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Updated on Thursday, March 18 at 02:46 AM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.


Black-headed Canaries,©Tony Disley

18 Mar Carolina Chickadees [thomas finnie ]
18 Mar Cliff Swallows [Richard Lowery ]
17 Mar STKI [Aves Art LLC ]
17 Mar Re: Chimney Swifts, Cliff Swallow in BR ["James V. Remsen" ]
17 Mar Chimney Swifts, Cliff Swallow in BR ["Brian O'Shea" ]
17 Mar Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins [Bill Fontenot ]
17 Mar Re: St. Tammany correction [David Muth ]
17 Mar thanks for all the Vortex input [Peter H Yaukey ]
17 Mar St. Tammany correction [Rosemary Seidler ]
17 Mar Eagle photo opp [Jane Patterson ]
17 Mar Re: parish checklists - 3 [Rosemary Seidler ]
17 Mar SV: [LABIRD-L] Central American bird field guide [Trond Nilsen ]
16 Mar Central American bird field guide [Rogelio Rodriguez ]
16 Mar Re: Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy? [Amy Stone ]
16 Mar Bird Monitoring Station in Baton Rouge [jared wolfe ]
16 Mar Re: BR swifts 16 March ["Jeffrey W. Harris" ]
16 Mar Fw: eBird Report - Black Bayou Lake NWR , 3/16/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
16 Mar BR swifts 16 March [Daniel Lane ]
16 Mar Re: Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy? ["Ingold, James" ]
16 Mar Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy? [Peter H Yaukey ]
16 Mar Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins [Carol Foil ]
16 Mar Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins [Peter H Yaukey ]
16 Mar Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins [Devin Bosler ]
16 Mar Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins [Jeff Harris ]
16 Mar Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins ["Steven W. Cardiff" ]
16 Mar FW: eBird Report - Fourchon-grand isle , 3/14/10 ["Purrington, Robert D" ]
16 Mar Purple Martin 3/15 [David Fox ]
15 Mar Re: Purple Finch [Paul Conover ]
15 Mar Re: Purple Finch [Curt Sorrells ]
15 Mar Northern Rough-winged Swallows - Bayou D'Arbonne Lake , 3/15/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
15 Mar White-eyed Vireo - D'Arbonne NWR , 3/15/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
15 Mar Osprey on Nest - Bayou D'Arbonne Lake , 3/15/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
15 Mar FOS Ruby-throated Hummingbird, NW Rapides Parish, LA [Huner Jay V ]
15 Mar Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins [Carol Foil ]
15 Mar radar observation of migrating birds [John Arvin ]
15 Mar FW: eBird Report - Sherburne WMA Complex--South Farm , 3/13/10 [Jane Patterson ]
15 Mar comings and goings [Jonathan Clark ]
15 Mar Peveto Woods, Sunday [Dave Patton ]
15 Mar BRAS Field Trip to Tunica Hills WMA ["Jeffrey W. Harris" ]
15 Mar Re: work story ["Mayberry, Nancy E ACE-IT AT MVN" ]
15 Mar Spring stuff [Melvin Weber ]
14 Mar parulas in BR [Philip C Stouffer ]
14 Mar Grace Eyster [birdlists ]
14 Mar American Golden-Plover - Toney Bayou Road, West Monroe, LA , 3/14/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
14 Mar Sharp-Shinned Hawk ID [thomas finnie ]
14 Mar Raptor Road Convention [thomas finnie ]
14 Mar Re: Birding from Rapides Parish to Cameron and Back - 3-13-10 Jeff Davis Gulls and Cameron Godwits [thomas finnie ]
14 Mar Birding from Rapides Parish to Cameron and Back - 3-13-10 Jeff Davis Gulls and Cameron Godwits [Huner Jay V ]
14 Mar Re: Purple Finch [janine robin ]
14 Mar Purple Finch [Curt Sorrells ]
14 Mar Swallow-tailed Kites ["Harvey L. Patten" ]
14 Mar new state park in our area [Janine Robin ]
14 Mar Swallow tailed Kite - Baton Rouge [Angela Orgeron ]
14 Mar Swallow-tailed Kites and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds [Kaye Madden ]
13 Mar Fwd: eBird Report - Fort Jackson , 3/13/10 [Richard Temple ]
13 Mar Peveto Woods - Baton Rouge Audubon Society , 3/13/10 [Huner Jay V ]
13 Mar Northern Parulas and Virginia Rail - Black Bayou Lake NWR , 3/13/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
13 Mar lake martin rookery [Danny Dobbs ]
13 Mar Fabacher Rd...I mean "Raptor Rd. [Irvin Louque ]
13 Mar LOS spring meeting ["David J. L'Hoste" ]
13 Mar Say's Phoebe persists [John Dillon ]
13 Mar Say's Phoebe at South Farm [Cham & Mary Mehaffey ]
12 Mar Re: work story ["Jeffrey W. Harris" ]
12 Mar Shorebirds - Catfish Pond 2, Gilbert, LA , 3/12/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
12 Mar Shorebirds - Catfish Farm, S of Gilbert, LA , 3/12/10 [Stephen Pagans ]
12 Mar Jefferson Island rookery [Elias Landry ]
13 Mar SV: [LABIRD-L] work story [Trond Nilsen ]
12 Mar White Pelicans [Melvin Weber ]
12 Mar swallow-tailed kites [Bill Fontenot ]
12 Mar Fw: eBird Report - Pearl River WMA--Honey Island Swamp , 3/12/10 ["Harvey L. Patten" ]
12 Mar Re: work story [Terry Davis ]
12 Mar New yard bird - Northern Parula [thomas finnie ]
12 Mar Swallow-tailed Kites [Lainie Lahaye ]
12 Mar Re: Sharp-Shinned Hawks [Amy Stone ]
12 Mar Re: work story [Richard Greig ]
12 Mar Sharp-Shinned Hawks [Amy Stone ]

Subject: Carolina Chickadees
From: thomas finnie <finnie.tom AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:46:12 -0500
Labirders,

The small Carolina Chickadees are hard to get pictures of as
they eternally move about sometimes fussing as they go.

You can find the pictures here ... http://tfinnie.blogspot.com/

Hopefully a major push of migratory songbirds will be moving through soon.

Have a Good Day, :)
Tom
Subject: Cliff Swallows
From: Richard Lowery <Falconrgl AT AOL.COM>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:35:02 EDT
Lake D'Arbonne bridges.  Cliff and barn swallows observed (FOS)  today.
Amusing encounter of swallows  fighting off a pair of Eastern  Bluebirds who
was attempting to usurp one of the still intact nests from last year.
 
Strange behavior from a nesting osprey pair  ---one returned to an  active 
nest
with a large clump of sod in it's talons. I saw the bird stoop (dive) in an 
 earthern 
area near the lakeshore just before it returned. Slow motion feature on  
playback
reveals the clump disentergrating just as it landed on the nest.
 
They don't use mud or dirt or sod  in their nest linings, do they. ""  
Perhaps it
was a futile grab at an emerging crayfish from it's chimney? 
 
 
R. Lowery, R.T.(N)
Downsville, La.
Subject: STKI
From: Aves Art LLC <avesart AT EARTHLINK.NET>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:10:40 -0500
Hi all,
Today I had 2 STKI sightings in 2 very different locations-talk about a good 
day! One was soaring above Harrison Avenue around Avenue L in Covington and the 
other was circling a pine tree in a small subdivision off of HWY 22 in between 
Bedico and Pontchatoula (Jennifer, if you're reading this I can give you exact 
directions-the bird was repeatedly circling one particular tree). I hope to see 
them nearer to Madisonville soon! I also had my FOS RTHU on March 11th and my 
FOS Chimney Swift a few days later. Spring is in the air! 

Pam in Madisonville


Aves Art LLC
avesart AT earthlink.net
EarthLink Revolves Around You.
Subject: Re: Chimney Swifts, Cliff Swallow in BR
From: "James V. Remsen" <najames AT LSU.EDU>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:39:35 -0500
On Mar 17, 2010, at 3:35 PM, Brian O'Shea wrote:

>
> This morning I had 2 Chimney Swifts at Capitol Lakes, followed by a  
> single
> Cliff Swallow along the levee downtown around noon.


Brian/LABIRD: nice early Cliff Swallow -- here's what we have in LA  
book draft:

early spring Coastal Zone:

• (2) 14 Mar. 2004, Grand Isle (DPM; ABF)

• 14 Mar. 2004, New Orleans (E. Wallace, DPM; ABF, Wallace 2004)

• (16-18) 22 Mar. 1987, Middle Pearl R. bridge, St. Tammany (RDP;  
Imhof 1987)

• (several) 22 Mar. 1988, Middle Pearl R. bridge, St. Tammany (RDP; ABF)

• (20) 22 Mar. 2007, Hwy. 190 just E of Atchafalaya R., Pte. Coupee  
(MMy; ABF)

• (10) 23 Mar. 2002, Sabine R., Cameron (M&GP; ABF)

early spring Offshore:

• 16 Mar. 1977, Gulf of Mexico off Cameron (P. Blevins; Imhof 1977)

• (4) 19 Mar. 1998, Garden Banks 189A (JRK)

• 22 Mar. 2000, S. Marsh Is. 147 (BJO)

• (2) 30 Mar. 1999, Ewing Bank 826 (JRK; ABF)

• 30 Mar. 2000, Green Canyon 18 (BLS)

early spring Southern Interior:

• 4 Mar. 2008, Baton Rouge, E. Baton Rouge (DFL; ABF)

• 12-13 Mar. 1992, E. Baton Rouge (JVR, S. Hackett; Muth 1992a)

• 16 Mar. 2008, 3.7 mi. N of St. Gabriel, Iberville (JVR; ABF)

• (20) 22 Mar. 2007, Hwy. 190 at Atchafalaya R., Pte. Coupee (MMy; ABF)

• (2) 22 Mar. 2008, Cotile L., Rapides (JVH; ABF)

early spring Northern Interior:

• 5 Mar. 2006, Shreveport (TD; ABF)

• 6 Mar. 2007, Shreveport (TD; ABF)

• (2) 15 Mar. 1997, Union (T. Douglas, M. Haraway; ABF)

• 17 Mar. 2003, Shreveport (JfT; ABF)

• (10) 18 Mar. 2000, Shreveport (JfT; ABF)

• 18 Mar. 2001, Natchitoches (JfT, CEL; ABF, Myers and Wallace 2001)

• (2) 19 Mar. 1997, Shreveport (RS; ABF)

• (6) 20 Mar. 1999, J&JT; ABF)

*****************************
J. V. Remsen
Museum of Natural Science
Foster Hall 119
LSU
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-2855
najamesLSU.edu
Subject: Chimney Swifts, Cliff Swallow in BR
From: "Brian O'Shea" <boshea2 AT TIGERS.LSU.EDU>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:35:26 -0500
Hi Labird,

This morning I had 2 Chimney Swifts at Capitol Lakes, followed by a single
Cliff Swallow along the levee downtown around noon.

Cheers,

Brian O'Shea
Baton Rouge
Subject: Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: Bill Fontenot <natrldlite AT COX.NET>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:24:09 -0500
>
> Anyone know of anywhere in New Orleans or Baton Rouge where one can by 
> Vortex Viper binoculars?

whoa! sounds more like an assault rifle than a binocular! vortex? viper? 
huh? does it, like, suck in viewing objects and then fatally bite them?

just sayin'...........................

it's apparently been a loooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg time since i've purchased 
a binocular.............

preparing to cower in fear (and, oh yeah, goldfinchless),

bill fontenot
lower prairie basse
upper lafayette parish, la. 
Subject: Re: St. Tammany correction
From: David Muth <dpmuth AT COX.NET>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:17:49 -0400
(fide Dan Purrington's checklist), there are at least three records of Horned 
Lark for St. Tammany Parish: a specimen by George E. Beyer, Jan. 6, 1879 
Mandeville; a specimen by H.H. Pring (?) at Pearl River, 2-22-1895; and 
2/2/1951 sight record at Covington by Chandler Robbins (no less). 


David Muth
New Orleans

---- Rosemary Seidler  wrote: 

=============
Part of the St. Tammany list is messed up.  Here is the corrected part.  Sorry.

Rosemary

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

St Tammany correction	
	
 Red-eyed Vireo	X
 YELLOW-GREEN VIREO	
 BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO	
 Purple Martin	X
 Tree Swallow	X
 Northern Rough-winged Swallow	X
 Bank Swallow	X
 Cliff Swallow	X
 CAVE SWALLOW	X
 Barn Swallow	X
 Blue Jay	X
 CLARK'S NUTCRACKER	
 American Crow	X
 Fish Crow	X
CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN	
 Horned Lark	
 Carolina Chickadee	X
 Tufted Titmouse	X
 Red-breasted Nuthatch	X
 White-breasted Nuthatch	X
 Brown-headed Nuthatch	X
 Brown Creeper	X
 ROCK WREN	
Carolina Wren	X
 Bewick's Wren	X
 House Wren	X
 Winter Wren	X
 Sedge Wren	X
 Marsh Wren	X
 Golden-crowned Kinglet	X
 Ruby-crowned Kinglet	X
 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	X
 NORTHERN WHEATEAR	
 Eastern Bluebird	X
 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD	
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE	
 Veery	X

--
David Muth
New Orleans
Subject: thanks for all the Vortex input
From: Peter H Yaukey <PYaukey AT UNO.EDU>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:16:29 -0500
Thanks to all who supplied Vortex Viper info- I have passed it on.

