Louisiana Rare Bird Alert
Monday, 30 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:
- northern gannet
- double-crested cormorant
- american white pelican
- brown pelican
- black-crowned night-heron
- roseate spoonbill
- osprey
- american kestrel
- common snipe
- whimbrel
- upland sandpiper
- greater yellowlegs
- willet
- long-billed dowitcher
- western sandpiper
- baird's sandpiper
- stilt sandpiper
- black-necked stilt
- american avocet
- black-bellied plover
- semipalmated plover
- snowy plover
- lesser black-backed gull
- laughing gull
- black tern
- black skimmer
- white-winged dove
- inca dove
- whip-poor-will
- olive-sided flycatcher
- yellow-bellied flycatcher
- least flycatcher
- western kingbird
- eastern kingbird
- bank swallow
- barn swallow
- yellow warbler
- black-throated green warbler
- wilson's warbler
- lark sparrow
- dickcissel
- bronzed cowbird
Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Monday August 30. 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. No recent reports for the cowbirds or the kiskadee.
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. The birds have not been seen recently. BLACK-WHISKERED VIREOS have nested in the woods behind the Sureway Grocery on Grand Isle. 1 vireo was seen as late as 8/29. 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 8/29:
Caddo Parish: 1 LEAST FLYCATCHER at the Stoner launch woods in Shreveport.
St Landry Parish: 1 AMERICAN KESTREL near Lawtell.
Lafourche/Jefferson Parishes: 350 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, 1 WHIMBREL, 500+ WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 1000 BLACK SKIMMERS and 4+ BRONZED COWBIRDS at Grand Isle/Port Fourchon.
Sightings from 8/28:
Acadia Parish: 150 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 1 BAIRD'S SANDPIPER north of Crowley.
St Martin Parish: SEMIPALMATED PLOVER at the USL Experimental Farm near Cade.
East Baton Rouge Parish: 300 BANK SWALLOWS roosting on a sandbar in the Mississippi River. The sandbar can be viewed from the Richfield Riversilt site off of River Rd.
Vermilion Parish: 125 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 1000+ LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 1500 WESTERN and 300 STILT SANDPIPERS, 800 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 185 AMERICAN AVOCETS, 25 BLACK-BELLIED and 20 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS at the Vincent Refuge (LA 35/699).
Cameron Parish: 100-150 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS at the Equinox Oil field in Johnson Bayou; 8 SNOWY PLOVERS and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS along Broussard/Rutherford Beaches; 1 WHIP-POOR-WILL at the Willow Is woods near Oak Grove; SNOWY PLOVER and 250 BLACK TERNS near East Jetty and 1 OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER at East Jetty woods in the town of Cameron; also 1-2 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, 500 BARN SWALLOWS and 1 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.
Sightings from 8/27:
Caddo Parish: 1 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER and 1 WILSON'S WARBLER at the Stoner launch woods in Shreveport.
Red River Parish: 1 COMMON SNIPE at Lock and Dam #4 and 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 8/26:
Jefferson Parish: 1 2nd yr NORTHERN GANNET, 18 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 300+ BROWN PELICANS, 1 OSPREY, 2 UPLAND SANDPIPERS, 1 WHITE-WINGED and 2 INCA DOVES on Grand Isle.
Lafourche Parish: 400 WHITE PELICANS, 140 ROSEATE SPOONBILLS, 2000+ WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 2600 LAUGHING GULLS and 400 SKIMMERS at Port Fourchon.
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 at Bucktown in 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 at Bucktown in Metairie.
Thanks for calling the Baton Rouge rare bird alert and good birding.
 © D.J. L'Hoste |
Compiler: Karen Fay Home phone # : 225-763-6805 RBA phone # : 225-768-9874 Email address: lamskite@aol.com |
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