Louisiana Rare Bird Alert
27 August 1999
Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert
Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide
Highlights:
BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD
GREAT KISKADEE * (*Louisiana State Review List)
BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO *
SHINY COWBIRD *
others birds mentioned:
- pied-billed grebe
- neotropic cormorant
- double-crested cormorant
- american white pelican
- black-bellied whistling-duck
- ruddy duck
- snow goose
- canada goose
- gadwall
- green-winged teal
- mallard
- mottled duck
- northern pintail
- blue-winged teal
- northern shoveler
- redhead
- lesser scaup
- little blue heron
- great egret
- cattle egret
- roseate spoonbill
- wood stork
- osprey
- swallow-tailed kite
- american coot
- marbled godwit
- whimbrel
- greater yellowlegs
- lesser yellowlegs
- willet
- ruddy turnstone
- short-billed dowitcher
- long-billed dowitcher
- semipalmated sandpiper
- western sandpiper
- least sandpiper
- pectoral sandpiper
- dunlin
- stilt sandpiper
- wilson's phalarope
- american avocet
- black-bellied plover
- semipalmated plover
- piping plover
- royal tern
- least tern
- black skimmer
- white-winged dove
- inca dove
- greater roadrunner
- whip-poor-will
- rufous hummingbird
- olive-sided flycatcher
- yellow-bellied flycatcher
- western kingbird
- eastern kingbird
- yellow warbler
- palm warbler
- lark sparrow
- dickcissel
Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Friday August 27. Highlights include SHINY COWBIRDS and BLACK-WHISKERED VIREOS on Grand Isle, a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD returning to LaPlace for at least a 7th season and a GREAT KISKADEE in Venice. Nothing recent except the buffie, which should be around all winter.
Two, possibly more, SHINY COWBIRDS were found 8/15 on Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish. Two males were observed in a mulberry tree at a residence known for feeding birds. The house is located at the end of Coulon Rigaud Lane. Turn left by the Beach Club as you head towards the eastern end of the island. BLACK-WHISKERED VIREOS have nested in the woods behind the Sureway Grocery on Grand Isle. 2 vireos were seen as late as 8/16. The Sureway Grocery is also on the left side of the main road through Grand Isle.
A male BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD, that has been recorded in LaPlace for at least the last 7 winters, has returned on August 6 to 800 Fagot Loop in LaPlace. From Airline Hwy in LaPlace, turn south on Elm Street by the Billy Hart Restaurant. Fagot Loop is the first right turn. The house is on the NW corner of Elm and Fagot Loop. He often hangs out in the red cedar tree in the backyard.
A GREAT KISKADEE, which was originally discovered in late April, was seen again on Thursday 8/5 around noon in Venice. To find the nest pole, stay on the main road from LA 23 in Venice. I believe the road is called Tidewater. You'll go through a right/left/right jug handle. Go past the intersection with the sign advertising Bud's Boat Rental (do NOT turn) and look for a power pole with a tag #184. A nest, constructed by the bird earlier in the year, is located on this pole. The bird was present in the bushes behind pole #s 184 and 185 for at least a half hour. Please be patient if you plan to see this bird. We waited at the nest site for at least an hour before we had any indication the bird was present. I have not had any recent reports.
The following sightings describe high counts or concentrations, early or late dates or very unusual sightings for the location and time of year.
Sightings from 8/27:
Red River Parish: 1 OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and 80+ EASTERN KINGBIRDS along the Red River.
Jefferson Parish: 101 YELLOW WARBLERS at Bucktown in Metairie.
Orleans Parish: 1 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, 1 WILLET, 1 apparent WESTERN and 159 EASTERN KINGBIRDS and 6 DICKCISSELS at Recovery One in New Orleans East.
Sightings from 8/25:
Iberville Parish: 1 singing WHIP-POOR-WILL in a yard in St Gabriel.
Sightings from 8/24:
Jefferson Parish: 9 WILLETS and 2 LARK SPARROWS in the Bucktown section of Metairie.
Sightings from 8/23:
St Landry Parish: an INCA DOVE at a feeder in Eunice.
Lafayette Parish: a WHIP-POOR-WILL also singing in a yard in Carencro.
East Baton Rouge Parish: 6 WHITE-WINGED DOVES on the front grounds of the state capital in Baton Rouge.
