Snyder Road (Trout Creek area in La Salle Parish), 11/15/14

Flock of Snow Geese, one of several headed south that morning.

  
   Hoping to generate a list of what fall and winter species have arrived at one of my less formal eBird locations (in other words, not a NWR or other such location), I settled on Snyder Road. Snyder Rd., one of my favorite spring and summer birding locations, is located in central/west-central La Salle Parish, a few miles west of Jena. The south end of the road meets Louisiana Hwy 8 near the Eden community, and the north end is on Louisiana Hwy 500 between the Trout and Searcy communities. The road, near its southern end, crosses Trout Creek, a medium-sized spring-fed stream on the list of Louisiana Scenic Rivers and Waterways. The woods near Trout Creek are relatively lush and feature plenty of hardwoods, while most of the habitat along Snyder Rd. is pine plantations in one stage or another of development, including young cutovers along the mid-northern part of the road. Snyder Road becomes impassable along certain stretches during and after rainy weather, making it impossible to travel the entire length of the road. I picked this location for this day to make sure I got in a mid-to-late autumn list before some forecasted rainfall events.

   Though I most often bird Snyder Rd starting from the south end, this time I decided to enter from the north and spend some time trying for interesting sparrows and other skulkers in the cutovers and thickets.

Habitat shot showing cutover around where
 I started the list that morning.

   With the fairly recent addition of a couple of homes near the road's northern terminous --the road used to be completely uninhabited-- and the lack of any bird vocalizations along that stretch, I didn't start birding until shortly after passing the Placid Oil yard and entering the "cutover district" of the route. The first species to make the list was Snow Goose, the first of several flocks that would be seen and/or heard as flyovers along the road. These first ones may have been the same flock I noted to the south while still driving hwy 500 a little ways before reaching Snyder Rd.

   The flocks of blackbirds --from what I could tell, probably all Red-wingeds-- were a wintery touch to the pine-land scenery. Typically scarce in these upland areas during the warmer months, flocks of Red-wings and Common Grackles become a common sight in the area during winter. Small groups of American Goldfinch were heard then seen, and were the first definite appearance of the species that I had so far this fall.

   White-throated Sparrow and Northern Cardinal were common enough in the roadside bushes and tangles. While at one stop in the cutover area I had a poor look at a duck fly past pretty low. Unfortunately I was in the truck and the bird passed behind me at some distance in dull light, so i.d.-ing it was tough. Normally, one would only expect Wood Duck in that scenario in such a location, but my best brief glimpse of it as a silhouette against the sky, suggested the rather distinctive profile of a Northern Shoveler. Not a species I'd expected to see looking at home in this upland pine-plantation setting, with only a very small pond and some creeks nearby.

Habitat shot from House Wren and Sedge Wren location.

   Eventually, the harsh calls of two House Wrens in a weedy cutover and the pine thicket across the road from it gave me a promising stop to spend more than a few minutes. I hoped to get a good photo of the species, but after drawing them into view with a bit of pishhing and screech-owl imitations, I found that my camera's batteries had finally died.
   I could hear the call of a Sedge Wren coming from nearby, but it never came to the spot I was stopped, so I drove a little further along and tried again. Sure enough, a House Wren (possibly one of the same individuals) came to my calling, soon followed by a Sedge Wren. I had only a brief look at the Sedge, but it was a nice clear view. That, though certainly not a rare bird, would prove to be the highlight of the trip. Birding was hit and miss as I made my way into older pine plantation, some of it you could properly call young pine woods. At a favorite spring-and-summer stop of mine where, in that season, I get Swainson's Warbler, Wood Thrush, and the like, I found a decent little mixed flock. From here on, Hermit Thrush would prove to be one of the more ubiquitous species at such stops. Oddly enough, I didn't record any Yellow-rumped Warbler, though they are usually one of the most common small land birds in the area in fall and winter. The species has seemed somewhat less common than expected thus far this fall.

   Things were slow by the time I got to the most fertile woods, near Trout Creek, and I only had a few expected species at the stop on the bridge. By then the wind was starting to pick up and I was needing to get back to town. So, I left on hwy 8 with a modest but satisfying list. Some FOS birds and the first list for this location so far this fall/winter season made the short drive more than worth while.