Peter Yaukey

-----Original Message-----
From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds 
[mailto:LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Ingold, James 

Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:46 PM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy?

According to their webpage Bass Pro Shop - Denham Springs is the closest to BR 
- some place in Garyville also but I don't know where that is (Garyville). No 
NOLA place given . 

 
Jim Ingold

  _____  

From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds on 
behalf of Peter H Yaukey 

Sent: Tue 3/16/2010 5:25 PM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: [LABIRD-L] Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy?



Oops- neglected to remove the remains of the earlier message on my last 
attempt- sorry! 



Birders:

Anyone know of anywhere in New Orleans or Baton Rouge where one can by Vortex 
Viper binoculars? Someone asked me and I had no answer, but offered to post to 
the listserve. 


Peter Yaukey



 
This message is intended only for the use of the Addressee(s) and may contain 
information that is PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL, and/or EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE 
under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby 
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the information 
contained herein is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you received this communication in 
error, please destroy all copies of the message, whether in electronic or hard 
copy format, as well as attachments and immediately contact the sender by 
replying to this email. 

 

 

 
 
Subject: St. Tammany correction
From: Rosemary Seidler <rseidler AT CENTENARY.EDU>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:10:58 -0500
Part of the St. Tammany list is messed up.  Here is the corrected part.  Sorry.

Rosemary

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

St Tammany correction	
	
 Red-eyed Vireo	X
 YELLOW-GREEN VIREO	
 BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO	
 Purple Martin	X
 Tree Swallow	X
 Northern Rough-winged Swallow	X
 Bank Swallow	X
 Cliff Swallow	X
 CAVE SWALLOW	X
 Barn Swallow	X
 Blue Jay	X
 CLARK'S NUTCRACKER	
 American Crow	X
 Fish Crow	X
CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN	
 Horned Lark	
 Carolina Chickadee	X
 Tufted Titmouse	X
 Red-breasted Nuthatch	X
 White-breasted Nuthatch	X
 Brown-headed Nuthatch	X
 Brown Creeper	X
 ROCK WREN	
Carolina Wren	X
 Bewick's Wren	X
 House Wren	X
 Winter Wren	X
 Sedge Wren	X
 Marsh Wren	X
 Golden-crowned Kinglet	X
 Ruby-crowned Kinglet	X
 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	X
 NORTHERN WHEATEAR	
 Eastern Bluebird	X
 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD	
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE	
 Veery	X
Subject: Eagle photo opp
From: Jane Patterson <cocamila AT COX.NET>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:48:19 -0500
Bald eagle sitting on cypress at Capitol lake in baton rouge. Was  
there yesterday and is back today. Pretty good photo opportunity esp.  
For those with mega-lenses. East side straight across from state  
insurance bldg

-- Jane Patterson
Baton Rouge
Subject: Re: parish checklists - 3
From: Rosemary Seidler <rseidler AT CENTENARY.EDU>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:18:32 -0500
Whoops.  Here is the link.

Checklists can be seen at:

http://www.birdstudygroup.org/SelectCheck.html

then click on:

Parish Species Observations spreadsheet.
________________________________________
From: Rosemary Seidler
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:15 AM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: parish checklists - 3

Things are moving along. I started with the spreadsheet from the 2004 parish 
contest with some additional sightings. I added all of the records accepted in 
the LBRC reports and newsletters to the appropriate parishes. Other than that I 
haven't done anything else to the parishes in BLACK. In addition to this, the 
parishes in RED contain data from checklists sent to me from birders around the 
state and records from eBird. After the red lists appear I hope to get feedback 
and some additions from some folks. Once this happens, or if I hear nothing for 
about a month, then the list is "complete" and is changed to BLUE. 


The following additional parishes are now complete:
Bienville
Caddo
Claiborne
LaSalle
Rapides

These are very near completion: (waiting for some feedback)
Bossier
DeSoto
Red River
St. Martin
St. Tammany
Vermilion
Terrebone

Thanks to the following people for their help: (others have been acknowledged 
in previous emails) 

Ascension - Jay Huner
Bossier - BSG database, Terry Davis
DeSoto - BSG database, Hubert Hervey, Jay Huner
LaSalle - Beth Wiggins
Natchitoches - BSG database, Hubert Hervey, Jay Huner
Rapides - Roger Breedlove
Sabine - Hubert Hervey, Jay Huner, Kreg Elzey
St. James - Josh Sylvest
St. Martin - Jay Huner
St. Tammany - Harvey Patton, Tom Trenchard, Chris Brantley
Vermilion - Paul Conover
Webster - BSG database
West Carroll - Rosalie Overby

Keep those checklists coming. And if you looking for a new place to bird try 
one of the parishes with fewer than 150 species on the list. Or St. Helena with 
fewer than 100. 


Thanks,

Rosemary Seidler
Shreveport
Subject: SV: [LABIRD-L] Central American bird field guide
From: Trond Nilsen <trond.nilsen AT LARVIK.KOMMUNE.NO>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:01:20 +0100
Roger/labird.

I used Helm and Webb on my trip to Oaxaca, Mexico in february 2009, after my 
field guide book dealer advised me that this was the best field guide of that 
area at the time. Sure, it`s big and somewhat heavy, but to me it became a 
matter of getting used to. I allways carry a small backsack, for water and 
snacks and whatnot anyways, so.. 


And it`s also a matter of doin` one`s homework before one leave for a trip - 
study the book and try to point out birds one might possibly see in the area 
one is travelling to - and try to get an overall impression of the field marks 
on those possible birds. If you manage that, the heavy field guide becomes a 
book you look in when you sit down for a break or in the evenings over coffey 
or dinner - remembering the birds you`ve seen and just confirming that these 
actually were the ones you saw. 


I have long found out that travelling to a new area you gotta give yourself som 
slack and not allways be dead sure of your field observations - when actually 
in the field. Too much is happening around you and you don`t wanna ruin it by 
looking in your field guide every time you see a new bird. Best you can do is 
make short notes on birds you`re not sure of at the moment. Better to save the 
confirmations to when you sit down for a rest or in evenings when you have time 
to study the pictures. And if you`ve done your home work well enough, you might 
as well leave the field guide at your hotel room when you venture into the 
forest 


I`s very pleased with my Helm and Webb!

...just my two cents..

Have a good trip!

Trond
SE Norway

-----Opprinnelig melding-----
Fra: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds 
[mailto:LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] På vegne av Rogelio Rodriguez 

Sendt: 17. mars 2010 03:27
Til: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Emne: [LABIRD-L] Central American bird field guide

Hi,

I'm interested in getting a birds of Central America field guide. I know that 
Howell and Webb (A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America) 
is the definitive source to have, buts its pretty bulky. I wanted to know if 
anyone has used the guide by van Perlo, "Birds of Mexico and Central America", 
http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Mexico-Central-America-Illustrated/dp/0691120706/ref=pd_sim_b_2 
, and what you thought about this book. From what I read on the Amazon reviews, 
it seems to be a toss-up, that is, the van Perlo book is cheaper and lighter, 
but at the same time there is problems with distribution maps appearing in the 
back of the book, pictures are too small and don't always show good 
distinguishing characteristics. But some of the reviews make note of these 
shortcomings and still appreciate the ability to carry it around. Just 
wondering if its worth buying this book or just going with Howell and Webb. 


Thanks,

        
Roger Rodriguez 


 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/210850552/direct/01/
Subject: Central American bird field guide
From: Rogelio Rodriguez <r_rod77 AT HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:26:59 -0500
Hi,

I'm interested in getting a birds of Central America field guide. I know that 
Howell and Webb (A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America) 
is the definitive source to have, buts its pretty bulky. I wanted to know if 
anyone has used the guide by van 

Perlo, "Birds of Mexico and Central America", 
http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Mexico-Central-America-Illustrated/dp/0691120706/ref=pd_sim_b_2 
, and what you thought about this book. From what I read on the Amazon reviews, 
it seems to be a toss-up, that is, the van Perlo book is cheaper and lighter, 
but at the same time there is problems with distribution maps appearing in the 
back of the book, pictures are too small and don't always show good 
distinguishing characteristics. But some of the reviews make note of these 
shortcomings and still appreciate the ability to carry it around. Just 
wondering if its worth buying this book or just going with Howell and Webb. 


Thanks,

        
Roger Rodriguez 


 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/210850552/direct/01/
Subject: Re: Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy?
From: Amy Stone <gizhawk AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:46:34 -0500
According to the Voretx website, these are some dealers with 120 miles of
NOLA or BR... might be worth calling about that particular model.


Bass Pro ShopsDenham SpringsLA70726(225) 271-3100Nick's Shooting Range
GaryvilleLA70051985-535-8161St. Landry Lumber
CoOPELOUSASLA70570337-942-2227Wild
Birds UnlimitedLAFAYETTELA70506337-993-2473Songy's Sporting GoodsHouma LA
70360985-857-8929
Subject: Bird Monitoring Station in Baton Rouge
From: jared wolfe <jdwolfe80 AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:14:44 -0700
LSU and BREC have recently begun a program focused on monitoring birds in BREC 
conservation areas using bird banding and audio-visual census techniques. 
Currently, we have established our first station at the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature 
Center. Three objectives guide our project: (1) data will be used to monitor 
migrant species and to analyze resident bird demographics; (2) provide unique 
environmental outreach opportunities for our community; and (3) train 
interested volunteers in contemporary bird monitoring techniques. 


Matt Brooks, Falyn Owens, John Hartgerink and Jared Wolfe conducted inaugural 
operations yesterday (15-March). It was an exciting morning with higher than 
expected capture rates; banded bird highlights included HERMIT THRUSH, 
WHITE-EYED VIREO, SWAMP SPARROW, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, TUFTED TITMOUSE and 
CAROLINA WREN. Audio-visual highlights included BARRED OWL, RED SHOULDERED 
HAWK, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, BROWN THRASHER and WOOD DUCK. 


Currently, we are looking for interested volunteers who either have bird 
banding experience, an interest in learning bird banding techniques, or an 
interest in recording data. We expect to operate the Bluebonnet station at 
least twice a month throughout the year, except during summer months. As a 
certified North American Banding Council trainer with years of experience 
supervising banding crews, I will be acting primary bander. Please contact me 
if you are interested in volunteering. Thanks and I look forward to advancing 
avian conservation and environmental outreach in Baton Rouge! 


Happy birding,

Jared Wolfe
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6202
jdwolfe80 AT yahoo.com


      
Subject: Re: BR swifts 16 March
From: "Jeffrey W. Harris" <jwharris30 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:12:58 -0500
Hello Dan/LABIRD,

I had Chimney Swifts this morning in the same area.  They vocalized to
confirm ID.

Sincerely,

Jeff Harris

On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 5:59 PM, Daniel Lane  wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Just stopped at City Park Lake here in Baton Rouge to see if any swifts
> were in with the swallow/martin swarm over the water. No luck there, but at
> the corner of Zealand and Perkins Rd (at about 4:45pm), there were three
> unidentified swifts that flew over. By shape, I'd be inclined to call them
> Chimney, and I guess that species should be arriving in Louisiana right
> about now, but I did not have the chance to observe them through binoculars,
> nor did they call. If anyone has a chance to check out City Park or Capitol
> lakes this evening, they were headed NW, and may have ended up at either of
> those water bodies.
>
> Good birding,
> Dan Lane
>
>  Daniel F. Lane
>
>
> Research Associate
> LSU Museum of Natural Science
> 119 Foster Hall
> Baton Rouge, LA 70803-3216 USA
>
>
> Guide
> Field Guides Inc.:
> http://www.fieldguides.com/tours.html?area=guides&guide=LANE_D
>
>
>
>
>
Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Black Bayou Lake NWR , 3/16/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:02:22 -0700
This survey was not exceptional for the birds found, but it was interesting to 
see a pair of Tree Swallows in nesting mode. 



Location:    Black Bayou Lake NWR
Observation date:    3/16/10
Notes:    Weather was cloudy and cool.  I started the survey at 11:17, went for 
1 hr 15 min and walked about 0.4 miles in the vicinity of the pier.  A pair of 
the Tree Swallows were checking out a cavity that had been used last year by 
Tree Swallows and appeared to be getting ready to have a nest. 

Number of species:    23

Pied-billed Grebe    3
Double-crested Cormorant    5
Great Egret    1
Black Vulture    2
Red-tailed Hawk    1
American Coot    4
Killdeer    2
Mourning Dove    1
Hairy Woodpecker    1
Blue Jay    1
Purple Martin    2
Tree Swallow    7
Carolina Chickadee    1
Tufted Titmouse    1
Carolina Wren    2
Winter Wren    1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)    1
Common Yellowthroat    1
Swamp Sparrow    5
Northern Cardinal    2
Red-winged Blackbird    14
Rusty Blackbird    1
Common Grackle    14

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: BR swifts 16 March
From: Daniel Lane <barbetboy AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:59:22 -0700
Hi all,

Just stopped at City Park Lake here in Baton Rouge to see if any swifts were in 
with the swallow/martin swarm over the water. No luck there, but at the corner 
of Zealand and Perkins Rd (at about 4:45pm), there were three unidentified 
swifts that flew over. By shape, I'd be inclined to call them Chimney, and I 
guess that species should be arriving in Louisiana right about now, but I did 
not have the chance to observe them through binoculars, nor did they call. If 
anyone has a chance to check out City Park or Capitol lakes this evening, they 
were headed NW, and may have ended up at either of those water bodies. 


Good birding,
Dan Lane

 Daniel F. Lane


Research Associate
LSU Museum of Natural Science
119 Foster Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-3216 USA


Guide
Field Guides Inc.:
http://www.fieldguides.com/tours.html?area=guides&guide=LANE_D



      
Subject: Re: Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy?
From: "Ingold, James" <James.Ingold AT LSUS.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:45:46 -0500
According to their webpage Bass Pro Shop - Denham Springs is the closest to BR 
- some place in Garyville also but I don't know where that is (Garyville). No 
NOLA place given . 

 
Jim Ingold

  _____  

From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds on 
behalf of Peter H Yaukey 

Sent: Tue 3/16/2010 5:25 PM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: [LABIRD-L] Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy?



Oops- neglected to remove the remains of the earlier message on my last 
attempt- sorry! 



Birders:

Anyone know of anywhere in New Orleans or Baton Rouge where one can by Vortex 
Viper binoculars? Someone asked me and I had no answer, but offered to post to 
the listserve. 


Peter Yaukey



 
This message is intended only for the use of the Addressee(s) and may contain 
information that is PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL, and/or EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE 
under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby 
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the information 
contained herein is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you received this communication in 
error, please destroy all copies of the message, whether in electronic or hard 
copy format, as well as attachments and immediately contact the sender by 
replying to this email. 

 

 

 
 
Subject: Vortex Viper binocs- where to buy?
From: Peter H Yaukey <PYaukey AT UNO.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:25:48 -0500
Oops- neglected to remove the remains of the earlier message on my last 
attempt- sorry! 



Birders:

Anyone know of anywhere in New Orleans or Baton Rouge where one can by Vortex 
Viper binoculars? Someone asked me and I had no answer, but offered to post to 
the listserve. 


Peter Yaukey
Subject: Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: Carol Foil <carolsfoil AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:26:44 -0500
Hmm ... if so, I am not the only one who reported one in the area this week
... according to ebird.

 I just heard it ... typical three part song.  Two days in a row.  No longer
here.  Did not get a recording though, so not much evidence for an earliest
ever record!

On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 2:22 PM, Steven W. Cardiff wrote:

> Carol/labird-
>    Just wondering about details on the Tennessee, as that would probably be
> the earliest-ever record of a spring migrant.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
>
> On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Foil  wrote:
>
> > Because I was gardening.  Fun mix of winter residents, recnet returnees
> >  and
> > at least one migrant Tenn. Warbler.  Mostly was glad to have a gang of
> Fish
> > Crows fly over .. unbelievably it has been several months since that
> > occured.
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > From: 
> > Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 5:14 PM
> > Subject: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
> > To: carolsfoil AT gmail.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Location:     Home Stanford Avenue
> > Observation date:     3/15/10
> > Notes:     Birding while gardening
> > Number of species:     29
> >
> > Wood Duck     1
> > Osprey     1
> > Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
> > Mourning Dove     2
> > Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
> > Rufous Hummingbird     1
> > Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
> > Downy Woodpecker     1
> > Northern Flicker     1
> > Eastern Phoebe     1
> > Blue Jay     2
> > Fish Crow     6
> > Purple Martin     4
> > Carolina Chickadee     2
> > Tufted Titmouse     2
> > Carolina Wren     1
> > Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
> > American Robin     2
> > Northern Mockingbird     2
> > Cedar Waxwing     50
> > Tennessee Warbler     1
> > Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
> > Pine Warbler     1
> > White-throated Sparrow     1
> > Northern Cardinal     4
> > Red-winged Blackbird     6
> > Brown-headed Cowbird     2
> > House Finch     2
> > House Sparrow     12
> >
> > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Carol S Foil
> > Baton Rouge, LA
> > CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
> >
>



-- 
Carol S Foil
Baton Rouge, LA
CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
Subject: Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: Peter H Yaukey <PYaukey AT UNO.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:20:51 -0500
Birders:

Anyone know of anywhere in New Orleans or Baton Rouge where one can by Vortex 
Viper binoculars? Someone asked me and I had no answer, but offered to post to 
the listserve. 


Peter Yaukey

________________________________________
From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds 
[LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Steven W. Cardiff [scardif AT GMAIL.COM] 

Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:22 PM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 
Birding without Bins 


Carol/labird-
    Just wondering about details on the Tennessee, as that would probably be
the earliest-ever record of a spring migrant.

Thanks,

Steve

On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Foil  wrote:

> Because I was gardening.  Fun mix of winter residents, recnet returnees
>  and
> at least one migrant Tenn. Warbler.  Mostly was glad to have a gang of Fish
> Crows fly over .. unbelievably it has been several months since that
> occured.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: 
> Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 5:14 PM
> Subject: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
> To: carolsfoil AT gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> Location:     Home Stanford Avenue
> Observation date:     3/15/10
> Notes:     Birding while gardening
> Number of species:     29
>
> Wood Duck     1
> Osprey     1
> Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
> Mourning Dove     2
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
> Rufous Hummingbird     1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
> Downy Woodpecker     1
> Northern Flicker     1
> Eastern Phoebe     1
> Blue Jay     2
> Fish Crow     6
> Purple Martin     4
> Carolina Chickadee     2
> Tufted Titmouse     2
> Carolina Wren     1
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
> American Robin     2
> Northern Mockingbird     2
> Cedar Waxwing     50
> Tennessee Warbler     1
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
> Pine Warbler     1
> White-throated Sparrow     1
> Northern Cardinal     4
> Red-winged Blackbird     6
> Brown-headed Cowbird     2
> House Finch     2
> House Sparrow     12
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
>
>
>
> --
> Carol S Foil
> Baton Rouge, LA
> CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
>
Subject: Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: Devin Bosler <devinbosler AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:50:57 -0400
Jeff/LABIRD,

      I suspect that you heard a singing Orange-crowned Warbler, and not a
record-early Tennessee.  Partial songs of either species may sound
reminiscent of the other, which is not surprising given their close
phylogenetic relationship.  Just like other wintering songbirds,
Orange-crowneds - rather quiet aside from a sharp *tik *note all winter -
begin singing intermittently by early to mid-March (from personal obs).
 Those few males that linger into late March-early April usually sing with
greater frequency and intensity.  Something to be listening for and making
note of for future reference.

best,
Devin


On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 4:44 PM, Jeff Harris  wrote:

> Steve/Carol/LABIRD,
>
> I too reported an early TN Warbler in eBird this week, and I've been braced
> for the inquiry from the pesky Regional Reviewer.
>
> In my case, I did not get a good look at the bird.  I simply saw a dark
> silhouette of a small warbler in the company of American Goldfinch.
>  However, the distinctive song of the species eminated from the bird.  It
> flew before I could see the bird in binocs.  But the partial song included
> the first two stuttering stanzas of the typical 3-part song.  I am confident
> of the song ID.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jeff Harris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steven W. Cardiff 
> Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:22 PM
> To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
> Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
> Birding without Bins
>
> Carol/labird-
>    Just wondering about details on the Tennessee, as that would probably be
> the earliest-ever record of a spring migrant.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
>
> On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Foil  wrote:
>
> > Because I was gardening.  Fun mix of winter residents, recnet returnees
> >  and
> > at least one migrant Tenn. Warbler.  Mostly was glad to have a gang of
> Fish
> > Crows fly over .. unbelievably it has been several months since that
> > occured.
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > From: 
> > Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 5:14 PM
> > Subject: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
> > To: carolsfoil AT gmail.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Location:     Home Stanford Avenue
> > Observation date:     3/15/10
> > Notes:     Birding while gardening
> > Number of species:     29
> >
> > Wood Duck     1
> > Osprey     1
> > Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
> > Mourning Dove     2
> > Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
> > Rufous Hummingbird     1
> > Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
> > Downy Woodpecker     1
> > Northern Flicker     1
> > Eastern Phoebe     1
> > Blue Jay     2
> > Fish Crow     6
> > Purple Martin     4
> > Carolina Chickadee     2
> > Tufted Titmouse     2
> > Carolina Wren     1
> > Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
> > American Robin     2
> > Northern Mockingbird     2
> > Cedar Waxwing     50
> > Tennessee Warbler     1
> > Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
> > Pine Warbler     1
> > White-throated Sparrow     1
> > Northern Cardinal     4
> > Red-winged Blackbird     6
> > Brown-headed Cowbird     2
> > House Finch     2
> > House Sparrow     12
> >
> > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Carol S Foil
> > Baton Rouge, LA
> > CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
> >
>



-- 
Devin Bosler
Lancaster, PA
Subject: Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: Jeff Harris <jwharris30 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:44:53 -0500
Steve/Carol/LABIRD, 

I too reported an early TN Warbler in eBird this week, and I've been braced for 
the inquiry from the pesky Regional Reviewer. 


In my case, I did not get a good look at the bird. I simply saw a dark 
silhouette of a small warbler in the company of American Goldfinch. However, 
the distinctive song of the species eminated from the bird. It flew before I 
could see the bird in binocs. But the partial song included the first two 
stuttering stanzas of the typical 3-part song. I am confident of the song ID. 


Sincerely,  

Jeff Harris

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven W. Cardiff 
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:22 PM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 
Birding without Bins 


Carol/labird-
    Just wondering about details on the Tennessee, as that would probably be
the earliest-ever record of a spring migrant.

Thanks,

Steve

On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Foil  wrote:

> Because I was gardening.  Fun mix of winter residents, recnet returnees
>  and
> at least one migrant Tenn. Warbler.  Mostly was glad to have a gang of Fish
> Crows fly over .. unbelievably it has been several months since that
> occured.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: 
> Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 5:14 PM
> Subject: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
> To: carolsfoil AT gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> Location:     Home Stanford Avenue
> Observation date:     3/15/10
> Notes:     Birding while gardening
> Number of species:     29
>
> Wood Duck     1
> Osprey     1
> Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
> Mourning Dove     2
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
> Rufous Hummingbird     1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
> Downy Woodpecker     1
> Northern Flicker     1
> Eastern Phoebe     1
> Blue Jay     2
> Fish Crow     6
> Purple Martin     4
> Carolina Chickadee     2
> Tufted Titmouse     2
> Carolina Wren     1
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
> American Robin     2
> Northern Mockingbird     2
> Cedar Waxwing     50
> Tennessee Warbler     1
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
> Pine Warbler     1
> White-throated Sparrow     1
> Northern Cardinal     4
> Red-winged Blackbird     6
> Brown-headed Cowbird     2
> House Finch     2
> House Sparrow     12
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
>
>
>
> --
> Carol S Foil
> Baton Rouge, LA
> CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
>
Subject: Re: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: "Steven W. Cardiff" <scardif AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:22:13 -0500
Carol/labird-
    Just wondering about details on the Tennessee, as that would probably be
the earliest-ever record of a spring migrant.

Thanks,

Steve

On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Foil  wrote:

> Because I was gardening.  Fun mix of winter residents, recnet returnees
>  and
> at least one migrant Tenn. Warbler.  Mostly was glad to have a gang of Fish
> Crows fly over .. unbelievably it has been several months since that
> occured.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: 
> Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 5:14 PM
> Subject: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
> To: carolsfoil AT gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> Location:     Home Stanford Avenue
> Observation date:     3/15/10
> Notes:     Birding while gardening
> Number of species:     29
>
> Wood Duck     1
> Osprey     1
> Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
> Mourning Dove     2
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
> Rufous Hummingbird     1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
> Downy Woodpecker     1
> Northern Flicker     1
> Eastern Phoebe     1
> Blue Jay     2
> Fish Crow     6
> Purple Martin     4
> Carolina Chickadee     2
> Tufted Titmouse     2
> Carolina Wren     1
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
> American Robin     2
> Northern Mockingbird     2
> Cedar Waxwing     50
> Tennessee Warbler     1
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
> Pine Warbler     1
> White-throated Sparrow     1
> Northern Cardinal     4
> Red-winged Blackbird     6
> Brown-headed Cowbird     2
> House Finch     2
> House Sparrow     12
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
>
>
>
> --
> Carol S Foil
> Baton Rouge, LA
> CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
>
Subject: FW: eBird Report - Fourchon-grand isle , 3/14/10
From: "Purrington, Robert D" <danny AT TULANE.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:58:22 -0500
 Another brief trip (4 hrs) to the coast, Fourchon to Grand Isle.
Golden Plovers and Uplands at the Exxon fields.  Few migrants in the
woods (gnatcatchers).  Again, no small plovers at Elmer's.  Far fewer
gannets than last week.

