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| Flowering Dogwood - 3/15/2023 |
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Related posts:
- Kisatchie NF Oct. 2022:
- March 2022:
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March 15, 2023 - Grant Parish
On March 15 took a trip to National Catahoula Wildlife Management Preserve (part of Kisatchie National Forest Catahoula and Winn Ranger Districts) in Grant Parish and adjacent parts of Kisatchie NF Catahoula Ranger District, also in Grant Parish. I began in the WMP, traveling along Forest Service Rd. 556 (east of US-167), FS Rd 145 south of 556 to first creek south/east of LA-472, FS Rd 558 (west of US-167), and FS Rd 155 south to WMP boundary immediately north of Saddle Bayou. Outside of the WMP, I walking FS 155 through the Saddle Bayou bottoms, and drove FS Rd 120 from FS 155 to US-167 (then traveling a stretch where it's Mosley Road outside of the Kisatchie National Forest) and FS 120 east of LA-472 as far as FS Rd 169. Below are some habitat shots before continuing...
National Catahoula Wildlife Management Preserve...
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| LA-472 and FS Rd 556 |
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| FS Rd 145 - small creek (Log Bayou, I think it's called) just south/east of LA-472 |
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| FS Rd 556 |
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| FS Rd 556 - Winter Wrens in deadfall at this location |
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| FS Rd 556 - pond on east side of railroad tracks |
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| pond between RR trax and US-167 |
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| FS Rd 558 west of US-167 |
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| FS Rd 558 - first creek west of US-167 (Friday Creek) |
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| Friday Creek |
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| FS Rd 558 - some Sweetleaf plants in burnt area |
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| FS Rd 558 - creek bottoms immediately east of FS 155 (Prairie Creek and Schoolhouse Creek) |
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| Prairie Creek |
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| Prairie Creek |
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... FS Rd. 155 / Saddle Bayou
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| Saddle Bayou |
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| Saddle Bayou at FS Rd 155 bridge |
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| Saddle Bayou at FS Rd. 155 bridge |
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| Saddle Bayou Bottoms - These woods got banged up pretty badly during Hurricane Laura back in 2020. |
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| ditto |
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| Saddle Bayou - a major tributary of Iatt Creek |
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...Forest Service Rd. 120
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| FS 120 west of US-167 |
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| a tributary of Saddle Bayou at FS 120 west of US-167 |
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| FS 120 east of LA-472 |
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| ditto - Approaching small creek bottoms along the main upper branch of Fish Creek. FS 120 crosses several small streams--part of Fish Creek watershed--along this stretch. |
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| ditto |
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| small spring-water tributary of Sandy Branch (tributary of Fish Creek) |
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As you can see from the photos, the Forest Service was carrying out prescribed burns in many areas, or had recently burned areas along the route. Fire is a necessary part of both the ecology of southern pine forests and managing these types of woods to prevent large, out-of-control wildfires. That said, I personally wish there were a little more discretion in what areas get burned so as to allow for more "creek bottom" type woods to flourish. Also, unfortunately the burns this year included some of the Sweetleaf groves where I've been finding King's Hairstreaks during my efforts to locate colonies of this somewhat rare butterfly over the previous three years. Their annual flight season is coming up (generally mid-May to mid-June here) so it'll be interesting to see how/to what extent burns effect established King's Hairstreak colonies. Their host plant, Sweetleaf, seem to bounce back, but do the butterfly eggs/larvae/pupae survive? This seems to be one of the questions/concerns regarding King's Hairstreak population sizes seeming disproportionately small compared to the relative abundance of the host plant.
Renewed burning of undergrowth and thinning of timber in some areas may make them more welcoming to certain species, such as Bachman's Sparrow, so it'll be interesting to see how things progress in these areas. There's a lot to learn from getting out in the field and seeing what animals and plants are inhabiting recently altered habitat.
Birding this day was decent, all things considered. I heard my FOS White-eyed Vireo and had respectable numbers of many species. The bird fauna was still more in 'winter species mode', and it was no surprise to find multiple Red-breasted Nuthatches and Winter Wrens, for example. These woods are great for finding all three of our nuthatch species, and at one spot on FS 556 I had two of them, a White-breasted and two Red-breasted, at the same time.
