FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Re: Great Blue Herons on Butcher Fork

[Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi folks,

I don't know how many of you also subscribe to TN-bird, so please
forgive me if this is old news to you.

As was mentioned on that listserv, there is increasing interest in
keeping up with colonial nesting birds.  I'm glad a lot of you folks
are getting out and checking out the heron nesting colonies.

Mike Bierly, well known for writing "Bird Finding in Tennessee" and
also for recently putting together the state's Important Bird Areas
list, is compiling information on these colonies.  It would be
helpful if you could contact him with information about them. 
Michael's email is mlbierly@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Keep up the good work!

Charlie

--- Bill Cawood <b_cawood@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I have seen some traffic on the BBC about GBH.  I have been
> monitoring a colony near Big Stone Gap on Butcher's Fork.  The
> rookery is composed of two groups of nests a few dozen meters apart
> situated in a stand of tall trees (mostly yellow poplar) on a dry
> ridge above the small feeder stream to the South Fork Powell River.
>  
> I saw some activity on February 25.  This is in line with the last
> 4 years of monitoring.  I had thought that the Eastern set of nests
> were defunct but I observed 4-8 birds standing on the nests in that
> section (the older section).
> 3 years ago I saw 17 birds flying in a unique formation along the
> broad bottom below the rookery.  A most inspiring and awesome
> sight.
> 
> On Saturday, March 4 I oberved 3 black vultutres feeding on a
> carcass beside rte 58.  I approached within a few meters as the
> birds fed beside the roaring traffic.  The ignored me.  This is the
> closest I have ever observed black vultures.
> I also saw 3 red tail hawks.  One was being mobbed by crows and
> jays.  I have never seen such cooperative behavior between
> corvids..  
> Today I saw 3 turkey vultures soaring over my yard.
> 
> Bill Cawood, Big Stone Gap, VA
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: Bristol-birds <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2006 8:15:17 PM
> Subject: [Bristol-Birds] Great Blue Herons on the North Fork
> Holston
> 
>       Don't believe we have had a report this spring on the status 
> of the Great Blue Heron nesting colony on the North Fork Holston
> River at  Saltville, VA.
>   
>  Since the herons are nesting that far up the river from 
> Kingsport,  I wonder what might be in between.  
>   
>  So today I started in Hawkins County at Kingsport, TN and 
> searched the North Fork Holston throughout Scott County, VA and
> into Washington  County, VA to Mendota.
>   
>  I did not see a Great Blue nor any evidence of nesting.   
>   
>  For that matter,  I did not see a single waterbird I can  recall
> or any species worthy of note.  It was a dry run.
>   
>  I hope someone will post the status of the colony at Saltville 
> and maybe even Damascus, VA.
>   
>  I did look at Michelle King's Great Horned Owl nest and Rick 
> Phillip's new Netherland Inn rookery of Great Blue Herons at
> Kingsport.   Both of these are excellent discoveries.
>  So is the horned owl nest at Muddy Creek !
>   
>  Let's go birding.....
>   
>  Wallace Coffey
>  Bristol, TN
> 
> 
> 


*******************************************************************
Charlie Muise, Naturalist near
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

"To the dull mind all nature is leaden.  To the illuminated mind 
the whole world sparkles with light."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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