Rare Bird Alert Thursday, 03 December 1998 Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide Highlights: CINNAMON TEAL * ( * Louisiana State Review List) BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE * COMMON GROUND-DOVE BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD * RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD TREE SWALLOW (large roosts) BULLOCK'S ORIOLE * others birds mentioned: eared grebe northern gannet neotropic cormorant anhinga american white pelican ruddy duck canvasback redhead bufflehead green heron glossy ibis roseate spoonbill black vulture osprey white-tailed kite broad-winged hawk merlin peregrine falcon clapper rail common moorhen marbled godwit greater yellowlegs solitary sandpiper willet black-necked stilt american avocet herring gull lesser black-backed gull franklin's gull gull-billed tern caspian tern white-winged dove rose-ringed parakeets short-eared owl ruby-throated hummingbird belted kingfisher yellow-bellied sapsucker vermilion flycatcher ash-throated flycatcher (possible) western kingbird scissor-tailed flycatcher cedar waxwing american robin gray catbird marsh wren winter wren northern rough-winged swallow golden-crowned kinglet northern parula magnolia warbler yellow-rumped warbler prairie warbler black-and-white warbler harris's sparrow white-crowned sparrow leconte's sparrow lark sparrow dickcissel blue grosbeak painted bunting baltimore oriole great-tailed grackle boat-tailed grackle rusty blackbird Transcript: Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Thursday December 3. Highlights include an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE in Cameron Parish, 2 COMMON GROUND-DOVES in Baton Rouge, an immature male and 2 female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS near St. Gabriel, large TREE SWALLOW roosts in canefields along the Mississippi River, a CINNAMON TEAL in New Orleans and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in LaPlace. An adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTWAKE was seen 11/28 on Rutherford Beach near Oak Grove in Cameron Parish. The bird was last seen flying inland with a gull flock. To get to Rutherford Beach, exit I-10 at Chloe and head south on LA 397. In a little over 5 miles turn left onto LA 14. Follow 14 to LA 27, heading south on 27 and continuing south on LA 82 to Oak Grove. When you come to a T-intersection, turn right. The road to Rutherford Beach will be on your left in a little over a mile. A four-wheel drive vehicle may be necessary to drive the entire stretch to Broussard Beach. 2 COMMON GROUND-DOVES were seen 11/27 at Richfield Riversilt on River Road in Baton Rouge. Richfield Riversilt is 5 miles south of the LSU Vet School on River Road and is on the river side of the road. If you aren't familiar with the LSU campus, you can exit I-10 at College Drive and head south on College, which becomes Lee drive after it crosses Highland. Continue on Lee to Nicholson Drive and turn left onto Nicholson. Go almost ½ mile and turn right onto Ben Hur Road. Ben Hur ends in a little over 3 miles at River Road. Turn right onto River Road and Richfield Riversilt will be on your left in about 2 miles. 2 female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS are at feeders near St. Gabriel. Call Van, Steve or Donna at 225(504)388-2855 if you want to arrange a time to see them. 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 next exit (exit 7 marked Hahnville/Luling) to get to River Road (LA 18) which runs along the west bank. Go west on LA 18 for 11 miles to an iron pipe gate on the left and park. This spectacular event occurs around dusk (~5:15 pm on 11/22 - lasts 7-10 minutes). A second equally large roost is in Vacherie in St. James Parish. And about 10,000 swallows are roosting in cane at the foot of the I-310 bridge in Luling in St. Charles Parish. A CINNAMON TEAL appeared in New Orleans at the same spot as last year in a canal behind the Abramson High School, however I don't have any recent reports of the bird, though a possible female was seen 11/29. 