The complete list from the trip is below.

eBird location name: Trout Creek (area of Snyder Road bridge)

11/15/2014

8:02 am to 9:30 am

Traveling count, 3.4 miles

Conditions: 34 to 37 degrees f., cloudy/overcast partly clearing by end, calm at first with breeze developing.

Snow Goose - 260 (possibly more)
duck sp. (Norther Shoveler??) - 1

One of the Snow Goose flocks heading south.

Turkey Vulture - 5

Morning Dove - 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3

Eastern Phoebe - 1

Blue Jay - 4
American Crow - 18

Carolina Chickadee - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 1

Brown-headed Nuthatch - 1

House Wren - 2
Sedge Wren - 1 (FOS)
Carolina Wren - 3

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2

Eastern Bluebird - 1
Hermit Thrush - 6
American Robin - 3

Pine Warbler - 1

Eastern Towhee - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 11

Northern Cardinal - 6

Red-winged Blackbird - 100

American Goldfinch - 14 (FOS)

Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 11/14/14

 

Hooded Merganser (female), north end of Duck Lake.

This is a somewhat tardy post, but I'm getting caught up. Of interest, it gives some insight into when some species arrived in numbers.
***********************
   This was one of a series of unseasonably cold mornings we've had so far this November, and the most recent cold front seemed to have driven a further surge of winter birds into the area. The chill, clear morning revealed a number of first of season species for me, either all-around FOS or FOS for the location, and a boost in the numbers of some winter species that were already known to be present.
   As is typical of most trips during this season, there was minimal bird activity noted in the early morning between the entrance gate and the north end of the lake. This is a distance of approx. 1 mile through mostly wooded terrain. The woodland birds would be out and about in force and making their presence known on the drive back out a little later on.

Ducks and shorebirds, an icy north end of Duck Lake.

   Arriving at the lake, I was pleased to see that duck numbers, or at least variety, was greater than the previous week. One of the first species noted was a female Ruddy Duck in the northeast part of the lake by the inflow/outflow structure, probably the deepest part of the lake. I would find a female Hooded Merganser not too long after reaching my usual stop-and-stand-around spot at the north end of the lake. She came flying in and landed while I was out standing. This made me suspicious that the poorly seen pair of ducks that flew up while I was still driving may have been a pair of Hoodies. I thought they looked appropriate enough for this species in terms of size and proportion, but I had a very subpar look at them before they were gone.

Female Hooded Merganser, Duck Lake.

   At various points while around the lake I noted incoming groups of Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal, among others. Mallard and Northern Shoveler were present, as were Wood Ducks, of course. I didn't note any Gadwall (FOS on the previous week's trip) on this trip, but there very well could have been some among the distant groups of "duck species" out in the lake.

Killdeer, across the road from north end of Duck Lake.

   Many American Robins passed overhead, sometimes in large groups. More were likely missed while I was driving and had only an obstructed view of the sky.
   There were a few sparrows noted along the north edge of the lake, with Savannahs being the most numerous. After turning and heading back I found at least one Field Sparrow beside the northeast corner of the lake.
   Continuing back through the wooded areas, I did find a small mixed woodland flock or two and likely would have had more had I been able to stick around longer and spend more time stopped. Among the little woodland passerines was my FOS Blue-headed Vireo. With its sort of understated colorfulness, I consider the Blue-headed one of the most attractive songbirds common to this area. Though not terribly flashy or intricately marked and with mostly muted shades of green, yellow, and gray-blue, their standard backdrop of a gray wintery forest seems to make their plumage bright and bold by comparison.  Its always a treat to find one when out and about on a wintery day such as this one was.
   I left the refuge with an admittedly modest list for the morning, but satisfaction in having recorded first of season appearances for a host of species.
   The batteries in my camera were running low, and so I didn't take many photos.

The complete list from this trip is below.

Long-billed Dowitchers, Duck Lake.

eBird location name: Catahoula NWR--Headquarters Unit

La Salle Parish

11/14/14

6:48 am to 8:11 am

Conditions: 25 to 30 degrees f., clear, calm to light breeze.

Protocol: traveling, 1.1 mile.

Greater White-fronted Goose - 98
Snow Goose - 40
Ross's Goose - 2 (FOS)
Wood Duck - 19
Mallard - 20
Northern Shoverler - 13

Northern Shovelers,
across the road from north end of Duck Lake.

