FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Saltville rookery largest in Southwest Va

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The Great Blue Heron colony on the North Fork Holston River at Saltville in 
Smyth County, VA is believed to be the largest rookery in the Tennessee River 
watershed of Southwest Virginia.

During last weekend's Clinch Mountain Birding & Wildlife Trail Festival at 
Saltville, Annette Poore took Don Holt, Mike Poe, Wallace Coffey and others to 
see the colony on Sat., April 13.  The festival and the Town of Saltville had 
arranged for the landowner to open access across a small low water bridge and 
parking at his home.  Holt counted 24 nests.  

Mike Poe made the photo of one of the Saltville nests which is shown at the 
right.  

Poore later contacted some friends to get a follow-up this year on the number 
of nests at the Butcher Fork herony in Wise Co.  The report is 12 trees; 17 
nests; at least 12 active nests.  

That count is comparbable to the colony in Washington County at Damascus which 
was reported last year and again this year by Tom Horsch.   Don Holt,  Dianne 
Draper and Wallace Coffey estimated the size of the Damascus colony on 3 Apr 
2005 at about 12 nests.  Coffey again visited it this spring and felt it was 
about the same size. 

Let's go birding.......

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN