Farther Afield: 8/14/14 Trip To Cameron Parish Including Birds Along The Way.

Royal Terns and Least Tern, Holly Beach, Cameron Parish.

   On August 14, Tom Pollock, Jay Huner, and myself embarked on a trip to the birding wonderland that is Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Ok, so that's the southwest corner of the state and not Cenla, but its hard to resist doing a blog on a trip to such an excellent birding location. Besides, we traveled through parts of central Louisiana on the way there and back and a few mentionables were picked up here in Cenla.

   One of the first few species of the day were a flyover flock of Wood Storks spied along highway 121 between I-49 and highway 1200 in northwestern Rapides Parish. Minutes later (admittedly after missing our turn and continuing on on 121/1200) Tom Pollock and I spotted an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on highway 1200/121 south of their junction.

   The drive down to Cameron had a host of species as roadside birds, but all were more-or-less what's normal in their areas. It is interesting to note, however, how what 'normal' is shifts as we move further south and out of the woodland zone and into the prairie region, and then into the coastal marshes.

   ***A stop by the exit at Sulphur at Lebleu's for the traditional boudin and cracklins.***
and now back to the show...

Swamp Rabbit (juvenile), Sabine NWR.

   Shortly after entering the marshes on hwy 27 south of Sulphur, one enters Cameron Parish. Widely recognized as one of the best birding areas, if not the best birding area in the state in terms of sheer diversity possible on a given day and in terms of quantity of individuals of some species, and in the likelihood of encountering a rarity or five. One of the first birds of note that day was a flyover Least Bittern in the marshes along highway 27. Admittedly, that was a lifer for me, and (if meticulous Tom chooses to count it) a lifer for Tom as well. We stopped for a short while at the Sabine NWR wetland walkway and I got a look through binoculars at another Least Bittern that flew up from cover and disappeared around the bend of the channel. Unfortunately, Tom didn't get to see it. When out birding, keep an eye out for the other wildlife around. By the parking lot at the wetland walkway were an adult and juvenile Swamp Rabbit that were unusually tame and allowed for a few nice photos.



   As we approached the fork in the road at Holly Beach, the excitement builds. Will there be a rare gull on the beach? A pelagic species visible over the water? We drove the vehicles-permitted part of the beach starting near the east side of Holly Beach, and working our way west of the village. No true rarities, but a Snowy Plover almost right off the bat was nice. Also, there was a nice variety of terns, at least from my inland point of view. The requisite Royal Terns were the most abundant, but there were also a small number of Caspians. The tiny Least Terns were in good numbers, looking like ragdoll versions of their much larger cousins. Among the small terns was also a nice presence of Black Terns. A few Gull-billed Terns were a nice spice to the gumbo, as were a small number of Forster's Terns. All gulls in this area were the ubiquitous Laughing Gulls, and there were p-len-ty of them! Oh yeah, and careful not to run over any of the Sand Crabs running hither-and-thither across the beach!



Reddish Egret, west of Holly Beach, Cameron Parish

   From there, it was westward ho! along Highway 82 to Peveto Woods Sanctuary. Along the way there were lots of gulls, terns, Brown Pelicans, Sanderlings, Willets, and a few other expected species along the beach. We scanned the birds around a distant fishing boat, but no unusual pelagic species could be sussed out, just the usual Brown Pelicans and a few "gull sp.". We did, however, find a lot of terns, Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, and the expected shorebirds along the beach. Along side them were two Reddish Egrets, a life list first for me. When we arrived at Peveto Woods Dave Patton was there doing trail maintenance and other work. This would be a good place to express some thanks to Mr. Patton for the work he does there. Thanks! Also worth a thank you, he filled us in on the birds he'd found that morning. One, the Olive-sided Flycatcher, would be a lifer for me and he lead us directly to it before parting ways to return to his work. The Olive-sided was cooperative enough that we got a few pictures and a good, clear look at the bird. Mr. Patton also mentioned "Trail's" Flycatchers and Yellow Warbler as having been there that morning, but we didn't relocate them on our walk around the trails of the sanctuary around midday. We did, however, pick

Olive-sided Flycatcher, Peveto Woods Sanctuary, near Johnson's Bayou, Cameron Parish

up the Painted Buntings, Orchard Orioles, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Eastern Kingbirds that he had mentioned. Also among woodland birds present on the chenier was a Downy Woodpecker. Two wing feathers from an owl; presumably Great Horned, but MAYBE Barn, were found on the ground. Among the more interesting finds to me was the Six-lined Racerunner that I spotted. I'm used to encountering this lizard species on sandy roads through piney woods and cutovers back in cenla. It was interesting to me to see them in this setting, within earshot of the waves on the gulf beach. Also on the reptile front, Dave had seen a Cottonmouth while working. So, watch your step, folks!
  
