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| male Painted Bunting - CNWR HQ Unit, 6/14/23 |
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Related Posts:
- CNWR, April 2023 -
- CNWR Butterfly Count, 2023 -
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After a pretty eventful April of birding and butterfly watching on Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, I really dropped the ball by not visiting the refuge during May (well, except for one short visit to Willow Lake Unit when I was passing by). Those later couple of weeks of spring migration (first couple of weeks of May) can be some of the best birding on the refuge, so goodness only knows what I missed. But, I did get out the the refuge a few times over the summer. Below are bird lists for June, July, and August visits to Catahoula NWR, then lists for other wildlife.
But first, some habitat shots...
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| Headquarters Unit - east leg of refuge loop - 6/2/23 |
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| ditto |
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| HQ Unit - east leg of refuge loop - 8/31/23 |
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| HQ Unit - east leg of refuge loop - 6/14/23 |
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| HQ Unit - north end of Duck Lake - 7/12/23 |
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| north end of Duck Lake - 8/4/23 - less water |
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| north end of Duck Lake - 8/31/23 - very little water |
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| HQ Unit - road/levee at north end of Duck Lake - 7/12/23 |
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| HQ Unit - Cowpen Bayou - 6/9/23 |
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| 8/31/23 Limpkin spot - NW corner of refuge loop at Cowpen Bayou |
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| HQ Unit - Cowpen Bayou - 6/5/23 |
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| ditto |
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| Willow Lake Unit - 6/14/23 |
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| Bushley Bayou Unit - shallow water impoundments near Minnow Ponds Road - 6/14/23 |
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| French Fork Unit - Muddy Bayou Road, 6/14/23 |
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Bird Lists
June
Headquarters Unit (La Salle Parish and tiny sliver of Catahoula Parish):
(Traveling Counts)
June 2, 2023
10:06am; 1 hr, 23 min; 2.8 miles
84F.; sunny; some light breeze
June 9, 2023
7:34am; 2 hr, 31 min; 3 miles
warm; clear; calm
June 14, 2023 (birds during this part of butterfly count)
9:13am; 1hr, 58min; 1.2 miles
mid-80sF.; var./sunny sky; wind 5-15
in party of 3 observers during this part of NABA butterfly count
- and -
4:06pm; 54min; 3.5 miles
93F.; sunny
solo return to HQ Unit to look for butterflies in area we didn't get to that morning
(Both of the June 14th b/fly count bird lists' numbers are in parenthesis in list below.)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 0, 2, (0, 0)
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| Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks - 6/9/23 |
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Wood Duck - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Mourning Dove - 1, 7, (0, 3)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 10, 5, (3, 2)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1, 4, (1, 0)
Anhinga - 1, 14, (0, 1)
Great Blue Heron - 3, 5, (0, 1)
Great Egret - 2, 10, (2, 0)
Snowy Egret - 2, 3, (0, 0)
Little Blue Heron - 0, 2, (0, 0)
Tricolored Heron - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Cattle Egret - 0, 0, (2, 0)
Green Heron - 1, 1, (0, 0)
White Ibis - 5, 5, (2, 0)
Black Vulture - 3, 0, (0, 0)
Turkey Vulture - 2, 1, (0, 1)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0, 1, (1, 0)
Buteo sp. - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Belted Kingfisher - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 6, 3, (1, 0)
Downy Woodpecker - 4, 2, (0, 0)
Pileated Woodpecker - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Acadian Flycatcher - 7, 4, (3, 3)
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1, 1, (0, 0)
White-eyed Vireo- 5, 3, (2, 4)
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1, 0, (0, 2)
Red-eyed Vireo - 7, 3, (3, 4)
Blue Jay - 1, 1, (0, 1)
American Crow - 10, 5, (1, 0)
Carolina Chickadee - 9, 6, (2, 2)
Tufted Titmouse - 12, 13, (3, 7)
swallow sp. - 0, 0, (50, 0)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2, 1, (1, 1)
