Tennessee Lakefront Cottages

Bird Watching on Watts Bar Lake

Many water birds including ospreys and bald eagles can be seen on Watts Bar Lake. So much attention is given to the wonderful fishing on Watts Bar Lake that few realize what a birdwatcher's paradise the lake is. It is quite commonplace to see ospreys daily. They are thriving on Watts Bar due to the plentiful fish they consume and the privacy available for nesting.

The same holds true for Bald Eagles. A pair of bald eagles was spotted in the White's Creek bay area recently. They are so easily identified by their white heads and tails and black bodies and enormous graceful wings. One bald eagle in particular followed above our boat for about a mile. Just as we were beginning to wonder if the eagle had plans for our Scottish terrier that was sitting in the prow, he soared ever higher until all we could see was a dot in the sky. Suddenly, the eagle dove down to the lake and in a matter of about 5 seconds, he swooped up a fish in his sharp talons and retreated to a pine limb hanging over the shore. We came to within 50 feet of this magnificent eagle and watched him devour the fish in no time. When he was finished, he swooped right over our heads as if to say, "back off!", and then disappeared over a nearby hill.

A Watts Bar Lake resident in the Marble Bluff area emailed us and commented, "I observed a beautiful Bald Eagle dive into the lake from a height of nearly 50 feet. The eagle came out of the water with a large fish approximately one foot in length. The eagle must have had a wing span close to 6 feet as it flew over us. We have seen a large variety of birds on this beautiful lake."

We have also spotted Bald Eagles in the Thiefneck Island area, at the bluffs south of Kingston, Sweetwater Island near Loudon, and in the Spring City area. We even spotted a young bald eagle that had not yet developed his white tail and head perched in a tree across from the entrance to Caney Creek. We watched him for about 10 minutes and he watched back.

We also spotted a bald eagle that stole a fish from an osprey in Blue Spring bay (also known as Cane Creek bay). Their aerobatics were quite a sight to see as the osprey chased after the eagle trying to retrieve the fish.

Ospreys are much more common than bald eagles on Watts Bar Lake. We have spotted them on a daily basis in the channel between Half Moon Island and Indian Shadows, all around Thiefneck Island, atop Daymarker 558.2 on the main channel, and numerous other places on Watts Bar Lake. This year, we are most fortunate to have a new Osprey nest on the dock roof of the TLC model home / office located in the Ten Mile area on the east side of Watts Bar Lake at Mile Marker 543.9. It will be fascinating to watch the babies grow up!

Other water birds that can be seen on Watts Bar Lake include great blue herons, kingfishers, green herons, snowy egrets, double-crested cormorants, Canada geese, gulls, loons, and a wide variety of ducks. Sandhill cranes can be seen from November to March at wildlife refuges near Chickamauga Lake, a short drive from the Watts Bar Lake dam.

Happy Bird Watching from Tennessee Lakefront Cottages!




Eagle photo in top banner is courtesy of John & Karen Hollingsworth/USFWS