Green-winged Teal - 45 (FOS)
Ring-necked Duck - 4 (FOS)
Hooded Merganser - 1 (FOS)
Ruddy Duck - 1 (FOS)
duck sp. - 300











American White Pelican - 1

Great Blue Heron - 5
Great Egret - 1
Plegadis sp. - 1

Red-shouldered Hawk - 1

American Coot - 1

Killdeer, across the road from north end of Duck Lake.

Killdeer - 4
Greater Yellowlegs - 5
Lesser Yellowlegs - 7
Dunlin - 13 (FOS)
Least Sandpiper - 16
peep sp. - 9
Long-billed Dowitcher - 84
shorebird sp. - 50

Long-billed Dowitcher and Dunlin, Duck Lake.

Mourning Dove - 15

Downy Woodpecker - 1

Eastern Phoebe - 4

Blue-headed Vireo - 1 (FOS)

Blue Jay - 4
American Crow - 9
crow sp. - 10

Carolina Chickadee - 4
Tufted Titmouse - 1

Carolina Wren - 1

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1

Eastern Bluebird - 1
Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - 170

American Pipin - 2

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4

Chipping Sparrow - 1
Field Sparrow - 1
Savannah Sparrow - 7
Song Sparrow - 3
Swamp Sparrow - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 3

Northern Cardinal - 2

Red-winged Blackbird - 18
Common Grackle - 2

passerine sp. - 2

Long-billed Dowitchers and plegadis ibis sp. (probably White-faced Ibis).

Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 11/6/14

White-tailed Deer, Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler.
Duck Lake

   A cool, dreary morning with a few surprises. The overnight rainfall event was evidently quite light, as the roads were not at all muddy, but thankfully the dust had been dampened. Though there wasn't much woodland bird activity on the route between the entrance and the lake, I did luck up and hear FOS (for the location) American Robin. Another would later be seen and heard as a flyover by the lake.
   Bird activity picked up at the north end of Duck Lake. A total of ten Tricolored Herons, nine of them foraging together, was a treat. They're regular at this location, but this was a large enough number to be flagged by eBird. Shorebirds, though not terribly diverse in terms of number of species, were present in good numbers. Long-billed Dowitcher made up the bulk of individuals, and the 100 recorded was probably lower than the actual number present. Groups of 10 to 30 were frequently coming and going, and there were always groups seen foraging in the shallows. A few "peep sp." were recorded. Though usually the peeps present are quickly identified as Least Sandpiper, these weren't so obvious. A poor look at a distance, insured that I wouldn't be comfortable in pinning down which species of "peep" they were.

American Avocets foraging in Duck Lake.

 Two groups of approximately 40 American Avocets each were foraging in the shallow water along the west side of the lake. The water levels, as they currently are, make for a lot of good foraging for avocets and stilts. I haven't seen Black-necked Stilt in a few weeks, I believe, but they are often seen through the fall and I wouldn't be surprised if there are still some around. Killdeer and both Yellowlegs species were also present.
   During the time I was standing by the lake, a number of small groups of ducks came in to land. Most were very distant and just too hard to identify, but some were closer and proved to be Gadwall. This is their FOS appearance for me. Though I only have a total of 14 Gadwalls recorded, I am fairly confident that a decent amount of the "duck sp." are also Gadwall. Of course, Northern Shovelers were present, and I suspect that some of the "duck sp." would prove to be shovelers as well. A single Blue-winged Teal was also counted, though like the others, it was likely not the only of its kind present.

One of the two Barn Swallows.

   While scanning the lake I noticed a single Barn Swallow. We're getting to the part of the fall when I'd expect to stop finding the species here. Soon they'll all be gone further south. It ended up perching in the cypress that the water level marker is mounted on. Over the course of about 30 minutes this bird would be seen a few times, sometimes flying about low over the water, sometimes back on the perch. Eventually it was joined by a second Barn Swallow and they flew off.
   While watching the swallow, I noticed a deep, resonant honking out over the lake. I scanned the gray sky and spotted the shape of the goose, headed more-or-less north and therefor coming closer. Sure enough, it was a Canada Goose, which I was not expecting when in went birding that day. It continued calling as it passed perhaps 200 yards or less to my west. The bird, which was viewed clearly through binoculars, was unmistakable: very large goose, long and relatively slender neck, neck and head dark with white "chinstrap", overall coloring an uneven light and medium brown, pale below. I did manage to get one serviceable photo, which lacks for detailed field marks, but shows the distinctive silhouette of the bird in flight. Truly wild ones are very rare in Louisiana these days, so I have to consider that it could be from a feral population.