Dan Purrington



Location:     Fourchon-grand isle
Observation date:     3/14/10
Notes:      the whistling-ducks were over I310
Number of species:     51

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck     30
Blue-winged Teal     150
Northern Shoveler     15
Lesser Scaup     1300
Common Loon     1
Pied-billed Grebe     5
Northern Gannet     3
American White Pelican     25
Brown Pelican     250
Double-crested Cormorant     75
Great Blue Heron     3
Great Egret     7
Snowy Egret     4
Cattle Egret     20
Roseate Spoonbill     1
Turkey Vulture     3
Red-shouldered Hawk     2
Clapper Rail     4
Black-bellied Plover     1
American Golden-Plover     34
Killdeer     2
Willet     17
Upland Sandpiper     2
Marbled Godwit     45
Sanderling     50
shorebird sp.     3300
Laughing Gull     20
Ring-billed Gull     60
Herring Gull     20
Gull-billed Tern     1
Caspian Tern     5
Forster's Tern     2
Royal Tern     6
Eurasian Collared-Dove     2
Belted Kingfisher     3
Northern Flicker     1
Loggerhead Shrike     1
Blue Jay     3
American Crow     10
House Wren     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     2
Northern Mockingbird     6
European Starling     25
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     55
Wilson's Warbler     1
Swamp Sparrow     2
Northern Cardinal     5
Red-winged Blackbird     8
Common Grackle     15
Boat-tailed Grackle     10
House Sparrow     10

This report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/content/la/)
Subject: Purple Martin 3/15
From: David Fox <thedavefox AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:58:58 -0500
I observed two Purple Martins, each at different locations, over marsh near
Grand Bayou near Hwy 23 and Port Sulphur on 3/15.
Subject: Re: Purple Finch
From: Paul Conover <zoiseaux AT COX.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:22:47 -0500
Curt, Labird,
      I just assumed I hadn't set my clock far enough ahead the other 
night.

Paul Conover
Lafayette



On 3/15/2010 9:28 PM, Curt Sorrells wrote:
> Labird
>
> So far there has only been one person to catch (or say anything) about the 
glearing mistakes in my message. 

> I ment to say March 7 and 8 instead of May 7and 8. I have no idea what I was 
thinking. My brain must have 

> been disconnected from my typing--again. Anyway, I did have 7 Purple Finches 
on March 7 and 8, but 

> they are not late at all.  They have another 7 weeks before they are late.
>
>
>    ----- Original Message -----
>    From: Curt Sorrells
>    To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
>    Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 3:11 PM
>    Subject: Purple Finch
>
>
>    Labird
>
> I am late in getting this out, but last Sunday and Monday, May 7and 8, at our 
place on the Bogue Chitta 

> river in southern Washington Ph., I had 7 Purple Finches. There were 3 males 
and 4 females. Unfortunately 

> one of the females flew into the plate glass window and killed herself. I've 
had 2 or 3 for the last month or so 

> but nothing like this. This is two weeks later than the latest spring date of 
April 25 in Lowery's. After 

> having a flock of 30 to 40 Goldfinches all winter, they were down to 6 or 8. 

>
>    Curt Sorrells
>
>
Subject: Re: Purple Finch
From: Curt Sorrells <csorrells AT BELLSOUTH.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:28:17 -0500
Labird

So far there has only been one person to catch (or say anything) about the 
glearing mistakes in my message. 

I ment to say March 7 and 8 instead of May 7and 8. I have no idea what I was 
thinking. My brain must have 

been disconnected from my typing--again. Anyway, I did have 7 Purple Finches on 
March 7 and 8, but 

they are not late at all.  They have another 7 weeks before they are late.
 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Curt Sorrells 
  To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU 
  Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 3:11 PM
  Subject: Purple Finch 


  Labird

 I am late in getting this out, but last Sunday and Monday, May 7and 8, at our 
place on the Bogue Chitta 

 river in southern Washington Ph., I had 7 Purple Finches. There were 3 males 
and 4 females. Unfortunately 

 one of the females flew into the plate glass window and killed herself. I've 
had 2 or 3 for the last month or so 

 but nothing like this. This is two weeks later than the latest spring date of 
April 25 in Lowery's. After 

  having a flock of 30 to 40 Goldfinches all winter, they were down to 6 or 8.

  Curt Sorrells
Subject: Northern Rough-winged Swallows - Bayou D'Arbonne Lake , 3/15/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:37:16 -0700
This was not an exceptional survey except for seeing the Northern Rough-winged 
Swallows.  I was 95 percent sure or more that the swallows were the Northern 
Rough-winged Swallows but decided to see if I could confirm with my Birdjam.  I 
started playing their song while they were a bit distant, but they heard it.  
Finally a pair came closer and started circling me.  Within just a few minutes 
on at least two or three occasions, they came within three feet of me and one 
almost landed on the end of my camera lens.  It was really neat to have them so 
close as they faced into a breeze and just hovered right in front of me.  I 
will have to try that with other swallows.  I needed a backup photographer 
since my 400 mm lens needs 12 feet to focus. 


 
Location:    Bayou D'Arbonne Lake
Observation date:    3/15/10
Notes:    Weather was clear and mild.  I started this survey at 2:00, went for 
1 hr., and walked 0.3 mi in the vicinity of the dam on the north side. 

Number of species:    21

Ruddy Duck    1
Bonaparte's Gull    3
Ring-billed Gull    2
Red-headed Woodpecker    1
Red-bellied Woodpecker    2
Northern Flicker    2
Blue Jay    2
American Crow    1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    3  (FOS)
Carolina Chickadee    1
Carolina Wren    2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet    1
Eastern Bluebird    2
Northern Mockingbird    2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)    4
Pine Warbler    1
Eastern Towhee    2
Savannah Sparrow    1
White-throated Sparrow    2
Northern Cardinal    2
American Goldfinch    1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: White-eyed Vireo - D'Arbonne NWR , 3/15/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:30:18 -0700
Location:    D'Arbonne NWR
Observation date:    3/15/10
Notes:    Weather was clear and mild.  I started the survey at 3:45, went for 1 
hr 45 min and walked 0.5 mi on the east side of the refuge at the end of 
Holland's Bluff Road.  Birds were very active with a lot of singing. 

Number of species:    29

Snow Goose    181 (flyover)
Wood Duck    4
Great Blue Heron    1
Turkey Vulture    1
Red-bellied Woodpecker    4
Downy Woodpecker    6
Northern Flicker    1
Pileated Woodpecker    1
White-eyed Vireo    1  (FOS)
Blue Jay    3
American Crow    3
Carolina Chickadee    2
Tufted Titmouse    10
Brown Creeper    1
Carolina Wren    2
Golden-crowned Kinglet    2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet    5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    1
Hermit Thrush    6
Brown Thrasher    3
Orange-crowned Warbler    2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)    12
Pine Warbler    1
Eastern Towhee    3
White-throated Sparrow    5
Dark-eyed Junco    1
Northern Cardinal    4
Red-winged Blackbird    3
American Goldfinch    2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: Osprey on Nest - Bayou D'Arbonne Lake , 3/15/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:27:37 -0700
I saw one Osprey dive off the nest and catch a fish.  It went over to another 
tree to eat the fish by itself. 


Location:    Bayou D'Arbonne Lake
Observation date:    3/15/10
Notes:    Weather was clear and mild.  I was on the Corney Creek arm of the 
lake mainly there to check out nesting activity of the Osprey.  When I got 
there, two adult Osprey were on the nest that is several hundred yards north of 
the boat launch.  There was no activity on the Osprey nest just south of the 
boat launch on the other side of Highway 2. 

Number of species:    6

Double-crested Cormorant    10
Turkey Vulture    2
Osprey    2
Ring-billed Gull    1
Rock Pigeon    3
Fish Crow    1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: FOS Ruby-throated Hummingbird, NW Rapides Parish, LA
From: Huner Jay V <jvh0660 AT LOUISIANA.EDU>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:25:25 -0500
Made no real attempt to bird around home today and hadn't thought to share 
today's list with LABIRD but about 6 PM CDST, a male Ruby-throated 
Hummingbird showed up at the sugar water feeder in front of the kitchen 
window. 

List is short because I didn't go out on the lake nor did I go to the 
rookery/roost area at the Hoyt Road Causeway. Still nice to pick up 30 birds 
any day.

Did go over to Iatt Lake dam in Grant Parish hoping for a wayward roadrunner 
on the access road. No luck. But did find a total of 9 Barn Swallows here 
and there as I drove north from Pineville into and around Grant Parish. Also 
saw a single Purple Martin. 

Jay Huner

Location:     Cotile Recreation Area [NW Rapides Parish about 20 miles NW of 
Alexandria and 7 miles due west of Boyce off I-49. Pretty much in the middle 
of the state.

Observation date:     3/15/10
Number of species:     33
> 
> Double-crested Cormorant     4
> Great Egret     2
> Mourning Dove     9
> Inca Dove     1
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
> Belted Kingfisher     1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker     4
> Downy Woodpecker     2
> Northern Flicker     3
> Pileated Woodpecker     2
> Blue Jay     11
> American Crow     5
> Fish Crow     15
> Carolina Chickadee     8
> Tufted Titmouse     6
> Brown-headed Nuthatch     2
> Carolina Wren     4
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
> Eastern Bluebird     5
> American Robin     2
> Northern Mockingbird     7
> Brown Thrasher     4
> European Starling     1
> Cedar Waxwing     85
> Orange-crowned Warbler     1
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
> Pine Warbler     3
> Chipping Sparrow     25
> White-throated Sparrow     6
> Dark-eyed Junco     3
> Northern Cardinal     15
> Brown-headed Cowbird     4
> House Finch     1
Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10 Birding without Bins
From: Carol Foil <carolsfoil AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:24:36 -0500
Because I was gardening.  Fun mix of winter residents, recnet returnees  and
at least one migrant Tenn. Warbler.  Mostly was glad to have a gang of Fish
Crows fly over .. unbelievably it has been several months since that
occured.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: 
Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 5:14 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Home Stanford Avenue , 3/15/10
To: carolsfoil AT gmail.com




Location:     Home Stanford Avenue
Observation date:     3/15/10
Notes:     Birding while gardening
Number of species:     29

Wood Duck     1
Osprey     1
Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
Mourning Dove     2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
Rufous Hummingbird     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker     1
Eastern Phoebe     1
Blue Jay     2
Fish Crow     6
Purple Martin     4
Carolina Chickadee     2
Tufted Titmouse     2
Carolina Wren     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
American Robin     2
Northern Mockingbird     2
Cedar Waxwing     50
Tennessee Warbler     1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     6
Pine Warbler     1
White-throated Sparrow     1
Northern Cardinal     4
Red-winged Blackbird     6
Brown-headed Cowbird     2
House Finch     2
House Sparrow     12

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)



-- 
Carol S Foil
Baton Rouge, LA
CarolSFoil AT gmail.com
Subject: radar observation of migrating birds
From: John Arvin <jarvin AT GCBO.ORG>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:17:43 -0500
Though it is a bit early for maximum utility, Nexrad radars along the Gulf 
Coast are showing northbound migration of birds along the Gulf of Mexico 
coast of the United States. This afternoon a modest arrival of birds 
(probably herons, golden-plovers, etc.; not songbirds) was observed at the 
Houston and Lake Charles Nexrad stations. Stations both east and southwest 
of those locations (Mobile, New Orleans, Corpus, and Brownsville) did not 
indicate arriving migrants. Songbird migrants will continue to be thin on 
the ground until near the end of the month, but shore and water birds will 
make up the majority of radar returns from the near-shore Gulf for the next 
week or 10 days. Migrating raptors (Broad-winged and Swainson's Hawks and 
Turkey Vultures) will be prominent during daytime radar returns over land 
from Brownsville coverage north through Corpus Christi coverage.

John C. Arvin

Research Coordinator

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory

103 West Hwy 332

Lake Jackson, TX 77566

jarvin AT gcbo.org

www.gcbo.org
 
Subject: FW: eBird Report - Sherburne WMA Complex--South Farm , 3/13/10
From: Jane Patterson <cocamila AT COX.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:14:53 -0400
Took my Birding Basics class on a field trip on Saturday to Sherburne. 
We started at the Bald Eagle nest across the levee from the South Farm 
parking lot.  The eagle chick is as large as his parents now (approx 7 
weeks old) and seems to be expected to eat for himself as we witnessed 
an adult dropping a meal into the nest.  He is also stretching his 
wings, getting used to the idea of flying. The adults were stationed in 
the nearby tree line to the north.  However, when I went back on Sunday 
they weren't even doing that -- we saw them flying nearby but not 
babysitting.  Estimate that the chick will leave the nest in 2-3 weeks.