Carolina Wren - 15, 6, (2, 4)
Wood Thrush - 0, 0, (0, 1)
Yellow-breasted Chat - 0, 0, (1, 0)
Orchard Oriole - 7, 5, (1, 1)
Red-winged Blackbird - 6, 6, (1, 2)
Brown-headed Cowbird - 9, 10, (3, 2)
Common Grackle - 2, 4, (1, 0)
Louisiana Waterthrush - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Black-and-white Warbler - 0, 1, (0, 0)
Prothonotary Warbler - 15, 12, (4, 9)
Kentucky Warbler - 3, 0, (2, 0)
Hooded Warbler - 2, 0, (1, 1)
Northern Parula - 2, 5, (1, 1)
Summer Tanager - 2, 3, (1, 1)
Northern Cardinal - 14, 14, (8, 7)
Indigo Bunting - 11, 10, (6, 8)
Painted Bunting - 9, 9, (6, 9)
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| year-old male Painted Bunting singing - 6/9/23 |
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| adult male Painted Bunting - 6/14/23 |
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passerine sp. - 1, 1, (0, 3)
June 5, 2023 Stationary Count (La Salle Parish)
5 observers; 12:51pm; 2hr, 34min
hot; sunny/mixed; very little wind
fishing pier and boat launch environs on Cowpen Bayou (HQ Unit)
Mourning Dove - 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2
Anhinga- 1
Little Blue Heron - 4
Turkey Vulture - 2
Mississippi Kite - 21
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Acadian Flycatcher - 1
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Carolina Chickadee - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
Carolina Wren - 3
Orchard Oriole - 3
Baltimore Oriole - 1
Brown-headed Cowbird - 3
Common Grackle - 3
Prothonotary Warbler - 1
Northern Parula - 1
Summer Tanager - 2
Northern Cardinal - 2
Indigo Bunting - 1
Painted Bunting - 2
passerine sp. - 2
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May-June
Willow Lake Unit (La Salle Parish)
May 29, 2023
(my only visit to CNWR during May this year, so I lumped it in with June observations)
11:15am; 39 min; 1.4 miles
80s F.; sunny with some clouds; light breeze
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June 2, 2023
11:32am; 28 min.; 1.4 miles
87F.; sunny; some light breeze
June 9, 2023
10:08am; 29 min.; 1.4 miles
hot; sunny; not much wind
June 14, 2023 (birds during this part of butterfly count)
3 observers; 11:13am; 1hr, 23min; 1.4 miles
hot (upper ~80s F.); sky variable/sunny; wind 5-15mph, plus gusts
Months separated by '/'.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 2 / 4, 4, 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 0 / 1, 0, 0
Anhinga - 1 / 0, 0, 1
Cattle Egret - 0 / 0, 0, 2
Black Vulture - 0 / 0, 0, 3
Turkey Vulture - 1 / 2, 1, 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2 / 1, 1, 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 0 / 0, 0, 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1 / 0, 0, 0
Acadian Flycatcher - 4 / 3, 1, 3
Great Crested Flycatcher - 0 / 0, 0, 2
White-eyed Vireo - 5 / 4, 5, 4
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1 / 0, 0, 0
Red-eyed Vireo - 2 / 0, 1, 0
American Crow - 1 / 0, 0, 0
Carolina Chickadee - 4 / 4, 0, 1
Tufted Titmouse - 4 / 2, 1, 0
Barn Swallow - 1 / 0, 0, 0
swallow sp. - 0 / 0, 0, 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3 / 1, 0, 1
Carolina Wren - 4 / 2, 2, 2
Eastern Towhee - 6 / 2, 4, 4
Yellow-breasted Chat - 10 / 4, 4, 4
Orchard Oriole - 4 / 3, 1, 3
Red-winged Blackbird - 0 / 1, 0, 0
Brown-headed Cowbird - 3 / 0, 2, 1
Common Grackle - 0 / 1, 0, 0
Prothonotary Warbler - 6 / 3, 3, 4
Kentucky Warbler - 1 / 0, 3, 2
Common Yellowthroat - 1 / 3, 1, 1
Hooded Warbler - 2 / 0, 0, 1
Northern Parula - 5 / 2, 4, 2
Prairie Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 1
Summer Tanager - 2 / 0, 1, 0
Northern Cardinal - 13 / 8, 5, 4
Blue Grosbeak - 1 / 0, 0, 0
Indigo Bunting - 9 / 6, 7, 7
Painted Bunting - 6 / 3, 2, 4
passerine sp. - 3 / 2, 2, 0
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June
French Fork Unit (La Salle Parish)
La Salle Parish
June 14, 2023
(birds during this part of butterfly count)
3 observers 3:22pm; 25 min; 0.2 miles
93F.; variable sky/sunny; wind 5-15, plus significant gusts
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1
Turkey Vulture - 1
Mississippi Kite - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 3
Tufted Titmouse - 2
Prothonotary Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 1
Summer Tanager - 1
Northern Cardinal - 1
Indigo Bunting - 1
Painted Bunting - 1
passerine sp. - 2
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June
Bushley Bayou Unit (Catahoula Parish)
June 8, 2023
Minnow Ponds Rd. and Dry Bayou Rd.
9:25am; 1hr, 25 min; 1.8 miles
hot; sunny; some very light breeze
June 14, 2023
(birds during this part of butterfly count)
shallow water impoundments levee off Minnow Ponds Rd.
