Catahoula Parish Birding - Harrisonburg, Wallace Ridge, and Jonesville Areas -- 10/26/18

Ouachita River at Harrisonburg Landing Recreation Area

Related Posts:
   many of the same locations, on October 10 - https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/10/parks-rec-catahoula-parish-10102018.html
 
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   On October 26, Beth Willis and I set out to bird a series of locations, essentially along the Ouachita River, in central Catahoula Parish. We started with a couple of sites around Harrisonburg and made our way through locations along LA-124, south to Jonesville. Though temperatures were pleasant it was generally too windy for happy birding, but we managed to make it work.
   We started birding at Harrisonburg Landing Recreation Area at 7:25 a.m. This locale is situated at the NW end of LA-922, on the east bank of the Ouachita River, just across and upstream from downtown Harrisonburg.

Ouachita River at Harrisonburg Landing

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Harrisonburg Landing Rec. Area

   This was the birdiest spot of the day: we tallied 35 species while walking around a few acres during an hour and forty-five minutes. The highlight was a slightly early Dark-eyed Junco. The bird was heard and glimpsed several times before we finally got a decent look at it.

Dark-eyed Junco

   Other signs of the season were our mutual FOS Swamp Sparrow (heard-only), a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese flying up the river, and a flyover flock of Long-billed Dowitchers (presumably Long-billed, based on how late it would be in the season to expect Short-billed).
   A couple of trends that we'd notice over the course of the day began here. There were swallows on the move, in this case Barn and Tree Swallows. We'd find Barn Swallows at all but one of the locations for which we made lists on this outing. There were two American Kestrels at this location -- the species would turn out to be a common sight this day.

two American Kestrels flying over the river

male American Kestrel perched on power line over the river

   Below is our complete bird list for this location. After that, we go across the river to Fort Beauregard.

Harrisonburg Landing Recreation Area:
7:25; 1 hr 45 min
estimated 5 acres
Conditions: 55 degrees F.; cloudy at start, sky becoming variable; light to moderate wind.

Greater White-fronted Goose - 25
Wood Duck - 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 3
Long-billed Dowitcher - ~15
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Great Egret - 1
Turkey Vulture - 11
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker - 1
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 3
American Kestrel - 2
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Blue Jay - 11
American Crow - 2
Tree Swallow - 1
Barn Swallow - 3
swallow sp. - 8
Carolina Chickadee - 2
Carolina Wren - 6

Carolina Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Eastern Bluebird - 4
Brown Thrasher - 3
Northern Mockingbird - 5

Northern Mockingbirds

Northern Mockingbird

Chipping Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco (presumably Slate-colored) - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 4
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Eastern Towhee - 3
Red-winged Blackbird - 1
Pine Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4
Northern Cardinal - 6
Indigo Bunting - 1

   Fort Beauregard Historical Park is located off the north side of LA-124 at the north edge of Harrisonburg. The terrain is pine-covered hills rising up from the town. We spent over an hour walking along Memorial Drive and off among the open pines.

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looking SE over Harrisonburg to the Ouachita River alluvial plain

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   Small arboreal/land bird detection by sight was getting difficult as the wind picked up. We were hoping to find Red-breasted Nuthatch here, so I played the audio of their call several times. We got a response from one that called back several times from pretty close, but we were unable to spot it in the trees. It (assuming it was the same bird) was heard later, having moved on to our southeast.
   While at this location I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk circling overhead that looked to be a "dark morph" individual -- all dark brown body, above and below, but with reddish tail. The bird was pretty high up and the light angle not great, but I looked it over with binoculars as best as I could and snapped a few poor quality photos.

the dark Red-tailed Hawk -- While watching it circle, the sun would sometimes hit it's underside and you could see that the coloring below appeared to be brown, not white or white with brown markings. With the POSSIBLE exception of this image, you can't really tell this in the photos, where the bird just looks like a dark silhouette.  

apparent dark morph Red-tailed Hawk

   I wish I were more knowledgeable about the Red-tailed Hawk's variable appearance!
Also at this location I spotted the first of the day's two Chimney Swifts -- it's starting to get late in the season for them.
   Below is our complete bird list for this location. After that, we go south to Meyers Bend Road.

