Christmas Bird Count

Orange-crowned Warbler, LACA CBC zone 2

   This winter's Catahoula NWR Christmas Bird Count (LACA CBC) was held a bit later than usual, January 3, 2017. Together, my father and I birded zone 2 and zone 5 of the LACA CBC count circle. In addition to the count day birding, I did some scouting in the count circle on 1/1/17 and got a couple of count week (CW) species -- species that wouldn't be found come count day. Below are lists for the 1/1/17 CW birding (the Nebo and Little River Rec Area lists are located in zone 2 and zone 5, respectively, but the two Catahoula NWR lists are in zones covered by other teams on count day) and the lists for the 1/3/17 CBC itself.

Nebo:
La Salle Parish
January 1, 2017
7:58 am to 9:30 am
about 4 miles, about 0.2 of that was on foot
Conditions: 59 to 60 degrees f., foggy w/ some faint mist of rain, calm.
Habitat shots:

Birds:
Snow Goose (a Count Week species) - x - some flyovers heard, unseen in fog

Red-shouldered Hawk - 2

Mourning Dove - 3

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

Eastern Phoebe - 7

Blue-headed Vireo - 1

Blue Jay - 8
American Crow - 10

Carolina Chickadee - 8
Tufted Titmouse - 7

Carolina Wren - 8

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 5

Eastern Bluebird - 1
American Robin - 2

Northern Mockingbird - 3

European Starling - 2

Cedar Waxwing - 10

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Common Yellowthroat (a Count Week species) - 1
Pine Warbler - 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 15

Chipping Sparrow - 50
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - 6
White-throated Sparrow - 18
Song Sparrow - 1
Swamp Sparrow - 3
Eastern Townee - 1

Northern Cardinal - 13

American Goldfinch - x -  a few heard as flyovers

Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit:
La Salle Parish
January 1, 2017
10:28 am - 11:59 am
1.5 mile, birded from vehicle
Conditions: 62 to 65 degrees f., foggy/cloudy w/ some faint mist of rain, faint breeze.
Habitat shots:

Birds:
Snow Goose - x - flyovers heard, unseen in fog
Wood Duck - 7

Great Blue Heron - 1
Great Egret - 1

Greater Yellowlegs - 1

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Norther Flicker - 5
Pileated Woodpecker - 1

Eastern Phoebe - 5

Blue-headed Vireo - 1

Blue Jay - 3
American Crow - 4

Carolina Chickadee - 7
Tufted Titmouse - 5

House Wren - 1
Carolina Wren - 6

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2

Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - 1

Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 3

White-throated Sparrow - 15
Song Sparrow -2
Swamp Sparrow - 10 (see: video below)
Eastern Towhee - 2

Northern Cardinal - 4

American Goldfinch - x - flyovers of indeterminate number heard

Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit: 
La Salle Parish
January 1, 2017
12:02 pm - 1:43 pm
2.9 miles, birded from truck along part of refuge loop, plus brief stand around period
Conditions: 63 to 66 degrees f., foggy/cloudy w/ some faint mist of rain, calm. Water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed approx. feet.
Habitat shots:

Birds:
Snow Goose - x - flyovers heard in fog and clouds
Gadwall - 8
America Widgeon - 10
Mallard - 170
Northern Pintail - 200
Green-winged Teal - 1
Canvasback -5
Ring-necked Duck - 20
duck sp. - 100

Mallard and Gadwall

American Widgeon and Mallard

male Canvasback and female and male Mallards

Double-crested Cormorants

Double-crested Cormorant - 2

Great Blue Heron - 6
Great Egret- 1

Black Vulture - 2
Turkey Vulture - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Killdeer - 1
Greater Yellowlegs - 1

Mourning Dove - 8

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 3

Eastern Phoebe - 4

Blue Jay - 4
American Crow - 9

Carolina Chickadee - 9
Tufted Titmouse - 7

Carolina Wren - 7

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4

Hermit Thrush - 1

Cedar Waxwing - 20

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 3

Chipping Sparrow - 2
White-throated Sparrow -21
Savannah Sparrow -5
Song Sparrow - 1
Eastern Towhee - 1

Northern Cardinal - 8

Little River Recreation Area:
Catahoula Parish
January 1, 2017
1:47 pm - 2:12 pm
Conditions: 65 to 67 degrees f., cloudy, near calm.
Habitat shots:

Birds:
Snow Goose - 40 - flyover flock

Double-crested Cormorant - 1

Great Blue Heron - 2
Great Egret - 1

Red-tailed Hawk - 1

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

Eastern Phoebe - 1

Blue Jay -2
American Crow - 2

Carolina Chickadee - 2

Carolina Wren - 1

Northern Mockingbird - 1

European Starling - 2

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4

Savannah Sparrow - 5
Swamp Sparrow - 1

Northern Cardinal - 2

**Catahoula NWR Christmas Bird Count**

 Eastern Bluebird atop church steeple in zone 2 -- bird-y & Christmas-y

  Zone 2:
La Salle Parish (general vicinity of Nebo and Shady Grove communities, upland area north of Catahoula Lake)
January 3, 2017
7:02 am - 1:35 pm
about 22 miles by truck, 0.25 on foot
Conditions: 49 to 74 degrees f., mix cloud and sunny becoming sunny, calm becoming breezy
Habitat shots:

