Kisatchie National Forest / Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden, Grant Parish, 4/22/2016

Eastern Bluebird, Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden, Grant Parish, Louisiana

   One of the most enjoyable things about getting out in nature is sharing the experience with someone. This time I was joined by my very dear long-time friend Keisha Johnson. This was her first time birding, but being the intelligent and inquisitive person she is, she'd been curious about it for some time.


Baltimore Oriole, Catahoula Hummingbird and
Butterfly Garden, Grant Parish

   Before visiting the Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden and Work Center Road area of Kisatchie National Forest, in the Catahoula Ranger District in Grant Parish, we made a quick visit to Sparrow Street near Jena in La Salle Parish. The Swainson's Warbler observed there by myself and Tom Pollock on 4/15 was singing again this morning, as was another one near the south end of the road. Lots of other songbirds, including Yellow-breasted Chat, Prairie Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, and Indigo Bunting, were also singing. Oddly, we didn't get Hooded Warbler -- one of our region's most common summer woodland birds -- on this trip.
   When we arrived at the butterfly garden, there was a group of both Baltimore Oriole and Orchard Oriole present, along with several Gray Catbirds. Red-headed Woodpecker was calling nearby, but no sign of the resident Red-cockaded Woodpeckers who have a colony adjacent to the garden.

tentative i.d.: Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades), Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden, Grant Parish

Broad-headed Skink at Butterfly Garden

   There were limited flowers in bloom at the garden at this time (it's still a bit early) and the only butterfly we got there was a presumed Northern Cloudywing (tricky, confirmation of i.d. pending.). We did see an impressive Broad-headed Skink and colorful Common Five-lined Skink as well as a Green Anole. Green Treefrog and Cope's Gray Treefrog were heard.

Common Five-lined Skink at Butterfly Garden

   We walked the old road or trail that surrounds the northern part of the block of woods southwest of the garden. Here's a good example of the type of pine forest found in the Kisatchie NF. Among the bird species singing and presumably on breeding territories in the woods were Bachman's Sparrow and Pine Warbler. Brown-headed Nuthatches were especially common. Chipping Sparrows and Mourning Doves were also regularly seen and heard.

Northern Mockingbird, Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish

Mourning Dove, Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish

   The woods are surrounded by a wide band of open, meadow-type habitat where species that prefer weedy and brushy habitats are found. Prairie Warblers were common, as were Yellow-breasted Chat and Blue Grosbeak.
   Along the path are a number of bluebird nest boxes, many apparently occupied.
   Three Anhingas were seen gliding west, high overhead. Presumably they were passing from appropriate wetland/swamp habitat near Little River or Catahoula Lake to appropriate habitat around Iatt Lake or Red River. Or, who knows where?
   Raptors present included a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, three Broad-winged Hawks soaring quite high, and, alongside the BWHA, a Mississippi Kite. Keisha was the first to notice all of these species.

tentative i.d.: Swarthy Skipper (Nastra lherminier), Kisatchie National Forest west of Work Center Rd.
I'm not 100% on this i.d.

   We encountered a few Lepidoptera species on this approximately two-mile walk. Several (tentative i.d.) Swarthy Skippers were seen. I encountered this species here last year and it appears they may be quite common here. We had good looks at three larger butterflies: the American Lady, ...


American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) nectaring on Coreopsis, west of Work Center Road

 ...the Question Mark, ...

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) feeding on scat

 ...and the Common Buckeye.

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), Kisatchie NF

A couple of times, we also had poor looks at yellow sulphur-type butterflies as well. Several small moths were seen, but the only easily i.d.-ed one was The Wedgling.

The Wedgling (Galgula partita), Kisatchie NF west of Work Center Road

tentative i.d.: Curtiss' Milkwort, Kisatchie NF west of Work Center Rd.
I find this i.d. questionable, but it's the closest match I've found so far.

