I neglected to make regular blog posts covering observations from Catahoula NWR during 2021. So, here's a big catch-up, round-up post listing all of my bird observations from CNWR for 2021 (minus some July and August dates--I need to find those field notes). In the interest of getting this posted ahead of the post covering January 2022 observations, I am going to go ahead and publish this 2021 post before I have had a chance to complete it. The lists for butterflies and other wildlife will probably be added in later (that's the plan). I do include some comments on wildlife observations beyond birds at the end of the post. Also, I don't have all of my photos for 2021 available at this time, but I may add some of those to this post in the future as well.
Please excuse mistakes (this was somewhat rushed).
So, without further ado...
The HQ Unit is located primarily in La Salle Parish with a tiny sliver in Catahoula Parish. All visits to the HQ Unit involved driving at least part of the 9-mile refuge loop, with numerous stops, and sometimes/often walks along the road or into the woods.
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start temp. 46F.; sunny; not much wind
56-59F.; N/NE wind ~5mph; mix/var. sky; water level 38'
38-43F.; ice from winter storm Urie finally melting dramatically after several days on ground and trees; clear sky; east wind 2mph; water level 38.4'. The winter storm brought out a massive number of Fox Sparrows in affected areas here in Cenla (and I think elsewhere). That shows in the numbers below: normally I'd be satisfied to have found one or two Fox Sparrows all year, but on this visit I saw 11 just in the park-like area immediately inside the NWR entrance gate.
D-c./Neo. Cormorant - 0, 0 / 4, 0, 0
passerine sp. - 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0
3/22/21
7:03am; 1 hr 16 min; 2.3 miles
45-48F.; generally sunny; not much wind; water level 38.5'
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4/4/21
10:53am; 1 hr 25 min; 1.9 miles
start temp. 67F.; clear; S wind 5mph
4/15/21
8:13am; 1 hr 54 min; 2.8 miles
59-61F.; overcast, then cloudy with patches of sun; wind form near calm to ~10mph N/NE; water level 41.9'
4/25/21
8:52am; 3 hr 40 min; 2.8 miles
61-70F.; clear; SE wind 5-10mph; water fairly high and rising
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5/4/21
8:31am; 3 hr 2 min; 2.7 miles
76-81F.; cloudy; S wind 5-10mph; water level 41.7', water high but dropping
5/12/21
9:12am; 2 hr 39 min; 2.7 miles
62F.; overcast; N wind 5mph; light drizzle practically whole time; water level 41.2'
5/22/21
8:37am; 2 hrs, 54 mins; 2.8 miles
72-79; mostly sunny with high clouds; E wind ~10mph; water level 41.4'
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 0 / 0, 2, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Wood Duck - 3 / 2, 0, 0 / 0, 2, 0
Mallard - 0 / 0, 2, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Canvasback - 1 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
duck sp.- 1 / 1, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Mourning Dove - 0 / 1, 2, 5 / 2, 0, 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 6, 2, 7
Chimney Swift - 0 / 0, 0, 2 / 0, 2, 0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 2, 0, 3
Pied-billed Grebe - 1 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Killdeer - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0
Spotted Sandpiper - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0
Black Tern - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0
Anhinga - 0 / 0, 0, 12 / 0, 0, 0
Double-crested Cormorant - 10 / 0, 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Great Blue Heron - 0 / 0, 2, 6 / 2, 0, 0
Great Egret - 0 / 1, 5, 8 / 3, 7, 5
Snowy Egret - 0 / 0, 3, 4 / 3, 0, 3
Little Blue Heron - 0 / 0, 2, 11 / 3, 3, 4
Cattle Egret - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 1
white egret/heron sp. - 0 / 0, 0, 5 / 0, 0, 0
Green Heron - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 2, 0, 0
White Ibis - 0 / 0, 0, 91 / 1, 0,0
Black Vulture - 0 / 0, 16, 10 / 0, 1, 3