It was a great day to be out, albeit a tad windy.  Had FOS Little Blue 
Herons, Barn Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallows and singing N. 
Parulas.  Lots of birds engaged in spring song!   The class was most 
impressed when a juvenile Bald Eagle flew over near the tree line and 
where no birds had been visible there were suddenly *thousands* of White 
Ibis rising into the air and resettling on the compound!   Very cool 
sight.

Due to time constraints we didn't get all the way back to the trailer 
area to look for the Say's Phoebe.  Went back Sunday but ran out of time 
then as well.  If someone goes this week and sees it, I'd appreciate a 
heads up!

--Jane Patterson
Baton Rouge


-------- Begin forwarded message --------
Subject: eBird Report - Sherburne WMA Complex--South Farm , 3/13/10
Date: 3/13/10 9:02:13 PM
 From: do-not-reply AT ebird.org
To:cocamila AT cox.net


Location:     Sherburne WMA Complex--South Farm
Observation date:     3/13/10

Number of species:     50

Blue-winged Teal     12
Double-crested Cormorant     35
Anhinga     3
Great Blue Heron     4
Great Egret     12
Snowy Egret     3
Little Blue Heron     23
Cattle Egret     1
White Ibis     3000
Black Vulture     2
Turkey Vulture     8
Bald Eagle     4
Red-shouldered Hawk     2
Red-tailed Hawk     2
American Coot     300
Killdeer     4
Greater Yellowlegs     3
Mourning Dove     3
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     5
Northern Flicker     3
Eastern Phoebe     3
White-eyed Vireo     2
Blue Jay     3
American Crow     2
Fish Crow     5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     8
Barn Swallow     6
Carolina Chickadee     8
Tufted Titmouse     2
Carolina Wren     7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     4
Eastern Bluebird   4
Hermit Thrush     2
American Robin     2
European Starling     5
American Pipit     20
Orange-crowned Warbler     1
Northern Parula     4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     19
Palm Warbler     1
Common Yellowthroat     3
Eastern Towhee     3
Swamp Sparrow     18
White-throated Sparrow     5
Northern Cardinal     7
Red-winged Blackbird     45
Eastern Meadowlark     12
Common Grackle     6
Brown-headed Cowbird     160

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: comings and goings
From: Jonathan Clark <falloutbird_1 AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:34:33 -0700
I think my local sharp-shinned may have caught the hermit thrush that always 
seems to be around the cedars in my yard. The thrush rarely strays more than a 
few feet from cover, but it had ventured a little farther onto the lawn to find 
more dried cherries from the birdseed mix I'd scattered around the tree. The 
cardinals and the thrush scattered when the immature sharpy swooped into the 
yard, and I think it was the thrush that she was right behind as they 
disappeared around the corner of the house. I know a hawk's got to eat, but I 
hope you made it, hermit! 


On a happier note, the female Pine Warbler has been gathering nesting 
materials, including lots of feathers from where something (either the 
sharp-shinned or my cat) had caught a robin a little while back. The male pine 
warbler is usually singing from one of the pines nearby. 



      
Subject: Peveto Woods, Sunday
From: Dave Patton <wdpatton AT COX.NET>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:44:15 -0500
Labird,
Spent the afternoon in Peveto Woods, Cameron Parish. The activity around the 
water hole was good with the dry conditions. Most abundant bird was the 
Yellow-rumps with probably 50 - 75 in the sanctuary. They were spread from 
the beach, through the woods, and to the marsh. Some migrants seen were:
1 B&W Warbler
1 Hooded Warbler
1 La Waterthrush
2 N Parula
1 Y-c Nightheron

Winter residents:
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Hermit Thrush
3 Golden-crowned Kinglets
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Northern Flicker
3 Lincoln Sparrows
5 White-throated Sparrows
2 Swamp Sparrows
3 White-crowned Sparrows
2 Savanna Sparrows
Also lots of gulls and terns on the rocks with  2 Red-breasted Mergansers 
and a few Lesser Scaup in the water around the rocks. Shrimp boats in close 
with lots of birds in tow.

Dave Patton
Lafayette 
Subject: BRAS Field Trip to Tunica Hills WMA
From: "Jeffrey W. Harris" <jwharris30 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:44:41 -0500
Hello BRAS and LABIRD,

Just a reminder that I will lead a field trip to Tunica WMA on Thursday,
March 18, 2010.  I will keep the original departure time of 6:30 AM, despite
the switch back to daylight savings time.  I estimate an 1 hour and 20
minute drive, which means the sun will have been up for perhaps 30-45
minutes before our arrival.  If you plan to attend, please read part of the
original announcement (copied below):

This will be a transition period in which we will still see some winter
residents as well as some new arrivals.  We are likely to see some returning
warblers, which include Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Hooded,
Tennessee, and Black-and-White, Northern Parula, and Louisiana Waterthrush.
Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, and Summer Tanager are also
possible.  We will likely walk 2-3 miles, and the route will include a
couple of steep hills, and a portion of the path will follow the middle of a
sandy creek bed (so bring waterproof shoes or boots).  Also, remember to
bring the basics:  food, water and insect repellent.  We will meet at Coffee
Call in Baton Rouge, and depart at 6:30 AM.  It takes over an hour to reach
the WMA, but we can stop in St. Francisville if a restroom break is needed
(there are really no other places beyond this point for services).  Please
remember that a valid fishing license or wildlife stamp is necessary to
enter the WMA.  Looking forward to good weather and a fun outing!  Everyone
is invited to join.


Sincerely,

Jeff Harris
Subject: Re: work story
From: "Mayberry, Nancy E ACE-IT AT MVN" <Nancy.E.Mayberry@USACE.ARMY.MIL>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:44:02 -0500
 I get a lot of odd looks ( of course, that happens whether I'm birding or
not, LOL) but my worst moment was trying to explain "pishing" to a cop. He
had pulled over to find out why I was lurking in the scrubs & shrubs off HWY
90.  When he heard me pishing away, I think he decided I was either on drugs
or suffering early dementia.

He scared off the flock of birds I was trying to ID as well. 


Nancy E. Mayberry
Visual Information Specialist
ACE-IT Information Products Services
7400 Leake Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118
504-862-1599

nancy.e.mayberry AT usace.army.mil


-----Original Message-----
From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds
[mailto:LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Clark
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 10:40 AM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] work story

Yeah, I got the ugliest, most suspicious looks from a guy on horseback! Like
stopping by a bridge to do a little birdwatching is more eccentric than
riding a horse down a public road. But I also get some possitive feedback.
People telling me where they saw an eagle or asking if I can tell them what
kind of bird they are describing. Its nice to get someone interested.
Subject: Spring stuff
From: Melvin Weber <mweber AT RTCONLINE.COM>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:38:42 -0500
Went to the Bonnet Carre Spillway yesterday looking for spring birds  
to match the weather.  Not bad.  The new spring birds I found  
included---13 Golden Plovers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 Barn Swallows  
and 1 Yellow-throated Warbler.
Melvin Weber
Subject: parulas in BR
From: Philip C Stouffer <pstouffer AT LSU.EDU>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:00:36 -0500
Labirders,

I heard at least three parulas this am while running around the LSU
lakes.  I think they arrived since Friday, when I didn't hear them along
the same route.
I guess I'm preaching to the choir, but this morning I felt sorry for
all the runners, walkers, dog walkers, etc. going around the lakes
plugged into ipods.  It was a great morning to listen to birds.

In other news, a male Wilson's Warbler was a nice surprise by the Moore
Park soccer fields in Lafayette this afternoon.

Phil Stouffer
Subject: Grace Eyster
From: birdlists <birdlists AT AOL.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:34:25 -0500
It is with sadness that I post the death of Grace Eyster in Lafayette. She has 
influenced many lives and we will all miss her. She was President of LOS in 
1977 - 79. 


Grace Loescher Eyster
 
 
Grace Marie Loescher Eyster of Lafayette, LA, died peacefully at Lafayette 
General Medical Center on March 13, 2010, at the age of 87. 

 
Survivors include her loving husband of 62 years, Dr. Marshall “Tom†B. 
Eyster, and 

their three children, Dr. Nancy Eyster-Smith and her husband Doug of Waltham, 
MA , Dr. Linda Eyster of Hyde Park, MA, and Kenneth Eyster and his wife Anita 
of Lafayette, LA., and 6 grandchildren (Jessica, Marshall and Kevin Eyster, 
Sheldon and Martin Smith, and Oliver Pechenik). 

 
She was preceded in death by her parents Washington and Elsa Loescher and her 
older sister Doris Emrath. 

 
Grace was born in Chicago in 1922, graduated from Sullivan H.S. (1940) in 
Chicago, and spent her summers working and making life-long friends at Camp 
Pinemere (WI), where she taught archery, swimming, sailing , and tennis. She 
received a four-year scholarship to Chicago Teacher’s College, where she 
graduated in 1944 with a Bachelor’s of Education. She was a teacher for the 
rest of her life in one way or another. She taught biology at Sullivan H.S. for 
three years before going to graduate school at the University of Illinois at 
Champaign-Urbana, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Botany in 1947. 
Although she never earned her PhD, before moving to Lafayette for her 
husband’s new professorship at ULL (then SLI), she had completed all her 
course work for a PhD in Botany. After raising her family, she studied library 
science and received a Master’s Degree in Library Science from LSU. At USL, 
Grace worked in the Stevens Library and later Dupre Library, where s 

 he was charged with the multiyear task of converting all the books in the 
library from the Dewey-decimal system to the newer Library of Congress system. 
She also taught Biology labs at ULL, General Biology lectures at LSU for 
several years, and published zoology lab manuals with Tom. Through 2009, Grace 
taught Gumbo U/Potpourri ULL continuing education for many years, sharing her 
knowledge about plants, gardening, birds, art, architecture, literature, and 
travel. She was proud to have been a teacher for over 65 years. 

 
For her, one of the most interesting jobs of her life was working for the 
Chicago Tribune, on the night shift during college. Long before internet 
searches, people would telephone the newspaper, and she and four other women 
would use a variety of reference books, stacked from floor to ceiling, to look 
up answers to questions about warships, song lyrics, recipes, science, and 
anything else people wanted to know. She was a “google girl,†long before 
Google. 

 
Grace and her family enjoyed traveling, especially to the West and to their 
cabin in the mountains of Colorado. She eventually visited all 50 states, and 
then later in life began traveling to other countries, discovered a love for 
it, and encouraged others to experience foreign travel. She conducted summer 
trips for about 20 years to over 25 countries. 

 
 Grace was a woman ahead of her time, always promoting women’s rights, 
conservation, and education. She was one of the very first women to serve on a 
jury trial in Lafayette Parish. She believed in the power of visual images and 
public television in education and helped her husband organize the Audubon 
Wildlife Films at USL for 25 years. For two years she even hosted a half-hour 
cable television show called “I’ve Always Wondered.†She also served as 
Director of the Louisiana Junior Academy of Sciences and Director of Region VI 
State Science Fair for several years. 


Grace enjoyed her years of work with conservation organizations, such as the 
Sierra Club, Audubon Society, and the Louisiana Ornithological Society, serving 
as its Secretary/Treasurer for over 10 years and as its President for 2 years. 
She was a member of University Women. She loved encouraging others to attend 
Community Concerts, and was an active member in the Book Club, the Lafayette 
Garden Club, and New Acadians. In 2009, Grace was honored in the Circle of 
Roses, Louisiana State Garden Club. 

 
When Grace was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 1963, she did not let 
it slow her down. As her friends have noted, she was “Amazing Grace†and 
moved forward, living life to the fullest, and helping others do so as well. 
Grace will be remembered with great fondness. 

 
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
 
Services are private and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
 
Remembrances may be posted at www.mourning.com.
Subject: American Golden-Plover - Toney Bayou Road, West Monroe, LA , 3/14/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:24:36 -0700
Location:    Toney Bayou Road, West Monroe, LA
Observation date:    3/14/10
Notes:    Weather was clear, breezy and cool.  I started the survey at 10:20 
and went for 1 hr.  I found the American Golden Plovers in a wet spot of a 
field next to some woods where backwater of the Ouachita River was draining 
off. 

Number of species:    20

Wood Duck    2
Blue-winged Teal    12
Double-crested Cormorant    2
Great Blue Heron    1
Great Egret    30
Little Blue Heron    1
Cattle Egret    1
American Coot    2
American Golden-Plover    8
Killdeer    200
Lesser Yellowlegs    1
Ring-billed Gull    3
American Crow    1
Fish Crow    1
Tree Swallow    1
Tufted Titmouse    1
Carolina Wren    1
American Pipit    1
Northern Cardinal    1
Red-winged Blackbird    125

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: Sharp-Shinned Hawk ID
From: thomas finnie <finnie.tom AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:12:03 -0500
Labirders,

My bad, the 'Sharpie' is really a Merlin. I er, ugh ... knew it all along.
It was just a test to see if you noticed. :)

Thanks for the correct ID Paul. :)

Still waiting on a Sharpie ... ):

Have a Great Week,
Tom
Subject: Raptor Road Convention
From: thomas finnie <finnie.tom AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:24:13 -0500
Labirders,

In addition to nine Birds of Prey listed below that Irvin Loque observed
Saturday on Fabacher Road ...

