Pear Island - Percy Priest Lake
Wading Birds Home Wading Birds Map Wading Birds Breeding Sites Species Summary Survey Form Contacts Links
|
Pear Island - Percy Priest Lake |
|
|
|
|
Photo: Richard Connors |
| A view of Pear Island and the heronry. |
Colony Name:
Pear Island - Percy Priest Lake
Colony Code: Davidson-4
County: Davidson
Geographical
Location.
Physiographic Province:
PIF (Interior Low Plateaus [Central Basin]); BCR 24 (Central Hardwoods)
Latitude and Longitude:
36.07616 and -86.56131
How Obtained: WGS 84
Nearest City/Town:
Hermitage
Distance:
Four miles from heronry.
Directions from town to colony:
From I-40E, exit 226 (Mt. Juliet Rd.), go right for 7
miles. Road becomes Hobson Pike (SR 71). Pear Island can be seen looking
south from the bridge crossing Percy Priest Lake. Park on the west side of
the bridge and walk to the shore to observe the heronry. From Long Hunter State Park, take boat from Couchville
boat ramp approximately 1 mile south to Pear Island.
Owner:
US Army Corps of Engineers
Address: Resource Manager, 3737 Bell Road, Nashville, TN 37214,
615-889-1975.
Management Plan: None. See Resource Manager
Description.
General Description: Heronry is on west end of Pear
Island, formed by the impoundment of J. Percy Priest Lake in the late 1960's.
Island mainly of several cottonwood and willow trees. A sheltered, shallow cove
containing cypress trees is on the south side of the island just east of the
heronry. Many birds were seen wading in this feature upon arrival (2007). Nests primarily in cottonwood trees. Island covered with young deciduous
forest growth, with mixed cedar stands.
General Habitat:
Freshwater Island; Impoundment
Specific Habitat:
Deciduous Trees
Species of nest trees: Cottonwood, Black Willow, Blue
Ash
Size: 1 hectare (2.5 acres)
|
|
|
Photo: Richard Connors |
| A closer view of Pear Island and the nests. |
History.
Nashville--Pear
Island on Percy
Priest Lake, out from Long Hunter State Park, contains a breeding colony of
Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, and
Black-crowned Night-Herons. 2004. Spring, Great Blue
Heron (nest building) on Pear Island to the right/east from State Route 171 (visible from
road), just before it crosses Percy Priest Lake, going north to the park entrance (Susan
Hollyday). 2006. February 13, no birds seen (91 nests
from 2005) (Susan Hollyday). March 19, Great Blue Heron (106 active
nests) at least one adult on each nest, some nests had two adults, may be additional nests
on the far side of the island that could not be seen from vantage point, observations from
State Route 171 (Susan Hollyday). April 6, Great Blue Heron (110 active
nests) with an adult bird on each; Black-crowned Night-Heron (2 active nests) one adult
beside a nest and one adult carrying nesting material to another tree. The Black-crowned
Night-Heron nests were in the same trees as the Great Blue Heron nests, but lower down
(Susan Hollyday). This represents the first known, though decades suspected, nesting of
Black-crowned Night-Heron on Percy Priest Lake. 2007. March 26, Great
Blue Heron (80+ adults and 78 nests) and Double-crested Cormorant (1) fly-by (Richard
Connors). June 7, heronry scoped from the shore just off State Route 171
though foliage in the nest trees made an accurate count impossible, Double-crested
Cormorant (9 nests, all with at least one adult bird) and Great Blue Heron (56 nests, all
with at least one parent bird) (Susan Hollyday).
2008. March 12, Double-crested Cormorant (2 nests both active) 4 adults and
Great Blue Heron (108 nests of which 93 active) 129 adults (Richard Connors,
John Froeshauer, Mark Vaughn, and Jason Allen). Contacts are Susan Hollyday, shollyday@comcast.net, Richard Connors, Rconnorsphoto@aol.com,
John Froeshauer, john.froeschauer@state.tn.us,
Mark Vaughn, mark.k.vaughn@usace.army.mil,
and Jason Allen, jasonkallen@comast.net.
|
Cumulative Breeding Summary |
| Year | Species | Maximum Number Adults Observed |
Total Number Active Nests |
Total Number Young Seen in Nests |
Estimated Breeding Pairs |
| 2004 | Great Blue Heron | -- | (nest building) | -- | -- |
| 2005 |
-- |
-- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2006 | Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron |
110+ 3 |
110 2 |
-- -- |
-- -- |
| 2007 | Double-crested
Cormorant Great Blue Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron |
40 80+ 1 2 1 |
10 56 -- -- -- |
10 35 -- -- -- |
10 56 -- -- -- |
| 2008 | Double-crested
Cormorant Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron |
17 129 3 |
16 108 -- |
16 93 -- |
16 108 -- |
2007
Survey Results.