Turkey Vulture - 0 / 3, 1, 10 / 2, 0, 3
Osprey - 0 / 1, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Mississippi Kite - 0 / 0, 0, 2 / 1, 0, 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0 / 1, 1, 2 / 0, 0, 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 0 / 2, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Red-tailed Hawk - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 1
Barred Owl - 0 / 2, 2, 0 / 0, 0, 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 9 / 2, 7, 8 / 12, 1, 6
Downy Woodpecker - 7 / 1, 3, 5 / 3, 5, 0
Hairy Woodpecker - 1 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Pileated Woodpecker - 3 / 1, 4, 4 / 3, 1, 2
Northern Flicker - 1 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 0, 5, 3
Acadian Flycatcher - 0 / 0, 0, 4 / 8, 11, 9
(video: Acadian Flycatcher)
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Empidonax sp. - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0
Great Crested Flycatcher - 0 / 0, 4, 3 / 2, 2, 3
Eastern Kingbird - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 1, 0, 1
White-eyed Vireo - 2 / 6, 10, 9 / 7, 3, 6
Yellow-throated Vireo - 2 / 3, 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0
Red-eyed Vireo - 0 / 4, 8, 14 / 10, 10, 9
Blue Jay - 0 / 3, 5, 6 / 3, 3, 2
American Crow - 3 / 4, 9, 8 / 1, 1, 1
Carolina Chickadee - 4 / 4, 7, 5 / 4, 2, 10
Tufted Titmouse - 7 / 7, 15, 7 / 8, 5, 7
Purple Martin - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0
Barn Swallow - 0 / 0, 8, 3 / 0, 0, 0
Cliff Swallow - 0 / 1, 0, 2 / 0, 12, 3
swallow sp. - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 6, 0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2 / 2, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 0 / 3, 7, 6 / 5, 2, 5
House Wren - 0 / 0, 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Carolina Wren - 8 / 4, 9, 7 / 10, 10, 6
Gray Catbird - 0 / 0, 0, 4 / 1, 0, 0
Northern Mockingbird - 0 / 0, 0 ,1 / 1, 0, 0
Swainson's Thrush - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0
Wood Thrush - 0 / 0, 1, 2 / 0, 0, 0
Cedar Waxwing - 0 / 2, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
White-throated Sparrow - 7 / 6, 0, 2 / 0, 0, 0
Eastern Towhee - 0 / 0, 1, 0 / 1, 0, 1
Yellow-breasted Chat - 0 / 0, 1, 4 / 2, 1, 2
Orchard Oriole - 0 / 0, 2, 1 / 7, 4, 2
Red-winged Blackbird - 20 / 2, 3, 2 / 4, 2, 4
Brown-headed Cowbird - 5 / 2, 9, 14 / 6, 25, 10
Common Grackle - 47 / 0, 7, 6 / 10, 20, 11
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| Common Grackle - 5/4/21 |
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blackbird sp. - 0 / 0, 1, 0 / 0, 10, 0
Worm-eating Warbler - 0 / 0, 1, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Northern Waterthrush - 0 / 0, 0, 3 / 0, 0, 0
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| Northern Waterthrush - 4/25/21 |
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Blue-winged Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0
Black-and-white Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0
Prothonotary Warbler - 0 / 3, 7, 12 / 11, 11, 10
(video: Prothonotary Warbler singing - 4/25/21)
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Tennessee Warbler - 0 / 0, 1, 7 / 7, 1, 0
Kentucky Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 1, 3, 0
Common Yellowthroat - 0 / 1, 0, 1 / 1, 0, 0
Hooded Warbler - 0 / 1, 1, 1 / 1, 0, 0
American Redstart - 0 / 0, 0, 2 / 1, 1, 0
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| male American Redstart - 4/25/21 |
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Cerulean Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 2 / 0, 0, 0
(video: brief clip of male Cerulean Warbler - 4/25/21)
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Northern Parula - 6 / 1, 2, 3 / 2, 2, 1
Magnolia Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 2, 0
Bay-breasted Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0
Blackburnian Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0
Yellow Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 0, 1, 0