1. Crested Caracara
2. White-Tailed Kite
3. Northern Harrier
4. Cooper's Hawk
5. Red-Tailed Hawk
6. American Kestrel
7. Merlin
8. Black Vulture
9. Turkey Vulture

10. You can also add the White-Tailed Hawk seen by two couples from Baton
Rouge on Saturday afternoon (whose names slip my mind) that I talked to
Sunday AM, making a total of 10 Birds of Prey.

11. You can also add a Sharp-Shinned Hawk seen and photographed today,
Sunday, on Fabacher Road making a total of 12 Birds of Prey for the weekend.

The picture of the 'Sharpie' can be found here ...
http://tfinnie.blogspot.com/

12. Additionally, a Peregrine Falcon was seen Thursday nearby on Gum Cove
Road.

Have a Good Week, :)
Tom
Subject: Re: Birding from Rapides Parish to Cameron and Back - 3-13-10 Jeff Davis Gulls and Cameron Godwits
From: thomas finnie <finnie.tom AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:35:31 -0500
Hi Jay,

Just a few more to get to triple digits. That is phenomenal !!!

Nice job,
Tom

On Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 7:01 PM, Huner Jay V  wrote:

> LABIRD,
>
> A week ago Friday, I found a major concentration of Ring-billed Gulls off
> LA
> 99 in Jeff Davis Parish. The estimate of 10,000 birds was an impression. I
> went back yesterday to get a feel for the size of the field where I found
> the gulls shoulder to shoulder. Well, the field had not been drained for
> rice planting and there were many gulls present. Here is a discussion of my
> impressions.
>
> The gull roost is just off LA 99 about a mile north of the intersection of
> LA 14 and LA 99. I got there about 5:30 PM today. The birds were not
> concentrated in one field. The fields actually appear to be around 10-20
> acres in size. There were about a thousand gulls in the field close to the
> road and there appeared to be about 2000 gulls in the fields farthest from
> the road. I simply could not get very good pictures of anything. I
> estimated
> the number in the close field and extrapolated to the dense concentration
> of
> birds in the distant fields - not clear if they were in two adjacent
> distant
> fields or in one long field. Anywhere from 30-50 gulls were arriving per
> minute from the north very high and diving down to find places to land. I
> watched this behavior for half an hour. The birds were still arriving when
> I
> left at 6 PM.
>
> Almost all gulls were Ring-billed Gulls. I saw one very large gull that
> might have been a first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. However, it was a
> long way off and I didn't try to take any pictures of it.
>
> I have no reservations estimating 3,500 Ring-billed Gulls in the roost
> based
> on taking my time to watch the birds arriving and making a good faith
> estimate of the numbers present. I regret, however, that I did not take
> pictures last week.
>
> I went from NW Rapides Parish through Pitkin, Reeves, DeQuincy,
> Sulphur/Fabacher Road, Hackberry, Holly Beach, Johnson's Bayou, back
> through
> Holly Beach to Cameron to Creole, to Cameron Creole NWR, Sweet Lake, Hayes,
> and Welsh before I ran out of daylight. If my count of the list of birds
> below is correct, I managed 96 which is a pretty good day for someone at my
> skill level and no help. Some comments and the list follow. I previously
> reported the birds I found at Peveto Woods. It was well worth the visit
> despite the fact that the "sparrow" morphed into, most likely, a Swamp
> Sparrow!
>
> Jay Huner
>
> Fabacher Road - west of Sulphur/Carlyss and south of US 190/I10. Met Irvin
> Loque. Did find a Buteo far out in trees along a fence line but couldn't
> figure out what it was. Left Irvin with it figuring his optics were far
> better than mine and he'd be able to confirm an id if anyone could. Well,
> no
> luck. And I missed the White-tailed Hawk.
>
> Cameron Jetty Park - I counted 32 Marbled Godwits at the Cameron Jetty
> Park.
> They were clustered east of the beach side gazebo. I've been there now
> three
> times since it opened including the terribly cold day in early January when
> I found a couple of Cave Swallows. It is worth paying to get in and the fee
> -
>  2.50 or 5.00 is worth it as you have a day long pass and can come and go.
> Managed a couple of Whimbrels plus a number of seabirds.
>
> Cameron Creole NWR - There were plenty of ducks along Pintail Drive but
> diversity was lacking compared to a week ago. Some geese were still hanging
> around. But, I missed Common Moorhen and Anhinga. There is a small woodlot
> immediately south of the headquarters parking lot. It can be good for
> migrant songbirds and sparrows.
>
> Bird List: Snow Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Canada Goose, Gadwall,
> Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal,
> Lesser
> Scaup, Ruddy Duck, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Neotropic
> Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy
> Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned
> Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill,
> Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel,
> American Coot, American Golden Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer,
> Black-
> necked Stilt, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs,
> Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Least
> Sandpiper, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull, Laughing Gull,
> Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Gull-billed Gull, Royal Tern, Common Tern,
> Forster's Tern, Black Skimmer, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-
> winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker,
> Downy
> Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe,
> Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow,
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina
> Wren, House Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird,
> Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler,
> Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow,
> Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow,
> White-
> crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird,
> Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Great-tailed
> Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, and House Sparrow.
>
Subject: Birding from Rapides Parish to Cameron and Back - 3-13-10 Jeff Davis Gulls and Cameron Godwits
From: Huner Jay V <jvh0660 AT LOUISIANA.EDU>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:01:17 -0500
LABIRD,

A week ago Friday, I found a major concentration of Ring-billed Gulls off LA 
99 in Jeff Davis Parish. The estimate of 10,000 birds was an impression. I 
went back yesterday to get a feel for the size of the field where I found 
the gulls shoulder to shoulder. Well, the field had not been drained for 
rice planting and there were many gulls present. Here is a discussion of my 
impressions.

The gull roost is just off LA 99 about a mile north of the intersection of 
LA 14 and LA 99. I got there about 5:30 PM today. The birds were not 
concentrated in one field. The fields actually appear to be around 10-20 
acres in size. There were about a thousand gulls in the field close to the 
road and there appeared to be about 2000 gulls in the fields farthest from 
the road. I simply could not get very good pictures of anything. I estimated 
the number in the close field and extrapolated to the dense concentration of 
birds in the distant fields - not clear if they were in two adjacent distant 
fields or in one long field. Anywhere from 30-50 gulls were arriving per 
minute from the north very high and diving down to find places to land. I 
watched this behavior for half an hour. The birds were still arriving when I 
left at 6 PM. 
 
Almost all gulls were Ring-billed Gulls. I saw one very large gull that 
might have been a first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. However, it was a 
long way off and I didn't try to take any pictures of it.

I have no reservations estimating 3,500 Ring-billed Gulls in the roost based 
on taking my time to watch the birds arriving and making a good faith 
estimate of the numbers present. I regret, however, that I did not take 
pictures last week. 

I went from NW Rapides Parish through Pitkin, Reeves, DeQuincy, 
Sulphur/Fabacher Road, Hackberry, Holly Beach, Johnson's Bayou, back through 
Holly Beach to Cameron to Creole, to Cameron Creole NWR, Sweet Lake, Hayes, 
and Welsh before I ran out of daylight. If my count of the list of birds 
below is correct, I managed 96 which is a pretty good day for someone at my 
skill level and no help. Some comments and the list follow. I previously 
reported the birds I found at Peveto Woods. It was well worth the visit 
despite the fact that the "sparrow" morphed into, most likely, a Swamp 
Sparrow!

Jay Huner

Fabacher Road - west of Sulphur/Carlyss and south of US 190/I10. Met Irvin 
Loque. Did find a Buteo far out in trees along a fence line but couldn't 
figure out what it was. Left Irvin with it figuring his optics were far 
better than mine and he'd be able to confirm an id if anyone could. Well, no 
luck. And I missed the White-tailed Hawk.
 
Cameron Jetty Park - I counted 32 Marbled Godwits at the Cameron Jetty Park. 
They were clustered east of the beach side gazebo. I've been there now three 
times since it opened including the terribly cold day in early January when 
I found a couple of Cave Swallows. It is worth paying to get in and the fee -
 2.50 or 5.00 is worth it as you have a day long pass and can come and go. 
Managed a couple of Whimbrels plus a number of seabirds.

Cameron Creole NWR - There were plenty of ducks along Pintail Drive but 
diversity was lacking compared to a week ago. Some geese were still hanging 
around. But, I missed Common Moorhen and Anhinga. There is a small woodlot 
immediately south of the headquarters parking lot. It can be good for 
migrant songbirds and sparrows. 

Bird List: Snow Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Canada Goose, Gadwall, 
Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Lesser 
Scaup, Ruddy Duck, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Neotropic 
Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy 
Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned 
Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, 
Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, 
American Coot, American Golden Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Black-
necked Stilt, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, 
Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Least 
Sandpiper, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull, Laughing Gull, 
Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Gull-billed Gull, Royal Tern, Common Tern, 
Forster's Tern, Black Skimmer, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-
winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy 
Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, 
Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, 
Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina 
Wren, House Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, 
Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, 
Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, 
Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-
crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, 
Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Great-tailed 
Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, and House Sparrow.
Subject: Re: Purple Finch
From: janine robin <j-probin1982 AT PEOPLEPC.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:39:40 -0600
I live just south of you, Curt, and I also have several Purple Finches. 
Today I had at least 60 + gold finches, but they were mostly up in the oak 
trees singing and chirping. Only a few actually came down to the feeders. 
Also had about 40 to 50 Chipping Sparrows today, in the grass and at the 
feeders.
                    Janine Robin
              NW St Tammany Parish
                        Folsom
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Curt Sorrells" 
To: 
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 2:11 PM
Subject: [LABIRD-L] Purple Finch


Labird

I am late in getting this out, but last Sunday and Monday, May 7and 8, at 
our place on the Bogue Chitta
river in southern Washington Ph., I had 7 Purple Finches.  There  were 3 
males and 4 females.  Unfortunately
one of the females flew into the plate glass window and killed herself. 
I've had 2 or 3  for the last month or so
but nothing like this.  This is two weeks later than the latest spring date 
of April 25 in Lowery's.  After
having a flock of 30 to 40 Goldfinches all winter, they were down to 6 or 8.

Curt Sorrells 
Subject: Purple Finch
From: Curt Sorrells <csorrells AT BELLSOUTH.NET>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:11:10 -0500
Labird

I am late in getting this out, but last Sunday and Monday, May 7and 8, at our 
place on the Bogue Chitta 

river in southern Washington Ph., I had 7 Purple Finches. There were 3 males 
and 4 females. Unfortunately 

one of the females flew into the plate glass window and killed herself. I've 
had 2 or 3 for the last month or so 

but nothing like this. This is two weeks later than the latest spring date of 
April 25 in Lowery's. After 

having a flock of 30 to 40 Goldfinches all winter, they were down to 6 or 8.

Curt Sorrells
Subject: Swallow-tailed Kites
From: "Harvey L. Patten" <puffin AT BELLSOUTH.NET>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:09:51 -0500
Around noon today I had one Swallow-tailed Kite near Lakeside Memorial Hospital 
and 2 more over my residence in Covington Country Club Estates. 


Harvey L. Patten
Subject: new state park in our area
From: Janine Robin <j-probin1982 AT PEOPLEPC.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:20:19 -0600
For those who haven't heard, Bogue Chitto State Park is opening in mid-April. 
It is off of Hwy 25 about 5 miles north of the Village of Folsom or 10 miles 
south of Franklinton. The first phase of the 1700+ acre park will open first. 
There is a boardwalk area and many trails. I live really close to it , so I am 
very excited about the opening. Have been waiting since I first heard about it 
back in 2005. 

Should be some decent birding there, I hope.
                                            Janine
Subject: Swallow tailed Kite - Baton Rouge
From: Angela Orgeron <amorgeron AT COX.NET>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:13:00 -0500
While stopped at the intersection of Highland Road and Bluebonnet Blvd., I
spotted a Swallow tailed Kite soaring over the Bluebonnet Swamp area at
about noon today. I live nearby so I'm having lunch outside in hopes of a
new yard bird.

 

Angie Orgeron

Baton Rouge, LA
Subject: Swallow-tailed Kites and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
From: Kaye Madden <sunnydayrain82 AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:39:23 -0700
Some delayed sightings:
Had a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird visit my feeder  near Scott on 3-11-10.
Spotted 2 Swallow-tailed Kites flying above Les Vieux Chenes golf course in 
Youngsville yesterday, 3-13-10. 


