[Bristol-Birds] cormorant nests increase in Hawkins Co.

Army Ammunition Plant
Holston River
Kingsport, TN
Hawkins County

The Double-crested Cormorant nests at this site have increased this year to 50, 
according to a biologist with the plant.

Bruce Cole reports that in 2004, the count was 45 nests.  They were in a Great 
Blue Heron nesting colony on Clay Island, river Mile Point 138-139  (36.5254°N, 
82.6527°W).  The colony was abandoned and birds scattered in 2005 when a pair 
of Bald Eagles built a nest in the tallest tree on the island at one end of the 
colony.

This year the cormorants have regrouped with other Great Blue Herons at a 
nesting site along the river shoreline on the plant side of the river about one 
half mile upstream from the previous Clay Island colony site.  This site is 
within the fenced security of the plant.

Last year's distrubance may have been responsible for expansion of the nesting 
of this species into nearby Sullivan County at Kingsport (Rick Knight, TN-Birds 
Net, Thu, 30 Mar 2006 13:31:14 -0500).  On 30 Mar 2006 he found a cormorant 
sitting on a nest along the S. Fork Holston River (just downstream from 
Netherland Inn).  "The Kingsport nest is undoubtedly an expansion from that 
rookery," Knight wrote of the downstream Clay Island nesting location on the 
Holston River.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN

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