Harris's Sparrow

Harris's Sparrows are big, boldly patterned sparrows of the far north. So far north, in fact, that for them, going south for the winter means going to the Midwest--from Wyoming and Nebraska down to north Texas and Louisiana. In north Louisiana, they are regular but uncommon. In south Louisiana, we're lucky to see a small handful every winter.

This Harris's Sparrow was taped down in Cameron Parish, in the Baton Rouge Audubon Society's sanctuary at Peveto Woods. It has been seen a couple of times in December, but like most Harris's Sparrows, it's wary and doesn't often offer good looks.

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owls are primarily owls of prairie dog towns. In the winter, they migrate south and look for flat fields with some sort of burrow or debris heap they can take shelter in. These owls are somewhat diurnal, especially on overcast days.

I recall the first time I saw a Burrowing Owl. I was walking levees on my uncle's farm near Kaplan when a small pale brown bird flew out of a little concrete culvert. It flew low to the ground, pulled up on a clod a few yards away, and started to bob up and down and swivel its head back and forth. I was amazed to find one of these birds (that I'd only ever seen on nature shows) in the rice country of SW LA. Over the years, I found that coverts on levees in dry fields were good places to look for these owls. I recall finding 2 or 3 in such settings in the winter of 1979 alone.

Since then, Burrowing Owls have become much harder to find in Louisiana. Now, in a good year, 2 or 3 might be found across the entire state. This individual was found in the greater metropolitan Holly Beach area earlier this month, and was still present as of December 19th.

Franklin's Gulls

One of the quiet highlights of fall migration is picking Franklin's Gulls out of Laughing Gull flocks. Franklin's Gulls are small gulls that nest on the North American prairies and spend their winters in South America. Their migration path takes most Franklin's through Texas, but a small percentage of the species often meanders a bit off course, which accounts for the individuals we see in Louisiana. Usually, one or two Franklin's can be found in a day of coastal birding from October through late November or early December. Sometimes, hundreds can be encountered.

Franklin's Gulls can be picked out from Laughing Gulls by their smaller size, by the darker, more complete traces of the black hood of summer, and by their smaller, more delicate bills. There are also difference in wing and tail pattern that aren't visible in this video clip.

This bird was on Holly Beach in late November.

Geese

A flock of geese putting down in a cut ricefield near Kaplan.

From Drum Roll to Humdrum

Having done Christmas Bird Counts for a couple of decades, I always find the changes in bird numbers fascinating. It's also amazing how much the status of certain birds has changed. It wasn't long ago when adding Ross's Goose to your territory count was something you had to try hard to do. Nowadays, you'd have to try hard to avoid seeing one. Likewise, imagine the oohs and ahhs that Caracara would've earned just a few years ago. Now, it's not uncommon for multiple parties to get multiple Caracaras.

Other birds that have gone from drum roll to humdrum in the past few years:

Bald Eagle

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Cooper's Hawk

Inca Dove

many hummers, even Calliope!

Vermilion Flycatcher

This isn't because we've learned the trick for finding these birds; many of these species have simply become more common in SW LA. That's a good thing.

Unfortunately, some birds have gone the other route. Sharp-shinned Hawk, Purple Finch, and Eared Grebe come to mind as species formerly much easier to find.

From year to year, you never know what will change. The trick is to enjoy everything, because it may not last.