Rare Bird Alert Saturday, 21 November 1998 Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide Highlights: WESTERN GREBE * ( * Louisiana State Review List) CINNAMON TEAL * SURF SCOTER BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD BULLOCK'S ORIOLE * others birds mentioned: eared grebe double-crested cormorant anhinga brown pelican ruddy duck greater white-fronted goose snow goose ross's goose american wigeon gadwall canvasback redhead ring-necked duck greater scaup bufflehead american bittern roseate spoonbill bald eagle northern harrier purple gallinule american coot sandhill crane red knot american avocet franklin's gull gull-billed tern forster's tern common loon white-winged dove inca dove rose-ringed parakeets vermilion flycatcher scissor-tailed flycatcher cedar waxwing eastern bluebird brown creeper blue-gray gnatcatcher tree swallow golden-crowned kinglet american goldfinch yellow-rumped warbler white-crowned sparrow savannah sparrow leconte's sparrow rose-breasted grosbeak indigo bunting painted bunting great?-tailed grackle Transcript: Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Saturday November 21. Highlights include 3 SURF SCOTERS on University Lake in Baton Rouge, an immature male CALLIPOE HUMMINGBIRD near St. Gabriel, a WESTERN GREBE in Cameron Parish, a CINNAMON TEAL in New Orleans, huge roosts of TREE SWALLOWS in canefields by the Mississippi River and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in LaPlace. 3 SURF SCOTERS, an eclipsed-plumaged male and 2 females, were seen in the morning on University Lake in Baton Rouge on 11/21. Exit I-10 West at Dalrymple and turn right. Take the first left on May Street which runs between Park Lake on the left and University Lake on the right. Park in the gravel lot on the left. The scoters were seen out in the middle of University Lake, further out than the large flock of scaup and ring-necks. An immature male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD has appeared at a feeder near St. Gabriel on 11/21. You are invited to call Van at 225(504)-642-0113 to arrange a time to visit. A WESTERN GREBE has been reported near the Sabine River bridge on LA 82 in Cameron Parish on 11/18. Exit I-10 at Sulphur and head south on LA 27 to Holly Beach where you turn right onto LA 82. Follow 82 west to the Sabine River bridge at the Texas border. The grebe was seen near the boat launch. A CINNAMON TEAL has appeared in New Orleans at the same spot as last year in a canal behind the Abramson High School. Exit I-10 at Read Blvd (after I-610 rejoins I-10) and turn right heading south on Read. In about 2 blocks turn right and head west on Dwyer Rd. The canal is a little ways up on Dwyer on the right hand side of the road. If you don't find the teal there, just look for other access spots to the canal. Two large congregations of TREE SWALLOWS, each estimated to be over 1 million, have been found in canefields along the Mississippi River. One roost is located near Lucy in St. John the Baptist Parish across the Mississippi River from LaPlace. Take I-310 across the Mississippi River and take the first exit, which is marked Luling, to get to River Road (LA 18) which runs along the west bank. Go west 11 miles to an iron pipe gate on the left and park. Walk behind the gate to the cane loading area immediately behind the gate and look out over the canefield towards the setting sun. This spectacular event occurs around dusk (5:19 to 5:28 pm on 11/17). A second equally large roost is in Vacherie in St. James Parish. Call if you would like directions to that roost. And about 10,000 swallows are roosting in cane at the foot of the I-310 bridge in Luling in St. Charles Parish. The male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE continues at 1409 Glendale in LaPlace in St John the Baptist Parish. The male BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD also continues at 800 Fagot Loop in LaPlace. BUFF-BELLIES are also in New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Cameron. A number of RUFOUS (or at least selasphorus) HUMMINGBIRDS are in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Cameron. And BLACK-CHINS are in St Gabriel in Iberville Parish, Lafayette and Lake Charles. Migration reports are winding down and the number of wintering birds is on the increase. Here is a sampling of some of the more interesting reports: Sightings from 11/19: a BROWN CREEPER, early GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES at the Acadiana Park Nature Station in Lafayette; and a WHITE-WINGED DOVE at Bucktown in New Orleans. Sightings from 11/18: 4 EARED GREBES, 3300 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, over 3000 RUDDY DUCKS, 315 GADWALL, 275 CANVASBACKS, over 15,000 AMERICAN COOTS, 3 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, 2 FORSTER'S TERNS and 4 COMMON LOONS on Cross Lake in Caddo Parish; CANVASBACKS, REDHEADS and EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at the USL Experimental Farm near Cade in St. Martin Parish; 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, 50 CEDAR WAXWINGS and 520 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS near Recovery One in New Orleans East; and hundreds of AMERICAN WIGEON and RING-NECKED DUCKS and a CEDAR WAXWING in the Delta region of Plaquemines Parish. Sightings from 11/17: a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, about 12 WHITE-CROWNED, 100 SAVANNAH and 6-8 LECONTE'S SPARROWS at Richfield Riversilt about 5 miles south of LSU on River Road in Baton Rouge. Sightings from 11/16: ROSEATE SPOONBILLS, a PURPLE GALLINULE, AMERICAN AVOCETS and 4 VERMILION FLYCATCHERS on LA 82 near the Acadiana Marina in Vermilion Parish. Sightings from 11/15: 2788 RUDDY DUCKS, 233 RING-NECKS, 368 CANVASBACKS, 4 GREATER SCAUP, 143 BUFFLEHEAD, 15,625 COOTS, 2 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, 2 FORSTER'S TERNS and 36 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS on or near Cross Lake; the first report of SANDHILL CRANES in Cheneyville in Rapides Parish; and an adult male NORTHERN HARRIER and 25 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS near Bayou Savage NWR. Sightings from 11/14: a flock of CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS in Calcasieu Parish; 20,000 mostly SNOW GEESE, a couple of ROSS'S GEESE, a RED KNOT, 20 AVOCETS, 1 GULL-BILLED TERN, 4 WHITE-WINGED DOVES, an INCA DOVE and over 10,000 presumably GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES in ricefields southwest of Gueydan in Jefferson Davis Parish; 2 BROWN PELICANS on Lake Pontchartrain and a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at Fontainebleu State Park in St. Tammany Parish; 60 RUDDY DUCKS, 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS and 342 YELLOW-RUMPS near Recovery One in New Orleans East; and 10 ANHINGA near Golden Meadow, an immature BALD EAGLE near Bayou des Allemands and 2 SCiSSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS near Port Fourchon in Lafourche Parish, a ROSEATE SPOONBILL and 2 SCISSOR-TAILS on Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish and 15 WHITE-WINGED DOVES, 12 CEDAR WAXWINGS, a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, an INDIGO and a PAINTED BUNTING in the area (no specific locations given), the last 3 on the late side or possible winterers. And, if you're interested in ROSE-RINGED PARAKEETS, try the wires or palm trees along Robert E Lee between Elysian Fields and Paris in New Orleans. Exit I-610 at either Paris (2C) or Elysian Fields (3) and head north. Robert E Lee is approximately 3-4 major intersections north of the interstate. (My map doesn't seem to have a mileage scale.) Try around dawn or late evening.     Thanks for calling the Baton Rouge rare bird alert and good birding. Compiler: Karen Fay Home phone # : 225-763-6805 RBA phone # : 225-768-9874 Email address: lamskite@aol.com RARE BIRD ALERT ARCHIVE