Willow Lake, Bushley Bayou, and HQ Units of Catahoula NWR, late April 2015

male Blue Grosbeak,
Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

    The latter part of April is the peak migration period for northbound neotropical birds passing through our area and Catahoula NWR is a great place to find them. In fact, the period of mid-April through early May offers up some of the busiest and most diverse birding of the year. This post will focus of several trips taken to three of the four units of the refuge during late April this year. Because this promises to be a long one, I'll stick mostly to birds and emphasize spring migrants and breeding behavior. A series of posts planned for the end of May and beginning of June will highlight various other groups of organisms observed here and elsewhere around cenla during this spring, including Reptiles and Amphibians, Moths and Butterflies, and Wildflowers.

Willow Lake Unit, 4/24/15
   With a sprinkle of rain starting to fall that morning as I considered where I'd go birding, I decided for a close option, Willow Lake Unit of Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, so that if I did get rained out, it wouldn't be so disappointing. Fortunately, the rain quickly dissipated and the choice of location for that morning's birding turned out to be a good one.

   Willow Lake unit on the morning of 4/24/15 boasted a nice assortment of spring transients and breeding arrivals and some lingering winter birds. Sedge Wrens were singing all up and down the road on the weedy meadow side. One can only guess how many were actually present farther away from the road and out of earshot, but I tallied thirteen that I could hear nearer the road. Swainson's and Hooded Warblers were heard in the replanted oak secondgrowth that, in the past two or three years, has started to get old enough to attract these woodland/wooded thicket species.  Also heard in the secondgrowth were my FOS Yellow-billed Cuckoos.

Gray Catbird is another common spring
migrant on Willow Lake Unit

   Breeders in the weedy and brushy sections of the field/meadow habitat area included my FOS Prairie Warblers (three singing males this year), Yellow-breasted Chat (always a prominent fixture along "Chat Alley" at this season), and Blue Grosbeaks. Common Yellowthroats and Red-winged Blackbirds were singing from territories out in the weeds. Those two species are common at this locale year-round.
   Indigo and Painted Buntings were their usual colorful, vociferous selves and are very common breeding species in this area of near-ideal habitat.



   There was other wildlife to notice beyond the array of colorful songbirds. A Coyote observed hunting along the gravel road was a treat. They are often spotted at this location, but it was enjoyable for me to observe a mammalian predator behaving as though I wasn't there. Several frog species were heard to vocalize, including Green Treefrog, Green Frog, and American Bullfrog.

Coyote, Willow Lake Unit of Catahoula NWR

   There was a gar fish waiting patiently at the downstream end of where a little culvert passes under the road near the entrance gate. I couldn't be sure whether it was Spotted, Alligator, or Short-nosed Gar, but it didn't appear to be Long-nosed Gar.

gar fish (? species), Catahoula NWR, Willow Lake Unit

gar sp., Willow Lake Unit

As I stopped to watch, the fish slowly backed away from the clear, exposed shallow water near the road to melt into the shadows nearer the cypress trees and deeper water. I've seen gar in similar scenarios before (downstream end of water flowing through culvert when water is higher than usual) and assume that they are there to ambush small fish that come along through the culvert in the quickly-moving water.







   A complete list of the bird species recorded on this trip is below, followed by the next birding trip account in this post --Bushley Bayou Unit (4/26/15).

adult Little Blue Heron, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

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Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, Willow Lake Unit

La Salle Parish

April 24, 2015

6:22 am - 8:25 am

Protocol: driving main gravel road w/ numerous stops, 1.4 miles

Conditions: 63 to 66 degrees f., very faint drizzle at beginning, cloudy, near calm developing some light breeze.

Wood Duck - 1

Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Anhinga - 5

Snowy Egret, Willow Lake Unit

Great Egret - 10
Snowy Egret - 2
Little Blue Heron - 4
White Ibis - 35 (flyover)

Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Mourning Dove - 7

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 2

Downy Woodpecker - 1

Eastern Kingbird - 1

White-eyed Vireo - 13
Red-eyed Vireo - 2

American Crow - 2

Carolina Chickadee - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 1

Sedge Wren - 13
Carolina Wren - 4

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2

Wood Thrush - 1

Gray Catbird - 3
Brown Thrasher - 1

Prothontary Warbler - 3
Swainson's Warbler - 1
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 4
Hooded Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 4
Prairie Warbler - 3
Yellow-breasted Chat - 8

