Final report of bird inventory: Stones River National Battlefield, 2003–2005

Stedman, Barbara; Stedman, Stephen

During the inventory period, Barbara Stedman made visits to the unit on a total of 34 days during all seasons of the year. In the course of these visits she observed 150 species (Table 1) by one or more of the methods described above. In addition, 2 species were registered by NPS personnel (Common Goldeneye) or by visitors (Bald Eagle) to the park during the inventory period. The total of 152 species detected during the two-year inventory represents 72% of the 210 species that might be expected to occur within the site. Several factors prevented this percentage from being higher. Among these factors should certainly be included the fact that the battlefield is surrounded on all sides by roads and railroad tracks carrying a high volume of motorized and rail traffic; collectively, these transportation facilities encroach closely on the battlefield borders, perhaps discouraging use of the battlefield by some species of birds and certainly limiting how well bird vocalizations can be heard from within the battlefield boundaries. Urban development also closely approaches the battlefield boundaries in many areas around the battlefield and probably inhibits the presence of some bird species.

Final report of bird inventory: Stones River National Battlefield, 2003–2005

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