FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Great Blue Herons at the nest

["Rick Phillips" <sunfish0501@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Great Blue Herons were busy gathering and adding twigs to their nests at a new 
rookerie on Netherland Inn Rd in Kingsport this morning.  One walker on the 
greenbelt trail that passed near the nest island stated that the birds were 
coming down to the riverbank within 20 feet of him as he was walking and 
gathering twigs, apparently paying him no mind.

I went there this morning to get a couple of quick photos.  I stood there in 
the early morning chill fascinated as I watched the large birds interacting 
with each other at the nest through my scope.  I got some pics and was cold and 
hungry and decided to pack up the equipment and roll on down the road to the 
Burger King for a biscuit.  I walked back up the trail to the car, put the 
equipment away, and got in and started the car to drive off with visions of ham 
biscuits drifting through my head.  As I looked up one last time straight out 
the front car window at the river a large, heavy brown bird sailed by at about 
eye level over the river.  A double take and I found myself looking at a superb 
view of an adult Bald Eagle now slightly down river and circling around the 
rookerie.  The bird crossed the river and perched magestically in a large 
sycamore, brilliant white head gleaming in the early morning sun.  I just about 
busted a leg getting the scope and camera equipment back out of the car.  By 
the time I got ready to run back down to the river, the bird had flown out of 
sight on the other side of the island.  I got down there as fast as I could 
with all the stuff I was carrying.  Another fellow was already there and 
putting away his camera.  I asked if he saw the eagle. He said he did and that 
it had flown down, caught a fish, and sat for a moment on the gravel bar below 
the island, then flew off down the river toward the confluence of the N. and S. 
Forks of the Holston.  I could just imagine this view in my scope and camera 
and all the ooohs and ahhhs that would bring from viewers on Don Carriers new 
email list for bird photos.  Well, my imagination is all that will be posted 
today as the eagle was gone before one shot could be had.  Still it made for a 
really exciting morning!  Oh well, here are herons at the nest this morning on 
the Holston.

Rick

Rick Phillips
Kingsport, Tennessee

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