October Odds and Ends; 10/30 and 11/11 on Catahoula NWR

   I didn't get much real birding done during October, but noted FOS arrivals when I could. This year's fall migration season has been noteworthy for its slow birding; an observation mentioned by birders from around the state.
   Many species arrived later than usual. To illustrate the point, here are a few personal FOS (first-of-season) observations in La Salle Parish:
*Eastern Phoebe arrived in second week of October, usually FOS is somewhere in late Sept to early Oct.
*White-throated Sparrow FOS was October 21 this year. The usual FOS is during the first two weeks of Oct. Unusually late.
*Ruby-crowned Kinglet FOS on Oct. 22. Again, unusually late FOS; usually shows up by early Oct.
*Yellow-rumped Warbler FOS Oct. 25. Another unusually late FOS; usually present in first week or two of October.
*Yellow-bellied Sapsucker FOS Oct. 27. Once again, quite late for FOS.
   Not catching them immediately is to be expected when not birding every day, but not hearing or seeing these common fall-winter birds until sometimes weeks after they would normally have become a daily occurrence is notable. 

   October 12 was my last observation of the summer's Chimney Swifts.

Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus), Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit, La Salle Parish

   Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get out to Catahoula NWR during most of October, but I couldn't let the whole month slip past without a single trip to the refuge. So, I made an afternoon visit to the NWR on October 30. Things were dry, dusty; dead-seeming at first glance. A closer look and listen showed that some life was going on as usual despite the drought.

Tropical Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus oileus), Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

    The most productive bit was a walk down the gated road that leads to the east side of Duck Lake. Flower diversity was low, but the butterflies were out and taking advantage of what was available. Tropical Checkered-Skippers and Common/White Checkered-Skippers were numerous.

Common/White Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis/albescens), Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

Pearl Crescent, Phaon Crescent, Little Yellow, Viceroy, Red Admiral, and Carolina Satyr were also present.

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

I was very pleased to find at least one (possibly two or three) Least Skipper. Thanks to Craig Marks for verifying this i.d. via photos. The species was a new one for La Salle Parish list.

Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor), Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

An even bigger highlight for me was a lifer Long-tailed Skipper. Though a common species, I had yet to see one of these in my year-and-a-half of butterflying.

a beautiful Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus), Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

a closer look at the Long-tailed Skipper

this moth species (species TBD) was abundant down the walk-in road, especially around the flowers w/ the butterflies

   While down this road I lucked into my FOS Sharp-shinned Hawk, Hermit Thrushes, and Orange-crowned Warbler. The Barred Owls were hootn'-and-hollerin'; it's always fun to hear them interact. Two can be heard in this video:

   After this, I rode around to the north end of Duck Lake. The dust clouds from vehicles on the road made it impractical to get out and bird, but I lingered a while in the truck (mostly with the windows up!) and was rewarded with sightings of four Bald Eagles and my FOS Northern Harrier.

dusty road near north end of Duck Lake (Bald Eagle in Bald Cypress)

   Over all, bird diversity and numbers were low for this point in the season, even for an afternoon trip, and several common/expected species went unrecorded. 
   Other wildlife included American Alligator and Eastern Fox Squirrel. 
   Complete list of birds from this visit is below, followed by account of my Nov. 11 trip to the NWR.

Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit, La Salle Parish
10/30/16
3:40 pm to 6:13 pm
Conditions: 83 to 72 degrees f., sunny, calm, dry and dusty.
Protocol: driving about 1.7  miles with a number of stops, walking about 0.3 miles.