   ***From there, it was westward on highway 82 to the gas station/store/restaurant by the school in Johnson's Bayou. The burgers are so good!***

   Then westward along Highway 82 to the waters east of the Sabine Pass bridge to hopefully get American Oystercatcher. No such luck, but we did get Herring Gull. We turned around and headed back east on hwy 82 toward Holly Beach. Along the way, we spotted a Mottled Duck in a pond or marshy patch on the north side of the road. Tom spotted a Common Nighthawk in flight, which I missed (don't recall if Jay saw it or not). Fortunately that was not the last of the Nighthawks. At a couple of spots close to one another a little east of the flying bird, we saw several nighthawks, all presumably Common, perched on the posts of the wooden fence that parallels the highway between the highway and the beach. Either we missed them on our earlier pass or they'd arrived in the interim.

Juvenile Laughing Gull "guarding entrance to Cameron Ferry"



Reddish Egret, East Jetty, Cameron Parish

   Holly Beach to the Cameron Ferry on Highway 82/27 didn't give us anything unusual. While waiting for the ferry, at least two different Northern Cardinals were seen a number of times flying across the road from one group of trees/bushes to the other. Dolphins in the Calcasieu and the usual terns, Laughing Gulls, and Brown Pelicans flying above, and the comical Boat-tailed Grackles at either shore made the wait and crossing enjoyable.



Green Heron, East Jetty, Cameron Parish

   Davis Road between the village of Cameron and the East Jetty Park didn't yield up anything unusual, but there's still plenty of birdage to be had. East Jetty Park itself, including the beach, was as always a strong birding experience. Reddish Egret, Green Heron, and Ruddy Turnstone were very

Ruddy Turnstones, East Jetty, Cameron Parish

cooperate when it came to taking photos. I flushed a Clapper Rail and heard another calling in the small area of tall grass near the jetty rocks north of the beach. The beach itself was a pleasant sight to behold. Barn Swallows swooped and swarmed, sometimes passing nearly within arms reach. This year's young terns, Least and Royal, called on the beach as mom and dad came and went on their quest to supply their progeny with fresh fish. Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls
glided overhead and landed on the beach. Herons and egrets danced in the surf and porpoises breached here and there in the mouth of the Calcasieu River. Other than the, *ahem*, aroma of the organic mater that one finds rotting on such beaches, it was a very enjoyable experience. The kind of thing that this birder gets a kick out of.
  

Terns, gull and plover at East Jetty Beach, Cameron Parish.
(Upper left and center right) Laughing Gull; (center) Royal,
Black, and Least Terns; and (lower right) Wilson's Plover.

   Back in Cameron itself, we had Eurasian-Collared Dove and White-winged Dove. From there, we continued east on hwy 82/27, took the north fork at the split, and then north on highway 27 through the marshes and over the intercoastal waterway.

Common Gallinule (adult), Pintail Loop, Cameron Prairie
NWR, Cameron Parish

   We made the loop at Pintail Loop on Cameron Prairie NWR. As always, this was full of wonderful, up-close birding. Family after family of Common Gallinules could be found, often quite tame. Several Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, including an adult with young juveniles were seen. Ibises, Black-necked Stilts, Tricolored Herons, and other wading birds and shorebirds dotted the impoundments. American Alligator was present in abundance, and one was seen dangerously close to Common Gallinules until they scattered as we drove past. The adult Purple Gallinule with two fluffy, all-black juveniles gave us a challenging photographic experience as they bobbed and weaved through the grass at the water's edge near the road. Several more Purples were seen after that. At least one American Coot and a small number of Pied-billed Grebe were seen in the water and a Mottled Duck or two as flyovers.