Eastern Towhee - 6
Swamp Sparrow - 3

Northern Cardinal - 10
Blue Grosbeak - 6
Indigo Bunting - 11
Painted Bunting - 6

Red-winged Blackbird - 2
Eastern Meadowlark - 1
Common Grackle - 3
Brown-headed Cowbird - 8
Orchard Oriole - 1

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Bushley Bayou Unit, 4/26/15

Sunrise over impoundments near Minnow Ponds Road on Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

   The decision to go to the Minnow Ponds Road area of Bushley Bayou (or 'Burshley Bayou') Unit of Catahoula NWR on 4/26/15 turned out to be a good one. It would be a satisfying morning of birding with some memorable non-avian wildlife as well.
   Upon parking just inside the entrance I could hear Hooded Warbler, Wood Thrush, and a number of other songbirds in the woods near the entrance.

I set out on foot to walk Minnow Ponds Road through about a third of a mile of deciduous secondgrowth to where the trees open up and a side path leads across the little stream to the levees surrounding the three marshy impoundments (former shiner farm ponds). Through the secondgrowth there were the expected White-eyed Vireos, Yellow-breasted Chats, etc. Upon reaching the clearing I was struck by the lighting from the rising sun and had fun taking numerous photos of the play of the light on the landscape. Amateur stuff, but personally very satisfying. : )

   While walking the levees, one of the most prominent bird sounds was the singing of Sedge Wrens. I tallied seven of these secretive little birds, all singing. Fortunately, two chose to sing from exposed locations, so I was finally able to get photographs of the species.

Sedge Wren singing, near Minnow Ponds Road, Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

The narrow strip of brush and scattered small trees that lines the large ditch/diverted stream that divides the levee from Minnow Ponds Road is the annual home for breeding pairs of Orchard Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, Painted and Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, and Northern Cardinal.

   
    Four Black-necked Stilts flew up from farther out in the middle impoundment and headed east or northeast toward the large shiner farm on adjacent private land. I'd seen a stilt on its nest during a recent trip to Cameron Parish, and in similar habitat, so I had hopes of locating a nest here, but I couldn't spy any obvious nest.
Luckily, I didn't neglect to keep a cautious eye on the grassy path before my feet...

A juvenile Cottonmouth was coiled in a small clearing within the calf-high grass along the levee top. Sluggish and waiting for the sun to warm it, the little viper did not behave aggressively. However, I was careful to give it a reasonably wide berth as I snapped a number of pictures and carefully walked past.

juvenile Cottonmouth

There were a number of Cottonmouths seen in the impoundments, as there often are. Also, an American Beaver was spotted swimming away toward cover.

male Blue Grosbeak in oak tree overlooking Flat Creek

view of the edge of the wold, Bushley Bayou Unit

   At the far side of the impoundments the refuge boundary is marked by Flat Creek, a small springwater stream lined with trees. Deciduous forest species such a Pileated Woodpecker and Yellow-billed Cuckoo use this woody corridor between the refuge and the adjacent marshy fish farm.
   Turning back and retracing my steps I noticed a stream of Mississippi Kites coming in from the direction of the hilly uplands of the Kisatchie Wold to begin circling, forming a kettle over the impoundments in the flat flood plain.
    I passed the Cottonmouth again, who was by that point energized enough to slither off into the grass after I paused for a few more photos. The Sedge Wrens were still singing.
   Back on Minnow Ponds Road, a Broad-winged Hawk was circling overhead, rising on the warming air. I got the chance to photograph a couple of butterfly species -- an 'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple in the road, and a Question Mark back in the parking area.

'Astyanax' Red Spotted Purple, Minnow Ponds Road, Bushley Bayou Unit of Catahoula NWR

Question Mark (named for the shape of the posterior edge of  front wing w/ the dot)
, Minnow Ponds Road, Bushley Bayou Unit of Catahoula NWR

   A complete list of the bird species from that morning is below, and following that, the account of Willow Lake Unit 4/29/15.
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Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, Bushley Bayou Unit (Minnow Ponds Road)

Catahoula Parish

April 26, 2015

6:23 am - 9:15 am

Protocol: walking about 0.75 of a mile one way, walked back along same route

Conditions: 63 to 85 degrees f., sunny, not much wind.