Kaye Madden



Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Fort Jackson , 3/13/10
From: Richard Temple <rtempl7 AT TIGERS.LSU.EDU>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:07:01 -0800
Originally headed toward Venice in hopes of finding a Western Kingbird.  No
luck with a Kingbird but did find one adult Swainson's Hawk along Hwy 23.
 After that I decided to bird Fort Jackson for a while.  Mainly birded the
large tract of oaks to the south of the Fort. The wind made birding a bit
difficult but overall it was a decent day.  Found a single Live Oak that
hosted several species of warblers, a Brown Creeper, and two species of
woodpeckers all at the same time. Full list below for anyone interested.

Richard Temple

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: 
Date: Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 7:47 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Fort Jackson , 3/13/10
To: rtempl7 AT lsu.edu




Location:     Fort Jackson
Observation date:     3/13/10
Notes:     Wind was terrible the entire time. 10-20 mph gust made birding a
bit difficult but otherwise a good day. Found a single Live oak tree towards
the middle that played host to a Northern Parula, 2 Yellow-throated
Warblers, 2 Black-and-White Warblers, and 1 brown creeper all at the same
time.
Number of species:     43

Mottled Duck     2
Lesser Scaup     4
Double-crested Cormorant     3
Anhinga     1
Great Egret     2
Snowy Egret     2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron     1
Black Vulture     10
Turkey Vulture     10
Osprey     1
Red-tailed Hawk     1
American Kestrel     1
Merlin     2
American Coot     5
shorebird sp.     1
Laughing Gull     1
Great Horned Owl     1
Belted Kingfisher     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
Downy Woodpecker     2
Hairy Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker     3
Eastern Phoebe     3
Blue-headed Vireo     1
crow sp.     6
Purple Martin     2
Tree Swallow     20
Carolina Chickadee     2
Brown Creeper     2
Golden-crowned Kinglet     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     1
Northern Mockingbird     1
European Starling     15
Cedar Waxwing     50
Orange-crowned Warbler     1
Northern Parula     2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     25
Yellow-throated Warbler     3
Black-and-white Warbler     5
Eastern Towhee     1
Savannah Sparrow     5
Northern Cardinal     10
Red-winged Blackbird     20
American Goldfinch     15

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: Peveto Woods - Baton Rouge Audubon Society , 3/13/10
From: Huner Jay V <jvh0660 AT LOUISIANA.EDU>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:28:40 -0600
I am sending this report in the event someone is planning a trip to Peveto 
Woods tomorrow. The water pond was full of water but the mister was not 
working - battery probably dead. When I started walking down the trail into 
the rag weed south of the parking area, I was enveloped by mosquitos. Most 
must have been males as they weren't trying hard to bite. Was pleased to 
find a Yellow-throated Warbler and a Hooded Warbler in amongst the yellow-
rumps. 

Have referred the description of the sparrow referenced below to specialists 
for their consideration. If they feel that I am in error, the bird will be 
deleted from the ebird record. I simply could not get an image of the bird 
as it was foraging in dense ragweed and flushing and flying a long way off. 

I birded around the sanctuary area, along the beach and drove around the 
neighborhood on my way out.

Jay Huner

> Location:     Peveto Woods - Baton Rouge Audubon Society
> Observation date:     3/13/10
> Notes:     I saw a sparrow that was consistent with Clay-colored Sparrow. 
I was unable to secure an image as the bird was foraging in dense dead rag 
weed. The bird was consistent with a juvenile reddish auricular ear patch, 
some limited breast streaking and a reddish brown crown. It had a reddish 
brown crown and a white sub-moustacial stripe. Don't think it was a Song 
Sparrow. 

> Number of species:     37
> 
> Brown Pelican     4
> Yellow-crowned Night-Heron     1
> Turkey Vulture     1
> Killdeer     3
> Willet     3
> Laughing Gull     75
> Ring-billed Gull     30
> Forster's Tern     60
> Royal Tern     10
> White-winged Dove     1
> Mourning Dove     2
> Belted Kingfisher     1
> Downy Woodpecker     1
> Northern Flicker     1
> Eastern Phoebe     1
> Loggerhead Shrike     2
> Purple Martin     2
> Tree Swallow     4
> House Wren     1
> American Robin     1
> Northern Mockingbird     1
> Brown Thrasher     1
> European Starling     10
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     35
> Yellow-throated Warbler     1
> Hooded Warbler     1
> Eastern Towhee     1
> Clay-colored Sparrow     1
> Song Sparrow     4
> Swamp Sparrow     4
> White-throated Sparrow     2
> White-crowned Sparrow     6
> Northern Cardinal     3
> Red-winged Blackbird     30
> Boat-tailed Grackle     65
> Great-tailed Grackle     15
> Brown-headed Cowbird     2
Subject: Northern Parulas and Virginia Rail - Black Bayou Lake NWR , 3/13/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:06:53 -0800
We were glad to hear and see two Northern Parulas at the observation deck which 
were FOS.  Also glad to hear another Virginia Rail that answered to its song 
while were out on the pier.  I think that one was a new one for Joan. 



Location:    Black Bayou Lake NWR
Observation date:    3/13/10
Notes:    Weather was cloudy and then partly sunny, windy and cold.  Joan Brown 
and I started this survey in the pier/boardwalk area at 8:12, went for 3 hr and 
covered 1.1 miles (0.8 mile walking).  We also covered a part of the photo 
blind area and the observation deck. 

Number of species:    43

Wood Duck    3
Pied-billed Grebe    7
Double-crested Cormorant    8
Great Blue Heron    2
Great Egret    1
Northern Harrier    1
Red-shouldered Hawk    1
Red-tailed Hawk    1
Virginia Rail    1
American Coot    1
Killdeer    2
Red-bellied Woodpecker    4
Hairy Woodpecker    1
Pileated Woodpecker    2
Eastern Phoebe    2
Loggerhead Shrike    1
Blue-headed Vireo    1
Blue Jay    8
Fish Crow    2
Purple Martin    2
Tree Swallow    30
Barn Swallow    2
Carolina Chickadee    3
Tufted Titmouse    3
Carolina Wren    5
Golden-crowned Kinglet    1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet    3
Eastern Bluebird    3
Hermit Thrush    1
Northern Mockingbird    2
European Starling    2
Northern Parula    2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)    22
Pine Warbler    1
Common Yellowthroat    1
Eastern Towhee    2
Field Sparrow    12
Song Sparrow    1
Swamp Sparrow    9
Northern Cardinal    6
Red-winged Blackbird    16
Common Grackle    9
American Goldfinch    3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: lake martin rookery
From: Danny Dobbs <DNTDOBBS AT AOL.COM>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:47:18 EST
The rookery at Lake Martin seems to me to be a little late getting started  
for some sp. There have been great egrets in good numbers displaying and 
nest  building since early Feb and I would guess  4-500 visible with more out 
of  sight from the road and the number still increasing. Many appear to be  
sitting on eggs but are so far from the road and levee trail it is hard to 
tell.  This last week a few pairs have begun nest nearer the road. On Fri 
there were 5 or 6 of both night herons standing around the areas they normally 

nest and a  yellow crown was beginning to build. A few little blues have 
roosted in the  rookery area since early Jan and 60+ flew out Fri with 30 or 
so snowy egrets and  15+ cattle egrets but no nesting yet. No tricolored or 
green herons. There were  30 spoonbills, some roosting and some flying into 
the distant trees where they  have nested the past couple of years. Some 
displayed but no nest. I found a couple of anhingas standing around the rookery 

area and 50-75 neotropic  cormorants flying out each morning from back in 
the woods somewhere. Half a  dozen or so great blue herons are in and out of 
the area but no nest are  visible. In addition to the waders several pairs 
of wood ducks are around and a  loose flock of 50+ black bellied wh. ducks. 
Most winter sp are still findable.  Had my first no. parula on the llth and 
first no. roughwing swallow on the  12th.  Danny Dobbs
Subject: Fabacher Rd...I mean "Raptor Rd.
From: Irvin Louque <ilouque AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:14:45 -0800
Labirders,

Well i spent over 3 hours at Fabacher Rd. looking for the White-tailed Hawk. I 
could not conclusively identify any white-tailed hawks. There were a few 
red-tails, including several far unidentifiable red-tail sized raptors. As I 
was concentrating on a far off hawk, a White-tailed Kite flew directly over me. 
A welcome lifer. Another highlight is first of season Barn Swallows and 
Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Of the 40 species seen, 9 were birds of prey. 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2747/4430123808_87cf741ce2_b.jpg

Location:    Fabacher Road
Observation date:    3/13/10
Number of species:    40

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias    1
Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis    2
White Ibis - Eudocimus albus    1
White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi    60
Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus    8
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura    5
White-tailed Kite - Elanus leucurus    1
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus    3
Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii    1
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis    3
Crested Caracara - Caracara cheriway    1
American Kestrel - Falco sparverius    2
Merlin - Falco columbarius    1
Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus    2
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus    5
shorebird sp. - Charadriiformes sp.    100
Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto    1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura    4
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus    1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe    3
Loggerhead Shrike - Lanius ludovicianus    2
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor    15
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis    3
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica    8
House Wren - Troglodytes aedon    5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula    1
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis    1
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos    6
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris    6
Orange-crowned Warbler - Vermivora celata    1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - Dendroica coronata coronata    6
Palm Warbler (Western) - Dendroica palmarum palmarum    2
Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis    5
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia    2
Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana    6
White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys    2
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis    6
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus    15
Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna    3
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula    3
Great-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus    5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)



      
Subject: LOS spring meeting
From: "David J. L'Hoste" <lhoste AT LHOSTELAW.COM>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:08:16 -0600
Meeting information now on LOS website.

Also check out the Gay Gomez article "Whooping Cranes in Southwest 
Louisiana" from the Winter 2001edition of the Journal of Louisiana 
Ornithology.

http://losbird.org

-- 
David J. L'Hoste
Law Offices of David J. L'Hoste, LLC
400 Lafayette Street, Suite 150
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
t 504.566.0056
f 504.525.7213
m 504.920.1505
Subject: Say's Phoebe persists
From: John Dillon <jdillon AT WEBSTERPSB.ORG>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:37:26 -0600
Got disappointed birding at Corney Lake this morning, so I left.  
Stopped by the Hill Farm on the way home to try for the Say's and got  
lucky almost right off the bat. Got more pics and video. Also had a  
female Merlin on a fence post by the highway this morning when I left.

John Dillon
Athens, LA

Sent from my iPhone
Subject: Say's Phoebe at South Farm
From: Cham & Mary Mehaffey <mehaffey_mary AT BELLSOUTH.NET>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:51:37 -0800
LABIRDers,
 
Arrived at South Farm at 10:00 am and left the trailer area at 4:30 pm on 
Friday 3/12.  I saw the Say's Phoebe in the early afternoon (about 1:30) on the 
trail south of the trailer that turns east and leads to the ponds on top of 
a small tree about 40 ft away.  Saw it for about 20 seconds and then it 
flew further into the tree thicket and could not re-locate it.    

 
Mary
Subject: Re: work story
From: "Jeffrey W. Harris" <jwharris30 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:49:17 -0600
Charlie Parker!

On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 4:30 PM, Trond Nilsen <
trond.nilsen AT larvik.kommune.no> wrote:

> Who else (than you) can I tell this to:
> None of my co-workers are birders, but they know that I am. Quite a few of
> them travel a lot and over the years they`ve come to expect my "..have a
> nice trip - and try to write down the birds you see!" before they go and my
> ".. have you seen any birds...?" when they come back. But they never do and
> they never have, and I can`t figure out if they A) find birding extremely
> difficult, or B) find it extremely boring...
>
> It dawned on me the other day during our daily lunch hour quiz time, how
> special I am for having this odd interest, when everybody turned to me at
> the question: "What famous jazz artist was nicknamed "Bird"...?
>
> (I knew the answer of course, but............you know........)
>
> Trond
> SE Norway
>
Subject: Shorebirds - Catfish Pond 2, Gilbert, LA , 3/12/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:11:54 -0800
Location:    Catfish Pond 2, Gilbert, LA
Observation date:    3/12/10
Notes:    Weather was clear, breezy and cool.  I started this survey at 11:40, 
went for 1 hr 35 min and covered 1.3 miles. 

Number of species:    9

Killdeer    4
Greater Yellowlegs    11
Lesser Yellowlegs    5
Least Sandpiper    270
Dunlin    28
Blue Jay    1
Northern Mockingbird    1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)    2
Red-winged Blackbird    6

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: Shorebirds - Catfish Farm, S of Gilbert, LA , 3/12/10
From: Stephen Pagans <slp_4-7 AT ATT.NET>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:11:20 -0800
Location:    Catfish Farm, S of Gilbert, LA
Observation date:    3/12/10
Notes:    Weather was clear, chilly and windy.  I started the survey at 9:55, 
went for 1 hr. 30 min, and covered 1.0 mile. 

