I walked its east face without detecting any migrants, staying next to the flood wall to benefit from its shade (gotta love that September heat!), then started back to the car.
An Eastern Wood-Pewee began singing steadily in the woodlot, in an area I had just walked past outbound (perwee!). I decided to duck inside the wood margin, and a Wood Duck spooked from a small pool concealed inside the trees. I decided to spish a bit, and promptly a Great Crested Flycatcher appeared in the sub-canopy, energetically swooping around to get bugs, followed by a Yellow-throated Vireo with its usual lazy movements. Moments later, a more animated female/immature American Redstart came in, fanning is tail.
Nothing more showed itself in a few more minutes of spishing, so I stayed inside the woods but maneuvered about thirty yards parallel the levee back toward my car, stopping to inspect a Red-shouldered Hawk primary feather on the ground en route. I heard a chickadee at a distance, and stopped to swish it in. Within thirty seconds, a half dozen Chickadees came flying up through the woods, and gathered ten or so feet over my head chicka-dee-dee-ing. This was the response I was hoping for, knowing that it would be likely to draw in other songbirds that might be around. Sure enough, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher promptly joined them, and then a Black-throated Green Warbler, and a Yellow Warbler, all 15-30 feet up. Two female/immature Redstarts appeared, though one may have been the bird I had seen thirty yards earlier, drawn to the renewed excitement. A Hooded Warbler started making its tink call in the underbrush, but remained out of sight.
Time to get to UNO! No more excitement on the walk back to the car, except for a Cooper's Hawk that flew up the levee toward me before ducking into the woods.
Good birding,
Peter
for a copy of Birding Made Easy- New Orleans, email me at birding.made.easy.new.orleans@gmail.com, or look for it at the Maple Street or Garden District Book Shops.
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