Fort Beauregard Historical Park:
9:17 a.m.; 1 hr 17 min
~0.2 miles on foot
Conditions: cool; sky variable; windy

Chimney Swift - 1
Black Vulture - 2
Turkey Vulture - 2
Red-tailed Hawk (apparent dark morph - "Harlan's"??) - 1
Red-headed Woodpecker - 2

Red-headed Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 1
Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - 2
Barn Swallow - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch - 1
Carolina Wren - 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Brown Thrasher - 1
Northern Mockingbird - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 5
Eastern Towhee - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 1
Northern Cardinal - 2

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   After Harrisonburg, we headed south toward Jonesville on LA-124. This takes us through river plain farm country. The first of several side roads that we birded along the way was Meyers Bend Road. This, like all the others we'd go down, runs east from the highway, and like all the other except Tew Lake Road, it goes to the Ouachita River, and turns to follow the river.
   There weren't a whole lot of birds out, except for a good many Barn Swallows and a flock of European Starlings. We did note, however, that the habit just begs to be birded later in the fall-winter season (and in easier conditions for bird detection) -- it looks very promising for a variety of sparrows, as well as pipits and other winter goodies.

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Meyer's Bend Road runs along the south side of Bushley Bayou...

...and then along the Ouachita River

there's a lot of pasture and field habitat and the expected weedy ditches and wooded property boundaries

Ouachita River

We went as far as the church, before turning around and returning to the highway. Here's the bird list for this location, then its down the highway to Routon Road.

Meyers Bend Road:
10:41 a.m.; 44 minutes
2.4 miles by vehicle, with a few stops
Conditions: mild; partly cloudy; windy

Chimney Swift - 1
Anhinga - 1
Great Egret - 2
Cattle Egret - 2
Turkey Vulture - 4
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - 30
Barn Swallow - 30
Carolina Chickadee - 2
Carolina Wren - 3
Eastern Bluebird - 3
European Starling - 80
Common Grackle - 10
Northern Cardinal - 6

    At Wallace Ridge, Routon Road turns east, and we birded along the first mile-and-a-third, taking us to where the road forks by the river. Ditto on this being promising winter birding habitat.

There are three low "Indian Mounds" on private property beside the road.

a little bayou that connects to Tew Lake

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Here's the bird list for this location, then its on to the other side of the lake for Tew Lake Road.

Routon Road:
11:29 a.m.; 25 minutes
1.3 miles by vehicle, with a few stops
Conditions: mild; partly cloudy; windy

Mourning Dove - 1
Turkey Vulture - 8
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1

Red-shouldered Hawk

Belted Kingfisher - 1
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
American Kestrel - 1

American Kestrel

Eastern Phoebe - 1
Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 1
Barn Swallow - 4
Carolina Chickadee - 1
Carolina Wren - 3
Eastern Bluebird - 5
European Starling - 50
White-throated Sparrow - 1
Northern Cardinal - 4

   There just about aren't any places to stop along Tew Lake Road that aren't too close to homes or camps, so we just made a casual run down there to see what was around.

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Here's the list of what we could detect. After that, its south to Jonesville Landing Recreation Area.

Tew Lake Road:
11:57 a.m.; 12 minutes
0.9 miles
Conditions: mild; partly cloudy; windy

Great Egret - 3
Loggerhead Shrike - 1
American Crow - 1
Carolina Wren - 2
Northern Mockingbird - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 3
Northern Cardinal - 1

   Jonesville Landing Recreation Area is situated on the north bank of Little River, beside the LA-124 bridge. Turn east off of LA-124 onto LA-3264 and the entrance to the rec. area is on the right.

