Central Louisiana Birding & Wildlife: Catahoula NWR Butterfly Count, 2017

female Black Swallowtail -- Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

   This year's North American Butterfly Association Catahoula NWR Butterfly Count was held on May 20th. Craig Marks organized the count, and there were seven participants this year: Craig, Jeff Trahan, Phillip Wallace, Dave Patton, Matthew King, Noah Brewer, and myself. The count circle is centered near the Catahoula NWR headquarters and encompasses the area within a 7.5 mile radius in La Salle and Catahoula Parishes. This includes areas on and off the NWR. Most of the accessible locations are in the alluvial plain section, and this is where we spent most of our effort; but there are some upland, piney-woods areas as well, in the north part of the circle.
   The weather was not on our side, with generally cloudy skies that soon devolved into on-and-off rain showers. But we made the most of the conditions handed us, and ended up with a modest but respectable list. Later in the afternoon conditions started clearing and it was generally sunny and quite warm by the time I did my solo section.
   The count kicked off at 10:00 am on the Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit, with the participants divided into two groups.

habitat shot: north end of Duck Lake on Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

habitat shot: woods along refuge loop -- Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

When the rain set in in earnest, we rejoined and broke for lunch (BBQ in Jena!), then took advantage of a break in the weather to visit the part of Blade Loop Road that falls in the circle. This was the day's upland location.

habitat shot: Blade Loop Road

Afterwards, we all went to Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit, specifically the Muddy Bayou Road entrance off hwy 28.

habitat shot: Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

When the group split up at about 3:10 pm, I did some solo butterflying to try and add to the day's list. I stopped at the tiny, hard to pull into (Yikes, don't try it!) boat launch area on Muddy Bayou off hwy 28. After that, I returned to Willow Lake Unit (which I had birded that morning before the count), by which time it was sunny and the butterflies were more active.

habitat shot: Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit (w/ lots of Brazilian Verbena in bloom)

I ended my butterflying at the part of Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit along Minnow Ponds Rd and Dry Bayou Rd, in the north/northeast part of the count circle.

habitat shot: Green's Creek on Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

Unfortunately, things were slowing down in the afternoon heat, and I didn't get some of the species I was looking to find there, such as Dun Skipper, but this locations did add Goatweed Leafwing, and a few more individuals of species already on the list. I ended at 5:30 pm.
I had begun the day by birding at Willow Lake Unit (starting 7:07 am) and then to HQ Unit ( starting 8:32 am), and continued, keeping bird lists for the day's other locations. The composite bird list for these locations is included after the butterfly content.

Butterflies:
Here's the list we got for the count, compiled by Craig.

Pipevine Swallowtail - 6

Pipevine Swallowtail -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Black Swallowtail - 107 -- These were everywhere! The day's most numerous butterfly.

male Black Swallowtail -- Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

female Black Swallowtail -- Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

Spicebush Swallowtail - 1
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - 3

Southern Dogface - 4
Cloudless Sulphur -5
Little Yellow - 3

Red-banded Hairstreak - 1 -- I saw an additional one a couple of hours before the count began.

Gulf Fritillary - 1
Phaon Crescent - 6
Pearl Crescent - 22
Common Buckeye - 3
American Lady - 2

American Lady -- Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

Red Admiral - 1
Viceroy - 2

Viceroy -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Red-spotted Purple - 5

'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Question Mark - 5
Goatweed Leafwing - 1
Little Wood-Satyr - 15

Little Wood-Satyr -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Carolina Satyr - 5

Silver-spotted Skipper - 2

Silver-spotted Skipper nectaring on Winter Vetch -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Long-tailed Skipper - 1 -- One of the highlights of the day! Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, west side of north-south section of road south of headquarters/entrance area.

Sit still! (Long-tailed Skipper -- lower left part of image) -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Horace's Duskywing - 4
Common/White Checkered-Skipper - 2

Common/White Checkered-Skipper -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit


Common/White Checkered-Skipper -- Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

On their way home, Matthew and Noah checked out an area just outside the count circle, including Diversion Canal Road, and had some nice finds there. Their Funereal Duskywing was a new one for the La Salle Parish list, the unexpected species of the day, and an all-around really nice find. Other species they found included Variegated Fritillary, Gulf Fritillary, Southern Dogface, Black Swallowtail, Red-banded Hairstreak, and Question Mark.

The primary focus of our efforts were, of course, the butterflies, but participants' interests in other groups of organisms meant that many of those species were recorded as well. Below are lists of some of these categories.

Moths included Thin-lined Erastria, Cross-lined Waved, Lychnosea intermicata, Caenurgia species, Macaria sp., and an owlet moth of some sort (TBD), among others.

Dragonflies and Damselflies:
Below is Dave's Odonata list for the day. Dave, Phillip, and Jeff are the Odonata guys of the group. Most species would probably have gone unidentified or even completely unnoticed if those guys weren't present. Where they weren't present, no doubt many Odes went uncounted: I know I saw many individuals of some of the common species while on my own at Willow Lake and BB Units that I didn't write down.

