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.