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   Between wind and human activity (vehicles coming and going) we didn't detect many birds. Here's the list of what we found. After that, its back up LA-124 a little ways to the day's final birding locale, Patton Road.

Jonesville Landing Recreation Area:
12:14 p.m.; 18 minutes
~2 acres
Conditions: mild; partly cloudy; windy

White Ibis - 4 - group of adults flying east/northeast
Black Vulture - 1
Turkey Vulture - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

crow sp. - 1
Barn Swallow - 2
Northern Mockingbird - 1
European Starling - 1

   Patton Road (shown on some maps as "Patten Church Road"), runs from LA-124 east to the church by the river, where the road splits, Patton continuing left/north. We only birded this first mile between highway and church. Though it was the middle of the day, windy, and we didn't have much time to poke around, we think this would be another great locale for winter birding (really any time the wind is calmer!). Beth birded here a few years ago, and found it to be quite birdy. Though the habitat has changed in some spots, it should be good.

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   On the power line along the highway, a few poles south of Patton Road, was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. There was a Loggerhead Shrike and yet another Am. Kestrel along the first stretch of the road.

Loggerhead Shrike

We heard a Song Sparrow and saw Wood Ducks at the tree-lined coulee/canal/ditch/thingy. There were more swallows swooping and swarming in the fields by the church and out over the river beyond the trees.
   Below is our list for this location. After that, there's a run down of some of the other things found on this outing.

Patton Road ("Patten Church Road"):
12:42 p.m.; 48 minutes
1 mile
Conditions: mild; partly cloudy; windy

Wood Duck - 6

Wood Ducks

Turkey Vulture - 2
American Kestrel - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - 1
Loggerhead Shrike - 1

Loggerhead Shrike

Tree Swallow - 2
Barn Swallow - 15
swallow sp. - ~10, possibly including Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Carolina Wren - 1
European Starling - 1
Song Sparrow - 1

   Butterflies...
   Checkered White was the butterfly highlight of the day, and a new addition to my butterfly life list. It was seen at Patton Road by junction with LA-124. Unfortunately I was only able to get this one poor quality photo and we didn't have a chance to admire the butterfly.

That's an okay picture of those grass stalks...

     Butterflies were actually fairly numerous, but most of them were not out flying around in the open. With the wind like it was, many were hunkered down in weedy areas with lots of flowers, nectaring or just hanging on.

Gulf Fritillaries and Common Buckeyes -- Routon Road

An exception were the migrating Monarchs. We saw several, which were all on the move. All but one, I believe, were up high, and looking more like far-away hawks than butterflies, at first glance.
  Butterfly species seen that day included Common/White Checkered Skipper...

Common/White Checkered-Skipper -- Fort Beauregard Historical Park

...Checkered White, Sleepy Orange, Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow, Monarch, Gulf Fritillary (which were probably the most numerous butterfly of the day), 'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple, and Common Buckeye (and maybe others).

   Additional bird species: Great Blue Heron. Between leaving Jonesville Landing and going to Patton Rd, we took a quick cruise through the Trinity community, by the confluence of the Little and Ouachita/Black Rivers north of Jonesville.

looking up the Ouachita River at Trinity, just before it's joined by the Tensas and Little and becomes the Black River

A couple of Great Blue Herons and a Great Egret chased each other from the far shore and flew up river.

   Mammals were few and far between (a few Eastern Fox Squirrels, I believe were all) as were Herps (Blanchard's Cricket Frog seen; Pond Slider). Wildflowers were of a narrow assortment -- Brazilian Verbena, "boneset" of some sort, Cotton Morning-Glory, White Morning-Glory, goldenrod sp. (Solidago), groundcherry sp. (), False Garlic, Blue Mistflower, were among those seen.

   It was an enjoyable day of birding - wind and all - and we agreed that we should revisit these locations again as the fall and winter season progresses.
   As always, be careful when birding along the road - don't be a road hazard! And, of course, avoid birding close to homes or on private property. Always good to keep these things in mind when birding along public roadways.

Peace;
Jonathan
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