 

   Wildflowers were fairly impressive. Coreopsis (possibly Lobed Tickseed -- Coreopsis auriculata?), Phlox (possibly Hairy Phlox -- P. amoene?) and Spiderwort (Tradescantia) were among the most frequently encountered.

Coreopsis sp., west of Work Center Rd.

Phlox species, west of Work Center Road

Spiderwort species, west of Work Center Road, Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish

tentative i.d.: Helmet Flower

Helmet Flower (tentative i.d. Scutellaria integrifolia), with their purple-blue, white-marked flowers were noticed a few times.
There were a good many Venus's Looking-Glass (Triodanis perfoliata) plants seen without blooms, but a few with the lovely purple flowers were eventually found. Both Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta, tentative i.d.) and Violet Woodsorrel (Oxalis violacea, tentative i.d.) were found to be pretty common, as was Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium).

tentative i.d.: Violet Woodsorrel, Kisatchie NF

A Lobelia (possibly Lobelia appendiculata -- Pale Lobelia??) was spotted.

Lobelia species, Kisatchie NF near the butterfly garden

Tentatively i.d.-ed Curtiss' Milkwort (Polygala curtissii), Cutleaf Geranium (Geranium dissectum), and Sicklepod Coffeeweed (Senna obtusifolia) were also encountered. Introduced species that have joined the native flora included Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum), and tentatively-identified Ligustrum privet species.

tentative i.d.: Cutleaf Geranium in foreground, w/ Yellow Woodsorrell in background

   It should be noted that I'm a novice at wildflower identification, so there could certainly be some misidentified plants on the list (http://southeasternflora.com/ and http://www.wildflower.org/plants/ are good online resources to check i.d.'s for yourself, should you be interested.).
   This was an excellent Earth Day spent in the field. By the end of our birding, Keisha (Miss never-been-birding) was independently identifying some birds and exhibiting skills at picking out birds, animal tracks, and other things of interest that many people more acquainted with the outdoors would usually overlook. My advice to any birders (or herpers, or butterflyers, etc.) reading this is to take a non-birder(etc.) friend in the field with you sometime. They might just be a natural, and you might just get them hooked on the outdoors!
   Complete bird list for the B-fly Garden and Kisatchie NF location is below.

Brown-headed Cowbird, near butterfly garden

........................................................................................
8:42 am to 12:33 pm
67 to 81 degrees f., sunny, light breeze
walked approx. 2 miles

Anhinga - 3

Turkey Vulture - 2
Mississippi Kite - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 2

Mourning Dove - 5

Chimney Swift - 2

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2

Red-headed Woodpecker - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1

Eastern Wood-Pewee - 3
Eastern Kingbird - 2

Red-eyed Vireo - 1

Blue Jay - 3

Purple Martin - 8
Barn Swallow - 1

Carolina Chickadee - 3
Tufted Titmouse - 1

Brown-headed Nuthatch - 9

Carolina Wren - 4

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2

Eastern Bluebird - 5

Gray Catbird - 5
Brown Thrasher - 1
Northern Mockingbird - 3

Cedar Waxwing - 10

Common Yellowthroat - 2
Pine Warbler - 2 (probably more)
Prairie Warbler - 5
Yellow-breasted Chat - 6

Bachman's Sparrow - 1 (probably more)
Chipping Sparrow - 7
Savannah Sparrow - 2

Summer Tanager - 1
Northern Cardinal - 2
Blue Grosbeak - 5
Indigo Bunting - 2

Brown-headed Cowbird - 2
Orchard Oriole - 9
Baltimore Oriole - 4

American Goldfinch - 2
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Spring migration is well underway; warblers, tanagers, buntings, and more in La Salle Parish

Swainson's Warbler singing beside Sparrow Street, west of Jena, La Salle Parish

   I joined Tom Pollock for some birding in wooded rural La Salle Parish on April 15. We planned to visit Snyder Road - a favorite spot of both of ours for Swainson's Warbler and other neotropical songbirds that arrive on their local breeding grounds around this time of year. However, while casually birding as we drove Sparrow Street on the way out there we heard a Swainson's singing right beside the road and stopped to have a listen and hopefully see this typical shy little woodland bird. We weren't disappointed.

