Today I was out on a boat at Smith Mtn. Lake in Bedford County and saw more
common loons than I have ever seen in one place.
Out in the middle of the channels and difficult to see from shore we counted 38
-45 common loons in several groups intermixed with gulls. My daughter says
that this has happened for the past two years and that these loons usually
leave in about a week after they collect in these large groups. It seems to be
a staging area for the migration north.
I also saw more osprey on nests than I have ever seen there before. Almost
every shoal marker that I saw had an osprey sitting on the nest and many others
flying overhead fighting over fish some one of them caught. If you want to see
an active nest, the nature center has an osprey cam. on a point just behind
their building. You can find it by Googling Smith Mountain Lake, Va. Osprey
Cam. I saw an interesting interaction there today from the boat when another
osprey was trying to attack the bird on the nest and it was fighting it off.
Peggy Lyons
Campbell County