Blue-winged Teal - 3
duck sp. - 3

Pied-billed Grebe - 2

Great Blue Heron - 2
Great Egret - 1
Little Blue Heron - 3

part of a kettle of Mississippi Kites over Bushley Bayou Unit

Turkey Vulture - 1
Mississippi Kite - 18
Broad-winged Hawk - 1


American Coot - 1

Black-necked Stilt - 4

Mourning Dove - 5

Chimney Swift - 2

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Pileated Woodpecker - 1

Pileated Woodpecker in an oak overlooking Flat Creek

Great Crested Flycatcher - 1

White-eyed Vireo - 6

Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - 2

Tree Swallow - 2
Barn Swallow - 2
swallow sp. - 3

Carolina Chickadee - 1

Sedge Wren - 7
Carolina Wren - 3

Brown Thrasher - 1

Cedar Waxwing - 23

Common Yellowthroat - 5
Hooded Warbler - 1
Prairie Warbler - 2
Yellow-breasted Chat - 5

Eastern Towhee - 4
Lincoln's Sparrow - 1

Northern Cardinal (female)

Red-winged Blackbird (male)

Northern Cardinal - 11
Blue Grosbeak - 5
Indigo Bunting - 6
Painted Bunting - 2

Red-winged Blackbird - 10
Eastern Meadowlark - 1
Common Grackle - 5
Brown-headed Cowbird - 2

Japanese Honeysuckle, near Minnow Ponds Road, Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit

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Willow Lake Unit, 4/29/2015

White-tailed Deer and Great Blue Heron, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Northern Waterthrush, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

   A trip to Willow Lake Unit, followed by a trip to HQ Unit, on 4/29/15, proved fruitful. Migrants were present, with Northern Waterthrush and Blue-winged Warbler present on Willow Lake Unit. Our lingering winter friends, the Swamp Sparrows and Sedge Wrens, were still present with the wrens vigorously singing. Warbler species that breed here on Willow Lake Unit that were singing included Prothonotary and Prairie Warblers and Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, and (if you count chats as warblers) Yellow-breasted Chat. Indigo and Painted Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks were active on their breeding territories, but where are the Dickcissels that normally breed in the field section of the unit?

Mourning Dove, Little Blue Heron, and Coyote (What a great place for wildlife!)
Catahoula NWR Willow lake Unit

   A group of four White-tailed Deer provided some great mammal watching -- the group of does and last year's young were cautious but not frightened enough of my presence to immediately take flight. I watched a Coyote at the same spot where I had seen one on the previous trip. After snooping about a bit, he/she turned and ran around the corner and out of sight as if going toward something with a sense of urgency or excitement. A short time later the Coyote reappeared followed by a slightly smaller individual. Its can be entertaining to watch Coyote behavior.

Coyotes, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

   Driving back out I noticed a Red Admiral -- a species of butterfly -- and snapped a couple of quick pictures. After this I left Willow Lake Unit and headed for the Headquarters Unit. Below is the list of bird species for Willow Lake Unit, 4/29/15, followed by the account of what was observed at HQ Unit.
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Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, Willow Lake Unit

La Salle Parish

April 29, 2015

6:48 am to 8:20 am

Protocol: Driving w/ numerous stops, 1 mile

Conditions: 51 to 53 degrees f., sunny, light breeze.

Wood Duck - 4

Anhinga - 4 (flyovers)

Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret - 4
Snowy Egret - 2
Little Blue Heron - 2
Cattle Egret - 7 (flyovers)
White Ibis - 73 (flyover)

Turkey Vulture - 1

Mourning Dove - 5

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1

Chimney Swift - 2

Great Crested Flycatcher - 1

White-eyed Vireo - 4

Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 3

Barn Swallow - 1
Cliff Swallow - 8

Carolina Chickadee - 2
Tufted Titmouse - 2

Sedge Wren - 10
Carolina Wren - 2

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1

Cedar Waxwing - 20

Cedar Waxwings, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Northern Waterthrush, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Northern Waterthrush - 1
Blue-winged Warbler - 1
Prothonotary Warbler - 2
Common Yellowthroat - 2

Yellow-breasted Chat,
Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Northern Parula - 2
Prairie Warbler - 3
Yellow-breasted Chat - 7

