Sprague's Pipit

Sprague's Pipit in short grass habitat.  Click once or twice to see larger image. 

When I was a kid, I used to like to walk around my uncle's farm in Kaplan.  In the winter there were muddy plowed fields, flooded fields with levees, and pastures with straw-colored grass chewed down about as short as my ankles by cattle.  The short grass pastures were my favorite.  That was partly because they were dry and easy to walk across, but mostly it was because there was a bird hiding in the grass that I could barely even find, much less identify.  

In the muddy fields, I could kick up Savannah Sparrow after Savannah Sparrow, and big flocks of Water Pipits.  On the flooded fields, there were usually dowitchers and yellowlegs.  But as I'd walk across the pastures, every now and then I'd luck across a little blonde bird that would launch itself high into the sky with a short call and fly around in circles  for minutes at a time.  Then, it would plummet back to earth and disappear into the grass again.  I might walk across tens of acres and only kick up a few of these birds.  I became an expert on how they acted, but I wasn't even really sure what I was looking at.  

I was finally pretty sure I was seeing Sprague's Pipits, and later, when I got binoculars, I was able to confirm it.  It's been one of my favorite birds ever since.  Like meadowlarks and Grasshopper Sparrow, Sprague's Pipit is a beautiful mix of brown grass colors that allow it to disappear when it holds still.  

Sprague's Pipits nest in the northern prairies and winter on short grass prairies and pastures in the south central part of the United States, and on into Mexico--basically, buffalo country.  Louisiana is on the edge of their main winter range, which means it's hit-or-miss finding one here.  The short grass on roadsides and cropduster landing strips can be good places to look for them.  Because they're so good at hiding, not a lot is known about this species.  One thing that everyone seems to agree on is that they seem to be decreasing in numbers.  Although 99.99% of the world has no idea that this bird even exists, it would be a sad thing if this bird were to disappear forever.           

Franklin's and Laughing Gulls

Here we have a nice flock of loafing gulls, soaking up sun on a winter day. Most of these are Laughing Gulls, but in the blue frame, which is detailed below, we have a good comparison.

Here we have two interesting birds.  One, the one in back, is interesting because it's a Franklin's Gull.  Franklin's are always fun to look for in Laughing Gull flocks, and I always feel I'll find one if I search hard enough.  For about half the year, that seems to work.  Sometimes I start to think I've got a Franklin's only to admit defeat when the bird turns its head.  At this time of year a lot of Laughers have a pseudo-Franklin's look to them, with sort of dark-capped head patterns.  The bird in front is a good representative of that look, though not as extreme as some.  I even saw a Laugher with a full but patchy hood the other day.  With a good enough look, the darker hood and smaller head of the Franklin's is obvious.  When you really see one, you know it.

Broad-winged Hawk
























This Broad-winged Hawk was at Peveto Woods in Cameron Parish today.  Broadwings are rare in winter in Louisiana, but have been pretty reliable for the past few winters in a few coastal spots.

Three Terns

Crossing the Calcasieu Ship Channel on the ferry in Cameron today, I had a good chance to compare the winter plumages of three small tern species.  The Common Tern, above, is usually hard to find at this time of year, but there were at least a couple there today.  Winter Common Terns generally look like this bird, with a darker patch on the front edge of the upperwing, and a cap that leaves the forehead white but meets around the back.

Seen from beneath, the wingtips of the Common Tern have a distinct black trailing edge.  The tail has black edges on the outside.

The real "common tern" in winter is the Forster's Tern, above. It has a black eyepatch, not a cap. Its wings can also have a thin black edge in the back, but the black cuts up as a line into the wing.

The third small tern today was a Black Tern in winter plumage, seen in the last two photos.  In summer, Black Terns really are black.  In winter, the upperparts, the cap, and a little mark that juts down onto the side near the front edge of the wing are all that are dark.  Black Terns shouldn't be here at this time of year, but they are sometimes recorded in Louisiana in late fall.

Monarch Tree

Last Saturday (December 4), down in coastal Cameron Parish, I noticed thousands of Monarch butterflies.  Most were flying around in the chill north wind, but a few were bunched up in patches of sunlight in the windblocked south side of the woods.  I've seen groups of Monarchs hanging out like this before, but I can't recall ever seeing them this late in the year.

Savannah Sparrow

If you've walked Southwest Louisiana ricefields or pastures in winter, or sat in a duck blind and watched little birds hop on the levees all around you, you've seen this bird.  Tee-grees, tee-tisses, or tee-tee birds are some of the other names people have given to Savannah Sparrows.  Savannahs are with us from October to early May.  They can be recognized by their streaky plumage, and the little yellow spot in front of their eyes. 
       Savannahs are so common that many birders get tired of seeing them, but you really have to hand it to these birds.  You don't become common by being wimpy or finicky.  These birds can handle just about anything.  You try living in the mud all winter long.   

We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

You count 'em.

Click for a closer view. 

Eastern Meadowlark

The Eastern Meadowlark is an often overlooked beauty.  Birders focus so much on the bright yellow underparts that they rarely notice the beautifully cryptic pattern of tan, browns, and black on the mantle of the bird.  Here's a view that let's you enjoy the fine grassland camouflage pattern.

Pectoral Sandpiper

This Pectoral Sandpiper on November 17 at Lacassine NWR in Cameron Parish was a little late.