GOS Spring Meeting
Hiawassee, GA
20-22 May 2022
Keynote Speaker: Robert Meyer, Tall Timbers Research Station
Friday Night Speaker: Lily Martin, University of Georgia
Checklist Compiled by Steve Wagner
After having to cancel our scheduled 2020 Spring Meeting because of Covid, it was nice to finally get back to the mountains for this meeting. The ~30 attendees enjoyed cooperative weather, good birding and two very informative presentations. Field trip locations included Brasstown Bald, Ivy log Gap Road, Burrell’s Ford Road, Brawley Mountain and Tray Mountain. During the trips, 92 species were observed and/or heard (see complete list below). Thanks to our field trip leaders (Larry Carlile, Ed Maioriello, Patrick Maurice, J.P. Moss, Steve Wagner).
On Friday, Lily Martin, a graduate student at University of Georgia, presented her just-finished Master’s research on estimating owl population density using remote audio recording data. She conducted the work in Georgia’s Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, where she collected recordings of Eastern Screech-Owls, Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls. Lily focused on the latter species as she explained the details of estimating density using this promising new methodology.
Saturday’s speaker, Rob Meyer, discussed the Tall Timbers Research Station’s efforts to maintain and expand the population of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in the Red Hills region of South Georgia and North Florida. The fact that most of these RCWs that they work with are on private property creates a variety of complications as well as opportunities. Their primary goal is to make the Red Hills population resilient to the potential impacts of future hurricanes and/or wildfires by establishing new groups over a wider area and filling in gaps between groups.
Both of our speakers had received funding for their work from GOS.
Bird List (92 species):
Canada Goose
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Ruffed Grouse
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Killdeer
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
Red Crossbill
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Yellow-breasted Chat
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Swainson's Warbler
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting