An Introduction

Barred Owl, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

   So, before any 'real' posts are posted, I'd very much like to lay out what this blog is about, what I hope to accomplish with it, who will be contributing info, photos, and stories from the field, and give a "thank you" or two where they are very much due.

 

   Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to my dear friend Keisha Johnson for encouraging me to start this blog. Without a few nudges and shoves, I'd likely never have actually done something like start a blog. Thank You! To my friends, fellow Cenla birders, and comrades in mosquito-swatting and shoe be-muddening Beth Willis, Jay Huner, and Tom Pollock; thank you for your enthusiasm for this project and the observations, suggestions, and other contributions to this blog which have already started coming in. Thanks guys!

 

Why Blog About It?

 

Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish.

Kisatchie National Forest, Hardwater Lake Rd., Grant Parish

   Well, to those who call this area home or who have made themselves acquainted with it, its no secret that Cenla is a wonderful place for birding, outdoor photography, and any other excuse to get outdoors and seek out the extraordinary wildlife and plant life that call this region of The Bayou State home. Though perhaps not quite as celebrated (and fairly so, I must admit) as some of the more southerly parts of our state, Cenla does none the less support some fascinating biological communities. Uplands and bottomlands and wetlands and all in between, there's something interesting creeping and crawling or swimming or flying that can be found there, you just have to look and listen and discover.

  Hopefully, the posts in this blog will allow myself and the other birders/outdoors enthusiasts mentioned above to share our experiences and observations concerning birding and other nature-related activities in a casual but meaningful way. Discussions on various aspects of these topics are also sure to come up. If you are interested in birding, studying wildlife (and, if things go as planned, maybe wildflowers and other plant life as well), and probably hunting and fishing for that matter, then I hope that this blog will be informative and spark your curiosity. Grab your binoculars and pencil and paper and come on over to our neck of the woods!

 

Happy Birding-and-such!

Jonathan Clark