Birds:
Great Blue Heron - 2

Black Vulture - 10
Turkey Vulture -23
Red-shouldered Hawk - 8
Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Mourning Dove - 2

Eastern Screech-Owl - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 4
Pileated Woodpecker - 7

American Kestrel - 1

Eastern Phoebe - 8

Blue-headed Vireo - 3

Blue-headed Vireo

Blue Jay - 18
American Crow - 70

Carolina Chickadee - 24
Tufted Titmouse - 11

Brown-headed Nuthatch - 1

Brown Creeper - 1

House Wren - 1
Carolina Wren - 11

Carolina Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet -13

Golden-crowned Kinglet (It's like they just won't sit still!)

male Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird - 10
Hermit Thrush - 3
American Robin - 7

Northern Mockingbird - 2

European Starling - 3

Cedar Waxwing - 8

Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Pine Warbler - 41
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 12

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)

Chipping Sparrow - 47
Field Sparrow - 8
Dark-eyed Junco - 10
White-throated Sparrow - 3
Swamp Sparrow - 5
Eastern Towhee - 4

Northern Cardinal - 22

Eastern Meadowlark - 2
Common Grackle - 65

American Goldfinch - 8
 (video: American Goldfinches and Northern Cardinal foraging on ground, singing Carolina Chickadees and calling N. Cardinal heard in background ...not to mention noisy oil well)

  Zone 5:
Catahoula and La Salle Parishes (general vicinity of Archie and Walters communities, alluvial plain)
1:45 pm - 3:50 pm
6.5 miles by truck and 0.1 mile by foot
Conditions: 73 to 78 degrees f., sunny, breeze
Habitat shots:

Birds:
Double-crested Cormorant - 1

Great Blue Heron - 2
Great Egret - 1

Black Vulture - 23
Turkey Vulture - 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Mourning Dove - 11

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

Eastern Phoebe - 1

Loggerhead Shrike - 1

Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - 10

Carolina Chickadee - 7

Carolina Wren - 8

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1

Northern Mockingbird

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2

Eastern Bluebird - 10

Northern Mockingbird - 10

Cedar Waxwing - 2

Orange-crowned Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 16

Chipping Sparrow - 35
White-throated Sparrow - 13
Savannah Sparrow - 4
Song Sparrow - 6
Swamp Sparrow - 4

Northern Cardinal - 19

House Sparrow - 2

Northern Cardinal (female) and White-throated Sparrow

Other CBC Day Wildlife:

   Birds are of course the focus during a CBC, but other wildlife bear mentioning. Several frog species were heard. Typical winter frogs such as Cajun Chorus Frog (Pseudacris fouqettei) and Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) were common, and there were a few Southern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates sphenocephalus); but unusually for winter, a few Cope's Gray Treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) -- a 'warm weather' frog -- were also heard. Cajun Chorus Frogs can be heard in this video, taken at junction of Hugh Road and Indian Creek Road in zone 2.

   Butterflies were also out during this unseasonably warm period. Gulf Fritillary, Common Buckeye, and what were probably Cloudless Sulphur were seen in various locations, and I even had a very fleeting glimpse of an unidentified brown-colored "skipper" species (possibly a duskywing).

Thanksgiving and Christmas on Catahoula NWR

  

A Pine Warbler partakes of some Thanksgiving grub, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 11/24/2016

   11/24/2016:
   On my Thanksgiving visit to Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit I drove the entire refuge loop, with many stops. Duck numbers were way up from previous visits this autumn, and there was a nice variety and quantity of woodland songbirds and other groups. I started at 11:52 am and ended at about 4:37pm; a little over 9 miles by truck and a third of a mile of so on foot. Temperatures were 64 to 66 degrees f., the sky was sunny, there was a light breeze. Water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed approx. 33.5 feet. Habitat shots from this visit:

refuge loop through bottomland hardwoods

north end of Duck Lake

one of the parking spots along Cowpen Bayou

 Bird list is below, followed by Lepidoptera list, and a run down of some of the other wildlife observed.

Birds:
Greater White-fronted Goose - 6
Snow Goose - 100
Wood Duck -4
Gadwall - 30
Mallard - 20

male Gadwall, Cowpen Bayou

female Gadwall, Cowpen Bayou

 Northern Shoveler - 105
Northern Pintail - 600
Ring-necked Duck - 1
duck sp. - 20,000 -- approx. number from estimates and counts, probably many more present in parts of lake that were out of sight from the several vantage points visited along the route. These were birds that were too distant and closely packed to suss out individual i.d.s. My guess is that Northern Pintail was the most numerous species in the "duck sp." mix, with Mallard likely also very numerous, and Shoveler, Ring-neck, and Gadwall probably all present in the mix, as well as other species that went undetected on this visit (Green-winged Teal should be present, for example). In other words, actual numbers (and probably diversity) of the ducks on the list should be much higher than what I show, which mostly represent smaller groups seen close to shore.