Butterfly numbers picked up towards midday. I had a good assortment of butterflies along FS Rds. 558 and 155--the Saddle Bayou bottoms seemed to be a particularly productive area. The species highlight was a Pepper and Salt Skipper. These tiny butterflies are hard to come by compared to many species. Worth mentioning: the word from those who keep up with Lepidoptera taxonomy concerning species in our area is that the species that we call Pepper and Salt Skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon) may soon be determined to comprise two separate species.
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| Pepper and Salt Skipper (blurry best I could do for ventral wing surface shot) - near Saddle Bayou |
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| Pepper and Salt Skipper - near Saddle Bayou |
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One nice find was a Luna Moth perched near it's cocoon in a bush just off FS Rd 120 near one of the tributaries of upper Fish Creek.
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| Luna Moth |
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| cocoon |
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| ... |
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There were a good many wildflowers to see; especially notable were the blooming trees and shrubs. These included Two-wing Silverbell, Sweetleaf, Flowering Dogwood, Mountain Azalea, and hawthorn species. Pics of wildflowers are at the end of this trip's species lists below.
Below are the species lists for birds, butterflies, etc. for the March 15th trip, broken down by location. After that is the account of the March 30th visit to this area.
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March 15, 2023
National Catahoula WMP
8:31am; 4 hr., 5 min.; 8.5 miles
30sF- approx. 60F; clear ; west wind 2mph
Birds:
Wood Duck - 6
Mourning Dove - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3
Red-headed Woodpecker - 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 9
Pileated Woodpecker - 7
Northern Flicker - 2
American Kestrel - 2
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| female American Kestrel - part of a pair seen at the pond on FS 556 between RR tracks and US-167 |
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Eastern Phoebe - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 2 (FOS)
Blue Jay - 6
American Crow - 6
Carolina Chickadee - 23
Tufted Titmouse - 23
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch - 2
Brown Creeper - 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
Winter Wren - 2
Carolina Wren - 26
Hermit Thrush - 1
Cedar Waxwing - 13
American Goldfinch - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 7
Swamp Sparrow - 2
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| Swamp Sparrow - FS Rd. 556 |
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Eastern Towhee - 1
Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Pine Warbler - 37
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 8
Northern Cardinal - 16
passerine sp. - 6
Butterflies:
Duskywing sp. (Juvenal's and/or Horace's) -
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| duskywing sp. - FS Rd 558 |
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail -
Zebra Swallowtail -
Spicebush Swallowtail -
Red-banded Hairstreak -
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| Red-banded Hairstreak - FS Rd 558 |
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Pearl Crescent -
Carolina Satyr -
Little Wood-Satyr -
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| Little Wood-Satyr - FS Rd 558 |
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Southern Pearly-eye -
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| Southern Pearly-eye - FS Rd 155 |
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Monarch -
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| Monarch - FS Rd 558 |
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butterfly sp. -
Other Wildlife:
Cope's Gray Treefrog, Blanchard's Cricket Frog; Pond Slider
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March 15, 2023
FS Rd 155 through Saddle Bayou Bottoms
12:37pm; 1 hr., 30 min.; about 0.3 miles on foot
lower 60sF.; clear; light breeze
Birds:
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-headed Woodpecker - 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
crow sp. - 2
Carolina Chickadee - 3
Tufted Titmouse - 2
Purple Martin - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2
Winter Wren - 2
Carolina Wren - 4
Gray Catbird - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 8
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Eastern Towhee - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 2
Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Pine Warbler - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 2
Butterflies:
Duskywing sp. (Juvenal's and/or Horace's) -
Pepper and Salt Skipper - 1
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| Pepper and Salt Skipper nectaring on Rubus (dewberry?) blossom |
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail -
Zebra Swallowtail -
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| Zebra Swallowtail nectaring on Two-wing Silverbells |
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Red-banded Hairstreak -
Eastern Tailed-Blue -
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| Eastren Tailed-Blue |
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Pearl Crescent -
Carolina Satyr -
Little Wood-Satyr -
Monarch -
butterfly sp. -
Other wildlife: White-tailed Deer - 2
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| White-tailed Deer (eating a mushroom, it looks like) - near Saddle Bayou |
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March 15, 2023
FS Rd 120 (from FS 155 to FS 169)
