Louisiana Rare Bird Alert
Friday, 24 September 1999
Baton Rouge Audubon Society Rare Bird Alert
Area: Baton Rouge and Louisiana statewide
Highlights:
BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD
LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD (not on the state list)
BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO * (*Louisiana State Review List)
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
others birds mentioned:
- cory's shearwater *
- masked booby *
- american white pelican
- black-bellied whistling-duck
- canvasback
- lesser scaup
- cattle egret
- american bittern
- osprey
- white-tailed kite
- mississippi kite
- sharp-shinned hawk
- cooper's hawk
- swainson's hawk
- merlin
- peregrine falcon
- dowitcher sp.
- sanderling
- western sandpiper
- least sandpiper
- american avocet
- snowy plover
- caspian tern
- black skimmer
- eurasian collared-dove
- blossom-headed parakeet (probable escapee)
- black-billed cuckoo
- barn owl
- whip-poor-will
- ruby-throated hummingbird
- rufous hummingbird
- red-bellied woodpecker
- eastern phoebe
- western kingbird
- scissor-tailed flycatcher
- eastern kingbird
- philadelphia vireo
- warbling vireo
- gray-cheeked thrush
- swainson's thrush
- american robin
- red-breasted nuthatch
- winter wren
- marsh wren
- sedge wren
- barn swallow
- ruby-crowned kinglet
- carolina chickadee
- american goldfinch
- nashville warbler
- yellow-throated warbler
- prairie warbler
- palm warbler
- mourning warbler
- common yellowthroat
- yellow-breasted chat
- lark sparrow
- dickcissel
- rose-breasted grosbeak
- brewer's blackbird
Welcome birders to the BRAS' rare bird alert. The following was recorded on Friday September 24. Highlights include a LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD out in the Gulf, a probable CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in Metairie and a BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD in LaPlace.
Even though the report is a bit late, I thought I would mention the report of a LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD, seen on 9/12 out on an oil platform off the southwest coast. The observer has reviewed museum specimens and has submitted convincing details to the LSU Museum of Natural Sciences, which oversees this interesting trans-gulf migration project.
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. I haven't had any recent reports on this bird.
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.
Interesting sightings:
9/24
East Baton Rouge Parish: an immature male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD in a yard in Baton Rouge.
Jefferson Parish: at least 3 RUFOUS in a yard in Metairie.
9/23
Tangipahoa Parish: a WINTER WREN in Hammond.
9/22
Caddo Parish: 175 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS in the southern part of the parish; and 1 EASTERN PHOEBE and 1 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET at the Stoner launch woods in Shreveport; and 1 female CANVASBACK, 1 LESSER SCAUP, 975 roosting CATTLE EGRETS and 130 FISH CROWS on Cross Lake.
Vermilion Parish: a pair of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES in a yard south of Abbeville.
Iberville Parish: a MARSH WREN, a GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, a DICKCISSEL and a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK in a yard in St Gabriel.
St John the Baptist Parish: a SWAINSON'S HAWK migrating over Reserve.
Orleans Parish: a WHIP-POOR-WILL and PALM WARBLERS at City Park in New Orleans.
9/21
Caddo Parish: a first fall male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at the Stoner launch woods; a PHOEBE, 2 SEDGE WRENS and 14 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS at the edge of the Red River on Well's Island Rd.
Bossier Parish: 27 SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS and 1 SEDGE WREN on Old Brownlee Rd.
9/20
Caddo Parish: 1 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH near downtown Blanchard.
East Baton Rouge Parish: a BLOSSOM-HEADED PARAKEET (most likely an escapee) at a feeder in Zachary.
9/19
Caddo Parish: 1 PHILADELPHIA VIREO and 1 NASHVILLE WARBLER at the Stoner launch woods; 1 SWAINSON'S THRUSH at Fleming Park on the western end of Cross Lake; 1 LESSER SCAUP, 1 OSPREY and 1 COOPER'S HAWK on a survey of Cross Lake; and a female BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, possibly trucked in from California, in a Kroger Food Store in south Shreveport.
Bossier Parish: an EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, I believe in Bossier City. Winn Parish: 2 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS.
St Tammany Parish: a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO and humdreds of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS in a yard in Abita Springs.
Iberville Parish: 1 MOURNING WARBLER in St Gabriel.
Lafourche Parish: a juvenile plumaged BLACK SKIMMER at the Caldwell Ponds NW of Thibodaux.
Jefferson/Lafourche Parishes: 200 WHITE PELICANS, 1 SHARP-SHINNED and 2 COOPER'S HAWKS, 1 PEREGRINE FALCON, 200 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 1 CAROLINA CHICKADEE, 2 PRAIRIE and 1 YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and 1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT either on Grand Isle or at Port Fourchon. Gulf of Mexico: 1-2 CORY'S SHEARWATERS seen from an oil platform off the southwest coast.
9/18
Caddo Parish: 18 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS, 75 AMERICAN ROBINS and 1 GOLDFINCH at the Stoner launch woods; also a singing MARSH WREN in the southern part of the parish.
West Carroll Parish: a WARBLING VIREO in Oak Grove.
St Tammany Parish: 40-50 RUBY-THROATS in a yard in Slidell.
Iberville Parish: a MISSISSIPPI KITE, a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and a BARN OWL in St Gabriel.
Cameron Parish: 96 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS and 2-3 AMERICAN BITTERNS seen at dusk at Lacassine NWR; an OSPREY at the Cameron ferry; 3 WHITE-TAILED KITES near Holly Beach; 10, mostly immature, PURPLE GALLINULES along LA 27 east and Lacassine NWR; 220 SANDERLINGS, 2 SNOWY PLOVERS and 500 CASPIAN TERNS along Johnson Bayou and Holly Beaches; and 2 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and 1 PRAIRIE WARBLER at Peveto Woods in Little Florida subdivision.
Orleans Parish: a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD in a yard in New Orleans.
Jefferson/Lafourche Parishes: SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, MERLIN, 3 PEREGRINE FALCONS, ~120 DOWITCHERS, over 300 WESTERN and 100 LEAST SANDPIPERS, ~80 AMERICAN AVOCETS, a WESTERN and over 40 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 2 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, over 150 BARN SWALLOWS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and LARK SPARROW either on Grand Isle or at Port Fourchon.
9/17
Caddo Parish: a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK heard at the Stoner launch woods.
Iberville Parish: 1 OSPREY and a GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH in St Gabriel.
Vermilion Parish: a first report on land of a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH near Abbeville.
Gulf of Mexico: an adult MASKED BOOBY seen from an oil platform off the southwest coast (may not be exact date)
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 |
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