Birding on the Ouachita and Boeuf Rivers

looking up the Ouachita River from a point beside the Sicily Island Hills

Related Posts:
 - recent visit to Sicily Island Hills and Harrisonburg Landing (links to previous visits found in this entries):
https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2019/01/sicily-island-hills-harrisonburg-area.html
 - visit to Harrisonburg and other locations along the Ouachita, with links to previous visit:
https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/10/catahoula-parish-birding-harrisonburg.html

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   On January 28 I joined Charles Williams for a birding trip up the Ouachita and Boeuf Rivers in Catahoula Parish and into Turkey Creek in Franklin Parish. We launched at the Harrisonburg Landing Rec. Area, which was quite birdy itself, and traveled upriver making many stops beside the shore and short forays into adjoining lakes and up the mouths of creeks.

Ouachita River / Harrisonburg Landing

going up the Ouachita

going up the Ouachita

Ouachita River - On the west (left) side is the point where the eagle was, on the east are the mouths of Little Creek and Big Creek.

Ouachita River

Ouachita River

confluence of the Ouachita (left) and Boeuf (right) / Stafford Point on left side

Boeuf River -- Sicily Island Hills WMA on east bank (left), Boeuf WMA on the west

going up the Boeuf River

Here, upstream from the confluence with Bushy Bayou, the Boeuf runs west-to-east and the terrain on either side is low and swampy. Turkey Creek is very similar. 

These tangents along the Ouachita included Town Lake just north of Harrisonburg,

entering Town Lake

Dry Lake - an oxbow through which Rawson Creek flows,

Dry Lake

the sort of bay or pond at the mouth of Little Creek,

the bay into which Little Creek flows

and Big Creek.

Big Creek, heading back to the river

Along the Boeuf River we went short distances up Coke Creek and Bushy Bayou.

Coke Creek

When we reached the mouth of Turkey Creek, we entered and traveled part of the way to the dam and into a backwater area.

channel through backwater along Turkey Creek

going back down Turkey Creek

This trip up Turkey Creek took us into Franklin Parish.
   Water was quite high (Ouachita River level at Monroe was just over 40' I think the day before, according to NOAA website).
   Bird activity was good, and the scenery was worthy too. The Ouachita River butts up against the west flank of the Sicily Island Hills for several miles, with pine-covered hills dropping off into the swirling water.

Sicily Island Hills along the Ouachita River

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The hills and mixed pine-hardwoods continue a little ways along the Boeuf as well. Little Creek, Big Creek, and Coke Creek are among the Sicily Island Hills streams that enter the rivers.
   Many of the typical woodland birds were present in respectable numbers, including Yellow-rumped Warbler, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, and Pileated Woodpecker (which were sometimes seen flying across the river). Pine Warblers were singing up and down the river pretty much wherever pine trees were present. We tried for Red-breasted Nuthatch by using playback at many locations but found none. We also tried for Purple Finch a few times, with the same results. 
   Wood Ducks and Mallards were present along the Ouachita and Boeuf, flying over or flushing from backwater when our boat approached.

Mallards at entrance to Dry Lake

male Wood Duck on the Ouachita

Charles spotted a Hooded Merganser as it flew over. An Anhinga seen along the Ouachita was a pretty good bird to encounter: they can be tough to find in this part of the state during winter. Up Turkey Creek we also found dozens of Double-crested Cormorants and at least 150 American White Pelicans.

American White Pelicans - Turkey Creek

    It was a pretty good day for raptors, with the highlight being a handsome adult Bald Eagle in a tree on the point across from the mouths of Little and Big Creeks. Another Bald Eagle, a youngster, was seen in flight at Turkey Creek.

adult Bald Eagle on the Ouachita

    Impressed with the birding potential of this route, we've already made plans to return in the spring. Below are the lists of birds found on this outing, broken down into four locations.


Harrisonburg Landing Rec. Area
7:50 a.m; 50 minutes; 0.2 miles
start temp. 38 degrees F., sunny, calm
habitat shot:

...

Snow Goose - 300 - two flyover groups of ~150 each
Wood Duck - 6
Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1
Bed-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Blue Jay - 3
Carolina Chickadee - 2
Tufted Titmouse - 1
Carolina Wren - 4
American Robin - 50
Northern Mockingbird - 2
American Goldfinch - 2
Chipping Sparrow - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 4
Song Sparrow - 1
Eastern Towhee - 4
Red-winged Blackbird - 1
Common Grackle - 11
Pine Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 3
Northern Cardinal - 3

Ouachita River
8:40 a.m.; 2 hrs 25 mins; ~10 miles
sunny, wind calm at first, breeze developing later
habitat shots:

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...

...

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Wood Duck - 7
Mallard - 11
Hooded Merganser - 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 1
Mourning Dove - 1
Killdeer - 3
Anhinga - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 2
Great Egret - 1
Black Vulture - 2
Turkey Vulture - 22
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Accipiter sp. - 1
Bald Eagle - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 10
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 7
Northern Flicker - 3
Eastern Phoebe - 7
Blue Jay - 16
American Crow - 10
Carolina Chickadee - 8
Tufted Titmouse - 13
Carolina Wren - 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Eastern Bluebird - 3
American Robin - 17
Northern Mockingbird - 2
European Starling - 2
American Pipit - 1 - flyover heard
American Goldfinch - 5
White-throated Sparrow - 6
Song Sparrow - 2
Red-winged Blackbird - 2
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1
Pine Warbler - 9
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 18
Northern Cardinal - 9

Boeuf River
11:05 a.m; 30 mins; ~3.5 miles
Sunny, wind picking up
shoreline habitat shots:

...

...

Wood Duck - 14
Mallard - 3
Great Blue Heron - 1
Turkey Vulture - 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Blue Jay - 3
American Crow - 2
Carolina Chickadee - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 3
American Robin - x - some heard
Pine Warbler - 1

Turkey Creek
11:35 a.m.; 35 min; ~1 mile
sunny to partly cloudy, somewhat windy
habitat shot:

We spent much of our Turkey Creek time in the backwater and channels around here

Double-crested Cormorant - 60
American White Pelican - 150
Great Blue Heron - 1
Great Egret - 3
Turkey Vulture - 5
Northern Harrier - 2
Bald Eagle - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 2
American Crow - 5
Carolina Chickadee - 1
Eastern Bluebird - 3
Swamp Sparrow - 2

returning to Harrisonburg Landing

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