Northern Shoveler - 30

Northern Shovelers, Duck Lake

Great Blue Heron - 7
white wader sp. - 3 (distant, could be Snowy Egret or young Little Blue Heron)
Glossy/White-faced Ibis - 17

Turkey Vulture - 5
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Bald Eagle - 4 (2 adult, 2 immature)

Bald Eagle in silhouette, seen through dust cloud

Killdeer - 20
Long-billed/Short-billed Dowitcher - 3
Greater Yellowlegs - 5
shorebird sp. - 20

Barred Owl - 3 (possibly 4)

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 1

American Kestrel - 1

Eastern Phoebe - 2

American Crow - 12

Carolina Chickadee - 4

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1

Hermit Thrush - 3

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2

Eastern Towhee - 1

Northern Cardinal - 5

Red-winged Blackbird - 2
      

11/11 dawn over Duck Lake

    The morning of November 11 on Catahoula NWR HQ Unit brought several more belated FOS winter species. With cloudy skies and a chill to the air, it was finally feeling like the fall-winter season. I birded a 1.5 mile stretch of the refuge loop; the north part. Water in Duck Lake was lower still and this provided mudflats and shallows for shorebirds including Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Killdeer, dowitchers, Least Sandpiper, and Greater Yellowlegs.

American Avocets foraging in Duck Lake

Ducks were present in decent numbers, but nothing spectacular. Northern Pintails and FOS Mallards and FOS Ring-necked Ducks were probably the most numerous, though many of the 900 or so ducks seen were far out in the lake or high in flight and were simply recorded as "duck species".

north end of Duck Lake, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Other FOS included American White Pelican, Cedar Waxwing, Song Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and American Goldfinch.

Bald Eagle and Bald Cypress silhouetted against red dawn sky

   Bald Eagles continued to be present, with two seen on this visit. American Robins were on the move, with two large flyover groups and occasional individuals, all seen/heard as flyovers. It's always nice to hear one of the Eastern Screech-Owls calling.

Bald Eagle, Duck Lake, Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

   Non-avian wildlife included Pond Slider and Eastern Fox Squirrel. So, not much stirring besides the birds.
   Full bird list for his trip is below.

Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit, La Salle Parish
11/11/16
5:58 am to 7:58 am
Conditions: 48 to 53 degrees f., calm, mostly cloudy.
Protocol: driving with a number of stops and long stand-around/walk-around period at north end of Duck Lake.

Wood Duck - 15
Mallard - 20
Northern Shoveler - 36
Northern Pintail - 25
Ring-necked Duck - 50
duck sp. - 800

Double-crested Cormorant - 2

American White Pelican - 29

American White Pelicans, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Great Blue Heron - 9
Great Egret - 3
Snowy Egret - 2

Black Vulture - 6
Turkey Vulture - 1
Bald Eagle - 2

Black-necked Stilt - 3
American Avocet - 27

American Avocets, Duck Lake, Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

American Avocet, Duck Lake

Killdeer - 8
Least Sandpiper - 9
dowitcher sp. - 17
Greater Yellowlegs - 3
shorebird sp. - 50; seen in distance, most or all were probably dowitchers

Eastern Screech-Owl - 1

Belted Kingfisher - 1

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

Eastern Phoebe - 8

Blue Jay - 5
American Crow - 13

Carolina Chickadee - 2
Tufted Titmouse - 3

House Wren - 2

House Wren, Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

House Wren, Catahoula NWR

Carolina Wren - 3

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3

Eastern Bluebird - 2
Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - 125

Cedar Waxwing - 8

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 7

Dark-eyed Junco, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 4
Savannah Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow - 3

Northern Cardinal - 10

Red-winged Blackbird - 2
blackbird sp. - 10

American Goldfinch - 3

Other FOS heard or seen in La Salle Parish that day, but not on the NWR, included Snow Goose and American Pipit. American Goldfinch also seen off-refuge.

