Rare Bird Alert Tuesday, 22 December 1998 Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide Highlights: CINNAMON TEAL * ( * Louisiana State Review List) GOLDEN EAGLE * CRESTED CARACARA * BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD * RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD TREE SWALLOW (large roosts - gone?) PAINTED BUNTING BULLOCK'S ORIOLE * others birds mentioned: eared grebe neotropic cormorant anhinga ruddy duck canvasback greater scaup common goldeneye reddish egret louisiana (alias tricolored) heron little blue heron green heron yellow-crowned night-heron glossy ibis osprey bald eagle swainson's hawk american coot red knot western sandpiper american avocet lesser black-backed gull bonaparte's gull franklin's gull common tern pomarine jaeger white-winged dove rose-ringed parakeet monk parakeet burrowing owl (dead) chuck-will's widow whip-poor-will ash-throated flycatcher scissor-tailed flycatcher eastern bluebird sedge wren northern rough-winged swallow bank swallow barn swallow tufted titmouse horned lark tennessee warbler northern parula black-throated green warbler yellow-throated warbler prairie warbler black-and-white warbler ovenbird wilson's warbler lapland longspur lark sparrow dickcissel baltimore oriole western meadowlark Transcript: Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Tuesday December 22. Highlights include a male PAINTED BUNTING in Baton Rouge, a GOLDEN EAGLE and CRESTED CARACARA at Lacassine NWR in Cameron Parish, a male CINNAMON TEAL in New Orleans, a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in Baton Rouge, CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS near St. Gabriel and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in LaPlace. A male PAINTED BUNTING has returned to the feeders at the library on Bluebonnet Rd. The library hosted several buntings, including a male last year for the entire winter. Exit-I-10 at Bluebonnet and head south. The library is south of Perkins Rd on the right (west side). He is best seen from the geneology section. Received a recent report that a GOLDEN EAGLE and a CRESTED CARACARA have been hanging around Lacassine NWR in Cameron Parish. I don't have any sighting dates for the eagle, but the caracara was observed on 12/19 flying over the fields on the north side of the pool where the road turns south towards the east boat launch. From Baton Rouge, exit I-10 at Welsh and head south on LA 99. Follow 99 for about 14 miles to LA 14 and turn right. Head west on 14 for about 5 miles and turn left onto Illinois Plant Rd, which will take you into the refuge in about 4 miles. When the entrance road comes to a T- intersection, turn left and follow the road until it makes a 90 degree turn to the south. The caracara was seen over the fields to your left. The eagle has also been reported in this area. The male CINNAMON TEAL in New Orleans appears to be wintering in the canal between Read Blvd and Bundy Rd. He moves up and down the canal and has been seen from Lake Forest Blvd and from Dwyer Rd, both south of I-10. The canal is also north of I-10 behind Sam's. A BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD continues in Baton Rouge at 1180 Stanford Avenue. People are invited to come by, but are requested not to park on the street or in front of any of the neighbors' properties. You can park in the driveway, if there is room, or park on the right side of Stanford by the lake and walk back. Exit I-10 at Acadian Thruway and head south. Acadian becomes Stanford Ave after it crosses Perkins Rd. 1180 is 0.9 miles south of the Perkins intersection on the left. Please leave a note if you see any other hummers. 2 female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS are coming to feeders near St. Gabriel. Call Van at 225(504)388-2855 during the day if you want to arrange a time to see one. The TREE SWALLOW tornado season may be over, as the roosts appear to be moving and getting harder to find. Most of the roosts have been found along LA 18 on the west side of the Mississippi River from Luling in St. Charles Parish and continuing westward to Vacherie, which is across the river from Gramercy, both in St. James Parish. You are invited to check these areas and if you discover any roosts, please let us know. 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, Slidell and Covington 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. And BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS are in Gramercy in St. James Parish, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Slidell, Covington, Baton Rouge and Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. What follows are interesting reports of unusual sightings for the locales or season or high concentrations of a particular species: Sightings from 12/20: Cameron Parish (Johnson Bayou CBC): CINNAMON TEAL, CHUCK-WILL'S WIDOW, WHIP-POOR-WILL, BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD (at Peveto Woods Sanctuaries), TENNESSEE WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. (List not complete - waiting for final results) Sightings from 12/19: Cameron Parish (Sabine NWR CBC): EARED GREBE, GREATER SCAUP, REDDISH EGRET, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, GLOSSY IBIS, RED KNOT, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, FRANKLIN'S GULL, COMMON TERN, POMARINE JAEGER, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BANK SWALLOW, TUFTED TITMOUSE, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, PRAIRIE WARBLER, OVENBIRD, WILSON'S WARBLER, LARK SPARROW, PAINTED BUNTING and BALTIMORE ORIOLE. Sightings from 12/18: Acadia Parish (Crowley CBC): NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, COMMON GOLDENEYE, OSPREY, BALD EAGLE, SWAINSON'S HAWK, WESTERN SANDPIPER, AMERICAN AVOCET, BONAPARTE'S GULL, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, a dead BURROWING OWL, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, HORNED LARK, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, PRAIRIE WARBLER, BLACK-AND- WHITE WARBLER, over 750 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, DICKCISSEL, and a PAINTED BUNTING. Sightings from 12/14: Iberville Parish: the wintering WHIP-POOR-WILL continues near St. Gabriel. Sightings from 12/13: Caddo Parish: 8 GREATER SCAUP, a SEDGE WREN and 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS along Hwy 71 north of Shreveport. 2450 RUDDY DUCKS, 8102 AMERICAN COOTS and 4 SEDGE WRENS on or around Cross Lake. Lafayette Parish: 150 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS counted between north Lafayette and Lake Martin. St. Martin Parish: a dozen LOUISIANA (alias TRICOLORED) and 3 immature LITTLE BLUE HERONS at Lake Martin. Iberia Parish: 60-70 WHITE-WINGED DOVES in New Iberia. Orleans Parish: 8 ANHINGAS, a CANVASBACK, a GREEN HERON and an adult BALD EAGLE at Recovery One in New Orleans East. Also a GREEN HERON at Marconi Lagoon in City Park in New Orleans. 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. I understand these palm trees are overrun with MONK PARAKEETS, which may make finding a Rose-ringed quite difficult. Your best chance is to try at first light. Thanks for calling the Baton Rouge rare bird alert and good birding. Compiler: Karen Fay Home: 225.763.6805 RBA: 225.768.9874 lamskite@aol.com RARE BIRD ALERT ARCHIVE