2:20pm; 1 hr., 23 min.; 5.2 miles
60sF.; sunny; light breeze
Birds:
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 1
Blue Jay - 3
American Crow - 3
Carolina Chickadee - 5
Tufted Titmouse - 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Carolina Wren - 2
Cedar Waxwing - x (group heard-only)
Pine Warbler - 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 6
Northern Cardinal - 4
passerine sp. - 1
Butterflies:
duskywing sp. (Juvenal's and/or Horace's) -
skipper sp. -
Pipevine Swallowtail -
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| Pipevine Swallowtail |
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail -
Zebra Swallowtail -
Giant Swallowtail -
dark swallowtail sp. -
Pearl Crescent -
Red Admiral -
Carolina Satyr -
Little Wood-Satyr -
butterfly sp. -
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Other wildlife: Gray Squirrel
Drive out butterflies (FS Rds. 169, 128, 131, Bear Creek Road): Pipevine Swallowtail, Palamedes Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent, Carolina Satyr, butterfly sp.
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Some Wildflower Pics (all locations, 3/15/23):
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| Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) - FS Rd 556 |
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| Mountain Azalea (Rhododendron canescens)- FS Rd 145 |
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| Mountain Azalea - Saddle Bayou |
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| Sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria) - Saddle Bayou |
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| Sweetleaf - FS Rd 155 |
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| Two-wing Silverbells (Halesia diptera) - FS Rd 155 |
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| Two-wing Silverbells - FS Rd 155 |
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| Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) - Saddle Bayou |
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| Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) - FS Rd 558 |
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| possibly Golden Groundsel (Packera obovata) or similar species - FS Rd. 155 |
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| White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) - FS Rd 120 at upper Fish Creek |
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| Grancy Graybeard or Grandpa Graybeard (Chionanthus virginicus) - FS Rd 120 |
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| hawthorn sp. (Crataegus sp.) - FS Rd 155 |
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| Rubus sp. (possibly Southern Dewberry) - FS Rd 155 at Saddle Bayou |
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March 30, 2023
It's an annual tradition that I join my father when he scouts for turkeys in National Catahoula Wildlife Management Preserve and nearby parts of Kisatchie National Forest ahead of the turkey hunting season. This year, on March 30th we started off in the WMP, driving along, making many stops to listen for turkeys, parts of FS Rds. 558, 152, 530, W107G, FS Rds. 556, 155, 613, 145, Lincecum Village Rd., and FS Rd. 131. The areas we covered in the WMP included parts of both Catahoula and Winn Ranger Districts, and Grant and Winn Parishes (mostly Grant). After exiting the WMP, we continued on south in Catahoula Ranger District parts of KNF in Grant Parish along FS Rds. 131, 128, 169, and back into the WMP on FS Rd 102.
Some habitat shots before continuing...
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| FS Rd. 152 (NCWMP - Grant Parish) |
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| FS Rd 530 west of Iatt Creek (NCWMP - Winn Parish) |
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| W107G (NCWMP - Winn Parish) |
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| FS Rd 556 west of US-167 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| end of drivable section of FS Rd 530 east of Iatt Creek (NCWMP - Winn Parish) |
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| habitat along FS Rd 613 west of US-167 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| FS 613 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| FS 613 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| FS Rd. 145 south of FS 556 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| FS Rd. 556 east of FS 145 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| Lincecum Village Road (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| FS Rd 131 (NCWMP - Grant Par.) |
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| FS Rd 131 - Kisatchie NF south of NCWMP - John's Hills (Grant Par.) |
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| FS Rd 128 - John's Hills, KNF |
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| FS 128 - John's Hills |
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| FS Rd 102 at swampy area near Indian Creek - back in NCWMP |
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| Indian Creek at FS Rd. 102 - NCWMP |
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Despite putting in over thirty miles of driving around, and stopping goodness knows how many times, we did not hear a single gobbler, and saw only one Wild Turkey, a hen that ran from the road. We got out and looked around where she had been in the road, and found a couple of the tracks that she'd left. We found Wild Turkey tracks at three other locations, representing four more individuals, if I remember correctly. Our joke, after decades of turkey hunting and scouting for turkeys in NCWMP and adjacent parts of the NF is that nowadays there are more hunters than turkeys in those woods! (Lots of hunting pressure, so it might be literally true!)