Number of species:    17

Double-crested Cormorant    5
Great Blue Heron    14
Great Egret    1
Red-tailed Hawk    1
American Kestrel    1
Killdeer    32
Greater Yellowlegs    40
Lesser Yellowlegs    4
Stilt Sandpiper    2
Long-billed Dowitcher    500
Mourning Dove    2
Loggerhead Shrike    1
Purple Martin    10
American Robin    30
Red-winged Blackbird    24
Eastern Meadowlark    1
Brown-headed Cowbird    100

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: Jefferson Island rookery
From: Elias Landry <ejlandry AT HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:49:26 -0600
 

 Passed by the Jefferson Island rookery this evening around 6:00 pm. Every tree 
that I could see from the road was bare, not a single bird! I hope it's a late 
migration phenom and not an abandonment. 


 Also the smaller rookery on Avery Island had 6 Great Egrets that appeared to 
be scouting for nesting sites, so maybe there is something to this late 
migration theory. 


 

Elias Landry

Avery Island
 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your 
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http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID27925::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:032010_2 
Subject: SV: [LABIRD-L] work story
From: Trond Nilsen <trond.nilsen AT LARVIK.KOMMUNE.NO>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:48:23 +0100
HA HA HA..."....eh, well....ehh...you see, I`m a burger...!" - yeah, that would 
probably sound interesting - or scary..! Good one, Terry! 


trond
________________________________________
Fra: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds 
[LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] på vegne av Terry Davis [trdavis22 AT YAHOO.COM] 

Sendt: 12. mars 2010 20:44
Til: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Emne: Re: [LABIRD-L] work story

Hey y'all, That's what I also tell 'em- I'm conducting a BIRD SURVEY , with 
equal emphasis on both words- of course not screamed at them as this post might 
suggest, but loud enough to hear. Saying "birding" for me often doesn't work. 
When I say birding, they'll say "burging"....what's that?- along with the 
infamous you got 3 heads look. The word birder often becomes "burger" most of 
the time for some odd reason as well- with bird survey they just say 
"Cool!....okay, just was curious. 


Terry




________________________________
From: John Dillon 
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 8:22:23 AM
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] work story

My standard answer to that question is that I'm doing a "bird survey."  It
sounds official to non-birders. Saying, "I'm birding," gets blank, confused
looks.  The survey response doesn't always work, though.  On the D'Arbonne
CBC, Gerry Click and I were told that we were "doing wrong by being here,"
were accused of looking into peoples' houses because we were going to come
back later to steal guns, and were told that we must feel like we had to
right to stop anywhere we wanted and look around.  Keep in mind this was on
a public road.  I'm considering some alternative answers now, though.
Things like, "I'm watching for the mother ship" or "I'm on a manhunt for D.
B. Cooper."

John Dillon
Athens, LA

-----Original Message-----
From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds
[mailto:LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Clark
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 10:05 AM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] work story

I understand. When I'm out there birding along a road or around an area
where people fish or hunt or something and  a stranger stops and asks in a
friendly way "what's going on?", they seem shocked to hear me say that I'm
birdwatching. Its funny how that seems odd to some people. Oh, well, it
takes all kinds...





________________________________
From: Trond Nilsen 
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Sent: Thu, March 11, 2010 4:30:44 PM
Subject: [LABIRD-L] work story

Who else (than you) can I tell this to:
None of my co-workers are birders, but they know that I am. Quite a few of
them travel a lot and over the years they`ve come to expect my "..have a
nice trip - and try to write down the birds you see!" before they go and my
".. have you seen any birds...?" when they come back. But they never do and
they never have, and I can`t figure out if they A) find birding extremely
difficult, or B) find it extremely boring...

It dawned on me the other day during our daily lunch hour quiz time, how
special I am for having this odd interest, when everybody turned to me at
the question: "What famous jazz artist was nicknamed "Bird"...?

(I knew the answer of course, but............you know........)

Trond
SE Norway
Subject: White Pelicans
From: Melvin Weber <mweber AT RTCONLINE.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:34:01 -0600
Approximately 650 White Pelicans drifting NW (3-11-2010) over Reserve.
Melvin Weber
Subject: swallow-tailed kites
From: Bill Fontenot <natrldlite AT COX.NET>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:24:32 -0600
on 10 march, a friend of mine spotted 3 swallow-tailed kites heading east over 
his home in southeastern evangeline parish (la. 29, ca. 3 mi. south of ville 
platte).......... 


as the kite flies, this location is about 20 miles due west of 
sherburne..............i know evangeline parish StKi reports are few & 
far-between, so i wanted to pass the message along............................. 


bill fontenot
lower prairie basse
upper lafayette parish, la.
Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Pearl River WMA--Honey Island Swamp , 3/12/10
From: "Harvey L. Patten" <puffin AT BELLSOUTH.NET>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:48:32 -0600
For anyone planning a trip to Honey Island, note that Oil Well Rd. is now 
closed until September in order to minimize disturbance for the Wild Turkey 
nesting season.

All of the Red-headed Woodpeckers except 3 were observed along Old Hwy. 11 
between the check-in station and Po Boy Rd., a phenomenon not possible prior 
to hurricane Katrina.  One of the 3 was a "gray-headed" juvenile along 
Indian Bayou Rd.  Isn't it a bit early in the season for young of the year?

The expected vocalizing Yellow-throated Warblers were not present this 
morning.

Harvey L. Patten
Covington


----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: 
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 1:36 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Pearl River WMA--Honey Island Swamp , 3/12/10


>
>
> Location:     Pearl River WMA--Honey Island Swamp
> Observation date:     3/12/10
> Notes:     I birded from 5:45-11:00 a.m. while traveling along Old Hwy. 
> 11, Po Boy Rd. and Indian Bayou Rd. I also walked for about .5 miles along 
> the Po Boy ATV trail and the nature trail combined.
> Number of species:     43
>
> Wood Duck     4
> Great Egret     32
> Snowy Egret     7
> Black Vulture     8
> Turkey Vulture     26
> Sharp-shinned Hawk     1
> Red-shouldered Hawk     13
> Mourning Dove     3
> Barred Owl     1
> Belted Kingfisher     4
> Red-headed Woodpecker     17
> Red-bellied Woodpecker     37
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     7
> Downy Woodpecker     7
> Northern Flicker     10
> Pileated Woodpecker     6
> Eastern Phoebe     5
> White-eyed Vireo     5
> Blue-headed Vireo     2
> Blue Jay     8
> American Crow     2
> Fish Crow     7
> Purple Martin     1
> Carolina Chickadee     19
> Tufted Titmouse     20
> Brown Creeper     1
> Carolina Wren     60
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet     6
> Eastern Bluebird     1
> Hermit Thrush     1
> Gray Catbird     2
> Northern Mockingbird     1
> Brown Thrasher     1
> Orange-crowned Warbler     1
> Northern Parula     7
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     17
> Common Yellowthroat     2
> White-throated Sparrow     14
> Northern Cardinal     50
> Red-winged Blackbird     9
> Common Grackle     17
> Brown-headed Cowbird     3
> American Goldfinch     19
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
> 
Subject: Re: work story
From: Terry Davis <trdavis22 AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:44:33 -0800
Hey y'all, That's what I also tell 'em- I'm conducting a BIRD SURVEY , with 
equal emphasis on both words- of course not screamed at them as this post might 
suggest, but loud enough to hear. Saying "birding" for me often doesn't work. 
When I say birding, they'll say "burging"....what's that?- along with the 
infamous you got 3 heads look. The word birder often becomes "burger" most of 
the time for some odd reason as well- with bird survey they just say 
"Cool!....okay, just was curious. 


Terry 




________________________________
From: John Dillon 
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 8:22:23 AM
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] work story

My standard answer to that question is that I'm doing a "bird survey."  It
sounds official to non-birders. Saying, "I'm birding," gets blank, confused
looks.  The survey response doesn't always work, though.  On the D'Arbonne
CBC, Gerry Click and I were told that we were "doing wrong by being here,"
were accused of looking into peoples' houses because we were going to come
back later to steal guns, and were told that we must feel like we had to
right to stop anywhere we wanted and look around.  Keep in mind this was on
a public road.  I'm considering some alternative answers now, though.
Things like, "I'm watching for the mother ship" or "I'm on a manhunt for D.
B. Cooper." 

John Dillon
Athens, LA

-----Original Message-----
From: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds
[mailto:LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Clark
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 10:05 AM
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Subject: Re: [LABIRD-L] work story

I understand. When I'm out there birding along a road or around an area
where people fish or hunt or something and  a stranger stops and asks in a
friendly way "what's going on?", they seem shocked to hear me say that I'm
birdwatching. Its funny how that seems odd to some people. Oh, well, it
takes all kinds...

 



________________________________
From: Trond Nilsen 
To: LABIRD-L AT LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Sent: Thu, March 11, 2010 4:30:44 PM
Subject: [LABIRD-L] work story

Who else (than you) can I tell this to:
None of my co-workers are birders, but they know that I am. Quite a few of
them travel a lot and over the years they`ve come to expect my "..have a
nice trip - and try to write down the birds you see!" before they go and my
".. have you seen any birds...?" when they come back. But they never do and
they never have, and I can`t figure out if they A) find birding extremely
difficult, or B) find it extremely boring...

It dawned on me the other day during our daily lunch hour quiz time, how
special I am for having this odd interest, when everybody turned to me at
the question: "What famous jazz artist was nicknamed "Bird"...?

(I knew the answer of course, but............you know........)

Trond
SE Norway



Subject: New yard bird - Northern Parula
From: thomas finnie <finnie.tom AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:59:55 -0600
Labirders,

I was just leaving home when a movement in a tree caught my eye. At first I
thought it was an American Goldfinch but then out popped a striking male
Northern Parula hanging upside down on a limb. It went merrily on its way
hopping through the trees. The migration must be nearing.

Pictured here ... http://tfinnie.blogspot.com/

Left click on the image to enlarge.

Have a Great Weekend,
Tom
Subject: Swallow-tailed Kites
From: Lainie Lahaye <sachristi23 AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:59:57 -0800
Hello LABIRD,

I saw my FOS Swallow-tailed Kites this morning on the north side of I-10 at 
mile marker 136.5! 


Cheers,
Lainie LaHaye
Baton Rouge, Grand Coteau and Lafayette

Lainiebird's iPhone


      
Subject: Re: Sharp-Shinned Hawks
From: Amy Stone <gizhawk AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:44:45 -0600
After getting a nice email... I went to the Cornell bird site and listened
to both Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks... although they look alike in my
guide, I am amending my identification based on the calls. They are Cooper's
hawks.  I apologize if anyone got excited about a possible record; this
month is one year of birding so I'm sure I make lots of mistakes but I'll
keep doing my best.

Since I've never seen a hawk nest, I'm still excited. :-)

On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 10:53 AM, Amy Stone  wrote:

> A pair of sharp-shinned hawks has decided to nest one block from my house!
> :-)
>
> Photos at: http://blog.friendscript.com
>
>
>
Subject: Re: work story
From: Richard Greig <RGreig AT COASTALENV.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:53:56 -0600
The best I ever encountered was while doing a BBS near Kaplan (luckily my 
accent marks me as a semi-local). 

An elderly gentleman who wanted to know what I was doing....I replied counting 
birds. 

He asked where I was from, I said originally Abbeville/Erath but live in Baton 
Rouge now. 

He got a little fussy and said "Aren't there any birds to count over there?"
 


>>> On 3/12/2010 at 10:37 AM, Bill Fontenot  wrote:
I understand. When I'm out there birding along a road or around an area 
where people fish or hunt or something and a stranger stops and asks in a 
friendly way "what's going on?", they seem shocked to hear me say that I'm 
birdwatching. Its funny how that seems odd to some people. Oh, well, it 
takes all kinds...

i've come to enjoy those interactions.............it's just so 
hilarious.....bordering on absurdist.....................

     "hey, do you mind telling me what you're doing?"

     "oh, hi. heh. i'm watching birds. heh. s'all i'm doing."

     "watching BIRDS? (or, almost as often, "WATCHING birds?)

      "yep. heh..........................watching 'em."

     "what're you watching 'em for? (or, almost as often, "why are you 
watching 'em?)

at which point, you provide an impromptu summary  of whatever project --  
breeding bird survey, la. winter/summer bird atlas, cbc -- you're working 
on.....and lord help you if you're just out there without any official 
purpose......then you'll be forced to free form it............

many of them, especially landowners, continue: "why do you want to know 
this?"

     "well, for conservation purposes, it helps a lot to know which plants 
and animals are located where in the state, and also, you know, how they're 
doing & all. . ."

at which point, about 50% will actually look you in the eye for an instant, 
checking to see whether they might detect a bit of deception on your part. 
the other 50% will either smile broadly or laugh out loud at the thought of 
it: y'know........watching BIRDS!? or, counting BIRDS!?

if/when your answer happens to be "counting birds...." replies can get even 
funnier. like, "which ones are you counting?" and "WHY are you counting 
them?" and "HOW can you count them?"

perhaps the time has come for a reality birding show.

bill fontenot
lower prairie basse
upper lafayette parish, la.
Subject: Sharp-Shinned Hawks
From: Amy Stone <gizhawk AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:53:14 -0600
A pair of sharp-shinned hawks has decided to nest one block from my house!
:-)

Photos at: http://blog.friendscript.com