The WSMV television tower was erected in 1957 and is located about 3 miles southwest of downtown Nashville, TN. The tower is 1,368 feet tall and sits on Knob Hill, elevation 680 feet. When tower and hill elevations are combined the tower is just over 2,000 feet above sea level. The tower is supported by 36 guy wires ranging in length from 490 to 2040 feet and attached at 6 different levels or tiers along the height of the tower.

Table 1 Total Number of Birds and Species Collected at WMSV Tower 1960 - 1997
Year Number of Birds Species 1960 2127   58 1961 183   27 1962 359   41 1963 312   38 1964 1257   62 1965 678   51 1966 670   67 1967 239   39 1968 5535   72 1969 448   56   1970 3672   64 1971 991   54 1972 348   49 1973 56   25 1974 65   21 1975 421   40 1976 288   34 1977 92   21 1978 53   19 1979 345   35		Year Number of Birds Species 1980 91   24 1981 70   29 1982 96   25 1983 104   34 1984 219   35 1985 68   27 1986 286   39 1987 66   24 1988 49   25 1989 85   23     1990 127   35 1991 89   28 1992 84   24 1993 34   15 1994 22   12 1995 134   31 1996 33   15 1997 83   21

Migration casualty collections began at the WSMV tower in 1960 and continue to this day. Collections are conducted during the fall from September 1st to October 31st. A 4700 square meter area under the tower enclosed by a security fence is searched every morning at 7:00am by volunteers primarily members of the Nashville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. From 1960-1997 19,880 birds of 112 species were collected at the tower (Table 1). Over 99% of these birds are Neotropical migrants, primarily warblers (Table 2). The number of birds collected at the tower has declined dramatically since collections began in 1960 (Figure 1).

Table 2 Top Twenty Species and Numbers Collected at WMSV Tower 1960 - 1997
Rank Species Number 1 Ovenbird 4362 2 Tennessee Warbler 3579 3 Magnolia Warbler 1992 4 Red-eyed Vireo 1618 5 Black-and-white Warbler 1177 6 Chestnut-sided Warbler 953 7 Bay-breasted Warbler 855 8 American Redstart 555 9 Black-throated Green Warbler 367 10 Common Yellowthroat 357		Rank Species Number 11 Blackburnian Warbler 337 12 Gray Catbird 328 13 Yellow-breasted Chat 227 14 Philadelphia Vireo 205 15 Northern Waterthrush 203 16 Palm Warbler 192 17 Indigo Bunting 164 18 Kentucky Warbler 160 19 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 146 20 Yellow-rumped Warbler 131

Jenny Nehring
Middle Tennessee State University

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