Easter birding on Catahoula NWR

Prothonotary Warbler (...looking for Easter eggs?)

   I visited the Headquarters Unit on the morning of 4/16/2017, and followed that up with a midday visit to the nearby Willow Lake Unit. Spring-Summer birds have now really taken over, with just a few lingering winter species like White-throated Sparrow and Sedge Wren. I had my FOS Yellow-breasted Chat and Painted Bunting at the HQ Unit and my FOS Prairie Warbler and Blue Grosbeak at Willow Lake. Interestingly, I didn't see any species who are purely transient migrants in our area -- that is to say, species who pass through this area, migrating to breeding grounds north of Louisiana.
   One highlight was the Osprey that flew over at the north end of Duck Lake. (Recently, on April 8, I saw one by the highway 8 bridge over Little River, roughly 15 miles to the west of this sighting, as the crow-- er, Osprey flies.)

female Prothonotary Warbler gathering nest materials, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

   Prothonotary Warblers were quite active, busy gathering nesting materials and declaring their territory with their clear, ringing song.

Prothonotary Warbler, Headquarters Unit

Prothonotary Warbler, Willow Lake Unit

Videos: female gathering nest material, male singing and foraging.

    At the Willow Lake Unit, the second growth hardwoods continue to progress, becoming habitat for woodland species. There were Swainson's Warblers and Hooded Warblers singing at about the same spots where they were regularly heard the previous breeding season. I didn't hear Kentucky Warbler, though by the time I got to WL Unit, it was past prime birding time and they may simply not have been singing.
video: song of Swainson's Warbler and Hooded Warbler (and Northern Cardinal)

   Combined list for these two locations is below -- the first number after the species name is for number of individuals encountered at Headquarters Unit, the second number is for Willow Lake.
 After that, a few things about the non-avian wildlife.

Great Blue Heron, HQ Unit

April 16, 2017
La Salle Parish, Louisiana
Headquarters Unit - 7:49 am to 11:48 am; 2.2 miles, birded from vehicle w/ numerous stops; conditions: 68 to 72 degrees F., cloudy becoming mostly sunny by end, light breeze, water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed about 38.3 feet.
Willow Lake Unit - 11:52 am to 12:41 pm; 1 mile, birded from vehicle w/ numerous stops; conditions: 73 to 77 degrees F., mostly sunny, light breeze.
Habitat shots:

Headquarters Unit

Headquarters Unit

north end of Duck Lake, HQ Unit

Sedge Wren habitat, Willow Lake Unit

Willow Lake Unit -- Prothonotary Warbler spot

Willow Lake Unit

Wood Duck - 4, 2

female and male Wood Ducks, beside entrance to HQ Unit (Thanks to the fellow who stopped and told me to look for the ducks here on my way out.)

Double-crested Cormorant - 1, 0
Anhinga - 1, 0

Great Blue Heron, HQ Unit

Great Blue Heron, HQ Unit

Great Blue Heron - 5, 0
Great Egret - 2, 1
Snowy Egret - 2, 0
Little Blue Heron - 2 (adult), 0

Black Vulture - 4, 5
Turkey Vulture - 4, 2
Osprey - 1, 0
Red-tailed Hawk - 1, 0

Killdeer - 1, 0

Mourning Dove - 2, 0

Barred Owl - 1, 0

Snowy Egret, HQ Unit

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 3, 0 (video)

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4, 0
Downy Woodpecker - 1, 0
Pileated Woodpecker - 2, 1

Great Crested Flycatcher - 3, 0

White-eyed Vireo - 10, 7
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1, 0
Red-eyed Vireo - 6, 0

Blue Jay - 2, 0
American Crow - 5, 3

Purple Martin - 1, 1
Barn Swallow - 1, 0

Carolina Chickadee - 10, 2
Tufted Titmouse - 3, 2

Sedge Wren - 0, 3 (singing from dense eastern half of weedy meadow)
Carolina Wren - 12, 2