Yellow-throated Warbler - 0 / 1, 0, 0 / 0, 0, 0
Black-throated Green Warbler - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 0, 0, 0
warbler sp. - 0 / 0, 0, 2 / 0, 0, 0
Summer Tanager - 0 / 0, 7, 8 / 5, 5, 4
Scarlet Tanager - 0 / 0, 0, 2 / 0, 0, 0
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| male Scarlet Tanager - 4/25/21 |
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Northern Cardinal - 14 / 10, 14, 15 / 18, 15, 12
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 0 / 0, 0, 1 / 3, 1, 0
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| female Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 4/25/21 |
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Indigo Bunting - 0 / 0, 1, 9 / 11, 7, 8
Painted Bunting - 0 / 0, 2, 9 / 8, 4, 6
Dickcissel - 0 / 0, 0, 0 / 1, 0, 0
passerine sp. - 1 / 0, 2, 0 / 0, 7, 0
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Summer:
June 29, 2021
6:18am; 1 hr, 32 mins; 2.8 miles
72-75F.; sunny; very light breeze; water level ~37.4'
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 2
Mourning Dove - 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 4
Great Blue Heron - 6
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| Great Blue Heron with shad - 6/29/21 |
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| ditto |
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(video: Great Blue Heron eating shad)
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Great Egret - 5
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| Great Egret - 6/29/21 |
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Snowy Egret - 17
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| Snowy Egrets and Great Egret - 6/29/21 |
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Little Blue Heron - 7
Cattle Egret - 4
White Ibis - 9
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Acadian Flycatcher - 6
Great Crested Flycatcher - 2
White-eyed Vireo - 7
Red-eyed Vireo- 5
American Crow - 6
Carolina Chickadee - 3
Tufted Titmouse - 4
Barn Swallow - 2
Carolina Wren - 8
Wood Thrush - 1
Eastern Towhee - 1
Orchard Oriole - 4
Red-winged Blackbird - 9
Brown-headed Cowbird - 2
Common Grackle - 20
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| juvenile Common Grackle - 6/29/21 |
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Prothonotary Warbler - 4
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Hooded Warbler - 1
Summer Tanager - 3
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(video: song of Summer Tanager - 6/29/21)
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Northern Cardinal - 16
Indigo Bunting - 10
Painted Bunting - 10
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Fall Migration (Sept.-Oct.):
9/13/21
7:42am; 2hr 14 min; 2.7 miles
72-77F.; overcast; wind 0-5ph; water low (expected at this time of season)
9/27/21
11:49 am;1 hr, 31 min; 2.2 miles
82-86F.; sunny with some clouds; E/SE wind ~5mph
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10/14/21
8:17am; 1 hr, 16 mins; 2.8 miles
72F.; overcast; SE wind 5mph
10/23/21
6:56am; 2hrs, 33 min; 0.2 miles on foot in woods; 3 observers
Wood Duck - 0, 1 / 0, 0
Blue-winged Teal - 15, 0 / 0, 0
duck sp. - 36, 0 / 0, 0
Mourning Dove - 5, 2 / 0, 0
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 0, 0 / 0, 1
Chimney Swift - 1, 0 / 0, 0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1, 0 / 0, 0
Black-necked Stilt - 2, 0 / 0, 0
Killdeer - 9, 0 / 0, 1
Least Sandpiper - 196, 35 / 0, 0
peep sp. - 50, 0 / 0, 0
Spotted Sandpiper - 1, 0 / 0, 0
Greater Yellowlegs - 3, 0 / 7, 0
shorebird sp. - 10, 0 / 0, 0
Wood stork - 3 , 0 / 1, 0
cormorant sp. - 12, 0 / 0, 0
Anhinga - 0, 1 / 0, 0
American White Pelican - 0, 133 / 0, 0
Great Blue Heron - 10, 1 / 7, 0
Great Egret - 6, 1 / 1, 0
Snowy Egret - 5, 2 / 3, 0
Little Blue Heron - 2, 3 / 0, 0
Tricolored Heron - 1, 0 / 0 / 0, 0
Cattle Egret - 6, 0 / 0, 0
white heron/egret sp. - 3, 3 / 2, 0
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 2, 0 / 0, 0
White Ibis - 16, 7 / 6, 0
Glossy/White-faced Ibis - 0, 13 / 0, 0