2 observers; 2:07pm; 50min; about 0.4 miles on foot
90F.; sunny; wind 5-15, plus gusts
Mourning Dove - 5, 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 7, 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2, 0
Killdeer - 1, 0
Anhinga - 2, 2
Neotropic Cormorant - 0, 1
Great Blue Heron - 2, 0
Great Egret - 2, 0
Snowy Egret - 0, 1
Little Blue Heron - 1, 5
Cattle Egret - 0, 3
Green Heron - 1, 0
White Ibis - 1, 2
Black Vulture - 5, 4
Turkey Vulture - 4, 3
Mississippi Kite - 3, 0
Belted Kingfisher - 2, 0
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3, 0
Downy Woodpecker - 1, 0
Acadian Flycatcher - 4, 0
Eastern Kingbird - 1, 0
White-eyed Vireo - 5, 2
Yellow-throated Vireo - 2, 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 4, 0
Blue Jay - 3, 0
American Crow - 2, 3
Fish Crow - 0, 2
Carolina Chickadee - 3, 0
Tufted Titmouse - 2, 2
Tree Swallow - 1, 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2, 0
Carolina Wren - 7, 0
Yellow-breasted Chat - 7, 1
Orchard Oriole - 5, 0
Red-winged Blackbird - 9, 5
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1, 0
Common Grackle - 4, 2
Prothonotary Warbler - 3, 1
Kentucky Warbler - 2, 0
Common Yellowthroat - 3, 1
Northern Parula - 1, 0
Summer Tanager - 2, 0
Northern Cardinal - 6, 0
Indigo Bunting - 6, 1
Painted Bunting - 3, 0
passerine sp. - 2, 0
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July
Headquarters Unit (La Salle Parish)
Stationary Count at north end of Duck Lake
July 12, 2023
9:56am; 4 hr, 41 min; stationary
3 observers; 80s-90sF.; overcast, then mixed cloud and sun in afternoon; wind calm, then approx. 5-10mph in afternoon.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 1
Mourning Dove - 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1
Wood Stork - 21
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| Wood Storks - 7/12/23 |
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Anhinga - 10
Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 4
Great Egret - 5
Snowy Egret - 9
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| Snowy Egret |
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Little Blue Heron - 9
Tricolored Heron - 1
Cattle Egret - 22
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| Cattle Egrets |
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white heorn/egret sp. - 10
Green Heron - 4
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 1
White Ibis - 19
White-faced Ibis - 2
Roseate Spoonbill - 3
Black Vulture - 10
Turkey Vulture - 7
Osprey - 2
Swallow-tailed Kite - 1 (personal first for this NWR)
Mississippi Kite - 5
Bald Eagle - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 2
Blue Jay - 1
Fish Crow - 3
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| Fish Crow - 7/12/23 |
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Carolina Chickadee - 2
Tufted Titmouse - 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 10
Barn Swallow - 5
Cliff Swallow - 40
swallow sp. - 100
Red-winged Blackbird - 3
Brown-headed Cowbird - 3
Common Grackle - 10
Prothonotary Warbler - 2
Northern Cardinal - 3
Blue Grosbeak - 1
Indigo Bunting - 2
Painted Bunting - 2
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August
Headquarters Unit (La Salle Parish and tiny sliver of Catahoula Parish)
August 4, 2023
8:47am; 2 hr, 2 min; 2.5 miles
84F.; clear; west wind ~8mph
August 23, 2023
9:24am; 1 hr, 44 min; 2.5 miles
90-96F.; clear; wind from calm to NW 5mph
August 31, 2023
2:10pm; 1 hr, 58 min; 2.5 miles
92-93F.; sunny, partly cloudy; N wind ~12mph
duck sp. - 1, 0, 0
Mourning Dove - 3, 1, 0
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 2, 1, 0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 0, 3, 1
Limpkin - 0, 0, 1 (personal 2nd observation for this NWR, 3rd that I'm aware of)
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| Limpkin - 8/31/23 |
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| Limpkin - 8/31/23 |
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Black-necked Stilt - 6, 2, 12
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| Black-necked Stilt - 8/31/23 |
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Semipalmated Plover - 0, 1, 0
Killdeer - 4, 3, 1
Least Sandpiper - 6, 20, 12
Pectoral Sandpiper - 3, 0, 30
peep sp. - 0, 10, 10
Spotted Sandpiper - 5, 1, 1
Solitary Sandpiper - 2, 1, 0
Greater Yellowlegs - 0, 3, 0
Lesser Yellowlegs - 6, 0, 0
shorebird sp. - 10, 2, 20
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| Black-necked Stilts, Least Sandpipers, and Spotted Sandpiper - 8/31/23 |
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Wood Stork - 11, 0, 0
Anhinga - 2, 1, 0
American White Pelican - 78, 0, 0
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| American White Pelicans (as well as Snowy Egrets and Great Egret) - 8/4/23 |
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Great Blue Heron - 15, 2, 2
Great Egret - 17, 1, 1
Snowy Egret - 33, 2, 1
Little Blue Heron - 4, 3, 0
