What is believed to be a newly-reported nesting colony of Great Blue Herons was discovered today on Boone Lake in Sullivan, Co., TN. I first saw the nests while checking the area nesting population of Cliff Swallows. To the best of my knowledge, it is the first known rookery of Great Blues found on Boone Lake. A neighbor told me this is not the first year they've been there. He said he remembers the nests in the spring of 2006 and maybe before. At the left is a map showing the general location south of the mouth of Muddy Creek, off the tip of Wagner Bend, near TVA Point 9, between South Fork Holston River mile point 25 and 26. This is downstream of DeVault Bridge. Most nest are on an island. The map shows yellow spots to indicate 5 heron nests and the red spot the location of a perched Double-crested Cormorant. I could not find a cormorant's nest. One of the nests is on the shoreline high up a ridge above the lake in a dead tree. All of the nests appeared to have two or three young nearly ready to leave the nests. There was much wing flapping by the young birds. Let's go birding...... Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN