Central Louisiana Birding & Wildlife: Catahoula NWR, 2020 pt. 2: April & May

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 5/7

- CNWR 2020 Jan.-March -

https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2020/04/catahoula-nwr-2020-pt-1-january.html

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Continuing catching up on this year's posts, here's the entry for Catahoula NWR April-May. This is one of the busiest times for bird activity, with spring migration in full swing and breeding season underway. Birding was pretty good, though I did miss a few species that I've gotten accustomed to encountering during the spring. The water was very high again this spring, so large parts of the refuge were off limits. I only visited he Headquarters Unit and Bushley Bayou Unit during this period. Willow Lake Unit was inaccessible because of he high water and I simply didn't make it over to the French Fork Unit.

(video: 4/14 HQ Unit - songs of Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, Northern Parula, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-throated Green Warbler)

(video: 4/14 HQ Unit - songs of Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Tennessee Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler)

(video: 4/14 HQ Unit - songs of Northern Parula, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-winged Warbler)

In the interest of getting this post up now I'm just going to list birds, but will eventually come back and edit it to include the other usual lists (butterflies, mammals, herps, etc. ). The post for CNWR June-July will be up in the next couple of days.

Headquarters Unit

Habitat Shots:

4/14

4/29

4/14

5/9

4/14

5/9

4/29

4/14

April 14

7:57 a.m.; 4 hrs, 17 mins; 2 miles
48-59 F.; clear/sunny; wind ~10-15 mph out of N/NE; water remains high, but dropping; most of refuge loop closed because of high water

April 29

1:41 pm; 2 hrs, 1 min; 0.5 miles

73-75 F.; sky mixed/variable, mostly/partly sunny; windy, NW wind approx. 15 mph; water very high, higher than last visit, all of refuge loop beyond HQ gated/blocked, water over road shortly after fork on both parts of road

May 7

6:41 am; 3 hrs, 59 mins; 1.2 miles

56-67 F.; clear; breezy; water still high, most of loop still closed

May 9

8:47 am; 3 hrs, 28 mins; 1.3 miles

60-64 F.; sunny; too windy; water still high, most of refuge loop still closed

May 13

11:12 am; 2 hrs, 6 mins; 1.7 miles

76-82 F.; cloudy; light breeze; a few drops of rains towards the end; water still high but now dropping quickly, most of loop still closed

May 21

7:28 am; 2 hrs, 52 mins; 2.7 miles

69-74; hazy/prtly sunny, becoming overcast; some light breeze; water still high but dropping fast, more of refuge loop open

Birds
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 31, 0 / 47, 68, 57, 0

(videos: B-b W-Ducks - 5/9)

(video: Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and Spotted Sandpipers - 5/9)

Wood Duck - 2, 0 / 2, 0, 0, 0
Blue-winged Teal - 64, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Northern Shoveler - 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0

Pied-billed Grebe - 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 1
Mourning Dove - 7, 1 / 2, 3, 2, 3

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 0, 2 / 4, 4, 5, 7

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 5/21

Chimney Swift - 1, 1 / 4, 3, 2, 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1, 1 / 2, 3, 2, 3

Killdeer - 0, 0 / 0 0, 0, 1

Spotted Sandpiper - 0, 0 / 2, 4, 0, 0

Solitary Sandpiper - 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0, 0

shorebird sp. - 0, 0 / 4, 0, 0, 0
Anhinga - 14, 3 / 4, 7, 2, 6
Neotropic Cormorant - 1, 0 / 10, 2, 0, 0

Neotropic Cormorant - 4/14

Great Blue Heron - 3, 2 / 2, 6, 1, 4
Great Egret - 4, 1 / 6, 2, 5, 10

Great Egret - 5/7

Snowy Egret - 3, 2 / 4, 0, 3, 2
Little Blue Heron - 6, 1 / 4, 3, 2, 7
Cattle Egret - 4, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0

white egret/heron sp. - 0, 0 / 2, 2, 0, 0

Green Heron - 0, 0 / 2, 0, 0, 2

(video: Green Heron catching crawfish - 5/21)

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0, 1

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron ('tis crawfish season)

White Ibis - 0, 0 / 10, 0, 2, 0

Black Vulture - 8, 4 / 1, 8, 1, 0

Turkey Vulture - 6, 2 / 4, 1, 2, 1

Turkey Vulture - 5/21

Osprey - 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0, 0

Mississippi Kite - 0, 3 / 0, 0, 1, 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1, 0 / 1, 2, 1, 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 4, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Red-tailed Hawk - 1, 0 / 0, 2, 0, 0

Buteo sp. - 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Barred Owl - 1, 0 / 0, 0, 1, 2

Barred Owl - 5/13

Belted Kingfisher - 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0

female Belted Kingfisher - 4/14

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 5, 2 / 6, 5, 5, 8
Downy Woodpecker - 3, 2 / 4, 0, 3, 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 3, 1 / 1, 0, 1, 0

Peregrine Falcon - 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0, 0
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1, 0 / 6, 1, 1, 2
Acadian Flycatcher - 1, 2 / 3, 6, 8, 8
Great Crested Flycatcher - 6, 2 / 2, 3, 1, 3

Eastern Kingbird - 0, 1 / 1, 0, 0, 0
White-eyed Vireo - 5, 1 / 3, 0, 5, 9
Yellow-throated Vireo - 3, 0 / 1, 0, 1, 0
Red-eyed Vireo - 12, 1 / 6, 4, 8, 9
Blue Jay - 6, 4 / 3, 4, 1, 5
American Crow - 3, 2 / 10, 4, 4, 5

Fish Crow - 0, 0 / 0, 0, 1, 0

crow sp. - 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0, 0
Carolina Chickadee - 14, 3 / 5, 10, 9, 8

Carolina Chickadee - 5/9

Tufted Titmouse - 8, 4 / 5, 6, 9, 12
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Purple Martin - 2, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Barn Swallow - 1, 1 / 1, 3, 0, 0
Cliff Swallow - 1, 0 / 0, 20, 0, 0

swallow sp. - 0, 0 / 0, 5, 0, 0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 9, 1 / 1, 1, 2, 5
Carolina Wren - 10, 3 / 5, 6, 6, 11

Northern Mockingbird - 0, 1 / 1, 0, 1, 1

Eastern Bluebird - 0, 1 / 1, 0, 0, 1
Cedar Waxwing - 4, 0 / 7, 0, 0, 0
Chipping Sparrow - 4, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
White-throated Sparrow - 4, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0

Eastern Towhee - 0, 1 / 1, 0, 0, 0
Yellow-breasted Chat - 1, 1 / 1, 1, 1, 1
Orchard Oriole - 5, 3 / 1, 1, 2, 5
Red-winged Blackbird - 3, 0 / 3, 2, 1, 2
Brown-headed Cowbird - 3, 1 / 4, 6, 5, 4
Common Grackle - 10, 9 / 8, 8, 6, 4

blackbird sp. - 0, 0 / 0, 0, 19, 0

Northern Waterthrush - 0, 0 / 1, 2, 0, 0
Blue-winged Warbler - 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0

Blue-winged Warbler - 4/14

Prothonotary Warbler - 8, 2 / 4, 3, 7, 13

Swainson's Warbler - 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0, 1

Tennessee Warbler - 4, 1 / 3, 3, 0, 0

male Tennessee Warbler - 4/14

Mourning Warbler - 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 1

(video: calls and song of Mourning Warbler - 5/21)

Common Yellowthroat - 1, 0 / 1, 0, 0, 0
Hooded Warbler - 2, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Northern Parula - 3, 0 / 1, 1, 0, 2

Magnolia Warbler - 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0, 0

Chestnut-sided Warbler - 0, 0 / 0, 2, 0, 0

Yellow Warbler - 0, 0 / 2, 0, 1, 0
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0, 0
Black-throated Green Warbler - 2, 0 / 0, 1, 0, 0

male Black-throated Green Warbler - 5/9

Wilson's Warbler - 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0, 0

(video: song of Wilson's Warbler - 5/7)

male Wilson's Wilson - 5/7

warbler sp. - 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0, 0

Summer Tanager - 9, 4 / 5, 6, 6, 6

(video: male Summer Tanagers, 4/14)

Northern Cardinal - 9, 2 / 6, 7, 14, 13

Blue Grosbeak - 0, 0 / 1, 0, 1, 1
Indigo Bunting - 6, 3 / 6, 7, 5, 15

male Indigo Bunting - 5/7

(video: male Indigo Bunting singing - 4/29)

Painted Bunting - 0, 1 / 5, 5, 6, 5

(video: male Painted Bunting feeding - 5/21)

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Bushley Bayou Unit

Habitat Shots:

Minnow Ponds Rd entrance - 4/20

ditto - 5/10

Minnow Ponds Rd - 4/20

ditto 5/10

impoundments levee - 4/20

impoundmenats - 5/10

impoundments (Yellow-headed Blackbird location)- 4/20

5/10

Minnow Ponds Rd (Northern Waterthrushes and Lark Sparrow along this section of road) - 4/20

April 20

11:08 a.m.; 4 hrs, 4 mins; 0.7 miles

63-77 F.; overcast, then sunny; some light breeze

Minnow Ponds Rd and levee of impoundments

May 10

11:43 a.m.; 1 hr, 54 mins; 0.7 miles

71-73 F.; clear; breezy

Minnow Ponds Rd, levee of impoundments

Wood Duck - 1, 0

Blue-winged Teal - 11, 0

Pied-billed Grebe - 4, 3

Rock Pigeon - 1, 0

Mourning Dove - 1, 0

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 0, 1

Chimney Swift - 6, 0

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2, 0

Greater Yellowlegs - 10, 0

Anhinga - 1, 1

Great Blue Heron - 2, 1

Great Egret - 11, 13

Snowy Egret - 5, 1

Little Blue Heron - 2, 5

Cattle Egret - 0, 1

Black Vulture - 4,0

Turkey Vulture - 10, 12

Mississippi Kite - 1, 15

Cooper's Hawk - 1, 0

Bald Eagle - 2, 0

Red-shouldered Hawk - 5, 3

Belted Kingfisher - 2, 0

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2, 1

Downy Woodpecker - 1, 1

Pileated Woodpecker - 1, 0

Eastern Kingbird - 2, 1

Eastern Kingbird - 4/20

White-eyed Vireo - 2, 3

Yellow-throated Vireo - 1, 0

Red-eyed Vireo - 0, 2

Blue Jay - 1, 2

American Crow - 3, 2

Carolina Chickadee - 1, 6

Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 3, 0

Tree Swallow - 11, 0

Barn Swallow - 3, 3

Cliff Swallow - 1, 8

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1, 2

Sedge Wren - 1, 0

Carolina Wren - 4, 6

Gray Catbird - 2, 1

(Gray Catbird eating sumac berries - 4/20)

Gray Catbird - 4/20

Eastern Bluebird - 1, 0

Veery - 0, 1

Veery - 5/10 (Surprisingingly, though I've been birding for many years, this was a lifer for me.)

Cedar Waxwing - 0, 10

Lark Sparrow - 1, 0

Lark Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow - 2, 0

Swamp Sparrow - 4, 0

Eastern Towhee - 1, 1

Yellow-breasted Chat - 4, 3

Yellow-headed Blackbird - 1, 0 (a rarity in this part of the state and the first instance I know of of it being reported from CNWR)

male Yellow-headed Blackbird - 4/20

ditto

in situ

The Red-winged Blackbirds that were presumably nesting in the weeds were aggressive towards the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Often when the Yellow-headed would make a short flight, circling low over the impoundment, one or more of the Red-wingeds would fly up and chase it.

Orchard Oriole - 1, 4

Red-winged Blackbird -15, 10

(video: male Red-winged Blackbird - 4/20)