Lee County

Chuck-will’s-widow, © Matt Anthony

If Lee, the westernmost county in Virginia, feels utterly distinct and disconnected from other areas of the state, that’s because in many ways it is – all of Lee County is actually closer to eight other state capitals (Frankfort, KY; Charleston, WV; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Columbia, SC; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; and Raleigh, NC) than it is to Richmond. The extreme western tip of the county, past Ewing, adds a ninth capital to the mix: Montgomery, AL. Its isolation from much of the rest of the state makes Southwest Virginia, and Lee County in particular, one of Virginia’s most unique regions. Wedged into about 437 square miles of land in the state’s southwestern corner, Lee forms a rough triangle coming to a point at Cumberland Gap, the furthest west point in the state. It takes just under an hour to traverse from east to west. The first Europeans to arrive in this area were Juan de Villalobos and Francisco de Silvera, both members of Hernando de Soto’s expedition, who stepped foot in present-day Lee county in 1540, nearly 70 years before the celebrated English landing at Jamestown!

The county was created in 1792 from Russell County. It is named not for Robert E. Lee, as some might assume, but for his father, “Light Horse” Harry Lee, and celebrated Revolutionary War hero and governor of Virginia at the time Lee County was founded. During the early years of the Republic, Lee County was at the center of westward exploration and settlement. Prior to the advent of modern engineering, the Appalachian Mountains presented a nearly impenetrable barrier to westward movement, with crossing mostly limited to a few accessible points. One of these was Cumberland Gap, situated at the junction of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. As a result, much of Lee County comprised the so-called “Wilderness Road,” a well-worn path dotted with fortified stations that served as a major route for westbound settlers. At the time, Kentucky and Tennessee represented the western frontier for the fledgling nation, and movement along this route was crucial for American expansion. The path west through Lee County was blazed by celebrated pioneer and folk hero Daniel Boone. During the intervening years, Lee saw its economy boom and then bust, following the fortunes of its main industries: agriculture, particularly tobacco farming, and coal mining. In 1814, Lee ceded some of its land to form Scott County, and again in 1856 to form Wise County. By the 20th century, facing economic stagnation, the county began to fall back on its historical roots, boosting heritage tourism related to the Wilderness Road and Cumberland Gap. Central to this effort is the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, shared with Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as Wilderness Road State Park, founded in the early 1990s.

Geologically, Lee County is part of a feature called the Cumberland Overthrust Block, which also includes Wise, Dickenson, and parts of Scott Counties. This formation includes some of the last true mountains until the Rockies, with elevations above 4000 feet. Lee, however, is unique in the region in that most of it is at lower elevations, with some areas in the southwestern part of the county only a little above 1000 feet. Virginia’s border with Kentucky (and Lee’s northern boundary) runs along the ridge of Cumberland Mountain until reaching its tip at Cumberland Gap. This gives Lee a mountainous backbone, but apart from this, most of the mountainous portions of the county are in the northeastern portion near the border with Wise. The vast majority of Lee County, including nearly all of its towns as well as US 58, the main highway running through the county, is in a lower-elevation valley with a patchwork of forested and agricultural lands. The main river in Lee is the Powell River, which has its source in Wise County and flows southwest through Wise and Lee for about 80 miles before entering Tennessee and eventually draining into the Tennessee River. Known for its amazing biodiversity, the Powell has been identified by the EPA as the “second most biologically diverse aquatic system in the nation.” Some of the land along the Powell in central Lee County has a unique karst topography, with thin soil over a bedrock of limestone that easily erodes, forming many sinkholes and caves while also limited forest growth, resulting in meadows and sparse coverage by hardy trees such as Red Cedar. As a result of this unique geology, this part of Lee County is a wealth of non-avian biodiversity, with numerous rare plants including Canby’s Mountain Lover, Wild Hyacinth, and Rattlesnake Master; salamanders including Cave, Long-tailed, and Green, as well as Hellbenders in the river; Eastern Black Kingsnakes on the fringe of their range; and an endemic crustacean, the Lee County Cave Isopod, found only in a few caverns here.