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 on the right hand side of the road. If you don't find the teal there, look for other access spots to the canal working your way back towards I-10. Please let me know if you do find it. The male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE continues at 1409 Glendale and the male BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD continues at 800 Fagot Loop, both addresses in LaPlace in St John the Baptist Parish. The buffy is reliable, but be prepared for a long wait if you try for the oriole. Call for directions if you need them. BUFF-BELLIES are also in New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Cameron and Slidell in St. Tammany Parish. A number of RUFOUS (or at least selasphorus) HUMMINGBIRDS are in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Cameron and Covington in St. Tammany Parish. And BLACK-CHINS are in Gramercy in St. James Parish, St Gabriel in Iberville Parish, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Slidell, Covington and Baton Rouge. 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 12/1: Lafayette Parish: 750 AMERICAN ROBINS at Acadiana Park Nature Station in Lafayette. St. Bernard Parish: an ANHINGA, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER and a possible ASH- THROATED FLYCATCHER at St. Bernard State Park. Sightings from 11/29: St. Tammany Parish: a BALTIMORE ORIOLE at a feeder in Slidell. Cameron Parish: a SHORT-EARED OWL over East Jetty flats in the town of Cameron. St. James Parish: a WHITE-WINGED DOVE at a feeder in Gramercy. Sightings from the Thanksgiving weekend (11/27-11/29): Calcasieu Parish: 5 WHITE-TAILED KITES along Fabacher Road, a SCISSOR- TAILED FLYCATCHER on Gum Island Road and a BLUE GROSBEAK on Gum Cove Road. Cameron Parish: an EARED GREBE and an immature NORTHERN GANNET between Rutherford and Broussard Beaches near Oak Grove, 7-10 EARED GREBES at Sabine Pass, an immature BROAD-WINGED HAWK on the entrance road to Lacassine NWR, a second winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on a breakwater west of Holly Beach, 2 VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and a WESTERN KINGBIRD at or near the Equinox Oil Field in Johnson Bayou, a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW at the Cameron Ferry, a NORTHERN PARULA at the Peveto Woods Sanctuaries, a MAGNOLIA, 2 PRAIRIE and a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER at the mouth of the Mermentau River and a DICKCISSEL at a feeder in the town of Cameron. Sightings from 11/27: Caddo Parish: a late GRAY CATBIRD and 125 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS on Yearwood Road south of Shreveport. East Baton Rouge Parish: 5 LECONTE'S and a LARK SPARROW at Richfield Riversilt on River Road in Baton Rouge. Cameron Parish: 2 WHITE-TAILED KITES, one at Sabine NWR and the other along LA 82. Sightings from 11/26: Caddo Parish: an adult male HARRIS'S SPARROW south of Shreveport. Iberville Parish: a RUSTY BLACKBIRD near St. Gabriel. Orleans Parish: a late BROAD-WINGED HAWK and 2,216 migrating YELLOW- RUMPED WARBLERS at Recovery One in New Orleans East. Sightings from 11/25: Livingston Parish: 3 CANVASBACKS, 20-30 REDHEADS and lots of GREATER YELLOWLEGS and BLACK-NECKED STILTS and some RUSTY BLACKBIRDS at the Denham Springs Water Treatment Plant. Vermilion Parish: NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, 7 RUDDY DUCKS, 5 CANVASBACKS, a REDHEAD, 5 BUFFLEHEADS, 4 GREEN HERONS, a GLOSSY IBIS, 3 ROSEATE SPOONBILLS, BLACK VULTURE, an OSPREY, a late BROAD-WINGED HAWK (along Mulberry Ridge near Freshwater City), 2 MERLIN, 3 PEREGRINE FALCONS, CLAPPER RAIL, COMMON MOORHEN, a MARBLED GODWIT, 3 WILLETS, 100 AMERICAN AVOCETS, a HERRING GULL, 2 FRANKLIN'S GULLS (one in Abbeville), GULL-BILLED TERN, CASPIAN TERN, 4 WHITE-WINGED DOVES, 15 BELTED KINGFISHERS, YELLOW- BELLIED SAPSUCKER, 2 VERMILION FLYCATCHERS (on LA 82 near the Acadiana Marina), CEDAR WAXWING, MARSH and WINTER WRENS, 9 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, 1 adult female PAINTED BUNTING, 750 GREAT-TAILED and 50 BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES in the ricefields south of Abbeville. 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. 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