Louisiana Rare Bird Alert Saturday, 11 September 1999 Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide Highlights: GREATER SHEARWATER * (*Louisiana State Review List) AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER * MASKED BOOBY * SABINE'S GULL * BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO * MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD * SHINY COWBIRD *   others birds mentioned: neotropic cormorant american white pelican fulvous whistling-duck gadwall mallard mottled duck blue-winged teal northern shoveler ring-necked duck tricolored heron snowy egret great egret cattle egret white ibis white-faced ibis roseate spoonbill wood stork white-tailed kite northern harrier red-tailed hawk marbled godwit whimbrel lesser yellowlegs short-billed dowitcher long-billed dowitcher red knot semipalmated sandpiper western sandpiper least sandpiper pectoral sandpiper stilt sandpiper buff-breasted sandpiper wilson's phalarope black-necked stilt american avocet semipalmated plover snowy plover groove-billed ani common nighthawk whip-poor-will least flycatcher eastern kingbird blue-gray gnatcatcher northern rough-winged swallow bank swallow barn swallow nashville warbler yellow warbler magnolia warbler northern waterthrush mourning warbler wilson's warbler lark sparrow dickcissel baltimore oriole Transcript:   Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Saturday September 11. Highlights include a probable CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in Metairie, a probable MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in Lafayette, GREATER and AUDUBON'S SHEARWATERS, MASKED BOOBIES, and SABINE'S GULL in the Gulf, SHINY COWBIRDS and BLACK-WHISKERED VIREOS on Grand Isle and a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in LaPlace.   A probable CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was seen on 9/10 at Bucktown in Metairie. The bird was located on the peninsula. Take I-10 to I-610 in New Orleans. Exit I-610 at West End/Canal Blvd, which is the first exit after I-610 splits with I-10. Go north on West End towards Lake Pontchartrain for a few miles (pass several lights). At the light for Robert E Lee, turn left onto Lee, stay in the right lane and immediately bear right, following Old Hammond Hwy. Once you cross the 17th St Canal bridge, look for R & O's restaurant on the left. Park at the base of the levee on your right and walk the gravel path to the peninsula.   A probable MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was seen briefly on 9/8 at a USL construction site on Cajundome Blvd across from the National Wetlands Research Center. I don't have detailed directions to the site.   Sightings of pelagic species from oil platforms out in the Gulf of Mexico from a migration study being conducted by LSU: 2 GREATER SHEARWATERS on 9/6; 6 MASKED BOOBIES on 9/5; and 2 AUDUBON'S SHEARWATERS and an adult SABINE'S GULL on 9/4.   Two SHINY COWBIRDS were seen again on 8/26 behind the watertower on Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish. Heading towards the eastern end of the island, turn left on Willow Lane, then take a right on the street past the watertower. These birds were seen in the mulberries. The house where they were originally discovered 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. BLACK-WHISKERED VIREOS have nested in the woods behind the Sureway Grocery on Grand Isle. 1 vireo was seen as late as 9/4. 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. RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS are also at a number of locations. Call for the one nearest you (225-763-6805).   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 9/10: Jefferson Parish: 2 DICKCISSELS at Bucktown in Metairie.   Orleans Parish: a WHIP-POOR-WILL in a park at Fleur de Lis and 38th St.   Sightings from 9/9: Jefferson Parish: 4 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS (very approachable) and 6 LARK SPARROWS at Bucktown in Metairie.   Sightngs from 9/8: Caddo/Bossier Parishes: a roost of over 10,000 swallows, mostly NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED, on a sandbar in the Red River. Also a NASHVILLE WARBLER at the Stoner launch woods in Shreveport. 76 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were counted migrating over Bossier City in the evening.   East Baton Rouge Parish: a GADWALL and a RING-NECKED DUCK on City Park Lake by LSU and a BALTIMORE ORIOLE visiting a hummer feeder in Baton Rouge.   Jefferson Parish: several BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, 90 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 5 LARK SPARROWS and 1 DICKCISSEL at Bucktown in Metairie.   Gulf of Mexico: a GROOVE-BILLED ANI on an oil platform off the southeast coast.   Sightings from 9/7: Iberville Parish: 60 EASTERN KINGBIRDS and 48 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS seen migrating over St Gabriel.   Jefferson Parish: 60-70 EASTERN KINGBIRDS migrating over Kenner.   Orleans Parish: 3 AMERICAN AVOCETS and several DICKCISSELS at Recovery One in New Orleans East.   Sightings from 9/6: Caddo Parish: 1 LEAST FLYCATCHER and 3 WILSON'S WARBLERS at the Stoner launch woods in Shreveport and 1 WILSON'S along Wells Island Rd.   East Baton Rouge Parish: over 200 GREAT EGRETS and 60 WOOD STORKS at Richfield Riversilt, which can be accessed from River Rd (don't drive past the gate). It is several miles south of the LSU Vet School on the right.   Sightings from 9/5: Caddo Parish: 1 MAGNOLIA, 1 MOURNING and 1 WILSON'S WARBLER at the Stoner launch woods.   Vermilion Parish: 53 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, 130 FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCKS, 200 MOTTLED DUCKS, 2500 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 550 CATTLE EGRETS, 275 WHITE and 3600 WHITE-FACED IBIS, 1500 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 450 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 360 AVOCETS and several thousand peeps at or near Vincent Refuge (LA 35/699)   Cameron Parish: 180 NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, 1 WHITE-TAILED KITE and 2 SNOWY PLOVERS.   St John the Baptist Parish: 1 WHITE PELICAN along the Mississippi River near the Bonnet Carre Spillway.   Orleans Parish: 5 RED KNOTS, 283 STILT SANDPIPERS and 3 WILSON'S PHALAROPES (~3000 shorebirds) at Recovery One in New Orleans East.   Sightings from 9/4: Caddo Parish: 1 LEAST FLYCATCHER and at least 1 MOURNING WARBLER at the Stoner launch woods.   Pointe Coupee Parish: 1 immature NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 2 WHITE PELICANS, 1 GADWALL, 10 MALLARDS, 20 MOTTLED DUCKS, 150 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 8 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 10 TRICOLORED HERONS, 150 SNOWY EGRETS, 1 immature ROSEATE SPOONBILL , 1 immature NORTHERN HARRIER, 2 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 1 MARBLED GODWIT, 200 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 1 SHORT-BILLED and 3 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 200 SEMIPALMATED, 200 WESTERN, 1500 LEAST, 200 PECTORAL and 150 STILT SANDPIPERS, 1 WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 250 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 8 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 96 YELLOW WARBLERS, 98 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, and 2 MOURNING WARBLERS at Morganza Spillway and 400 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED, 200 BANK and 800 BARN SWALLOWS along LA 77.   St Martin Parish: 1 LEAST FLYCATCHER along Whiskey Bay Rd in the Atchafalaya Basin.   Lafourche: 106 ROSEATE SPOONBILLS and 1 WHIMBREL at Port Fourchon. 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 RARE BIRD ALERT ARCHIVE