Birding the Trout and Goodpine communities in La Salle Parish

  

European Starlings with a bit of American flair.

   Wanting to get out and do a little birding but not in the same old spots, I decided that I'd create a new eBird location and do the first of what I hope will be many lists for it. I had been wanting to count the growing little colony of Eurasian Collared-Doves (first located in summer 2011) in the communities of Trout and Goodpine (known as Trout-Goodpine) a couple of miles west of Jena. So, I decided to make that area my morning's birding destination (12/7/14).
   Before leaving my home in Jena, I put out the daily birdseed and while outside noticed at least one flyover Pine Siskin (FOS) calling and seen in silhouette. In fact, birds in general seemed to be pretty active on this chilly, gray, winter-looking morning, so I felt good about the birding I was about to do.

Habitat shot,
area around Sparrow St and Webster Cemetery Rd.

   I birded driving along the Hwy 84 corridor through much of the Goodpine and Trout area and took several side trips. Mostly, the places I birded I had already gotten used to birding during the Louisiana Bird Atlas, as part of the Jena West quad. However, I hadn't birded in the Trout-Goodpine area in a while. The habitat is a mish-mash of residential, business/industrial, rural, and wooded. This is an unincorporated area of houses, pastures and hayfields, some businesses and such places as a lumberyard, school, and hospital, as well some woodlots and thickets and a large pond (Mill Pond, an old impoundment on the upper Trout Creek). I ventured a little into the pine plantation type wooded areas outside of the populated parts. Here's some of the (relative) highlights and a general summary of the area's "birdy-ness". Also, a complete list of species will follow.
   One of the tricky things about birding in somewhat populated areas is to avoid lingering around or looking toward homes or other private settings, or indeed avoiding being in the way of other drivers, and just generally not make oneself a nuisance. I want to stress that its important to remember that not everyone's a birdwatcher, and so taking the people factor into account is always important. Also, avoid any activity that might be a traffic violation. Find safe places to park.
   Chipping Sparrows were likely much more numerous than the number recorded suggests, but were mostly just heard. Presumably where one or two are heard from the road, there are more present but not calling or simply not heard. The same that can be said for the Chippers that morning could also be applied to the American Goldfinches (some seen, some only heard) and possibly the one or two Pine Siskins heard nearby but not seen.
   I managed an out-of-the-way spot at the place where Webster Cemetery Rd. meets Sparrow Street. The pine thicket/young pine woods with some larger deciduous trees and weedy briar patch areas there gave me a chance to stop and pick up such species as Song Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, and Brown Creeper.

Northern Cardinal (male),
junction of Sparrow St and Webster Cemetery Rd.

Habitat shot,
looking south toward Mill Pond

   Dark-eyed Junco flew up from the road in a couple of spots. While pulled over at the Trout Creek Baptist Church, adjacent to Mill Pond, I noticed a number of small birds sometimes making themselves visible in the grassy roadside. Those that I was able to get a good look at showed themselves to be American Goldfinch. Passing vehicles stirred them up at one point, including some larger number on the far side of the highway and a little ways down from me. Those I couldn't see once they landed in nearby trees. These kinds of flocks of Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Warbler, and American Goldfinches and sometimes other finches are often found along roadsides and in parking areas during the winter months and are sometimes startled into flight by passing traffic.
   A Great Blue Heron was spotted in the Mill Pond in the larger, main body of the pond, south of the Hwy 84 bridge. A group of at least eight Wood Ducks, a mix of male and female, were seen swimming in the narrower part of the pond, north of the bridge.

Eurasian Collared-Dove,
most of the individuals of the first group.

Eurasian Collared-Doves,
part of the first group

   The first group of Eurasian Collared-Doves seen were where I had last spotted them while driving past some weeks ago --the power lines and utility poles across highway 84 from the veterinary clinic and art gallery building. I parked there across from them and tallied 23 birds. Always a treat to watch, I took a few minutes to observe them and snap a lot of photos.
While there, I could see groups of what looked to be Red-winged Blackbirds passing in the background. Some came closer and showed to be Red-wings.

Eurasian Collared-Doves buffetted by a gust of wind.

   Down past there, in the trees of the residential blocks across from the Trout post office / between the split of highways 84 and 772, there were large numbers of American Crows in the trees and
swirling around in groups in the air under the sheet of gray cloud. A very evocative, wintery scene.

European Starlings, 
Hwy 84 in Trout

   Pulling in at the tiny church across from the body shop a little ways down hwy 84, I noticed a fun photo op. European Starlings were perched on the handle bars and seat of a star-spangled motorcycle displayed atop a sign pole on the roadside in front of the body shop. I snapped a few decent photos of these charismatic birds sitting cockily atop their sweet ride. haha.
   I ended the birding at one of the other spots where I expected to find some of the Eurasian Collared-Doves, the area around the Jena Band of Choctaws tribal center and the south end of McClendon Lane. I spotted three of the doves here. This was also the spot where I got the day's Brown-headed Nuthatches, giving their distinctive calls from the pines nearby.

Eurasian Collared-Dove
One of the three from the second group.

   Its worth noting some common expected species went undetected. Some examples would be Eastern Phoebe, Northern Flicker, Mourning Dove, and American Robin. Some others that I had hoped or half-expected to find that didn't show include American Kestrel, Loggerhead Shrike, more variety of blackbird species/large ground-feeding flocks of blackbirds (crossed fingers for Rusty Blackbird).
   One doesn't have to head out to an especially "birdy" location or go seeking a hard-to-find species to have a satisfying and constructive time birding. Sometimes these modest, close-to-home areas can fulfill that urge we have to get outside and find some birds. I hope to continue making regular lists for this location and to add a few more new personal eBird locations in familiar areas that, until now, have only been birded as part of some larger project (i.e. Louisiana Bird Atlas, Christmas Bird Count, etc.).
The list of birds for this trip is below...
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Eurasian Collared-Doves

eBird location name: Trout-Goodpine area

Parish: La Salle

12/7/2014

7:38 am to 8:45 am

Protocol: Traveling, 3.9 miles

Conditions: 45 to 47 degrees f., overcast, breezy.

Eurasian Collared-Doves

Wood Duck - 8

Great Blue Heron - 1

Turkey Vulture - 7

Eurasian Collared-Dove - 26

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2

Downy Woodpecker - 1

American Crows

Blue Jay - 5

American Crow - 100

Carolina Chickadee - 7

Tufted Titmouse - 2

Brown-headed Nuthatch - 2

Carolina Wren - 2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2

Eastern Bluebird - 5

Northern Mockingbird - 5



European Starlings

European Starling - 27

Pine Warbler - 3

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 15

Eastern Towhee - 2

Chipping Sparrow - 10

Song Sparrow - 2

White-throated Sparrow - 8

Dark-eyed Junco - 5

Northern Cardinal - 7

Red-winged Blackbird - 50

Pine Siskin - 2

American Goldfinch - 10

House Sparrow - 4

European Starling

Best and happy birding!
Jonathan Clark