NJ Audubon Eco-Travel c/o Center for Research & Education 600 Route 47 North, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 (609) 861-1608 ext.13 www.njaudubon.org Southwestern Louisiana: Cheniers, Cypress Swamps, and Cameron Parish April 22-29, 2015 Final Tour Report and Species List We gathered in Lafayette, Louisiana for our birding trip to the swamp forests, working wetlands, coastal prairies, and oak cheniers of the sportsmen s (or perhaps birder s) paradise. During the ensuing week, we endured some challenging conditions, with rain, thunderstorms, and even a nearby tornado keeping us on our toes, as well as a spring cold front. Nevertheless, the birding was quite good and we enjoyed the ubiquitous flocks of teal, whistling-ducks, long-legged wading birds and swallows so emblematic of the state. The Atchafalaya Swamp hosted dozens of Mississippi Kites and a few Swallow-tailed Kites, plus scores of glowing Prothonotary Warblers and several Kentucky Warblersincluding one of the latter that showed quite well as it sang from a viewable perch. The pine woods produced the federally-endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, a trio of Red-headed Woodpeckers, and numbers of Bachman s Sparrows whistling their pretty song. Wide-spanning coverage of the rice country and careful scrutiny of shorebird flocks gave us a good list of sandpipers and plovers including beautiful Black-necked Stilts, breeding plumage Long-billed Dowitchers, and Stilt Sandpipers; additionally we had great looks at Wilson s Plover and American Avocets along the coast. Marsh birds were well-represented with a high count of 43 Purple Gallinules and excellent views of Least Bittern and a family group of King Rails. Over 100 Black Terns (among 8 species of tern) were hunting the inlet at East Jetty Park in Cameron. Farm fields produced Crested Caracaras and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. And as our grand finale, a cold front graced us at the end of the tour, creating a coastal fallout of migrant Neotropic songbirds that included dozens of Philadelphia Vireos and Bay-breasted Warblers, plus many other colorful species of buntings,
grosbeaks, and tanagers-often at close range. It was a wonderful way to end our time birding together in Louisiana! LEADERS: Scott Barnes & Linda Mack ITINERARY: Apr 22: arrival in Lafayette, LA Apr 23: Atchafalaya Swamp, including Sherburne Wildlife Management Area & Atchafalaya Nat l Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Apr 24: Kistachie Nat l Forest near Alexandria, LA including Castor Plunge Rd, Kincaid Reservoir, & Valentine Lake Recreation Area; crawfish farms along Cheneyville-Echo Rd just south of the hamlet of Echo Apr 25: Rice Country south & west of Lafayette/Abbeville, including Mouton Cove, Gueydan area, Turf Grass Rd near Welsh, Lacassine NWR Apr 26: Holly Beach, Johnson Bayou area, Sabine Lake bridge, Walter Umphrey State Park (TX), Peveto Woods (Baton Rouge Audubon Sanctuary), Holly Beach, Sabine NWR Apr 27: Holmwood area, Cameron Prairie NWR, East Jetty Park, town of Cameron, Oak Grove Sanctuary Apr 28: Peveto Woods, Holly Beach, Calcasieu Ferry, Willow Island (town of Cameron) Apr 29: flights home ANNOTATED BIRD LIST: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck- Rice country, Cameron Parish Fulvous Whistling-Duck- Rice country, Lacassine, Johnson Bayou Greater White-fronted Goose- late migrant at Cheneyville ponds Wood Duck- Atchafalaya Swamp, Pine woods, Mouton Cove Gadwall- Cheneyville ponds American Wigeon- Cheneyville ponds Mottled Duck- Rice country, Cameron Parish Blue-winged Teal- all days except Atchafalaya Northern Shoveler- including 30 Cheneyville ponds Green-winged Teal- Cheneyville ponds Black Scoter- 8 in gulf off Holly Beach Wild Turkey- Atachafalya & Kistachie Northern Bobwhite- 2 ran in front of van at Holmwood Pied-billed Grebe- Rice country, Cameron Parish American White Pelican- 40 at East Jetty Park Brown Pelican- common along Gulf Neotropic Cormorant- Cameron Parish Double-crested Cormorant- all days Anhinga-Atchafalaya, Lacassine Great Blue Heron- all days