Blue-gray Gnatchatcher - 2, 2

Prothonotary Warbler, Willow Lake Unit

Black-and-white Warbler - 1 (singing), 0
Prothonotary Warbler - 8 (many singing, many seen), 2 (an apparent pair)
Swainson's Warbler - 0, 2 (singing)
Common Yellowthroat - 3 (singing), 2 (singing)
Hooded Warbler - 1 (singing), 4 (singing)
Northern Parula - 2 (singing), 2 (singing)
Prairie Warbler - 0, 1 (FOS, singing)
Yellow-breasted Chat - 3 (singing), 1

White-throated Sparrow - 6, 0
Eastern Towhee - 2, 2

Summer Tanager - 4, 0

Summer Tanager, HQ Unit

Northern Cardinal - 14, 3
Blue Grosbeak - 0, 1 (male seen singing)

male Blue Grosbeak, WL Unit

Indigo Bunting - 5 (males, most singing), 0

 male Indigo Bunting, HQ Unit

Painted Bunting - 4 (males, singing), 0

male Painted Bunting, HQ Unit

Red-winged Blackbird - 14, 0
Common Grackle - 10, 0
Brown-headed Cowbird -  13, 1
Orchard Oriole - 1, 2
(video: Common Grackle and Red-winged Blackbirds)

 Other Wildlife:

Western Mosquitofish, Willow Lake Unit

   Several frog species were heard calling. I kept a rough tally in the margins of my birding list, which shows (if I'm reading the smudged pencil correctly): Green Treefrog - a few individuals and small choruses; Squirrel Treefrog - possibly 1 or 2; Cope's Gray Treefrog - 5; Blanchard's Cricket Frog - a few, Cajun Chorus Frog - 1, Green Frog - 2; American Bullfrog - 3. The Green Treefrogs were at both locations, the others are all from Headquarters Unit.
Blanchard's Cricket Frog can be heard in video below:

 

American Alligator

   As soon as the sun began dominating the clouds, the alligators started showing up; some laying out to bask in the sun after a cloudy morning. I saw five total; ranging from small (maybe a one year old) to fairly large (roughly seven feet long).

   Both Virginia Opossum and Northern Raccoon were seen crossing the road. Eastern Fox Squirrels were out in force when I first arrived, with eight or so out on the grass between the entrance gate and the buildings. One of them really stood out. I don't recall ever seeing an 'all-orange' individual before. It was really quite something to see. This "ginger" color morph is something I'm not familiar with; I'll have to look into it.

unusual color morph Eastern Fox Squirrel, HQ Unit

   Butterflies included: Checkered-Skipper species, Black Swallowtail,

Black Swallowtail, Willow Lake Unit

Pipevine Swallowtail,

Pipevine Swallowtail, HQ Unit

Eastern Tailed-Blue,

Eastern Tailed-Blue, HQ Unit

Eastern Tailed-Blue, HQ Unit

Cloudless Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, a possible Southern Dogface, American Snout, Gulf Fritilary, 'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple, American Lady, Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Pearl Crescent,

Pearl Crescent, HQ Unit

a possible Phaon Crescent, Question Mark, Goatweed Leafwing.  

A few wildflowes...
  

Spider Lily (Hymenocallis)

Winter Vetch (Vicia villosa)

Among those in bloom were: Spider Lily (Hymenocallis), Venus's Looking-Glass (Triodanis), Buttercups (Ranunculus), Annual Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium), Winter Vetch (Vicia villosa), Common Vetch (Vicia sativa), Groundsel (Packera), Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), and White Clover (Trifolium repens), Pink Ladies (Oenothera speciosa), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias), White Morning-Glory (Ipomoea lacunosa), Smartweed (Persicaria), Carolina Nightshade (Solanum), Brazilian Verbena (Verbena brasiliensis), Sida. 

    Hopefully I got all those correct -- plants are not my forte.