   The Swainson's Warbler, singing frequently just south of the little Trout Creek bridge, was seen several times and eventually posed for a few minutes on a perch at the edge of the road clearing (junction of Sparrow Street and Ernestine Road). This, we both agreed, was the best view we'd ever gotten of a typically shy SWWA, and the photos and videos that resulted were, while not great quality, quite good for a species which normally seems reluctant to leave the thick underbrush of it's preferred habitat.

Swainson's Warbler, Sparrow Street, La Salle Parish

   We did use audio playback a bit at first to try to get the bird to come to us, but not excessively, and the most rewarding period was when we stopped the playback and just let the bird do its thing.
   I could go on about the Swainson's Warbler (it's a personal favorite species of mine), but the stop was fortuitous also for being a great spot to get several other neotropical species. Especially some of the SWWA's fellow wood warblers. A male Hooded Warbler - one of several who were singing within earshot of this spot - also put in an appearance, and we heard Black-and-white Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler (FOS), Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, as well as the resident Pine Warblers. All were singing, some of them - yellowthroat, Prairie, and Pine - were also seen.

male Hooded Warbler, Sparrow Street west of Jena, La Salle Parish

male Prairie Warbler, Sparrow Street, La Salle Parish

   Other recently-arrived neotrops besides warblers that were heard or seen here were Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, Indigo Bunting, Great Crested Flycatcher (FOS), and Eastern Kingbird (flyover headed north). Eventually, the sporadic sprinkles coalesced into a steady drizzle and we called it quits for the morning after less than an hour at the SWWA spot. We had a fruitful morning without even reaching our intended destination.
   Other FOS seen in the Jena area that morning included a male Summer Tanager and a possible (brief glimpse in poor light) Blue-winged Warbler.
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male Indigo Buntings, photo from last year's
spring migration (4/23/15)

   Recently, I've been hearing lots of Indigo Buntings passing overhead during nocturnal outings. These are among the most recognizable and abundant neotropical migrants around and rainy days during mid-April often bring them into yards where they frequent bird feeders while getting a respite from the weather. They seem to be everywhere I look this week! I am certainly not complaining.
This is a great time of year to look for migrants of various sorts and a great variety of birds - some who will be breeding in our area, some who are only stopping by on their way further north - will be showing up in a park or forest or backyard near you. Keep your eyes and ears open; there's no telling what you might find!

Palm Warbler, 4/11/2016, Jena, La Salle Parish.

 

Chalk Hills afternoon, other Catahoula and La Salle Parish observations

Phlox blooming in the Chalk Hills

   On April 3rd I joined Beth Willis and Tom Pollock for some birding. The final goal was to search for Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-wills-widows at nightfall along Posey-Webb Camp Highway in and around the Chalk Hills, but first we did a little birding elsewhere in La Salle and Catahoula Parishes. We heard a Black-and-White Warbler (first of season for me) and saw a soaring Bald Eagle near the Whitehall community in La Salle. We checked out the flood waters along Hwy 126 between Manifest and Sandy Lake, including where it cuts across the Bushley Bayou Unit of Catahoula NWR. Though water levels are dropping, the water is still high and there's a couple-of-mile stretch where the water is up by the road. Here we saw a few Blue-winged Teal as they swam from the roadside and off into the woods.

water over the road at one of the entrances to Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit along Hwy 126,
a typical scene along this stretch of highway at this time

   Lots of Phlox (which species, I can't say) were in bloom along Hwy 126 where it climbs into the Chalk Hills between Manifest and Aimwell. These bright purple flowers were also seen along P-WC Hwy. A few of the other wildflowers seen during this outing, in various locations, include Common Vetch, False Garlic, and Viola species (maybe Sweet White Violet? Bog White Violet?).