North end of Duck Lake -- ducks, ducks...

...more ducks...

...duck gumbo.

East side of Duck Lake from end of walk-in road -- lots of ducks.

 Anhinga - 2

American White Pelican - 110

south part of Duck Lake with ducks and American White Pelicans

east side of Duck Lake with ducks and American White Pelicans

Great Blue Heron - 9
Great Egret - 4

Turkey Vulture - 9
Bale Eagle - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1

Black-necked Stilt - 2
American Avocet - 71

American Avocets, north end of Duck Lake

Long-billed Dowitcher - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 6

Eastern Screech-Owl - 1
Great Horned Owl - 1
Barred Owl - 3

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 12
Yellow-bellied Sapsacker - 7
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 5
Pileated Woodpecker - 6

Eastern Phoebe - 11

Eastern Phoebe, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

American Crow - 43

Carolina Chickadee - 10
Tufted Titmouse - 6

Brown Creeper - 1

Brown Creeper, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Winter Wren -  1

Winter Wren, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Winter Wren, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Winter Wren, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

 Carolina Wren - 4

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 14
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 11

Hermit Thrush - 3
American Robin - 1

American Pipit - 2

Cedar Waxwing - 22

Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Pine Warbler - 1

male Pine Warbler, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Yellow-rumped Warbler close-up

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 18

Yellow-rumped Warbler, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Chipping Sparrow - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 1

Northern Cardinal - 4

American Goldfinch - 2 

Butterflies:

Tropical Checkered-Skipper, down walk-in road

Common/White Checkered-Skipper - 1
Tropical Checkered-Skipper - 3
checkered-skipper species - 6
Cloudless Sulphur - 2
Little Yellow - 10
Sleepy Orange - 3
Gulf Fritillary - 1
Viceroy - 1
Common Buckeye - 2





Other Wildlife:

American Alligator and Pond Sliders, Duck Lake Slough

   Among mammals, only Eastern Fox Squirrel was seen. As for reptiles, there were five American Alligators seen basking in the sun at various points along the route.

American Alligator, Cowpen Bayou

American Alligator, backwater near south side of Duck Lake

American Alligator, backwater area near south part of Duck Lake

Turtles -- most, possibly all, Pond Sliders -- were also out in good numbers, getting some sun. I counted 49, but likely overlooked many more when my attention was elsewhere. 

turtles in a cove near Duck Lake

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12/25/2016:

late Christmas afternoon, backwater area near south side of Duck Lake

   I returned to the refuge Christmas afternoon after not having visited since Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I hadn't been able to resume my weekly trips. I went by the Headquarters Unit first, then went by the Willow Lake Unit at the end of the day.

   Headquarters Unit Birds:
   I birded driving the entire refuge loop w/ numerous stops: 2:45 pm to 5:03 pm; 77 to 78 degrees f., breezy, the sky was a variable mix of cloud and sun. Water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed approx. 34.6 feet. It was an unusually warm, muggy Chirstmas. People still mention the "80-degree Christmas" of 2015, I guess this year's will be no different.
habitat shots, then bird list:

north end of Duck Lake

woods along refuge loop

Greater White-fronted Goose - 93 (some in video)
Snow Goose - 100
Wood Duck - 4
Mallard - 300 (some in video)

Northern Pintail - 10
Green-winged Teal - 10
Canvasback - 2
Ring-necked Duck - 9
duck sp. - 700

Anhinga - 1

Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret - 3

Black Vulture - 4
Turkey Vulture - 7

gull sp. - 18 -- These were very distant (flying far out over Duck Lake), but Ring-billed Gull is a species I've come to expect at this location during winter, so that's the probable identity.

Mourning Dove - 2

Belted Kingfisher - 3

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

Eastern Phoebe -13

American Crow - 7

Carolina Chickadee - 4
Tufted Titmouse - 2

Carolina Wren - 3

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4

Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - x

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 18 (3 in video)

Chipping Sparrow - x
White-throated Sparrow - 9

Northern Cardinal - 6

Other Headquarters Unit Wildlife:

a comfy spot to chill

   Four or more Common Buckeye were the only butterflies noticed. A large American Alligator was basking on a log in Cowpen Bayou. A fair number of Pond Sliders and potentially other similar turtles were basking in exposed places along the water ways.

(apologies for poor picture quality) American Alligator basking in the sun, Wood Ducks on far bank

"Beaver wuz here"

Willow Lake Unit:

Willow Lake Road at sunset, Christmas

 5:06 pm to about 5:50 pm. One mile. My hope was to get my FOS American Woodcock, but unfortunately I didn't see any. However, a few other birds were still being detected as night fell. The only non-avian wildlife noticed was a frog -- either Southern Leopard Frog or Green Frog, based on size -- leaping across the road as I was about to leave.

Wood Duck - 32
Great Egret - 1
Mourning Dove - 1
Carolina Wren - 1
Hermit Thrush - x
Brown Thrasher - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 5
Song Sparrow - 1
Northern Cardinal - 2

evening sky while watching for woodcocks, Christmas, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit, La Salle Parish

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