[Bristol-Birds] Historiical Great Blue Heron colonies in region (Revision of April 2009 post)

  • From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:19:31 -0400

 UPDATED GREAT BLUE HERON ROOKERIES MAR 2012




















 Historical map above represent overall regional distribution.

















 The map above shows SF Holston River colonies which
 have been active in Sullivan Co.  The colony to the far
 left is in Hawkins Co. at the ammunition plant and not to
 be included in the SF Holston River-Sullivan.  The two
 to the right are in the SF Holston at Damascus in 
 Washington  Co., VA.  



















 The map above shows colonies in Upper East Tennessee
 along the Holston River drainage.  The three lower colonies
 on this map show colonies located in the Nolichucky River
 drainage.  The five colonies in the most upper left hand 
 corner are along the Holston River in Hawkins County.











 The map above indicates colonies in Southwest Virginia.
 The colony to the left is along the Powell River.  The colony
 in Russell County is in the Clinch River drainage.  The one
 in the upper right is on the North Fork Holston River in Smyth
 County at Saltville.  The two in the bottom right are in the
 South Fork Holston drainage at Damascus.















 The map above indicates colonies in the Kingsport area. The
 colony at the left is in Hawkins Co. on the Holston River.  The
 colony at the top and lower right are along the South Fork
 Holston River of Sullivan County. 

 Historical first county records for colonies:

     Hawkins Co. 1991 (Holston River downstream of ammunition plant)
     Sullivan Co.  1996 (downstream of South Holston Dam - nests failed)
     Washington Co. Va 1998 (Government Rd., Damascus)
     Smyth Co.    2001 (North Fork Holston River at Saltville)
     Sullivan Co.  2001 (Pemberton Rd. near S.H. Lake - nests successful)
     Lee Co.        2002 (N.F. Powell River, Flatwoods)
     Wise Co.      2003 (Powell River at Butcher's Fork)
     Washington Co. TN 2004 (Nolichucky River near Jonesborough)
     Greene Co   2006 (Pate's Hill Rd. and Jackson Hollow Rd.) 
     Unicoi Co.    2007 (Devil's Looking Glass, Nolichucky River)
     Russell Co.  2009 (Elk Garden Creek, tributary of Clinch River) 

Significant Background

Two nests  with 4 adults were found 
10 Apr 1996 below South Holston Dam,
near TN Rt. 44 bridge along the river in 
Sullivan Co. The nests were later blown
out by a storm (Wallace Coffey, Larry McDaniel).


The first known Great Blue Heron rookery in 
Southwest Virginia was located 20 June 1998
in Washington County along Government Road 
at Damascus (Rob Biller, Ron Carrico).

Following the 1998 discovery at Damascus,
another rookery with 9 occupied nests was found
near Darter's Store and U.S. 421 in Holston
Valley, Sullivan Co., TN.  On 25 Feb 2001 
(Wallace Coffey, Tom Horsch).

The North Fork Holston nests (Smyth Co.)
were found on 10 March 2001 in a sycamore 
about 75 feet above the river near the McCready's
Gap area (Helen Barbrow).  A small colony of
unknown size was reported to Wallace Coffey
and Mike Sanders in January 2012 has being
upstream of the Hayter's Gap Bridge on
the North Forks Holston (Washington Co.) for
the past couple of years.

In Russell County, Jane Thornhill found and
photographed the first county nesting record
29 March 2009.  A bird had been seen by 
Tom Hunter a few days earlier carrying a stick.  
Jean Montgomery, Laverne and Tom Hunter 
found a rookery 21 April 2011 in the Carbo area 
of Russell Co. 2 miles downriver from the Carbo 
Power Plant on Power Plant Road which had 
6 nests. A rookery was found at Clifton Farm 
Road on Little River, 30 Mar 2012 with 23 nests 
(Tom Hunter, Dave Worley). 

There is also a small Great Blue Heron rookery
located on the South Fork of the Powell River in 
Wise County in 2003 (Randy Stanley).


Great Blue Herons invaded the Upper Holston
River watershed 1991-1992, first
with the Clay Island rookery on the Holston
River in Hawkins Co., TN (Ron Caldwell,
John Copeland) and then moved 
into the South Fork Holston drainage.
The colony had nested on the islands in 
previous years as old nests were observed in 
January 1991, according to Caldwell and Copeland.

There are no nests known from the Watauga
Rive drainage of the Upper Holston and none
known for Scott County, VA.

First Washington County, TN. nesting colony
(19 nests) found 25 Apr 2004. along Hwy 107, 
near the Nolichucky River (Don Holt, Joe McGuiness). 

Keep your eyes open as we continue to trace this 
expansion in the region.  Be sure and post your findings.

If any of you have updated records, corrections, etc., please
 e-mail then to me with as much exact detail as possible.  

 Let's go birding . . . . 

 Wallace Coffey
 Bristol, TN

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  • » [Bristol-Birds] Historiical Great Blue Heron colonies in region (Revision of April 2009 post) - Wallace Coffey