Canada Goose in flight.

White-throated Sparrow (left) and Chipping Sparrow (right),
Brushy/weedy growth at the edge of Duck Lake.

   Though not in great numbers, there were a few sparrows around at the north end of the lake. The most Savannah Sparrows that I've had here so far this fall, plus a few Swamp, Song, White-throated, and Chipping Sparrows.
 I didn't note any House Wrens or Common Yellowthroats in the weeds along the lake's edge. A FOS Northern Harrier was spotted passing over the road to the west of my location.

White-tailed Deer doe.

   While scanning the shoreline across the northeastern corner of the lake with my binoculars, I noticed a deer. A White-tailed Deer doe. I watched her forage her way along between the water and the tree line for a few minutes before her spotted fawn came into the open to join her. I snapped a lot of photos, thought the distance, poor light, and wobble-sensitive zoom meant that they wouldn't be very good quality. Still, quite nice to have them.

The doe is joined by her spotted fawn.

   After the birding at the lake, I went around to the east leg of the refuge loop, as I often do, in hopes of getting more woodland species. Strangely, I didn't get any Yellow-rumped Warblers or Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Chickadees and Golden-crowned Kinglets were around, though.
   Close to 40 Mourning Doves flushed from a tree near the entrance gate as I was about to leave. A few flew, then a few more, then more. Quite unexpected, that many together like that.
   Despite some missing species, this proved to be a productive trip. A couple of FOS, a Canada Goose, and good shorebird viewing made for a fun morning.

The complete species list for the morning is below.


Northern Shovelers

eBird location name: Catahoula NWR--Headquarters Unit

Parish: La Salle

11/6/14

6:42 am to 9:13 am

Traveling count, 1.9 miles

Conditions: 62 to 66 degrees f., calm to steady light breeze, overcast/cloudy

Northern Shovelers in the water across the road
from Duck Lake.

Canada Goose - 1
Gadwall - 14 (FOS)
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Shoveler - 8
duck sp. - 45

Double-crested Cormorants in Bald Cypress.

Double-crested Cormorant - 6
American White Pelican - 65

American White Pelicans preening in the shallows.

Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret - 5
Snowy Egret - 1
Tricolored Heron - 10

Turkey Vulture - 1
Northern Harrier - 1 (FOS)
Red-tailed Hawk - 1

American Avocet - 80
Killdeer - 3
Greater Yellowlegs - 4
Lesser Yellowlegs - 1
peep sp. - 6
Long-billed Dowitcher - 100
shorebird sp. - 30

Mourning Dove - 40

Barred Owl - 3

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 3

Eastern Phoebe - 6

Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 11
crow sp. - 10

Barn Swallow - 2

Carolina Chickadee - 5

Carolina Wren - 5

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2

Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - 2 (FOS for location)

Savannah Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 8
Song Sparrow - 2
Swamp Sparrow - 3
White-throated Sparrow - 7

Northern Cardinal - 14

Red-winged Blackbird - 3

Happy Birding!
Jonathan Clark

American White Pelicans

  

Birding Posey-Webb Camp Road and Posey-Webb Camp Highway in the hills west of Harrisonburg, 11/1/14

  


Lincoln's Sparrow, Posey-Webb Camp Road, Catahoula Parish

   It was cold (34 degrees f.), clear, and calm early on the morning of November 1st. It really felt like a sample of the winter to come. This is the kind of morning when I find myself eager to get out in the field and do some birding. I had decided to use this morning to check out the bird life along a couple of roads in northern Catahoula Parish that fall along the middle section of my BBS route, the Enterprise Route. I have been surveying that route for a few years now, and know the summer birds along there quite well. However, I've not birded the location outside of early June and was eager to initiate a new ebird location or two dedicated to certain sections of the route that I could bird throughout the year. The stretch of territory along Posey-Webb Camp Road and Posey-Webb Camp Highway seemed the smartest area to start with.
   Before we go further, it might be helpful to explain the what and where of this obscure place that I chose to bird. These roads are in the vicinity of the Chalk Hills, in the southern edge of the eastern extension of the Kisatchie Wold, in the generally northwestern to north-central part of Catahoula Parish. The south end of Posey-Webb Camp Road turns off of hwy 126 roughly a mile or so north of that road's junction with highway 8 near the Manifest community. I started the birding coming in from the south.