Roseate Spoonbill - 1, 25 / 0, 0
Black Vulture - 0, 10 / 3, 0
Turkey Vulture - 0, 15 / 6, 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0, 1 / 0, 1
Buteo sp. - 0, 1 / 0, 0
Belted Kingfisher - 1, 0 / 0, 0
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 0, 0 / 0, 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2, 5 / 11, 3
Downy Woodpecker - 1, 1 / 2, 1
Pileated Woodpecker - 2, 2 / 0, 2
Northern Flicker - 0, 2 / 5, 1
Eastern Phoebe - 0, 0 / 1, 1
Acadian Flycatcher - 5, 0 / 0, 0
White-eyed Vireo - 11, 4 / 1, 0
Red-eyed Vireo - 3, 0 / 0, 0
Blue Jay - 5, 4 / 5, 7
American Crow - 6, 2 / 2, 3
Carolina Chickadee - 4, 2 / 4, 3
Tufted Titmouse - 3, 4 / 6, 2
Barn Swallow - 20, 0 / 2, 0
swallow sp. - 30, 0 / 0, 0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 0, 0 / 0, 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 0, 0 / 0, 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 7, 0 / 0, 0
Winter Wren - 0, 0 / 0, 2
Carolina Wren - 8, 6 / 6, 4
Gray Catbird - 0, 1 / 1, 0
Red-winged Blackbird - 0, 0 / 0, 12
Brown-headed Cowbird - 0, 0 / 1, 0
Common Grackle - 20, 0 / 1, 30
blackbird sp. - 0, 0 / 0, x
Hooded Warbler - 2, 1 / 1, 0
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 0, 0 / 0, 1
warbler sp. - 1, 0 / 3, 1
Summer Tanager - 2, 1 / 0, 0
Northern Cardinal - 8, 8 / 10, 2
Blue Grosbeak - 1, 1 / 0, 0
Indigo Bunting - 8, 3 / 1, 0
Painted Bunting - 4, 0 / 1, 0
passerine sp. - 5, 1, 0
Oct. 23 incidental observations after complete traveling protocol checklist used above (9:39 am; 11 minutes; 3.8 mile drive back out; 3 observers): Wood Duck - 7, Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1, Turkey Vulture - 1, Northern Flicker - 1, Carolina Chickadee - 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2, Northern Cardinal - 2
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Late Fall / Early Winter (Nov.-Dec.):
11/5/21
11:01 am; 2 hrs, 47 mins; 2.8 miles
51-59F.; clear; N wind 5-10mph; water level still somewhat low, providing mudflats for shorebirds
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12/14/21
8:43am; 2hrs, 25mins; 2.8 miles
63-69; overcast; very little wind
Greater White-fronted Goose - 2 / 10
Mallard - 0 / 2
Northern Pintail - 0 / 10
Northern Shoveler - 24 / 0
Ring-necked Duck - 0 / 50
Black-necked Stilt - 1 / 0
American Avocet - 50 / 0
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| American Avocets - 11/5/21 |
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| ditto |
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Killdeer - 1 / 0
Least Sandpiper - 7 / 0
peep sp. 10 / 0
Long-billed Dowitcher - 70 / 0
Greater Yellowlegs - 2 / 1
shorebird sp. - 20 / 0
Double-crested Cormorant - 0 / 1
Great Blue Heron - 2 / 3
Great Egret - 1 / 1
Snowy Egret - 1 / 0
White Ibis - 1 / 0
Black Vulture - 42 / 0
Turkey Vulture - 35 / 2
Bald Eagle - 0 / 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1 / 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4 / 10
Downy Woodpecker - 3 / 7
Pileated Woodpecker - 4 / 6
Northern Flicker - 1 / 5
Eastern Phoebe - 1 / 6
Blue Jay - 3 / 3
American Crow - 5 / 9
Carolina Chickadee - 6 / 11
Tufted Titmouse - 3 / 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3 / 9
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 12 / 6
Brown Creeper - 0 / 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 0 / 1
Winter Wren - 3 / 2
Carolina wren - 9 / 12
Brown Thrasher - 1 / 0
Hermit Thrush - 0 / 2
American Robin - 2 / 35
American Goldfinch - 0 / 5
White-throated Sparrow - 10 / 6
Savannah Sparrow - 0 / 1
Eastern Towhee - 1 / 4
Red-winged Blackbird - 0 / 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 1 / 6
Northern Cardinal - 7 / 7
passerine sp. - 0 / 2
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Willow Lake Unit:
The Willow Lake Unit is located in La Salle Parish, just north of the HQ Unit. All visits to this unit involved driving Willow Lake Road (1.3-1.4 miles), with numerous stops, and sometimes also short walks (on or off road) and on one occasion (10/23) driving the 0.5-mile side road that turns off to the south.