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| Wild Turkey track |
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| Wild Turkey track |
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| Wild Turkey track |
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Otherwise, bird activity was decent. Checklists are below.
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National Catahoula WMP
Grant Parish Portions:
6:21am (minutes: 20+22+15+20+42+27+16+12) - 10:25am; miles: 2+2.2+3.2+2.8+1.8+1.8+3.6+2
Totals: 2hr, 58 min; 19.4 miles
Winn Parish Portions:
7:05am (23min+28min); 2.4 miles+2 miles
Totals: 51 mins; 4.4 miles
Wood Duck - 1, 0
Wild Turkey - 1, 0
Mourning Dove - 0, 6
Little Blue Heron - 8, 0
Turkey Vulture - 7, 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2, 0
Barred Owl - 10, 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 7, 5
Pileated Woodpecker - 3, 2
Northern Flicker - 0, 1
White-eyed Vireo - 12, 2
Yellow-throated Vireo - 2, 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 12, 9
Blue Jay - 5, 2
American Crow - 11, 5
Carolina Chickadee - 17, 4
Tufted Titmouse - 22, 12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3, 0
White-breasted Nuthatch - 3, 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch - 4, 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3, 1
Carolina Wren - 28, 14
Hermit Thrush - 2, 0
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - 1, 0
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| Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - FS Rd 102 by Indian Creek |
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White-throated Sparrow - 10, 1
Eastern Towhee - 1, 0
Worm-eating Warbler - 1, 0
Louisiana Waterthrush - 2, 0
Black-and-white Warbler - 1, 0
Hooded Warbler - 34, 13
Northern Parula - 1, 2
Pine Warbler - 38, 14
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 8, 3
Northern Cardinal - 26, 8
passerine sp. - 8, x
Kisatchie NF Winn Ranger District (NOT in NCWMP)
8:44am; 8 min; 1.4 miles
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 3
Carolina Chickadee - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1
Worm-eating Warbler - 1
Hooded Warbler - 3
Northern Parula - 1
Pine Warbler - 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 1
Northern Cardinal - 1
passerine sp. - 1
Kisatchie NF Catahoula Ranger District (south of NCWMP):
10:26am (36 min + 20min + 9min); 2 miles + 1.7 miles + 1.8 miles
Totals: 1 hr, 05 min; 5.5 miles
Turkey Vulture - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 4
Carolina Chickadee - 2
Tufted Titmouse - 5
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3
Carolina Wren - 11
American Goldfinch - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 1
Eastern Towhee - 1
Hooded Warbler - 8
Northern Parula - 1
Pine Warbler - 16
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 4
Northern Cardinal - 6
passerine sp. - 2
Other Wildlife (all areas)
Mammals: Fox Squirrel
Herps: none recorded
Butterflies:
Zebra Swallowtail -
Pipevine Swallowtail -
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| Pipevine Swallowtail - FS Rd 131 |
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Spicebush Swallowtail -
Palamedes Swallowtail -
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| Palamedes Swallowtail - FS Rd 131 |
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dark swallowtail sp. -
Pearl Crescent -
Carolina Satryr -
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| Carolina Satyr - FS Rd 556, NCWMP |
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Little Wood-Satyr - Abundant
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| Little Wood-Satyr - FS Rd 613, NCWMP |
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| Little Wood-Satyr - FS Rd 145, NCWMP |
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Some wildflower pics...
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| Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) or similar sp. - FS Rd 155, NCWMP |
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| Canadian Wood-Bettany or Canadian Lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis) - FS Rd 613 |
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As always, if you spot any incorrect IDs or have suggestions for those that I'm unsure about, feel free to comment and let me know.
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