Posey-Webb Camp Road, looking north towards the 'Y'.

   Posey-Webb Camp Road (P-W Camp Rd.) runs roughly south-north from hwy 126 to its junction with Posey-Webb Camp Highway (P-W Camp Hwy). Now, P-W Camp "Highway" isn't a highway really, but a narrow, twisty blacktop that runs generally east-west through the hills west of Harrisonburg, east of Aimwell, and north of Manifest.
   At first I wasn't getting any sounds of birds. When I finally did, I stopped and started the list and time and effort information at that point. The theme of mixed woodland flocks was introduced at the first stop, with chickadees, kinglets, Pine Warblers, and others all moving through the pines together. It would continue to be the case through the morning that when in woody areas there'd be gaps with few or no birds punctuated by hot spots with a flurry of bird activity, dominated by the little arboreal songbirds.
  

Carolina Chickadee, Posey-Webb Camp Highway.
Part of a mixed flock.

   Traveling north on P-W Camp Rd, one moves from a situation with young pine woods on either side to one with a scrubby cutover on the west and the thicket / young woods continuing on the east. The views are nice here, especially where the early morning sun was able to hit some of the colorful fall foliage that has started to appear in the creek bottom on the far side of the hillside cutover. However, there wasn't much bird activity at this point. A group of American Crows circling a prominent tree in the distance drew my attention, and sure enough there was a Red-tailed Hawk perched in that tree. It eventually flew and landed nearer my position, but still too far for a good photo, though I did snap a few blurry ones.

Red-tailed Hawk, P-W Camp Rd.

   Further along the road, the woods and scrubby growth open out onto a 1.5 year old cutover on the high ridge where P-W Camp Rd approaches P-W Camp Highway. The ground cover here is sparse in places, but just old enough and dense enough to support some of the weedy habitat-loving species I was hoping to see, such as Song Sparrow and House Wren. I scanned the cutover's numerous snags and isolated trees, hoping to see the form of a bird perched in some of them. In doing so, I was hoping to find some species encountered in such situations such as kestrels, flickers, and buteo sp. Northern Flicker obliged.
   P-W Camp Rd forks, forming a 'Y', and each of the forks meet P-W Camp Highway a short distance further, just over the crest of the ridge. I took the west fork and parked at the junction of the P-W C Rd and Hwy. On the west side of the road was a calling Song Sparrow and calling House Wren, on the east, another House Wren, quite close and some times pausing in the open where I could see it. I turned east on P-W Camp Highway and soon stopped, between where the two forks of PWC Rd meet Hwy, to i.d. several small birds. One that was seen turned out to be a Chipping Sparrow, and a couple of more of its kind could be heard. I continued east and into the woods and older pine thickets.

Eastern Phoebe, Posey-Webb
Camp Highway

   I stopped at a likely looking spot just west of where the road crosses a small hardwood creek (an upper branch of Hawthorne Creek). The vein of hardwoods running through the less productive pine plantation should have a denser and more diverse bird population than the surrounding habitat. It did. A short time after starting my screech-owl imitations, the first little woodland songbirds started making there presence known. Soon, I had attracted one or more individuals each of Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Phoebe, R-C and G-C Kinglet, Carolina and Winter Wren, Orange-crowned and "Myrtle" Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Northern Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, Blue Jay, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. I managed to get photos of some of the birds, though the glare from the angle of the sun made them a little less crisp than I would like but it was still a lot of fun trying.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, P-W Camp Hwy.

This was the most productive single spot of the day in terms of species diversity, and possibly also number of individual birds. The Winter Wren and Orange-crowned Warbler were especially nice as they were FOS species for me this fall.










Northern Cardinal, Posey-Webb Camp Hwy.

   I turned around a little further east on J D Hardy Rd. I was feeling pretty satisfied with the morning's birding so far and was considering whether to keep up the effort while retracing my path back out or not. When I got back to the junction with P-W Cmp Rd, a brilliant and somewhat tame male American Kestrel answered this for me. I watched the charismatic little falcon on his perch for a few minutes, snapping pictures that were subpar due to the angle of the sun, until a passing car caused the bird to fly. Fortunately its next perch was in good view of where I needed to drive along P-W Camp Rd. Just after turning onto this road and parking I heard the familiar high-pitched calls of a flock of Cedar Waxwings. Try as I might, I couldn't get a visual on them from my limited view through windows and windshield as they apparently flew over the truck. Ebird would flag this observation as being early.