Cyrano Darner - 2
Eastern Pondhawk - 47 +

This female-type Eastern Pondhawk was also on the lookout for butterflies. She snagged this Pearl Crescent that we'd just counted. -- Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Blue Dasher - 25 +
Four-spotted Pennant - 1
Common Green Darner - 4

tentative i.d.: Common Green Darner (and not sure yet what species it captured) -- Once again reminding us what fierce little predators dragonflies really are! -- Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Jade Clubtail - 2

Jade Clubtail -- Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Citrine Forktail - 4
Prince Baskettail - 3
Royal River Cruiser - 1

Prince Baskettail taking a break once the rain started (Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, Spotted by Dave) *edited on 6/18/18 - I had originally labeled it as Royal River Cruiser

Little Blue Dragonlet - 2

Little Blue Dragonlet -- Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

Golden-winged Skimmer - 2

Golden-winged Skimmer -- Catahoula NWR French Fork Unit

I snapped this photo of a Halloween Pennant at HQ Unit, and Matthew and Noah reported seeing Halloween Pennants in the area they visited after the count.

Halloween Pennant

There were also a number of Ebony Jewelwing seen by members of the group at a gully in the upland area, and by me at Green's Creek on Bushley Bayou Unit of the refuge.

Ebony Jewelwing -- Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

female Slaty Skimmer -- Green's Creek, Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

At Green's Creek, I also had numerous Common Whitetail of both sexes, and what appears to be a female Slaty Skimmer. Many thanks to Dave, Phillip, and Jeff for sorting out the i.d. -- I had originally assumed it was female Great Blue Skimmer.

female Slaty Skimmer -- Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

Birds:
This composite list includes birds I listed at the following locations: Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit, Headquarters Unit, Blade Loop Road, French Fork Unit, Muddy Bayou boat launch at hwy 28, and Bushley Bayou Unit, and a few of the birds noticed while traveling between the specific locations where we butterflied or I birded. I don't have a list of the birds heard/seen by the other group when we were in separate groups, and didn't keep track of all birds between the specific locations, so this doesn't actually cover every bird encountered by count participants all day. Also, when the weather deteriorated, my note-taking got sloppy re: everything other than butterflies. Just wanted to give some account of what birds we were encountering. Same goes for the other non-butterfly lists here.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 1 - French Fork Unit, I believe Noah pointed it out
Wood Duck - 10

Anhinga - 6

Great Blue Heron - 1
Great Egret - 3
Snowy Egret - 1
Little Blue Heron - 4
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 2

Black Vulture - 8 +
Turkey Vulture - 4 +
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1

Purple Gallinule - 2 -- 1 at French Fork Unit, and 1 at hwy 28 x Muddy Bayou boat launch

Purple Gallinule, Muddy Bayou near hwy 28

Common Gallinule - 9 -- French Fork Unit

Killdeer - 4

Mourning Dove - 12

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 7

Chimney Swift - 7

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 5

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 3

Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2
Acadian Flycatcher - 8
Great Crested Flycatcher - 2
Eastern Kingbird - 4

White-eyed Vireo - 19
Red-eyed Vireo - 15

Blue Jay - 3
American Crow - 3 +

Cliff Swallow - 55 +
Vids: Cliff Swallows at the boat launch on Muddy Bayou, gathering mud for nests.

Cliff Swallows gathering mud

Carolina Chickadee - 16
Tufted Titmouse - 12

Carolina Wren - 12

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 11

Wood Thrush - 3

Northern Mockingbird - 2

Worm-eating Warbler - 2 - Blade Loop Road: both singing on wooded hillside just east of Roark Bottom Road; one near BL Road and one more distant. We got to see the one by the road. (heard singing in video below along with Hooded Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, and Northern Cardinal)

singing Worm-eating Warbler -- Always nice to actually see one ...even when it won't stay in any open spot long enough for a birder to employ their camera's zoom!

Prothonotary Warbler - 12
Swainson's Warbler - 4 - Two on Blade Loop (I only heard the second one myself), and one at Willow Lake Unit, one at HQ Unit.
Kentucky Warbler - 3 - HQ and WL Units, and Blade Loop
Common Yellowthroat - 3
Hooded Warbler - 7
Northern Parula - 9
Yellow-throated Warbler - 1 - Cowpen Bayou on HQ Unit
Pine Warbler - 1 - Blade Loop
Prairie Warbler - 4
Yellow-breasted Chat - 10

Eastern Towhee - 6

Summer Tanager - 7
Northern Cardinal - 28
Blue Grosbeak - 4
Indigo Bunting - 24
Painted Bunting - 16
Dickcissel - 10 - my FOS. All 10 at Willow Lake Unit weedy meadow -- at least one female seen, most were singing males. Video below:

Red-winged Blackbird - 21
Eastern Meadowlark - 1 -- heard singing at Dickcissel locale
Common Grackle - 1
Brown-headed Cowbird - 18
Orchard Oriole - 4

Herps:
Likely missed a few things here, but...

Fowler's Toad
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Green Treefrog
Squirrel Treefrog
Blanchard's Cricket Frog
Cajun Chorus Frog
American Bullfrog
(It seems like I remember hearing Green (Bronze) Frog and Southern Leopard Frog, but can't say for sure.)

American Alligator
Little Brown Skink
Pond Slider

Wildflowers:

I don't have anything like a complete list, of course, but I like to note generally what was in bloom on a given day. And, of course, noticing what wildflowers are present is important when the chief purpose of an outing is locating butterflies. Some types noted included Brazilian Verbena, Spermolepis sp., vetch, clovers, assorted Asteraceae species (yellows and whites), Justicia, Ranunculus, Commelina, Germander, Carolina Nightshade, Persicaria, Swamp Leather Flower, Lady's Tresses, Maypop, Elderberry.