Louisiana Rare Bird Alert Sunday, 27 December 1998 Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide Highlights: CINNAMON TEAL * ( * Louisiana State Review List) CALIFORNIA GULL * GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL * BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD * RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD WESTERN (possible PACIFIC-SLOPE) FLYCATCHER * PAINTED BUNTING BULLOCK'S ORIOLE * others birds mentioned: ross's goose canada goose common goldeneye red-breasted merganser yellow-crowned night-heron roseate spoonbill american avocet lesser black-backed gull sandwich tern pomarine jaeger white-winged dove rose-ringed parakeet monk parakeet groove-billed ani chuck-will's widow whip-poor-will ruby-throated hummingbird least flycatcher vermilion flycatcher western kingbird swainson's thrush wood thrush tree swallow bank swallow barn swallow purple finch tennessee warbler nashville warbler northern parula magnolia warbler prairie warbler black-and-white warbler american redstart dickcissel baltimore oriole Transcript: Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Sunday December 27. Highlights include a WESTERN-type (possible PACIFIC- SLOPE) FLYCATCHER near Pine Prairie in Evangeline Parish, female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS in Baton Rouge and St. Gabriel, a male PAINTED BUNTING in Baton Rouge, 2 CALIFORNIA, 2 GREAT and 1 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS in Cameron Parish, a male CINNAMON TEAL in New Orleans, a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in Baton Rouge and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in LaPlace. During a scouting trip on 12/26 for the Pine Prairie CBC, a WESTERN-type FLYCATCHER was found near Pine Prairie. The vocalizations led the observer to lean towards an identification of PACIFIC-SLOPE. No word yet whether the bird was found again in an attempt to obtain photos. To look for the bird, exit I-10 or US 190 at LA 13 and head north. Pine Prairie is about 30 miles north of I-10 on LA 13. Turn left at the intersection with LA 10 which has a flashing light. Go about ¾ of a mile on LA 10. When the road takes a sharp right, turn right onto a gravel road and head north. Go past the 3 or so houses on the left for about ½ a mile. When this road makes a 90 degree right, find a spot to pull over. The bird was seen in the hedgerow on the left. It was on the back side (west) facing a cow pasture protected by an electric fence. A female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD appeared in my yard in Baton Rouge on 12/22. Another CALLIOPE was discovered on 12/24. If you would like to try and see one, exit I-10 on Siegen Lane and head south. Turn right onto Perkins Rd, which is the first light after the Winn Dixie to your left. Almost immediately take the first left into the Winderemere subdivision, turn right at the stop sign and follow the road around to the left, where it becomes Wordsworth Dr. The Calliopes are at 732 Wordsworth, which is on the left in about the middle of the block. So far I've seen one or both in both the front and backyards, but one regularly returns to the bare tree surrounded by aloes and yuccas in the center of the front yard. 2 female CALLIOPES 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 there. 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. 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. 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 12/26: St. John the Baptist Parish (Reserve CBC): 2 adult male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS, 8 BALTIMORE and 1 BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. (Don't have complete results) Orleans Parish: an adult male RUBY-THROATED and possibly several immatures in a yard in New Orleans. Sightings from 12/25: East Baton Rouge Parish: a male COMMON GOLDENEYE and 8 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS on University Lake at LSU in Baton Rouge. Sightings from 12/23: Jefferson Parish (Grand Isle CBC): 8 ROSEATE SPOONBILLS, 180 AMERICAN AVOCETS and 19 WHITE-WINGED DOVES. Sightings from 12/22: Cameron Parish: 2 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the beach between Rutherford Beach and the town of Cameron. I don't have a specific location, but the gulls are likely to move up and down the beach. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended if you plan to drive the entire stretch. Jefferson Parish: 3 PURPLE FINCHES coming to a feeder in Metairie. Sightings from 12/21: Cameron Parish (Creole CBC): 4021 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, a YELLOW- CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, 2 CALIFORNIA GULLS, 2 SANDWICH TERNS, an adult POMARINE JAEGER, 2 GROOVE-BILLED ANIS, 2 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, a WESTERN KINGBIRD, a WOOD THRUSH, 6120 TREE SWALLOWS, a BARN SWALLOW, a MAGNOLIA WARBLER, 2 PRAIRIE WARBLERS, an AMERICAN REDSTART and a male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. Sightings from 12/20: Iberville Parish: a ROSS'S GOOSE and 24 CANADA GEESE at Plaquemine Point. Cameron Parish (Johnson Bayou CBC): 2 CINNAMON TEALS, LESSER BLACK- BACKED GULL, GROOVE-BILLED ANI, 3 CHUCK-WILL'S WIDOWS, WHIP-POOR-WILL, BUFF- BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD (at Peveto Woods Sanctuaries), VERMILION FLYCATCHER, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, BANK SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, TENNESSEE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, PRAIRIE WARBLER, BLACK-AND- WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART and DICKCISSEL. 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