Jefferson Parish: 1 DICKCISSEL in the Bucktown section of Metairie.
Sightings from 8/22:
Caddo Parish: 6 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS around Shreveport.
Red River Parish: a GREATER ROADRUNNER and 2 PALM WARBLERS at Lock and Dam #4.
Natchitoches Parish: 1083 CATTLE EGRETS, 6 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 3 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 224 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS near the intersection of I-49 and LA 485.
East Baton Rouge Parish: 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and 1 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge.
St John the Baptist Parish: 1 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, 2 SEMIPALMATED and 1 PIPING PLOVER at the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Orleans Parish: 1 CANADA GOOSE, 1 MALLARD, 2 NORTHERN PINTAILS, 4+ WILLETS, 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 950 small peeps (only LEAST SANDPIPER IDed), 1 WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 20 BLACK-BELLIED and 20 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and 80 YELLOW WARBLERS at Recovery One in New Orleans East.
Sightings from 8/21:
Caddo Parish: 1 immature ROSEATE SPOONBILL at Lock and Dam #5.
Caddo/Bossier Parishes: 26 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 6 WHITE PELICANS, 2 GADWALLS, 2 PINTAILS, 1 NORTHERN SHOVELER, 1 REDHEAD, 13 LESSER SCAUP, 302 LITTLE BLUE HERONS, 14,632 CATTLE EGRETS, 1 MARBLED GODWIT, 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 27 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 1 AMERICAN AVOCET on the Red River between Shreveport and Lock and Dam #5.
De Soto Parish: 2 AMERICAN COOTS at the junction of I-49 and LA 177.
Red River Parish: 1 OSPREY, 1 SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, 1 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and 141 LEAST SANDPIPERS at Lock and Dam #4 along the Red River.
Natchitoches Parish: 2 PINTAILS and 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS off I-49 between Powhatan and Posey Rd exits; 2 COOTS at the Natchitoches Fish Hatchery on LA 1; 2 PINTAILS, 6 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 1 WILLET, 5 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 162 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 2 DUNLIN at a chicken farm near the junction of I-49 and LA 485.
Rapides Parish: 1 NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 16 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS, 1 MOTTLED DUCK, 602 GREAT and 1665 CATTLE EGRETS, 30 SPOONBILLS, 54 WOOD STORKS, 1 COOT, 1 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and 1 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER along Cheneyville Echo Rd (SE Rapides).
Concordia Parish: 6 RUDDY DUCKS at a catfish farm in Monterey.
Acadia Parish: 25 GREATER and 150 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 500 LEAST and 300 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS at the Crowley wastewater treatment plant.
Vermilion Parish: 64 WHITE PELICANS, 1 SNOW GOOSE, 1 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 2 PINTAILS, 7 SHOVELERS, 1 COOT, 120 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 500 DOWITCHERS (only LONG-BILLED heard), 2 AVOCETS, 1 BLACK-BELLIED and 5 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS at or near the Vincent Refuge (LA 35/699).
East Baton Rouge Parish: 106 LEAST SANDPIPERS along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge.
Orleans Parish: 4 NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, 140 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 47 YELLOW WARBLERS and 3 DICKCISSELS at Recovery One in New Orleans East.
Jefferson Parish: 150 WHITE PELICANS, 39 SPOONBILLS, 4 WHIMBREL, 400 SHORT-BILLED and 1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, 500 WESTERN and 100 LEAST SANDPIPERS, 200 ROYAL and 800 LEAST TERNS, 200 BLACK SKIMMERS and 1 INCA DOVE on Grand Isle.
Sightings from 8/20:
St Martin Parish: 6 PIED-BILLED GREBES, 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 1 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, 111 SEMIPALMATED, 190 PECTORAL and 188 STILT SANDPIPERS and 8 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS at the USL Experimental Farm near Cade.
Vermilion Parish: 1 WHITE PELICAN, 2 PINTAILS, 3 SHOVELERS, 1 COOT, 40 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 400 DOWITCHERS (only LONG-BILLED heard), 3 AVOCETS and 2 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS at the Vincent Refuge (LA 35/699).
Lafourche Parish: a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD coming to a feeder in Raceland.
Thanks for calling the Baton Rouge rare bird alert and good birding.
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Compiler: Karen Fay Home: 225.763.6805 RBA: 225.768.9874 lamskite@aol.com |
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