some habitat shots before continuing:
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| Willow Lake Road, Willow Lake Unit - 1/14/21 |
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| Willow Lake Unit - 12/14/21 |
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| Willow Lake Unit - 12/14/21 |
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Late Winter (Jan.-Feb.):
1/9/21
2:45pm; 22mins; 1.3 miles
cool; sunny; not too much wind
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2/20/21
2:50pm; 1hr, 33min; 1.4 miles
44-48F.; ice melting dramatically after several days of subfreezing temps following ice storm; still a lot of ice on ground in places and on water; clear sky; E wind 4mph
Wood Duck - 0 / 3
Mallard - 0 / 20
duck sp. - 0 / 4
Double-crested Cormorant - 0 / 2
Great Blue Heron - 2 / 1
Black Vulture - 0 / 1
Turkey Vulture - 7 / 3
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1 / 0
Red-tailed Hawk - 3 / 0
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2 / 2
Blue Jay - 0 / 2
American Crow - 0 / 1
Carolina Chickadee - 1 / 1
Tufted Titmouse - 0 / 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 0 / 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 / 0
Winter Wren - 0 / 2
Carolina Wren - 0 / 5
American Robin - 0 / 1
Chipping Sparrow - 0 / 20
Fox Sparrow - 0 / 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - 0 / 1
White-throated Sparrow - 6 / 14
Savannah Sparrow - 0 / 2
Song Sparrow - 1 / 4
Swamp Sparrow - 0 / 9
Eastern Towhee - 0 / 3
Northern Cardinal - 1 / 0
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Spring-Summer:
4/4/21
12:21pm; 57mins; 1.3 miles
mild; sunny; S wind 5mph
4/15/21
10:10am; 48mins; 1.3 miles
60s F.; generally/partly cloudy; N/NE wind ~10mph; water rising, starting to go over road in places
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5/4/21
12:37pm; 32mins; 1 mile
~80F.; cloudy; unsteady light drizzle most of the time
5/22/21
10:34am; 33 mins; 1 mile
~80F.; sunny with high clouds; E wind ~10mph
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7/2/21
7:54am; 1hr, 2mins; 1.4 miles
77F.; cloudy/overcast; W wind 5mph
Wood Duck - 0, 0 / 3, 0 / 0
Blue-winged Teal - 0, 2 / 0, 0 / 0
Mourning Dove - 0 , 0 / 1, 0 / 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 0, 0 / 1, 2 / 5
Chimney Swift - 0, 7 / 0, 0 / 0
Great Blue Heron - 1, 0 / 0, 0 / 0
Great Egret 3, 1 / 3, 1 / 1
Snowy Egret - 0, 1 / 0, 0 / 0
white heron/egret sp. - 0, 0 / 6, 0 / 0
Black Vulture - 7, 0 / 0, 2 / 0
Turkey Vulture - 5, 8 / 0, 1 / 0
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1, 1 / 0, 0 / 0
Hairy Woodpecker - 0, 0 / 0, 0 / 1
Acadian Flycatcher - 0, 0 / 0, 1 / 4
Great crested Flycatcher - 0, 0 / 1, 1 / 0
White-eyed Vireo - 8, 1 / 2, 1 / 5
Red-eyed Vireo - 2, 1 / 1, 0 / 3
Blue Jay - 0, 2 / 0, 0 / 0
American Crow - 3, 2 / 0, 1 / 2
Carolina Chickadee - 2, 0 / 0, 2 / 1
Tufted Titmouse - 6, 2 / 3, 0 / 3
Cliff Swallow - 0, 3 / 0, 0 / 0