Tricolored Heron - 3, 0, 0
Cattle Egret - 48, 40, 11
white heron/egret sp. - 50, 10, 3
Green Heron - 4, 1, 1
White Ibis - 10, 10, 4
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| White Ibis - 8/4/23 |
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White-faced Ibis - 0, 2, 0
Glossy/White-faced Ibis - 40, 3, 1
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| Glossy/White-faced Ibis - 8/31/23 |
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Roseate Spoonbill - 7, 0, 0
Black Vulture - 6, 7, 3
Turkey Vulture - 7, 9, 4
Bald Eagle - 1, 0, 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1, 0, 1
Buteo sp. - 0, 1, 0
Belted Kingfisher - 0, 0, 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 0, 7, 4
Downy Woodpecker - 2, 2, 1
Hairy Woodpecker - 0, 1, 0
Pileated Woodpecker - 0, 0, 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 0, 0, 1
Acadian Flycatcher - 0, 0, 2
White-eyed Vireo - 5, 6, 2
Yellow-throated Vireo - 0, 2, 1
Blue Jay - 2, 3, 0
American Crow - 2, 4, 5
Fish Crow - 3, 0, 0
crow sp. - 5, 6, 12
Carolina Chickadee - 4, 13, 4
Tufted Titmouse - 3, 4, 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 1, 0, 0
Barn Swallow - 1, 0, 0
Cliff Swallow - 4, 0, 0
swallow sp. - 2, 0, 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3, 6, 5
Carolina Wren - 8, 10, 3
Orchard Oriole - 1, 0, 0
Red-winged Blackbird - 2, 1, 0
Common Grackle - 1, 1, 0
Worm-eating Warbler - 0, 1, 0
Prothonotary Warbler - 1, 0, 0
Hooded Warbler - 0, 3, 2
Northern Parula - 1, 0, 0
Northern Cardinal - 15, 14, 20
Blue Grosbeak - 0, 1, 0
Indigo Bunting - 3, 0, 0
Painted Bunting - 2, 0, 2
passerine sp. - 3, 6, 4
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Other Wildlife (all units, all dates):
Mammals:
Fox Squirrel, Common Raccoon, Coyote, White-tailed Deer; tracks of Nine-banded Armadillo and feral hogs
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| White-tailed Deer doe and fawn - 8/4/23 |
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Herps:
Fowler's Toad, Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Cope's Gray Treefrog, Green Treefrog, Squirrel Treefrog, American Bullfrog, Green (Bronze) Frog
American Alligator, North American Racer, Pond Slider, softshell turtle sp. (possibly Smooth Softshell)
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| American Alligator - HQ Unit, 7/12/23 |
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| North American Racer - HQ Unit, 6/4/23 |
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| Pond Sliders - HQ Unit, 8/23/23 |
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Fishes:
Short-nosed Gar, Alligator Gar, Spotted Gar, gar sp., Freshwater Drum, shiner/minnow (Cyprinid) sp., Blackstripe and/or Blackspotted Topminnow, Golden Topminnow, Western Mosquitofish, Warmouth Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Bluegill
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| Short-nosed Gar - HQ unit, 7/12/23 |
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| Redear Sunfish |
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Butterflies:
Silver-spotted Skipper, Horace's Duskywing, Tropical Checkered-Skipper, Common Checkered-Skipper, Clouded Skipper, Fiery Skipper, Dun Skipper
Pipevine Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail
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| Black Swallowtail - Willow Lake Unit, 5/29/23 |
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Checkered White, Southern Dogface, Cloudless Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Little Yellow, Sleepy Orange, Dainty Sulphur
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| Checkered White - HQ Unit, 6/2/23 |
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Red-banded Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Summer Azure
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| Gray Hairstreak - 7/12/23 |
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American Snout, Viceroy, 'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple, Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Tawny Emperor, Hackberry Emperor, Phaon Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Red Admiral, American Lady, Common Buckeye, Question Mark, Gemmed Satyr, Carolina Satyr, Monarch
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| American Lady - HQ Unit, 6/2/23 |
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Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies):
Ebony Jewelwing, damselfly sp., Swamp Darner, Prince Baskettail, Jade Clubtail, Halloween Pennant, Slatey Skimmer, Great Blue Skimmer, skimmer sp., Wandering Glider, Eastern Pondhawk, Common Whitetail, Eastern Amberwing, Carolina Saddlebags, Black Saddlebags, and doubtless others...
As always, if you spot any incorrect ID or have suggestions for any I'm unsure about, feel free to comment and let me know.
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