While Lee offers nothing quite so unusual or rare in the way of birds, it is still a destination that is sure to please any birders who are able to make the trek. Prior to the mid-20th century, Lee was almost unknown to birders or ornithologists, with the first major ornithological survey not coming until 1964, when John Grey and J.J. Murray led a two-man “foray” and published their findings in The Raven. Later, Lee was the site of a 1992 VSO foray directed by John Dalmas, while ornithological data from Lee was collected by Richard H. Peake in Birds of the Virginia Cumberlands. Despite these gains, however, Lee still remains one of the least-known and poorly-explored Virginia counties from a birding standpoint. While this profile touches on some of the birding highlights, there is much to be said for further exploration by those willing to pioneer.

The top eBird hotspot in Lee is Wilderness Road State Park, though this may be as much a function of accessibility as of birdiness. Located a bit west of Ewing, this 327-acre site includes a mixture of open fields and wooded tracts, with a series of trails as well as a historical recreation of a frontier settlement. During migration seasons, thoroughly covering the trails here can be a nice way to build a respectable species list, and even less-common species such as Black-billed Cuckoo, Bay-breasted Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Golden-winged Warbler have been recorded as migrants here. The open areas add to the species composition, with Grasshopper Sparrows breeding locally, swallow and martins hunting over the fields, and winter records of American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, and Loggerhead Shrike. At the far western tip, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park is another excellent site that offers an extensive system of trails as well as a campground. With more intact forests and slightly higher elevation, this area can be particularly productive in the breeding season, featuring a suite that includes Blue-headed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Parula, American Redstart, and Worm-eating, Black-and-white, Kentucky, Hooded, Cerulean, Chestnut-sided, and Black-throated Green Warblers. If you choose to stay the night at the campground, listen for Barred Owl and Chuck-will’s-widow.

In the central part of the county, The Cedars Natural Area Preserve encompasses a series of disjunct tracts of land in the karst region. Several of these sections are right along the Powell River, and some have substantial cavern systems, as well as grassy meadows and scrubby cedar woods owing to the poor limestone soil. Birding here is available only to those who coordinate with the Department of Conservation & Recreation for special access, but this can be a good spot to find species such as Yellow-breasted Chat, White-eyed Vireo, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Summer Tanager. The Cedars is also another good spot for Chuck-will’s-widow, which has been confirmed nesting here. Driving some of the rural roads in this area is another good way to stumble across exciting birds; two of the best are Curt Russell Road, which has often had Dickcissels on territory in recent years, and Flatwoods Road, which has several reports of Loggerhead Shrike. Another species to keep in mind, particularly when passing through the towns along US 58 (and Alt. 58, which runs north to Big Stone Gap), is Eurasian Collared-Dove, which has made substantial inroads in Lee recently and is found regularly in Ewing, Jonesville, and Pennington Gap.

A final spot worth mentioning is Lake Keokee, located in the uplands of far eastern Lee County, not far from the Wise line. As the largest accessible body of water in the county, Keokee is the best bet for any waterbirds, including ducks and shorebirds, as well as Double-crested Cormorant, Pied-billed Grebe, Osprey, and Bald Eagle. The waterfowl list includes Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, and Bufflehead, but this could surely be increased with more birder effort. Keokee also extends the promise of true regional rarities; if ever a White-winged Scoter or a Long-tailed Duck, to say nothing of a gull or tern, were to reach this far west, this is as good a spot as any. The woods around the lake are also excellent for both migrants and breeders. Prothonotary Warbler has been found singing here, and may breed locally. This has also long been known as the most reliable spot for Swainson’s Warbler in Lee County.

Though Lee boasts no statewide rarities, it does have some impressive regional records, including Sandhill Crane, Redhead, and Black-crowned Night-Heron. Nonetheless, with its extreme western location, wonderful mix of geography and habitat types, and impressive biodiversity, Lee is a county that practically demands further exploration by Virginia birders!

—Matt Anthony

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