swallow sp. - 0, 0 / 0, 0 / 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2, 0 / 0, 0 / 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2, 3 / 0, 0 / 0
Sedge Wren - 0, 2 / 0, 0 / 0
Carolina Wren - 0, 1 / 0, 0 / 1
White-throated Sparrow - 1, 2 / 0, 0 / 0
Eastern Towhee - 1, 2 / 1, 0 / 1
Yellow-breasted Chat - 0, 2 / 5, 3 / 8
Orchard Oriole - 0, 0 / 3, 0 / 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 1, 2 / 3, 1 / 4
Brown-headed Cowbird - 0, 2 / 4, 1 / 3
Prothonotary Warbler - 0, 1 / 1, 1 / 0
Kentucky Warbler - 0, 2 / 1, 2 / 0
Common Yellowthroat - 1, 5 / 3, 4 / 3
Hooded Warbler - 1, 2 / 1, 1 / 1
Northern Parula - 3, 3 / 3, 1 / 1
Summer Tanager - 0, 1 / 1, 2 / 1
Northern Cardinal - 6, 7 / 5, 3 / 11
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 0, 0 / 1, 0 / 0
Blue Grosbeak - 0, 0 / 1, 1 / 2
Indigo Bunting - 0, 0 / 7, 3 / 13
Painted Bunting - 0, 1 / 3, 5 / 9
Dickcissel - 0, 0 / 0, 0 / 2
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Fall / Early Winter:
9/27/21
11:09am; 36mins; 1.3 miles
80F.; sunny/mixed; east wind 5mph
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10/23/21
9:54am; 1 hr, 36 mins; 1.8 miles
warm; mixed/variable sky; light breeze
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12/14/21
11:12am; 1hr, 16mins; 1.4 miles
69-73F.; overcast, then partly sunny; S wind 5mph
Snow Goose - 0 / 0 / 60
Wood Duck - 0 / 1 / 6
duck sp. - 0 / 0 / 10
Double-crested Cormorant - 0 / 0 / 1
Great Blue Heron - 0 / 1 / 1
Great Egret - 0 / 1 / 0
White Ibis - 13 / 0 / 0
Turkey Vulture - 4 / 1 / 13
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1 / 1 / 0
Downy Woodpecker - 1 / 0 / 0
Eastern Phoebe - 0 / 2 / 3
White-eyed Vireo 1 / 0 / 0
Blue Jay - 4 / 4 / 3
American Crow - 1 / 1 / 3
Carolina Chickadee - 3 / 1 / 3
Tufted Titmouse - 2 / 0 / 4
Tree Swallow - 0 / 2 / 0
Barn Swallow - 0 / 1 / 0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 0 / 0 / 6
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 0 / 1 / 6
House Wren - 0 / 0 / 1
Winter Wren - 0 / 1 / 0
Sedge Wren - 0 / 0 / 2
Carolina Wren - 1 / 1 / 1
American Goldfinch - 0 / 0 / 2
White-throated Sparrow - 0 / 0 / 21
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| White-throated Sparrow - 12/14/21 |
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Savannah Sparrow - 0 / 0 / 1
Song Sparrow - 0 / 0 / 5
Swamp Sparrow - 0 / 0 / 18
Eastern Towhee - 2 / 0 / 3
Orange-crowned Warbler - 0 / 0 / 1
Common Yellowthroat - 0 / 0 / 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - 0 / 1 /2
Northern Cardinal - 4 / 0 / 6
passerine sp. - 2 / 2 / 1
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Bushley Bayou Unit:
All visits to the Bushley Bayou Unit listed below were to the area accessed by the Minnow Ponds Road entrance (Minnow Ponds Rd and Dry Bayou Rd) off LA-8 southwest of Manifest (driving roads, with numerous stops, some short walks on levee of impoundments and along/near roads). This is in western Catahoula Parish.
