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