*I'd like to mention that I still plan on doing the two big summary posts about observations made on Catahoula NWR this July-September (Bushley Bayou Unit) and August-Sept (HQ and Willow Lake Units). I haven't had much time to focus on the blog in recent weeks, but there's a lot of observations and fun info from the many visits I made to the refuge during those months and I'd hate not to include them on the blog. Good stuff. Those will be up soon. *crosses fingers*
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Catahoula NWR Headquarters and Willow Lake Units (La Salle Parish), July 2016

a peek at the first Wood Stork of the summer, Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

   This is starting to get into that ho-hum season for woodland birding, the season when many birds are singing less and thus less likely to be noticed. A July 8 visit to the Headquarters Unit was still pretty productive, though. I concentrated on the mostly wooded east and south/southwest part of the refuge loop and the short side road Mosquito Bend Road. Swainson's Warbler was singing, though approx. 0.2 mile south of the position where I usually heard it on visits this breeding season. A Kentucky Warbler was also singing. (video: heard, but not seen -- Red-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Swainson's Warbler, American Crow, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Cardinal.)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

    I encountered a fellow in a truck who let me know that he'd just seen a Wild Turkey hen on the refuge that morning. I did not see the bird, but was glad for the news. Water was still a bit too high to attract large concentrations of wading birds, and so there were modest numbers of herons, egrets, and ibises. A small congregation of Northern Rough-winged Swallows was seen -- groups of NRW Swallows are common this time of year, post-breeding season.

part of a flock of Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Catathoula NWR Hq Unit

wing from a Luna Moth, Mosquito Bend Rd.

   Butterflies and moths were the usual assortment, including Little Yellow, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, Cloudless Sulphur, for the butterflies; Lychnosia intermicata and Timandra amaturaria for the moths. A small number of Monarchs were seen. Tropical Checkered-Skippers were out along Mosquito Bend Rd, where I also found the wing of a long-gone Luna Moth. Phaon Crescents were working the Frogfruit (Phyla) along the south/southeast part of the refuge loop.

male Tropical Checkered-Skipper, near Cowpen Bayou

Pearl Crescent, Mosquito Bend Rd, Catahoula NWR Hq Unit

Phaon Crescent nectaring on Frogfruit, Catahoula NWR Rd

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Cowpen Bayou on Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Anhinga at Duck Lake

   I drove the entire 9-mile refuge loop on 7/19. Though Duck Lake was still not low enough to concentrate wading birds, conditions had improved somewhat and I did see more waders including Roseate Spoonbill and my FOS Wood Stork. Two Spotted Sandpipers were seen. Flocking Northern Rough-winged Swallows were present. Unfortunately, I heard neither Swainson's nor Kentucky Warbler on that trip, though that isn't surprising as the territorial singing of breeding season gives way to the summer doldrums. A few Prothonotary Warblers and Northern Parulas were heard, and Painted and Indigo Buntings continued to be very vocal, many were heard singing.

two Anhingas, Duck Lake, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

wading birds near Duck Lake (Great Egrets, White Ibises, Wood Stork, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Herons)

male Painted Bunting, C NWR

Hackberry Emperor, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

   Butterflies included Variegated Fritillary (which I commonly see on Bushley Bayou Unit, but not Headquarters Unit), Orange Sulphur, and Hackberry Emperor, among others (mostly same species as previous visit).
   Cross-lined Waved (Timandra amaturaria) continue to be common moths at this location.

Orange Sulphur, C NWR HQ Unit

Variegated Fritillary, Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

north end of Duck Lake, Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

morning at Willow Lake Unit of Catahoula NWR

   I went by the Willow Lake Unit on 7/20. Mowing of the weedy east section of the big meadow/field earlier this summer meant that numbers of some species were off from what might have been expected: no Prairie Warblers were heard or seen and only one Yellow-breasted Chat. Four Common Yellowthroats were heard, though. A Hooded Warbler was heard in the young hardwoods where it had been heard repeatedly this breeding season, but unfortunately no Swainson's Warbler this time.

top to bottom: Cross-lined Waved (moth), Phaon Crescent (butterfly), and possible Corn Earworm Moth (though I have serious reservations about that third (placeholder) i.d.)