Some habitat shots before continuing:
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| impoundments/levee near Minnow Ponds Rd - 4/25/21 |
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| ditto |
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| typical habitat on much of Bushley Bayou Unit - 4/25/21 |
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| high water - 4/25/21 |
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| Green's Creek at dry Bayou Rd bridge - water high and muddy, usually clear (spring-fed stream) - 4/25/21 |
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4/9/21
1:49pm; 56mins; 3.2 miles
80sF.; sunny; windy (est. 10-15mph)
4/25/21
1:17pm; 2 hrs, 15 mins; 1.8 miles
75F. at start; clear; NE wind ~5mph; water fairly high an drising, over Minnow Ponds Trail, getting over road in places
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7/2/21
9:05am; 38 mins; 1.7 miles
78 F.; overcast; light drizzle began right after I arrived; some light breeze
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9/27/21
1:31pm; 1hr 5 mins; 1.8 miles
mid/upper 80sF.; sunny w/ some clouds; ~E wind ~5mph
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 0, 0 / 2 / 0
Blue-winged Teal - 0, 3 / 0 / 0
Pied-billed Grebe - 0, 4 / 0 / 0
Mourning Dove - 0, 3 / 1 / 0
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 0, 0 / 1 / 0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1, 3 / 0 / 0
American Coot - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Neotropic Cormorant - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Great Blue Heron - 0, 1 / 1 / 0
Great Egret - 1, 3 / 2 / 0
Snowy Egret - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Little Blue Heron - 0, 2 / 0 / 2
Black Vulture - 0, 0 / 0 / 8
Turkey Vulture - 2, 2 / 2 / 2
Mississippi Kite - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1, 0 / 0 / 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Buteo sp. - 0, 0 / 0 / 1
Belted Kingfisher - 1, 1 / 2 / 0
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 0, 1 / 0 / 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 1, 1 / 0 / 0
Acadian Flycatcher - 0, 1 / 2 / 0
Great Crested Flycatcher - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Eastern Kingbird - 0, 1 / 1 / 0
White-eyed Vireo - 3, 9 / 3 / 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 0, 6 / 1 / 0
Blue Jay - 1, 2 / 0 / 5
American Crow - 3, 4 / 1 / 3
crow sp. - 4, 0 / 0 / 0
Carolina Chickadee - 2, 2 / 2 / 3
Tufted Titmouse - 3, 4 / 2 / 1
Barn Swallow - 0, 2 / 0 / 3
Cliff Swallow - 0, 0 / 7 / 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 5, 2 / 0 / 0
Carolina Wren - 2, 1 / 5 / 1
Gray Catbird - 0, 3 / 0 / 2
Wood Thrush - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
White-throated Sparrow - 3, 0 / 0 / 0
Yellow-breasted Chat - 1, 5 / 2 / 0
Orchard Oriole - 1, 3 / 2 / 0
Red-winged Blackbird - 20, 10 / 9 / 0
Brown-headed Cowbird - 0, 0 / 3 / 0
Prothonotary Warbler - 2, 3 / 0 / 0
Tennessee Warbler - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Kentucky Warbler - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Common Yellowthroat - 2, 5 / 1 / 1
Hooded Warbler - 0, 0 / 1 / 3
Black-throated Green Warbler - 0, 1 / 0 / 0
Summer Tanager - 1, 3 / 0 / 0
Northern Cardinal - 2, 11 / 5 / 4
Blue Grosbeak - 0, 0 / 1 / 0
Indigo Bunting - 0, 5 / 2 / 22
Painted Bunting - 0, 5 / 3 / 0
...Other Wildlife (All Units of CNWR)...
