The South Holston River naturally attracts many birds to our area.  Here at the Tailwaters Lodge we are blessed with a variety of birds including waterfowl, birds of prey, wading birds, as well as songbirds.  We are only a short walk away from the beautiful Osceola Island which is a birds watchers paradise.  Over the winter months we've had a chance to photograph many birds here at the Tailwaters Lodge.  We hope you enjoy the photographs shot by our staff photographer, Michael Kaal.  

The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird.  It is a common occurrence to cross paths with this bird on the South Holston River.  It spends much of it day fishing for trout around the tailwaters.

The Bufflehead duck is a buoyant, large-headed duck that abruptly vanishes and resurfaces as it feeds, the tiny Bufflehead spends winters bobbing in bays, estuaries, reservoirs, and lakes.  Here at the Tailwaters Lodge we are blessed with their presence each Winter as they migrate here from up North.  

A kingfisher is a small to medium-sized bird with a large head, a long bill, and a compact body.  Kingfishers are known for foraging by plunging headfirst into water to capture fish near the surface with their bill. They may also watch for fish from a branch, wire, rock, or other perch above water. Kingfishers breed along streams, rivers, lakes, roadcuts, and quarries with earthen banks nearby for nest holes. They winter along rivers, streams, and lakes.  

The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down upon and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species.  We have many here on the South Holston River.  

A dabbling duck with pizzazz. We are greeted by this duck every winter here at the Tailwaters Lodge.  Breeding males have a green eye patch and a conspicuous white crown, earning them the nickname "baldpate." Females are brushed in warm browns with a gray-brown head and a smudge around the eye. Noisy groups congregate during fall and winter, plucking plants with their short gooselike bill from wetlands and fields or nibbling plants from the water's surface.

The Northern Mocking Bird is commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather.

The Cardinal can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States.  Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaking in winter’s snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.