Great Egret- all days Snowy Egret- all days Little Blue Heron- all days Tricolored Heron- all days except Atchafalaya Reddish Egret-Holly Beach, East Jetty Park Cattle Egret- all days Green Heron- Rice country, Cameron Parish Black-crowned Night-Heron- Cameron Parish Yellow-crowned Night-Heron- almost daily White Ibis- all days White-faced Ibis- all days Roseate Spoonbill- all days Black Vulture- all days Turkey Vulture- all days Osprey- high 2 coastal Cameron Parish Swallow-tailed Kite- 5 Atchafalaya Mississippi Kite- 50+ Atchafalaya Bald Eagle- 2 Atchafalaya Cooper s Hawk- singles near Cheneyville & Holmwood Red-shouldered Hawk- Atchafalaya & Cheneyville Swainson s Hawk-Rice country & Holmwood/Cameron areas Red-tailed Hawk- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, & Rice Country Crested Caracara-Holmwood area Peregrine Falcon- Rice Country, Cameron Parish King Rail-including family group with 6 young Cameron Prairie Sora-Johnson Bayou/Cameron Prairie Purple Gallinule-including 43 Lacassine Common Gallinule- all days except Atchafalaya American Coot- Rice Country, Cameron Parish Black-bellied Plover- Rice country, Cameron Parish American Golden-Plover-Turf Grass Rd & East Jetty Park Wilson s Plover-2 East Jetty Park Semipalmated Plover- Rice country & Cameron Parish Piping Plover-East Jetty Park Killdeer- Rice country & Cameron Parish American Oystercatcher-4 East Jetty Park Black-necked Stilt- all days except Atchafalaya American Avocet- high 50 Cameron Parish Greater Yellowlegs- Rice country & Cameron Parish Lesser Yellowlegs- Rice country & Cameron Parish Solitary Sandpiper- 2 singles Cameron Parish Willet (both Eastern & Western races) Spotted Sandpiper- Cameron Parish Upland Sandpiper-20+ Turf Grass Rd
Whimbrel-20 rice country Marbled Godwit-East Jetty Park Ruddy Turnstone- coastal Cameron Sanderling- coastal Cameron Semipalmated Sandpiper- Rice country & Cameron Parish Least Sandpiper- Rice country & Cameron Parish White-rumped Sandpiper-including 5 Turf Grass Rd Pectoral Sandpiper- Rice country & Cameron Parish Dunlin- Rice country & Cameron Parish Stilt Sandpiper- Rice country & Cameron Parish Short-billed Dowitcher-East Jetty Park Long-billed Dowitcher-including 1,000 rice country Wilson s Phalarope-flyby flock East Jetty Park Laughing Gull- all days Bonaparte s Gull-immature East Jetty Park Ring-billed Gull- Rice country & Cameron Parish Herring Gull- Holly Beach Gull-billed Tern-2 Mouton Cove Caspian Tern- coastal Cameron Parish Royal Tern-common along gulf stops Sandwich Tern-common along gulf stops Common Tern-common along gulf stops Forster s Tern- common Cameron Parish Least Tern- common along gulf stops Black Tern-100+ East Jetty Park Black Skimmer-many loafing around industrial sites along gulf Rock Pigeon- all days Eurasian Collared-Dove- all days White-winged Dove- Cameron Parish Mourning Dove- all days Inca Dove-2 at Willow Island Black-billed Cuckoo- one Peveto Woods Yellow-billed Cuckoo- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, Rice country, Peveto Barred Owl-calling Atchafalya & Kisatchie Common Nighthawk-especially numerous around Holly Beach Chimney Swift- high 6 Atchafalaya Ruby-throated Hummingbird- high 8 Peveto Woods Belted Kingfisher- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, Cameron Parish Red-headed Woodpecker-including 3 Kincaid Reservoir Red-bellied Woodpecker- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, Rice Country Downy Woodpecker- most days Hairy Woodpecker-Oak Grove Red-cockaded Woodpecker-5 Castor Plunge Rd at nesting colony Pileated Woodpecker- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods
Olive-sided Flycatcher-Oak Grove Eastern Wood-Pewee- Pine Woods, Peveto Woods, Oak Grove Acadian Flycatcher-common Atchafalaya & migrant at Peveto Least Flycatcher-Peveto Woods Great Crested Flycatcher- high 10 Atchafalaya Western Kingbird-telephone wires along highway, Sabine NWR Eastern Kingbird-including 50+ flying in off gulf at Oak Grove Scissor-tailed Flycatcher-fairly common rice country & elsewhere Loggerhead Shrike- all days White-eyed Vireo-abundant Atchafalaya Yellow-throated Vireo- breeders Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, migrants Peveto Blue-headed Vireo-1 Peveto Woods Philadelphia Vireo-20+ Peveto Woods Red-eyed Vireo- high 12 Peveto Woods Blue Jay- all days American Crow- most days Fish Crow- most days Purple Martin- Rice country, Cameron Parish Tree Swallow- all days Northern Rough-winged Swallow- Rice country & Cameron Parish Bank Swallow-Holmwood area Cliff Swallow-abundant breeder under bridges Cave Swallow-6 nesting under bridge near Abbeville Barn Swallow- all days Carolina Chickadee- high 15 Atchafalaya Tufted Titmouse- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods Brown-headed Nuthatch-calling Kisatchie Carolina Wren- all days Sedge Wren-calling Johnson Bayou Marsh Wren- Rice country & Cameron Parish Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-Atchafalaya Eastern Bluebird-near Mouton Cove Veery-Peveto Woods Gray-cheeked Thrush-Peveto Woods Swainson s Thrush-Peveto Woods Wood Thrush- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, migrants coastal Cameron Gray Catbird- all days Northern Mockingbird- all days Brown Thrasher- most days European Starling- all days Cedar Waxwing- all days Blue-winged Warbler- Oak Grove, Peveto Woods Golden-winged Warbler-Peveto Woods, SB only Tennessee Warbler- Atchafalaya, Oak Grove, Peveto Woods
Northern Parula-2 singing Atchafalaya Yellow Warbler- coastal Cameron Parish Chestnut-sided Warbler-Oak Grove & Peveto Woods Magnolia Warbler-Oak Grove & Peveto Woods Black-throated Green Warbler-Oak Grove & Peveto Woods Blackburnian Warbler-Oak Grove & Peveto Woods Yellow-throated Warbler-Peveto Woods Pine Warbler-Kisatchie (heard only) Prairie Warbler-Kisatchie (heard only) Bay-breasted Warbler-Oak Grove & Peveto Woods Blackpoll Warbler-1 Peveto Woods Black-and-white Warbler- coastal Cameron Parish American Redstart- Atchafalaya, coastal Cameron Parish Prothonotary Warbler-including 30+ Atchafalaya Worm-eating Warbler-Oak Grove & Peveto Woods Swainson s Warbler-Atchafalaya (SB heard only), Peveto (DS only) Ovenbird- coastal Cameron Parish Northern Waterthrush (heard only Johnson Bayou) Kentucky Warbler-10 Atchafalya, also Kisatchie Common Yellowthroat- all days Hooded Warbler- Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, migrants coastal Cameron Yellow-breasted Chat-Kisatchie, Peveto Woods Summer Tanager- breeders Atchafalaya, Pine Woods, migrants Cameron Scarlet Tanager- Cameron Parish Western Tanager-one young male Peveto Woods Eastern Towhee-Atchafalaya & Kisatchie Bachman s Sparrow-6 Kisatchie Chipping Sparrow-Kisatchie Savannah Sparrow- Rice country & Cameron Parish Seaside Sparrow- one singing Sabine NWR White-crowned Sparrow- Rice country & Cameron Parish Northern Cardinal- all days Rose-breasted Grosbeak- Pine woods, Rice country & Cameron Parish Blue Grosbeak- Cheneyville area, Rice country & Cameron Parish Indigo Bunting- all days Painted Bunting-4 Atchafalaya, Peveto Woods Dickcissel-20 Umprhey Park, TX & Holmwood area Red-winged Blackbird- all days Eastern Meadowlark- all days except Atchafalaya Brewer s Blackbird-late male, near Cameron Common Grackle- all days Boat-tailed Grackle- Rice country & Cameron Parish Great-tailed Grackle- all days except Atchafalaya Bronzed Cowbird-male near Cameron
Brown-headed Cowbird- all days Orchard Oriole- all days Baltimore Oriole-including multiple flocks flying in from gulf, Oak Grove House Sparrow- all days 200 species Mammals: White-tailed Deer Fox Squirrel Gray Squirrel Nutria Marsh Rabbit River Otter Bottlenose Dolphin Rat sp. Herps: American Alligator Bull Frog Cricket Frog sp. Tree Frog sp. Rat Snake Odonates: River Jewelwing Ebony Jewelwing Common Green Darner Blue Dasher Eastern Pondhawk Black Saddlebags Carolina Saddlebags Butterflies: Giant Swallowtail Monarch White Peacock Question Mark American Snout