As stated above, I will likely come back and add info to this post once I get a chance to go through all of my CNWR field notes from last year, but as of originally posting this on 2/12/22 I don't have complete lists compiled for the usual non-avian categories (Mammals, Herps, Fishes, Butterflies, and so on). However, here's a brief summary (based on memory) of what I noted concerning wildlife beyond birds this past year.
Mammals:
The general impression was that White-tailed Deer were less frequently observed on CNWR over the past year than what I'd consider normal for recent years. Perhaps especially, fewer deer seemed to be seen during the 2021-2022 hunting season. I myself am not a hunter, but several members of my family are and I occasionally chat with hunters I meet while out birding, and in both cases the sentiment as been that this was a poor hunting season on CNWR as far as deer go.
Fox Squirrels seemed to be about average/normal numbers during 2021. (Note that I have never seen Eastern Gray Squirrels on CNWR.)
Generally speaking, its seems like I observed relatively few mammals while out on the NWR during 2021. I do not recall, for example, seeing Virginia Opossum, Coyote, or River Otter, to name some mammals that I might expect to encounter at some point during the year. A thorough revisit of my field notes might amend this.
Herps:
2021 was a mixed bag for amphibian and reptile observations on CNWR. One example of a negative: Where were all the watersnakes? On a positive note, I added Common Snapping Turtle to the list of reptiles I've seen on CNWR.
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| Common Snapping Turtle - French Fork Unit, July 2021 |
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The usual crew of Herps (about 10 Frog and Toad spp.; American Alligator, Pond Slider, ...) seemed at about normal levels of occurrence.
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| Green Treefrog - HQ Unit, 10/23/21 |
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| Green Treefrog - HQ Unit, 10/23/21 |
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One memorable observation was seeing a Pond Slider crawling on the ice that covered part of a cove of Duck Lake on the day that temperatures finally got warm enough (40s F.) to start melting the ice that covered everything after winter storm Urie (making travel to the NWR possible).
Butterflies:
2021, as was also the case in 2020, saw a boom in butterfly numbers during the fall, after modest/unimpressive numbers during the spring-summer season. For example, November 5th, 2021 saw great numbers of Phaon Crescents and checkered-skippers, and the presence of several other species, on the HQ Unit.
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The tally of butterflies along a one-mile section of the refuge loop on the HQ Unit (north leg of loop, including the levee at the north end of Duck Lake) is given below.
Nov. 5; about 1:15pm - 1:45pm; 1 mile; observations made from truck, rolling along slowly and making frequent stops.
checkered-skipper sp. - 54
A few other butterflies were seen at HQ Unit earlier that day.
The Willow Lake Unit of CNWR is one of the few places where I can reliably find Southern Dogfaces at appropriate times of the year. The next-most reliable place would usually be Sicily Island Hills, especially during the spring. However, I did not find any So. Dogfaces in SI Hills during 2021; presumably an effect of the prolonged period of ice and freezing temps during February, 2021 which had a detrimental effect on sensitive species elsewhere as well. So, I was especially pleased to find multiple So. Dogfaces on multiple dates this July (and afterward?) at Willow Lake Unit of CNWR. This included the CNWR NABA Butterfly Count.
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Another notable butterfly observation from summer, 2021 was an Eastern Comma on the Bushley Bayou Unit, at the Green's Creek bridge on Dry Bayou Road. This species is hard to come by in Cenla (my personal experience), but this is the third time I've encountered the species on the Bushley Bayou Unit in the past 7 or so years.
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For more info on butterfly observations on CNWR during 2021, see the post covering the 2021 NABA Butterfly Counts linked at the top of this post.
The post covering January, 2022 observations from CNWR will be up later this evening.