Purple Gallinule (adult), Pintail Loop, Cameron Prairie
NWR, Cameron Parish
 

   After Pintail Loop, it was north on hwy 27 to the headquarters area of Cameron Prairie NWR. At least three Red-bellied Woodpeckers were present in the trees on the south side of the parking area, Common Gallinules and American Alligators were hanging out in an accustomed-to-humans sort of way in the little pond by the parking lot and office building, and a Red-tailed Hawk was seen from the observation tower/boardwalk area.



Juvenile Purple Gallinule "walking on water", Pintail Loop,
Cameron Prairie NWR, Cameron Parish.

   We continued north on hwy 27, then east on Chalkley Road where there was a sudden flurry of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, adult and juvenile, present along the road side fences and power lines. There were enough for two or three family groups. We continued the route, taking Arceneaux Road north where rice harvesting was underway. Lots of House Sparrows, Common Grackles, and others were gathered here. Then east on Pine Pasture Road which runs along the Cameron-Calcasieu Parish line. No Crested Caracaras. Well, we can't have everything, can we?

   We left Cameron Parish going north on Fruge Road (Eastern Meadowlark, lots of Brown-headed Cowbirds) and made our way to the town or Iowa, then north on highway 165, taking us, after a good while, back to cenla.  Along the way I spotted a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks fly over highway 165 north of Fenton.

   Though this was not the most bird-packed of my meagre three trips to Cameron, all of them this year, there seems to be no bad time to go to this place. Always something to see, often something really exciting (from a birder's perspective, at least) to be found. I highly recommend that any Louisiana birder who hasn't made the pilgrimage to good ol' Cameron-by-the-Sea, do so. Research on ebird or elsewhere, ask around among birders who know the area well, and check out things like parish checklists. A well planned and well timed trip to Cameron Parish should yield a memorable birding experience, and you'll probably find yourself looking forward to your next trip there.

Wind-sculpted Live Oaks near Peveto Woods Sanctuary.

...Me personally, I miss the Great-tailed and Boad-tailed Grackles. Those things are everywhere down in that part of the state! : )

A complete list of species from our time in Cameron Parish on 8/14/14 is below.



Fulvous Whistling-Duck adult with young, Pintail Loop,
Cameron Prairie NWR, Cameron Parish.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Mottled Duck

Pied-billed Grebe

Wood Stork

 

Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Turnstone,
Laughing Gulls, and Royal Terns.
 East Jetty Beach, Cameron Parish

Neotropic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Anhinga

Brown Pelican

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Least Bittern

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Reddish Egret

Cattle Egret

Green Heron

White Ibis

Juvenile Common Gallinule, by boardwalk behind headquarters
Cameron Prairie NWR, Cameron Parish.

pleg. sp.

Roseate Spoonbill

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Clapper Rail

Purple Gallinule

Common Gallinule

American Coot

 

Black-necked Stilt

Snowy Plover

Wilson's Plover, west of Holly Beach, Cameron Parish.

Wilson's Plover       

Killdeer

Spotted Sandpiper

Willet

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Laughing Gull

Herring Gull

Least Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Black Tern

Forster's Tern

Royal Tern

Gull-billed Tern, Holly Beach, Cameron Parish.

 

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Inca Dove

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

Common Nighthawk

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

 

Downy Woodpecker, Peveto Woods Sanctuary,
Cameron Parish.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Loggerhead Shrike

Blue Jay

Fish Crow

crow sp.

 

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Marsh Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat, Sabine NWR, Cameron Parish.

 

 

Northern Cardinal

Painted Bunting

Red-winged Blackbird, Sabine NWR, Cameron Parish

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle

Orchard Oriole

House Sparrow

Other Wildlife Encountered:

Blanchard's Cricket Frog
Pig Frog

American Alligator, Pintail Loop, Cameron Prairie NWR.

American Alligator
Six-lined Racerunner

Swamp Rabbit (adult), Sabine NWR, Cameron Parish.

Pond Slider

Swamp Rabbit 
dolphin sp.
porpoise sp.

Juvenile Common Gallinules, Pintail
Loop, Cameron Prairie NWR.

American Alligator, Cameron Prairie
NWR Headquarters. Cameron Parish.

Thanks for reading! A new series of posts focusing on some of the cenla quads covered in the Louisiana Bird Atlas will be coming soon......










Happy Birding!
Jonathan Clark