Swamp Sparrow - 2

Swamp Sparrow, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit

Northern Cardinal - 8
Blue Grosbeak - 7
Indigo Bunting - 14
Painted Bunting - 4

Red-winged Blackbird - 3
Brown-headed Cowbird - 5
Orchard Oriole - 2

Red Admiral butterfly, Willow Lake Unit

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Headquarters Unit, 4/29/2015

   Migrating warblers were in good diversity on the Headquarters Unit on this morning. I got a look at a Blue-winged Warbler who was singing and foraging, where as the one from Willow Lake was only heard. Canada and Magnolia Warblers, regularly seen at this location in peak-to-late spring migration season, put in a showing, as did the more numerous Black-and-white and Tennessee Warblers. A glimpse of a Blackburnian Warbler was great but fleeting and I heard two more Northern Waterthrushes, one of which I also saw. I might have glimpsed -- briefly and in terrible lighting -- a Cerulean Warbler, but I was unable to get a satisfactory look and couldn't relocate the bird, so I simply could not be sure. All of these, plus a Philadelphia Vireo, a Baltimore Oriole, and numerous species that breed on location were found along a short stretch of the refuge loop, around a third of a mile long, which seems to always attract neotrops during this time of year. This is located in the straight stretch paralleling the refuge boundary / parish line just south of the fork by the hunter sign-in / port-o-potty spot. ...for those familiar with the refuge.

male Canvasback, HQ Unit

   Winter species observed included a Sharp-shinned Hawk who came cruising up the busy stretch of road mentioned above, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, also at that location. Surely this will be the last kinglet I see until fall.
   As seen on BB Unit a few days earlier, a group of Mississippi Kites streamed in from the north to form a kettle along the boundary of the wooded refuge and the adjacent agricultural fields.
   Back at the north end of Duck Lake, the male Canvasback that seemed to not want to leave was still present. This time, he was in the water across the road/levee from the actual lake.


male Canvasback, Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Wildflowers were in bloom in profusion and the songbirds were proclaiming their breeding territories with song and, at least in the case of the Eastern Kingbirds, aggression towards trespassing rivals and potential nest-raiders.

Pink Ladies are among the numerous flowers that grow on the sunny slopes
of the levee at the north end of Duck Lake

   I left the refuge with a good sense that the height of Spring was here. Below is a complete list of bird species from the HQ unit for that morning.
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Catahoula NWR, Headquarters Unit

La Salle Parish

April 29, 2015

8:24 am - 11:48 am

Protocol: driving a section of the refuge loop w/ numerous stops and some stand-around periods, 2.4 miles

Conditions: 56 to 66 degrees f., sunny, breeze

Wood Duck - 2
Canvasback - 1

male Canvasback preening, Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit

Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Anhinga - 7

Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret - 1
Little Blue Heron - 6

Black Vulture - 2
Turkey Vulture - 2
Mississippi Kite - 17
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2

Mourning Dove - 2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 4

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 3

Eastern Kingbird, Headquarters Unit

Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2
Acadian Flycatcher - 4
Great Crested Flycatcher - 5
Eastern Kingbird - 2

White-eyed Vireo - 6
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
Philadelphia Vireo - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 5

Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 4




Purple Martin - 1
Barn Swallow - 3

Carolina Chickadee - 8
Tufted Titmouse - 6

Carolina Wren - 13

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1

 

Gray Catbird - 3

Cedar Waxwing - 6

Northern Waterthrush - 2
Blue-winged Warbler - 1
Black-and-white Warbler - 8
Prothonotary Warbler - 1
Tennessee Warbler - 18
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 1
Northern Parula - 3

Summer Tanager, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

Magnolia Warbler - 1
Blackburnian Warbler - 1
Canada Warbler - 1
Yellow-breasted Chat - 2

Eastern Towhee - 1

Summer Tanager - 2
Northern Cardinal - 11
Blue Grosbeak - 1
Indigo Bunting - 20
Painted Bunting - 8

Red-winged Blackbird - 1
Common Grackle - 3
Brown-headed Cowbird - 4
Baltimore Oriole - 2

Baltimore Oriole, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit

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   A post covering the refuge in the early and mid part of May of this year will be up in a couple of days, continuing the theme of spring migrants, breeding behavior, and the winding-down of the neotropical songbird migration season. Hope you enjoyed!**************************************************************