   Lepidoptera were out in good numbers. Some of the moths were new to me and identifying them was tricky. The i.d.'s (see: pics below) may or may not be correct, but will be corrected in the future, if need be (http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ and http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Plates.shtml  and http://jtrahan.com/moths/index.htm are excellent resources for moth identification).

TENTATIVE i.d.: could be Inkblot Palpita (Palpita illibalis) or could be Freeman's Palpita (Palpita freemanalis), C NWR Willow Lake Unit

TENTATIVE i.d.: Corn Earworm Moth (Helicoverpa zea). ...though after seeing a *definite* H. zea on HQ Unit in August, I question this i.d., as I feel the two looked too dissimilar. (Moths are hard, y'all!). Any suggestions on i.d.s of my moth photos are always welcomed! This one will likely be changed.

   More familiar moths included the Cross-lined Waved (Timandra amaturaria) and Vetch Looper Moth (Caenurgia chloropha). At this point, I believe that all three of the following photos are of the variable Vetch Looper Moth. ...could be mistaken, though.

tentative i.d.: Vetch Looper

tentative i.d.: Vetch Looper

tentative i.d.: Vetch Looper

    A Dolichos Armyworm Moth caterpillar (Spodoptera dolichos) was seen.

caterpillar of the Dolichos Armyworm Moth, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Butterflies included numerous Phaon and Pearl Crescents at the Frogfruit (Phyla) patches along the west side of the first north-south stretch of the road after the entrance, Little Yellow, Common/White Checkered Skipper, and (Horace's?) Duskywing.

Pearl Crescent, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

American Alligator, Cowpen Bayou, 7/19/16

   Some of the herps detected on these parts of the NWR during July included Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Green Treefrog, Cope's Gray Treefrog, American Alligator, Pond Slider. Green Treefrogs can be heard singing in the video below (taken near Duck Lake and Cowpen Bayou on the Headquarter Unit, 7/19/2016).

   Mammals didn't come in great variety this month -- Eastern Cottontail, Eastern Fox Squirrel, White-tailed Deer.

Eastern Cottontail, Willow Lake Unit

Maypop (Passiflora incarnata) vine, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 7/19/16

   Wildflowers during July on Hq and Willow Lake Units included (to name a few, and in no particular order): Maypop or Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata),

Maypop, HQ Unit, 7/19

Germander (Teucrium canadense), Frogfruit (Phyla),

Frogfruit, HQ Unit, 7/19

Carolina Nightshade (Solanum),

Solanum, Willow Lake Unit, 7/20/16

Swamp Marshmallow/Rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos),

Swamp Marshmallow, HQ Unit, 7/19

Halbeardleaf Rosemallow (Hibiscus laevis),

Halbeardleaf Rosemallow, HQ Unit, 7/19

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias -- A. perennis and/or A. incarnata?),

Swamp Milkweed, Willow Lake Unit, 7/20

American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea),

American Lotus, HQ Unit, 7/8

and American Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata).

   Had I visited the Headquarters Unit at the end of the month, I would have seen that the waters were down enough by then for the area around Duck Lake to be a draw for large numbers of wading birds. Below are a few pics from my visit on 8/1/2016 to show what I might have been missing on 7/31/2016!

wading birds (mostly Great Egret and Wood Stork), Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 8/1/16

Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Stork, and Black-necked Stilt, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 8/1/16

wading birds on Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 8/1/16 -- mostly Great Egret and Wood Stork, with a few Snowy Egrets and White Ibises

   But alas, I didn't go during the final week of July. More about how things shaped up for August on Catahoula NWR will be in a blog post at the end of the month.
   Following the current entry will be one covering Bushley Bayou Unit during this past July. I spent a good amount of time out there this July and am still trying to organize that material into a not-too-long-winded post which will be up soon. That one will include, among other things, a good bit of info on fishes found in the streams there.

American Lotus (with Honey Bee), Catahoula NWR Hq Unit, 7/8/2016

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