Sicily Island Hills -- Catahoula Parish, 1/28/2020

woods in the southern part of the Sicily Island Hills

Related Posts:
 - SI Hills October 2019 with links back to previous visits:
https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2019/10/sicily-island-hills-south-side-and-fort.html
 - same date last year birding on Ouachita and Beouf Rivers along the edge of SI Hills:
https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2019/02/birding-on-ouachita-and-boeuf-rivers.html
****************
   On January 28 I made another trip out to the Sicily Island Hills (JC "Sonny" Gilbert WMA). It'd been a couple of months since my previous visit (Nov. 30 -- lots of human activity in the woods that day, not much to report so didn't do a blog post). On Jan. 28 I started by birded along the main road in the southern part of the WMA, accessed from LA-8 roughly five miles NE of Harrisonburg (look for the brown WMA sign, turn by the little flea market). After that I rode around to Norris Spring beside LA-913 at the base of the eastern flank of the hills before birding in the northern part of the WMA, accessed from LA-915. Internal roads in the WMA do not connect the north and south entrances.

   Birding was pretty good in the southern part of the WMA. Conditions were 46-54 F., with overcast skies and almost no wind. I birded along the main road, going as far north as the Rock Falls trail head and making many stops along the way and several short walks.

creek just inside entrance to WMA

along the main road

...

side road into area that was partly logged a few years ago

main road

...

...

...

...

Barred Owl spot

   Pine Warblers were singing left and right -- a sample of the breeding season chorus to come this spring when neotropical warbler species arrive. The winter woodland mixed flocks had lots of Tufted Titmice and Carolina Chickadees and other expected species, except for Yellow-rumped Warblers, which were relatively scarce for such a ubiquitous species (5 individuals in three hours).

Tufted Titmouse

White-throated Sparrows

   A Hairy Woodpecker was a nice find -- I think this might be the first or second Hairy WP that I've seen in SI Hills.

Hairy Woodpecker

At the Rock Falls trail head I heard and eventually spotted a pair of Barred Owls calling in the woods west of the road. Funny enough, these were the first Barred Owls that I've encountered in SI Hills, though obviously this common species is present here in this good habitat, and other birders have reported them.

Barred Owl

   I played audio of Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches at many of the stops, but got no response. Last winter was an irruption year for Red-breasted Nuthatches and the same route in January 2019 brought 8 RB Nuthatches. I found none this time. I tried for White-breasteds because I feel like the habitat is excellent for them but have never found them here before. Struck out this time, too.
   I decided to forego a walk down Rock Falls Trail (the sound of the waterfall was tempting, though) or to continue driving to the end of the road, and instead use the time that I had to ride over to the north side of the WMA.

   Along the way I stopped off at Norris Spring along LA 913 north of Leland and birded from the parking area.

Norris Spring

Norris Spring

Norris Spring

Norris Spring

Bird detection was do doubt hindered somewhat by the noise from some land-clearing equipment working just down the highway, but I tallied 15 species in 23 minutes. It started sprinkling just before I left, and I was on the fence as to whether to continue on to the north side of the WMA as planned or call it quits for the day. Eventually I decided to go ahead and give the WMA a try.

   The northern region of JC "Sonny" Gilbert WMA is accessed by turning onto a gravel road off LA-915 about 0.9 miles west of the intersection with LA-913. Look for the brown WMA sign. The WMA does not start right away, and the road splits before entering the WMA. I decided to bird down the road that turns south and goes past the WMA HQ to end by the ponds (I didn't have time to also do the main east-west road). The light drizzle was on-and-off, teasing good birding conditions only to start raining again. With a little patience, I managed to get some decent birding done.

woods along road going south in north part of WMA

the big pond -- Bald Eagle location

...

near south end of road -- Field Sparrow spot

   There was some birdlife active in the woods along the road as it winds its way southward through the hills. The birdiest area, though, was of course the area around the big pond, which the road goes past. There was a fair amount of songbird activity in the trees immediately past the pond, including a typcial mixed flock and a foraging flock of American Goldfinches. A Song Sparrow called once or twice from the brush at the water's edge -- believe it or not, that's actually a new species for the WMA checklist.
   I stopped at the parking area in the medium-age pines a little south of the big pond. Here I found a Field Sparrow, which is notable as yet another new addition to the list of species reported from the WMA.

Field Sparrow

While here I heard a noise back towards the pond that made me go "Was that an eagle calling?" When I drove back by the pond I stopped and spotted an adult Bald Eagle perched in one of the pines by the water.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

When I stopped to sign out at the self-clearing kiosk, there were more birds present than when I signed in, including a Blue-headed Vireo.

   Below is the list of birds I found on the WMA this day (the first number is for the south, the second number is for the north), and the separate list for Norris Spring.

JC "Sonny" Gilbert WMA ("Sicily Island Hills WMA")

South Side:
9:33 a.m.; 3 hours; 2.4 miles
46-54 F.; overcast; calm
26 species
North Side:
1:20 p.m.; 1 hr, 58 mins; 1.1 miles
53-57 F.; overcast; light breeze; on-and-off light drizzle; calm and no rain at end.
23 species

Snow Goose - 0, X (heard-only flyover flock headed ~NE)
Mourning Dove - 3, 0
Turkey Vulture - 3, 0
Bald Eagle - 0, 1
Barred Owl - 2, 0
Belted Kingfisher - 0, 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 0, 1
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1, 0
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 8, 2
Downy Woodpecker - 9, 1
Hairy Woodpecker - 1, 0
Pileated Woodpecker - 4, 2
Northern Flicker - 1, 0
Eastern Phoebe - 5, 1
Blue-headed Vireo - 0, 1
Blue Jay - 5, 2
American Crow - 5, 4
Carolina Chickadee - 11, 5
Tufted Titmouse - 17, 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1, 0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 9, 7
Carolina Wren - 18, 4
Eastern Bluebird - 2, 0
Hermit Thrush - 6, 2
American Robin - 2, 0
American Goldfinch - 3, 35
Field Sparrow - 0, 1
White-throated Sparrow - 6, 2
Song Sparrow - 0, 1
Eastern Towhee - 2, 0
Pine Warbler - 16, 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 5, 10
Northern Cardinal - 10, 4

Norris Spring
12:42 p.m.; 23 minutes
54-55 F.; calm, faint breeze; light sprinkle last couple of minutes
15 species

Snow Goose - 25 (exact count, flock flying ~NE)
Turkey Vulture - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 1
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 4
Carolina Chickadee - 2
Tufted Titmouse - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Carolina Wren - 1
Eastern Bluebird - 1
Pine Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1

   There wasn't much stirring besides birds in the Sicily Island Hills this day. Not surprising considering the season. The place is bursting with life during spring, summer, and early fall with a great diversity of butterfly species, amphibians and reptiles, wildflowers, and so forth, but winter is largely for the birds. I did hear a few Cajun Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers, an Eastern Fox Squirrel, and saw this Eastern Gray Squirrel.

Gray Squirrel

Unfortunately, there was lots of feral hog sign (tracks, rooting, and scat) and it seems like there's more evidence of the nuisance critters each time I go there.

   Sicily Island Hills is always an interesting place to visit, and I look forward to my next trip there.

Rock Falls trail head

****************************************