Survey Dates:
June 11 and see in
History, 2007.
Survey Vantage Point: From Boat
Primary Observer: John D. Froeschauer, 258 Thuss Avenue,
Nashville, TN 37211, 615-333-6732,
john.froeschauer@state.tn.us.
Additional Observers: Ranger
Matthew Blakney, Long Hunter State Park.
|
2007 Breeding Surveys |
| Date | Species | Reproductive Stage | Survey Type (Nests) | Survey Type (Adults) | Total Number Adults | Total Number Nests | Number Active Nests | Number Young Seen | Estimated Breeding Pairs |
| June 11 |
Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron |
Unfledged Young; Recent Fledglings Unfledged Young; Recent Fledglings -- -- -- |
Actual
Count Actual Count -- -- -- |
Actual
Count Actual Count Actual Count Visual Estimate Actual Count |
40 60 1 2 1 |
10 45 4 2 8 |
10 35 -- -- -- |
10 3 -- -- -- |
10 35 -- -- -- |
| Comments: June 11 - Great Blue Herons were difficult to count. Young hard to tell from the adults. Count based on individuals inside nest with two adult-appearing birds with it. Active nests qualified by having at least one bird at nest. Probably more, but most seemed to have fledge and moving around the site. Vegetation was heavy. One Great Egret seen flying around the island. Two pairs of Cattle Egrets seen, one carrying a twig to unknown spot in interior of west end. Pair of Green Herons flew away from the island. Single Black-crowned Night-Herons were flying in and out of thick understory below heronry, which is confined to the west end of Pear Island. Evidence of camping at other end. |
2008
Survey Results.
Survey Dates:
March 12 (1:00-1:30 p.m.) and June 6
Survey Vantage Point:
From Boat
Primary Observer
(March 12): Richard H. Connors, 603 Barrywood
Drive, Nashville, TN 37220, 615-832-0521,
Rconorsphoto@aol.com.
Additional Observers:
John Froeshauer,
john.froeschauer@state.tn.us,
Mark Vaughn, mark.k.vaughn@usace.army.mil,
and Jason Allen, kallen77@aol.com.
Primary Observer
(June 6): John D. Froeschauer, 258 Thuss Avenue,
Nashville, TN 37211, 615-333-6732,
john.froeschauer@state.tn.us.
Additional Observers: Ranger
Matt Blakney, Long Hunter State Park.
|
2008 Breeding Surveys |
| Date | Species | Reproductive Stage | Survey Type (Nests) | Survey Type (Adults) | Total Number Adults | Total Number Nests | Number Active Nests | Number Young Seen | Estimated Breeding Pairs |
| March 12 |
Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron |
Pre-nesting;
Building Pre-nesting; Building; Eggs in Nest |
Actual
Count Actual Count |
Actual
Count Actual Count |
4 129 |
2 108 |
2 93 |
0 0 |
2 93 |
| June 6 |
Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron |
Unfledged Young Unfledged Young See June 6 Comments |
Actual Count Actual Count Actual Count |
Actual Count Actual Count Actual Count |
17 -- 3 |
16 -- -- |
16 21 -- |
7 24 -- |
16 21 -- |
| Comments: March 12 - Richard, John, and Jason have similar photos of the Pear Island heronry. June 6 - It was quite breezy, which made counting a challenge. Double-crested Cormorant: Nest were determined by presence of birds perched upon them. They were mostly in Black Willow. Great Blue Heron: Birds were hard to count. Trees they were occupying were Black Willow, Cottonwood, and Blue Ash. Black-crowned Night-Heron: Three distinct birds were seen flying low into the trees in several passes. Continued counting might have resulted in repetition, so we stayed with the known number. |