Male American Kestrel, corner of P-W Camp Hwy
and P-W Camp Rd.

   I continued attempting to photograph the kestrel along a number of perches in the narrow strip of cutover west of the west fork of the road. Several times he would swoop down and apparently snatch some small prey item and return to a perch. I watched carefully through binoculars as he appeared to eat what he had caught, but whatever he was preying on was too small to make out, too small to be something like a sparrow or a mouse. Of course kestrels prey heavily on insects, but I thought that the weather was too cold (upper 30's f. by this point) for grasshoppers and the like to be out.



Here's the kestrel after returning to his perch with some
small prey item, Posey-Webb Camp Rd.




   While watching the kestrel at a stop just north of the 'Y', I heard an intriguing sparrow-like chipping. A few 'pshh's later, and a bold Lincoln's Sparrow popped up in the edge of the cutover vegetation just yards from the passenger-side window. The bird was unusually obliging and stayed in this spot for a couple of minutes at least, and I managed to get a number of good photographs, nice and up-close with good light conditions.

Lincoln's Sparrow, Posey-Webb Camp Rd.

A Song Sparrow had also come to see what the fuss was about and hung around a little while, giving me more nice sparrow pics, including one of my favorite pictures of the day.








Song Sparrow, Posey-Webb Camp Rd.

   Eventually I decided to leave the sparrows and kestrel to their business and drove on south, leaving the way I had come in.
   This was an excellent start to what I hope will be a winter season of good birding.
The complete species list for the trip with additional photos is below.

Scrubby cutover and hardwood creek bottom west of
P-W Camp Rd.

ebird location name: "Posey-Webb Camp Road and Posey-Webb Camp Highway area"

Parish: Catahoula

11/1/2014

7:40 am to 9:45 am

Traveling count: 2.8 miles

Conditions: 34 to 41 degrees f., clear, calm at first but soon becoming breezy.

Turkey Vulture - 1

Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Mourning Dove - 5

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 1

American Kestrel - 1

Eastern Phoebe - 2

Blue Jay - 4
American Crow - 17

Tufted Titmouse, P-W Camp Hwy.

Carolina Chickadee - 5
Tufted Titmouse - 5

Brown-headed Nuthatch - 3

House Wren - 2
Winter Wren - 1 (FOS)
Carolina Wren - 10

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 10

Eastern Bluebird - 7
Hermit Thrush - 6



Song Sparrow, P-W Camp Rd.

Brown Thrasher - 3

Cedar Waxwing - x unknown number (FOS)

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1 (FOS)
Pine Warbler - 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 3

Eastern Towhee - 4
Chipping Sparrow - 3
Song Sparrow - 2
Lincoln's Sparrow - 1 (FOS)
White-throated Sparrow - 7

Lincoln's Sparrow, P-W Camp Rd.

Northern Cardinal - 13

blackbird sp. - 16

Lincoln's Sparrow, P-W Camp Rd, Catahoula Parish

 

 Happy Birding!

Jonathan Clark

 

 

 

Catahoula NWR HQ Unit 10/31/14

Cowpen Bayou viewed from the refuge loop

Halloween 2014 dawned nice and chilly and I was ready to do some birding. Before leaving my home in Jena I had already heard my FOS Hermit Thrush, which seemed a promising sign. Upon arriving at the refuge there didn't seem to be much bird activity. Some, but the one mile section of road between the entrance and Duck Lake gave only a scattering of woodland birds. While at my usual stand-around area at the north end of the lake things began to pick up. Dowithers, most

Long-billed Dowitchers foraging, north end of Duck Lake

identified as the expected Long-billed Dowitchers, were finally present in good numbers. A few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were of course present as well, along with a small number of Least Sandpipers. The best shorebirds of the day were a distance flock of American Avocets. This species is regular here on the refuge during the fall, but not always so constant as dowitchers or yellowlegs. A few of the avocets broke off from the main flock and flew closer to my position where I was able to get a few photos.
   Also, there were just a few waders at the north end of the lake, but they included a Tricolored Heron. Finally got a definitive look at a Savannah Sparrow and had unmistakable call notes from some of its comrades hidden in the grass.

A House Wren pauses long enough to have its picture taken.

