Thanksgiving and Christmas on Catahoula NWR

  

A Pine Warbler partakes of some Thanksgiving grub, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, 11/24/2016

   11/24/2016:
   On my Thanksgiving visit to Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit I drove the entire refuge loop, with many stops. Duck numbers were way up from previous visits this autumn, and there was a nice variety and quantity of woodland songbirds and other groups. I started at 11:52 am and ended at about 4:37pm; a little over 9 miles by truck and a third of a mile of so on foot. Temperatures were 64 to 66 degrees f., the sky was sunny, there was a light breeze. Water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed approx. 33.5 feet. Habitat shots from this visit:

refuge loop through bottomland hardwoods

north end of Duck Lake

one of the parking spots along Cowpen Bayou

 Bird list is below, followed by Lepidoptera list, and a run down of some of the other wildlife observed.

Birds:
Greater White-fronted Goose - 6
Snow Goose - 100
Wood Duck -4
Gadwall - 30
Mallard - 20

male Gadwall, Cowpen Bayou

female Gadwall, Cowpen Bayou

 Northern Shoveler - 105
Northern Pintail - 600
Ring-necked Duck - 1
duck sp. - 20,000 -- approx. number from estimates and counts, probably many more present in parts of lake that were out of sight from the several vantage points visited along the route. These were birds that were too distant and closely packed to suss out individual i.d.s. My guess is that Northern Pintail was the most numerous species in the "duck sp." mix, with Mallard likely also very numerous, and Shoveler, Ring-neck, and Gadwall probably all present in the mix, as well as other species that went undetected on this visit (Green-winged Teal should be present, for example). In other words, actual numbers (and probably diversity) of the ducks on the list should be much higher than what I show, which mostly represent smaller groups seen close to shore.

North end of Duck Lake -- ducks, ducks...

...more ducks...

...duck gumbo.

East side of Duck Lake from end of walk-in road -- lots of ducks.

 Anhinga - 2

American White Pelican - 110

south part of Duck Lake with ducks and American White Pelicans

east side of Duck Lake with ducks and American White Pelicans

Great Blue Heron - 9
Great Egret - 4

Turkey Vulture - 9
Bale Eagle - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1

Black-necked Stilt - 2
American Avocet - 71

American Avocets, north end of Duck Lake

Long-billed Dowitcher - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 6

Eastern Screech-Owl - 1
Great Horned Owl - 1
Barred Owl - 3

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 12
Yellow-bellied Sapsacker - 7
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 5
Pileated Woodpecker - 6

Eastern Phoebe - 11

Eastern Phoebe, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

American Crow - 43

Carolina Chickadee - 10
Tufted Titmouse - 6

Brown Creeper - 1

Brown Creeper, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Winter Wren -  1

Winter Wren, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Winter Wren, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Winter Wren, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

 Carolina Wren - 4

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 14
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 11

Hermit Thrush - 3
American Robin - 1

American Pipit - 2

Cedar Waxwing - 22

Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Pine Warbler - 1

male Pine Warbler, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Yellow-rumped Warbler close-up

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 18

Yellow-rumped Warbler, near Cowpen Bayou, Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle Parish

Chipping Sparrow - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 1

Northern Cardinal - 4

American Goldfinch - 2 

Butterflies:

Tropical Checkered-Skipper, down walk-in road

Common/White Checkered-Skipper - 1
Tropical Checkered-Skipper - 3
checkered-skipper species - 6
Cloudless Sulphur - 2
Little Yellow - 10
Sleepy Orange - 3
Gulf Fritillary - 1
Viceroy - 1
Common Buckeye - 2





Other Wildlife:

American Alligator and Pond Sliders, Duck Lake Slough

   Among mammals, only Eastern Fox Squirrel was seen. As for reptiles, there were five American Alligators seen basking in the sun at various points along the route.

American Alligator, Cowpen Bayou

American Alligator, backwater near south side of Duck Lake

American Alligator, backwater area near south part of Duck Lake

Turtles -- most, possibly all, Pond Sliders -- were also out in good numbers, getting some sun. I counted 49, but likely overlooked many more when my attention was elsewhere. 

turtles in a cove near Duck Lake

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12/25/2016:

late Christmas afternoon, backwater area near south side of Duck Lake

   I returned to the refuge Christmas afternoon after not having visited since Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I hadn't been able to resume my weekly trips. I went by the Headquarters Unit first, then went by the Willow Lake Unit at the end of the day.

   Headquarters Unit Birds:
   I birded driving the entire refuge loop w/ numerous stops: 2:45 pm to 5:03 pm; 77 to 78 degrees f., breezy, the sky was a variable mix of cloud and sun. Water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed approx. 34.6 feet. It was an unusually warm, muggy Chirstmas. People still mention the "80-degree Christmas" of 2015, I guess this year's will be no different.
habitat shots, then bird list:

north end of Duck Lake

woods along refuge loop

Greater White-fronted Goose - 93 (some in video)
Snow Goose - 100
Wood Duck - 4
Mallard - 300 (some in video)

Northern Pintail - 10
Green-winged Teal - 10
Canvasback - 2
Ring-necked Duck - 9
duck sp. - 700

Anhinga - 1

Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret - 3

Black Vulture - 4
Turkey Vulture - 7

gull sp. - 18 -- These were very distant (flying far out over Duck Lake), but Ring-billed Gull is a species I've come to expect at this location during winter, so that's the probable identity.

Mourning Dove - 2

Belted Kingfisher - 3

Red-bellied Woodpecker -1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 1

Eastern Phoebe -13

American Crow - 7

Carolina Chickadee - 4
Tufted Titmouse - 2

Carolina Wren - 3

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4

Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - x

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 18 (3 in video)

Chipping Sparrow - x
White-throated Sparrow - 9

Northern Cardinal - 6

Other Headquarters Unit Wildlife:

a comfy spot to chill

   Four or more Common Buckeye were the only butterflies noticed. A large American Alligator was basking on a log in Cowpen Bayou. A fair number of Pond Sliders and potentially other similar turtles were basking in exposed places along the water ways.

(apologies for poor picture quality) American Alligator basking in the sun, Wood Ducks on far bank

"Beaver wuz here"

Willow Lake Unit:

Willow Lake Road at sunset, Christmas

 5:06 pm to about 5:50 pm. One mile. My hope was to get my FOS American Woodcock, but unfortunately I didn't see any. However, a few other birds were still being detected as night fell. The only non-avian wildlife noticed was a frog -- either Southern Leopard Frog or Green Frog, based on size -- leaping across the road as I was about to leave.

Wood Duck - 32
Great Egret - 1
Mourning Dove - 1
Carolina Wren - 1
Hermit Thrush - x
Brown Thrasher - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 5
Song Sparrow - 1
Northern Cardinal - 2

evening sky while watching for woodcocks, Christmas, Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit, La Salle Parish

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