bettekauffman

A day spent birding…

is always a good day. And we saw a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), a male perched on a wire over a pond. As one of my counting companions noted, seeing a Kingfisher always makes it a good day!

Saturday, December 20, was the Audubon Christmas Bird Count at D’Arbonne NWR. My counting partner and the expert of our team was Certified Naturalist Roselie Overby, who astounds me with her ability to identify birds by their call.

She was already standing in the parking lot listening and jotting down bird names when I pulled in a few minutes late. Day was still dawning and it was cold. By early afternoon after a short lunch break, we were shedding the layers we had needed that morning.

The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was a second highlight of the day. We spotted it in a small wooded area between houses and it did not immediately fly away when we pulled to the side of the road. It seemed to be interested in something on the ground we could not see. But it sure knew how to make life hard for the photographer! Finally, it turned its head just right for one decent click.

Likewise, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) knew just exactly how to foil the photographer by staying behind a branch. But it too turned its head just right for a split second!

Overall, it was a glorious day to be out birding, but results were mixed. Roselie and I counted 35 species. Not bad, but not particularly good either. We’ve had as many as 40 previous years.

More noticeably, the numbers of individual birds were down. For example, we saw exactly 3 Dark-eye Juncos (Junco hyemalis), a typically plentiful bird. Roselie counted a few White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) she heard but did not see, but we neither saw nor heard any of the several other species we expected to see.

At the end of the day, we joined another 5 or 6 teams of counters at Heartwood Natural Area to “call the count.” The tentative total number of species was 91, and that’s a pretty good number. The bird of the day was a Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus), a new species for this count. Yay!

In spite of the good number of species, all of the teams reported numbers of individual birds to be down. One count does not a trend make, of course. But it certainly is in keeping with national and global trends, and cause for concern. Most humans profess to love birds. We must match our love with decisive conservation action.

Workshop Adventures

Birds, Birds, Birds

What a great day! Dr. Terri Maness walked us through 23 orders of birds that occur in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, then some ways of identifying birds.

*While my group was standing on the boardwalk out on the lake, a flock of maybe 20 American White Pelicans (*Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) glided onto the water. *This was my biggest surprise. I have seen White Pelicans before but never at BBLNWR.*

She also showed us 3millionbirds.org’s video about the huge decline of birds since the 1970s, which identifies several sad and shocking truths about why it’s happening, from loss of habitat to cats, both pets and feral, that roam freely outside.

*This little Golden-crowned Kinglet* (Regulus satrapa) *appears to be scowling at me. I think it is just the bandit mask it wears that makes it look that way!*

Then we added some layers against a somewhat cold but sunny day and went out to count birds. Terri gave us a scoring system: 5 points for an order, 2 points for a family and one point for a species. Two teams then walked off in opposite directions from the Conservation Learning Center at Black Bayou Lake NWR.

At the end of the afternoon, one team had accumulated more points than the other, but… it was a totally friendly competition and it really didn’t matter. We all learned and had a great time!

*While we were standing in front of the Conservation Learning Center tallying our scores, this Red-shouldered Hawk* (Buteo lineatus) soared in and perched at the top of a tree nearby. My group had heard a Red-tailed during the count, but this was the first look we got.

General Interest, Upcoming Events

4Q Meeting & Holiday Party

I hear its supposed to rain, but we’ll have a good time anyway!

*Jim volunteers at the Refuge. We’ll invite him to the party and maybe he’ll let us play with the resident Louisiana pine snakes!*

This Saturday, Dec. 9, we will convene for our 4th Quarter Meeting and our annual holiday party at Black Bayou Lake NWR in the Conservation Learning Center. Members and friends are invited.

Our speaker for the 4Q meeting is Alexandra Noel, meteorologist for NBC 10 News and FOX 14 News in West Monroe. She will talk about “NELA Severe Weather–Prepared, Not Scared.” What a timely and interesting subject!

The holiday party will follow. It is a potluck, and the offerings are typically delicious and plentiful. (Bringing food is not required.) We will also have an optional gift exchange. If you wish to participate, bring a gift in the $15-$20 range and enter it into the drawing.

This will be an opportunity to become a member if you wish, but that is not required. Come if you’re just interested in learning more about us and what we do.., and want to have a good time!

If weather allows, I’m guessing some of us will get outdoors at some point in the afternoon.

Please RSVP to LMNAOutreach@gmail.com.

General Interest

An Afternoon Well Spent

First we heard Johnny Armstrong talk about his restoration project at our 3rd Quarter Meeting, then we took him up on his offer to show it to us. Last Sunday afternoon, a handful of Louisiana Master Naturalists, Northeast Chapter, meandered through the restored shortleaf pine, oak, hickory woodland on Wafer Creek Ranch northwest of Ruston, La.

Johnny Armstrong and Opal lead a tour of the restored shortleaf pine, oak, hickory woodland on Wafer Creek Ranch near Ruston, La. Also pictured: Kim & Charles Paxton, John & Ann Frazer. Photo by David Hoover.

What a delight! Johnny has invested decades in this project and not for naught. The result is a woodland, indeed, but one characterized by relatively open spaces covered with a diverse array of grasses and wildflowers.

*Gulf Fritillaries were all over the Thoroughwort (*Eupatorium).

What was blooming this late October day? More than you might think! Narrowleaf Sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), Gayfeather Blazingstar (Liatris elegans), White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), several species of Goldenrod (Genus Solidago), and a couple of species of Thoroughwort (Genus Eupatorium), to name just a few.

*Split-beard Bluestem (*Andropogon ternarius) releases its seeds to the wind.

As one who has struggled to learn to identify grasses, I appreciated both Johnny’s descriptions of the grasses on Wafer Creek Ranch in his book, and his gentle quizzing and generous sharing of characteristics on site. Of course, grasses bloom too, but at this point in the year, the grasses were finished blooming and were heavy with seed or already releasing seeds to the wind.

Speaking of his book, I highly recommend it. It is both enjoyable to read and visually attractive, with many fine photographic illustrations. The title is Rescuing Biodiversity and Johnny begins it with a compelling discussion of just why that is necessary. It is available from LS U Press.

Thank you, Johnny, not only for an afternoon well spent but for your powerful example of how to steward our rich natural heritage.

Upcoming Events

3Q Members’ Meeting

Next Sunday, Sept. 10, we will gather at the Briarwood Nature Preserve, 216 Caroline Dormon Rd., Saline, LA, for our 3rd Quarter Members Meeting. Kick off time is 2:30 p.m. and we plan to wrap up by 4:30 p.m.

Preserve curator Bayli Quick will be our tour guide. We will be walking outside, so please dress accordingly. Right now, the temperature is predicted to peak at 99 degrees that day, with scattered showers developing in the afternoon. Please bring plenty of water!

*Caroline Dormon with a tree called “Grandpappy.”*

Briarwood is the former home of Caroline Dormon, a pioneer naturalist and conservationist extraordinaire whose legacy includes helping to establish the Kisatchie National Forest, as well as books, articles, art, and hundreds of students well-taught.

Remember that Louisiana Master Naturalists Association gives an award to an outstanding Louisiana Naturalist in her name at our annual statewide meeting called Rendezvous. Remember also that we are next year’s Rendezvous host chapter, and that will be on our meeting agenda!

Briarwood is about an hour and 20 minutes southwest of Monroe, so carpooling would be a great idea. And bring a friend. Our quarterly meetings are a great opportunity to introduce us and the fun we have to new folks.