tentative i.d.: Common Vetch

Louisiana Waterthrush habitat
along Posey-Webb Camp Hwy

   Driving Posey-Webb Camp Hwy (just a narrow blacktop road) west-to-east, we found only the expected species until we stopped at the little creek east of the junction with Posey-Webb Camp Road (a tributary or branch of Hawthorn Creek, I believe). Here we heard at least one Wood Thrush, which was a first-of-season for us and saw and heard three Louisiana Waterthrushes, which were also FOS. The LAWA were very vocal; two singing and all calling as they made their way up the creek and crossed back-and-forth over the road several times. The birds were vocalizing on their own at first, then responded to playback that we used briefly to get them into view. However, when the audio was ended they continued to chase each other back and forth and vocalize enthusiastically. My guess is we were witnessing a territorial male, with his mate nearby, drive off another male.(?) Vocalizing can be heard in the video.
   Other birds heard and seen at that stop included Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, an assortment of the expected woodland birds, and some flyover Great Egrets.
   Back at the cutover at the junction of the road mentioned above we spotted a Great Horned Owl scanning the grass and brush for prey from it perch at dusk. This was our first stop to listen for Chuck-wills-widow and Whip-poor-will. The method we used was to listen, then use playback to try to illicit a response, then listen again before moving to the next promising spot, listening w/ the windows down as we went. We worked our way back to the west end of the road at Aimwell, but didn't get any definitive Chuck or Whip vocals. However, we thought that we may have heard one or the other very distant and calling only a few times when we were at the owl location.
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   On April 6 I joined Tom for a trip out to Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit. As we suspected, the unit was closed from high water (word from refuge staff is that it will likely be a month before water levels are low enough and roads dry enough to open the refuge).  So, we made a visit to the nearby Little River Recreation Area (Catahoula Parish). Here I had my FOS Prothonotary Warbler.

Prothonotary Warbler at Little River Recreation Area

We stopped near the Hwy 84 bridge over Old River (La Salle Parish) to watch the Cliff Swallows that have a nesting colony there. We couldn't locate a single Barn Swallow in the mix. During the last few years the Cliffs seem to have incrementally replaced the Barns, which used to be the dominant swallow species nesting at the bridge. Video is of Cliff Swallows at the bridge.
   We made token attempts at the Stephenson Rd and Bursley Bayou Rd entrances to the Bushley Bayou Unit of the refuge (yeah, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on the spelling/pronunciation of the name of the bayou... lol. I usually heard "Burshley".) in Catahoula Parish. Both were closed because of the flood, but the wildflowers along these roads were nice to see, including lots of Spider Lilies along BB Rd and some Swamp Leatherflower along Stephenson Rd and loads of Ranunculus (buttercups) everywhere.

Swamp Leatherflower, entrance to Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit on Stephenson Road

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   Tom also reports that on a short visit to Snyder Road west of Jena in La Salle Parish, also on 4/6, that he heard Red-eyed Vireo, but no Hooded Warbler or other of the several neotropical warbler species that will be present here for the breeding season (this is one of the best places to find Swainson's Warblers in this area, April-July).
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   Some neotropical migrants that I have found to have arrived already in La Salle and Catahoula Parishes include Green Heron, Mississippi Kite (one seen briefly in flight, earlier than I usually see them), Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo (though they are occasionally found wintering here), Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (though they are moderately common wintering birds in some places in the southern part of the parish), Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird (though a small number winter in the area), Black-and-White Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Prothonotary Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Orchard Oriole (one male seen, earlier than expected). Likely, many more species have also arrived.

   Butterflies I've seen so far this season in the same region include Horace's Duskywing, (Common) Checkered-Skipper, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, either Spicebush or Pipevine Swallowtail (forgot to record which), Red-banded Hairstreak, Clouded and/or Cloudless Sulphurs, a possible Monarch, Common Buckeye, Pearl Crescent, Carolina Satyr (glimpsed), ...and probably more that I am forgetting. Video is of Red-banded Hairstreak nectaring on False Garlic.
   Spring has sprung - looking forward to much more as the season progresses.