Song Sparrow (FOS), Swamp Sparrow (FOS), House Wren (FOS), and Common Yellowthroat were among the other skulkers in the grass along the edge of the lake. The number and variety of sparrow species and other birds that use weedy areas in the winter is greatly diminished from what it used to be at this spot by the fact that the management has seen fit to mow the roadsides here regularly. This has destroyed a wonderful little patch of habitat that used to add a little more refuge for a little more wildlife here in this National Wildlife Refuge. The margins that remain that are too close to the water and too steep to be mowed still support some of these birds, but the amount of cover and food is greatly diminished from what it was a few years ago when the road sides were only mowed perhaps once or twice a year and not right at the end of the growing season.

Fall colors reflected on Cowpen Bayou

   I continued west and then southerly along the part of the loop that parallels Cowpen Bayou. Woodland mixed flocks were in evidence and I stopped a number of times when I thought I heard signs of them and was treated to many Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Golden-crowned(FOS) and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, etc.

juvenile American Alligator near Duck Lake

  














   Continuing around the loop I had Wood Ducks and Red-tailed Hawk at some of the backwater ditch/slough type areas --"the three big culverts"-- where the south and southeast side of Duck Lake comes close to the road. In the most northerly one I had the only good look at a non-avian species of wildlife that day: a young juvenile American Alligator. It seemed a chilly day for the little reptile to be out, but not too cold obviously. Also, three Tree Swallows were spotted there, winging their way north towards the lake which is visible nearby through a gap in the trees along a channel. There were two Blue-gray Gnatchatchers calling just past this area, before the mature woods close in. They are a regularly detected bird species in the area south of Duck Lake during the winter, but rarely on the north area of the refuge loop. It seems like the dividing line between where you can expect to find some wintering and where they are almost strictly a summer resident runs right across the HQ unit of the refuge. What a difference a couple of miles can make.

juvenile American Alligator near Duck Lake

   Woodland bird activity was hit and miss as I continued northward through more of the big woods. I had only a few Yellow-rumped Warblers this trip, so this typically abundant species stills seems unusually scarce so far this fall, at least in my experience. A few White-throated Sparrows (FOS for this location) and a Hermit Thrush (FOS for this location) had also been recorded on this trip. I left the refuge with 2 hours and 31 minutes of good birding for the day and a sense that the winter avifauna was finally arriving in force.
   The cold front that was moving this way would make my trip to a very different location on the following morning seem downright wintery. 34 degrees at the start, some really nice FOS species, and more really added to the feeling that the winter birding season is well and truly upon us. That is covered in the next blog post.
   But first, the complete species list from this trip.

ebird location name: "Catahoula NWR--Headquarters Unit"

Parish: La Salle

10/31/2014

7:25 am to 9:56 am

Traveling count: 9.1 miles

Conditions: 46 to 60 degrees f., clear, calm to light wind

Wood Duck - 10
Northern Shoveler - 7
duck sp. - 100

Double-crested Cormorant - 5
comorant sp. - 1
American White Pelican - 3

Great Blue Heron near Duck Lake

Great Blue Heron - 9
Great Egret - 3
Tricolored Heron - 1
White Ibis - 4

Turkey Vulture - 3
Red-shouldered Hawk - 4
Red-tailed Hawk - 1



American Avocet - 45


American Avocets, Duck Lake

Killdeer - 6
Greater Yellowlegs - 3
Lesser Yellowlegs - 3
Least Sandpiper - 3
Long-billed Dowitcher - 110
dowitcher sp. - 70
shorebird sp. - 47

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 6
Pileated Woodpecker - 4

Eastern Phoebe - 12

Blue Jay - 4
American Crow - 15

Tree Swallow - 3

Carolina Chickadee - 11
Tufted Titmouse - 4

House Wren - 3 (FOS)
Carolina Wren - 8

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4 (FOS) I would get FOS for my yard when I arrive back home and stepped out of the truck.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 5

Hermit Thrush - 1 (FOS for location)

Common Yellowthroat - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 8 (FOS for location)

Savannah Sparrow - 3 (FOS for location)
Song Sparrow - 5 (FOS)
Swamp Sparrow - 3 (FOS)
White-throated Sparrow - 8 (FOS for location)

Northern Cardinal - 13

Red-winged Blackbird - 17
Eastern Meadowlark - 2
Common Grackle - 3

West side of refuge loop.