Hiawassee Wildlife Preserve

[Lizz]

Today we took a boat trip up the Tennessee River to the Hiawassee River and on to the Hiawassee Wildlife Preserve to observe the birds along the river.  The day was a bright and sunny 55 degrees with a brisk breeze.  About 25 people enjoyed the casual ride and wonderful commentary from our naturalist/captain.  During our 4 hour trip we saw several varieties of gull, many immature bald eagles, black vultures, turkey vultures, great blue herons and three or four of their rookeries, Canada geese, cormorants, mallards, a 12 year old bald eagle nest with mated pair of eagles sitting on eggs, and turkeys.

The highlight of the trip was the sight of hundreds and hundreds of sandhill cranes and 2 whooping cranes mixed in with their cousins!!  At one point the cranes took to the air by the hundreds, looking like a huge swirling cloud of wings.  I’ve never seen anything like it! 

We also watched kingfishers diving for their lunch, black vultures checking out some small caves along the river bluffs for nest sites and cormorants sunning themselves on the sandbanks.  The GB heron rookery trees contained as many as 11 or 12 nests per tree.  We also floated passed a bat cave that contained thousands of common brown bats (all sleeping at the time) that have not yet contracted the white nose disease.

Add in a delicious lunch and you have a wonderful, relaxing day of bird-watching in eastern Tennessee.  If you are ever in the Chattanooga area I highly recommend the Hiawassee Wildlife Preserve!

As soon as I can figure out my DH’s camera I will try to post some pics.

[Donna]

OH, what an exciting day you had Lizz. Thanks so much for sharing that with us. Looking forward to some pics. 

[MAK]

  Sounds like a full day Lizz! Thanks for sharing!