 October, which was unusual for that area.

HOODED WARBLER - A very late migrating bird was located in Cobb Co. on 19 November (David Hedeen).

WILSON’S WARBLER - This species showed up in many locations this fall. The earliest report was from Dawson Forest on 3 September (fide Theresa Hartz). Single birds were observed at CRNRA on 10 September (Ken Blankenship) and at the Buford Fish Hatchery in Forsyth Co. on 12 September (Walt Chambers). At Big Canoe, Theresa Hartz found another bird on 14 September. Two birds were seen on 16 September, one at Carter’s Lake (Joshua Spence) and another at the Arrowhead Lakes near Rome (Ann Stewart). The latest migrating bird showed up in Karen Theodorou’s Gwinnett Co. yard on 24 October.

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT - A late migrating bird was observed at the AWMA by Steve Barlow on 26 November.

SCARLET TANAGER - The peak migration count of 29 birds was recorded at KMT on 26 September (fide Giff Beaton).

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW - A single bird was a very good find at AWMA by Dan Vickers on 23 September. The highest count was at AWMA, where at least 4 birds were observed between 7 October and 12 October (m.ob.). Later in the season, Ken Blankenship observed a single bird at CRNRA on 29 October.

LARK SPARROW - Lois Stacey discovered a bird in the Augusta area on 14 September. Dan Vickers also reported finding a single bird at AWMA on 24 September.

SAVANNAH SPARROW - The first arriving bird was observed in Gordon Co. by Joshua Spence on 25 August, which set a new early date record for the Mountain Region.

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW - Hugh Garrett and Patrick Brisse had a huge count of more than 45 birds in Bartow Co. on 5 August.

HENSLOW’S SPARROW - Several good reports away from the coast included a bird observed at CRNRA in Cobb Co. on 28 October (Ken Blankenship), and a bird at ELHLAF on 29 October, which remained until 31 October (Carol Lambert, Ricky Wright). Stephen Sorensen found 4 birds in a powerline right-of-way in the Sansavilla WMA in Glynn Co. on 10 November.

LE CONTE’S SPARROW - Three birds were observed at ENWR on 4 November (Jim Flynn et al).

LINCOLN’S SPARROW - Many observers reported finding at least 2 birds at CRNRA between 15 October and 4 November. Another bird was found at Carter’s Lake on 21 October. Walt Chambers found 2 birds near Columbus on 29 October, and again on 4 November.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW - Three birds were found at AWMA on 16 October, an unusual sighting from that location (Jeff Sewell, Carol Lambert).

PAINTED BUNTING - Gene Wilkinson observed a bird at his feeder in Glennville on 26 November.

DICKCISSEL - Steve Barlow had a good report of a single bird at the AWMA on 28 August. Lois Stacey found a bird at the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park in Augusta on 14 September.

RUSTY BLACKBIRD - Joshua Spence recorded a bird in Gordon Co. on 5 October, which was a new early date record for the Mountain Region. Ed Maioriello has a very good count of more than 525 birds at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park near Augusta on 30 November.

PINE SISKIN - Tom Striker recorded a single bird visiting his Blue Ridge feeder on 17 September.

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