Welcome Back to Holly Beach

Welcome to Holly Beach

Crested Caracara

I can remember reading all about Caracaras in Lowery's Louisiana bird book when I was a kid.  According to Lowery, Caracaras nested in small numbers in the Gum Cove area of Calcasieu Parish.  I later learned that a ferry ran out to Gum Cove, and I hoped to get out there someday to see a Caracara.  These "Mexican Eagles" would have been easy enough to see in their expected range in southern Florida, or in southern Texas or Arizona, but the idea that this exotic looking bird actually had a toehold in Louisiana seemed pretty exciting.

Years passed, and I learned the ferry to Gum Cove had stopped operating.  I also heard things that made me believe the tiny Louisiana population had probably dwindled out.  Then, a little over a decade ago, Caracaras began to be reported regularly from the Fabacher Road area of Calcasieu Parish, and it seemed as if maybe the little group had managed to survive.  I went out and eventually got a look at one, and counted myself lucky.

Since then, Caracaras have staged something of a population explosion in our state.  It's not uncommon to see several in a day of birding now anywhere in SW LA.  Caracaras have  been reported as far east as Lafayette and Iberia Parishes.   There's no telling if the increased numbers come from the old Gum Cove stock, or from Texas birds spreading out.  Whatever the case, the Caracara is a great addition to our wildlife.

These pictures were taken today.  The perched bird was within sight of the Gulf in Cameron Parish.  The flying bird was part of a family of two adults and two young birds in Calcasieu Parish south of Holmwood.  Click to enlarge.

Bullbat

I spotted a lot of Common Nighthawks, a.k.a. Bullbats, along the coast today.  Judging from the numbers, it would seem that breeding success was pretty good this summer.

Nighthawks were flying around, perched in trees, on powerlines, on bare earth, and luckily for my camera, on fenceposts below eye level.  This bird let me get within about 10 feet of it several times.

Cameron Parish, 07/20/2011

I could sense fall in the 90 degree air today, so I took a ride down to Cameron Parish to see what was moving.  Once I got down there, the wide open view on the coastal prairie let me see huge but widely spaced thunderstorms rolling through all around.  I managed to miss any big storms, but the areas I drove through were either painfully dry or drenched and covered by pools of standing water.

I birded Peveto Woods for a few minutes, but approaching thunder seemed to quiet the birds.  The bugs weren't bad at all, just a few mosquitoes.  Most of the birds were breeders (Cardinals, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, etc.).  The only birds in the woods that may have been migrants were Orchard Orioles.

There were migrants in other spots.  Western Sandpipers, Sanderlings, and Marbled Godwits were present on the beaches.  Purple Martins (photo above) were present in good numbers on powerlines throughout my route--even though some on the coast were still hanging around their nest boxes.  Small groups of Eastern Kingbirds in places that didn't look very suitable for nesting territories suggested that they may be moving, at least locally.

 

Beach, Again

Today Mac Myers and I ran the last of a 12-month series of beach surveys.  It was hot and bright, and there were no big surprises, but there were plenty of birds to look at all day long.  June is a great month on the coast, with a lot of migrant birds still moving through or hanging out, while many local birds are busy raising young.  Among the former group, there are still plenty of Black Terns and Common Terns around.  Many birders who've done June pelagic trips in the Gulf have learned that Black Terns can be surprisingly abundant out there; usually the first few cries of "Storm Petrel" turn out to be Black Terns zipping by.  Common Terns also seem to stay an uncommonly long time, especially younger Commons that are probably not ready to breed.

Like last month, we had a good handful of left behind scoters and scaup today as well.  Some birds which seem to be present every month of the year out there, like Long-billed Curlew and Whimbrel, were recorded again.

Breeders included Least Terns, as seen in the family portrait below,

     











and Willets, who don't like to be ignored.

Last month, I mentioned the bleached out Herring Gulls that can be found on Gulf beaches in summer.  This month, quite a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls joined them.  Most were fairly ratty, but this second cycle bird seems to be in pretty good shape overall.

Overall, a good day to be out.

Left Behind

It's the season of the Left Behinds on Southwest Louisiana beaches.  By now, just about every bird that spent the winter here should be back home, far from the heat of our harsh summer.  Those that haven't left yet have a hard reckoning ahead of them.  I'd like to respectfully disagree with Tolstoy that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way; these poor fellows all seem to suffer from similar maladies.  Most of them simply can't fly, or at least, can't fly far enough north to do themselves any good.  

From scoters without flight feathers to Herring Gulls with skeletonized wings, these birds are washed up, washed out, and probably waiting in vain.  I'd say the chances are slim of many of them surviving for long.  

These birds were all found by Mac Myers and me as we surveyed beaches yesterday in Cameron Parish.  Finding beached Black and Surf Scoters and Lesser and Greater Scaup, and bleached Herring Gulls is an annual rite of late spring on these beaches.  While we hoped for a little unexpected variety, seeing 11 scoters and both scaup species was interesting.  

click on me...

Lesser Scaup always outnumber Greater Scaup in south Louisiana, so more Lessers are expected as laggards.  However, a few Greater Scaup usually turn up each late spring.  In the ragged state of most of these birds, I'm not sure I trust all of the field marks we normally use to tell them apart.  

More Black and Surf than White-winged Scoters turn up every winter, so more individuals of the former two species are typically found left behind.

No doubt more surprises (or more surprising species) await lucky finders on the Cameron beaches.  Good luck to those who seek them.  Bring sunscreen and plenty of water.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

 

David Muth, Mac Myers, Dave Patton, Dan Purrington, Curt Sorrells, Phillip Wallace, and I lucked onto this Ladder-backed Woodpecker, a first for the state, on Saturday 5/14, in western Cameron Parish.

What I've Seen in My Sleep the Past Two Nights

Red-eyed Vireos were abundant to the point of overdose over the weekend in coastal Cameron Parish.  The north wind grounded many migrants, including these vireos.  In single woodlands we had counts of 70 or so Red-eyeds.  Everywhere I looked was a Red-eye.

Gray-cheeked Thrush

This tired Gray-cheeked Thrush spent the entire day of May 14 in a little bare patch in back of the camp where I was staying.  It hopped and scratched, looking for food, and even shared space with the wild rodents who were doing the same.  When I approached, it didn't seem to mind, and even hopped my way.

Normally Gray-cheeked Thrushes are harder than this to get a good look at.  However, normally these birds don't migrate across the Gulf of Mexico into a cold north wind in the middle of May.  This bird was probably pushed to its limit, and upon arriving just needed to rebuild energy.