Refugee Bluebirds?

Late this afternoon in Harahan, I heard the distinctive mellow notes of Eastern Bluebirds overhead.  A glance upward revealed a loose flock of five, headed approximately westward. 

Bluebirds winter only in very small numbers south of Lake Pontchartrain, and typically not in such an urban context.  My guess is that they were new arrivals, prospecting for habitat, driven south from St. Tammany or somewhere else to the north by the cold snap.  Such opportunistic cold weather southward retreats are well known, though more often discussed for waterfowl (shifting south as water freezes over) and boreal finches and raptors (searching for food).  In our area Killdeer are perhaps most often identified making such movements; during last winter's January cold snap, a flock of a thousand was reported on the Chalmette Battlefield during the battle reenactment.  Mid-winter southward movements have also been documented for Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Good birding,

Peter

Unseasonable Yellow-throated Warbler at UNO

I would not be surprised to spy a Yellow-throated Warbler in summer in a cypress swamp outside the city, or in a shade tree anywhere within the city proper in spring or fall, when a few stop over on migration.  But I was surprised to notice one on campus as I walked to my office at UNO today.  It was with a small songbird flock at the northeast corner of campus, in a row of live oaks that fringe Lakeshore Drive. 

Yellow-throated Warblers are rare winter visitors to southeast Louisiana, but a few usually turn up somewhere.  This is my second winter record from UNO, the first being a bird that overwintered near the Fine Arts building in the early to mid 1990s.

Good birding,

Peter

Ninety American White Pelicans over Old Jefferson

Moments ago, I pulled into my driveway in residential Old Jefferson to find a flock of 90 American White Pelicans wheeling in lazy circles over my roof.  They were awesome- not far up- perhaps a hundred feet over the rooftops.  After I admired them for a few minutes, they set their sights westward and moved off.

Although white pelicans are numerous in the wetlands of the delta and easily found south and east of the city, I am only treated to this sight over the city itself a few times each year, as birds pass over, presumably commuting to feeding areas.  Made my heart jump in my chest!

Peter

Bald Eagle over the Mississippi River in Old Jefferson

Fifteen minutes ago, as I drove River Road headed upstream past the Jefferson Playground, the familiar silhouette of a Bald Eagle appeared high over the Mississippi River.  It was also headed upstream, flapping occasionally but mostly gliding on set wings- a welcome accent to the Turkey Vultures that more commonly frequent the skies of this area.

Peter

Tufted Titmouse in an unusual spot

At 8:30 this morning I was treated to the mellow peter peter peter peter of a Tufted Titmouse in Harahan, near 6th Street x Hickory.  I was surprised, since the species is quite restricted in its occurrence in East Jefferson.  The closest I would have expected to perhaps find one would be the batture, which is 0.85 miles distant (thank you, Google Earth).  I listened for several iterations to make sure it was not a mockingbird's imitation (mockers will always break into something else after a handful of repetitions).

It's doubly interesting, since the peter peter peter is its nesting season song- another early sign that the birds are starting to gear up for the spring ahead, even though we are not yet at the solstice (well, okay, just short of it by a few hours...)

Peter

Peregrine perched on Jeff Parish office building

An hour ago in the rain, I was in Elmwood and saw a Peregrine disappear behind one of the high rise Jefferson Parish office buildings on Citrus.  It looked like it was approaching a landing, so I drove around through the parking lot and there it was- clinging to the ledge below a window on the top floor.

The bird was relatively brown backed, suggesting an immature.  The perch looked rather uncomfortable, and not very sheltered from the rain- not sure how long it will stay.

It is on building 1201, the twin of the Joe Yenni building.  Facing it from the Yenni building, the bird was on the left end of the top floor, just below the window.  I hope somebody was enjoying the view from inside!

Peter

Unseasonable Bronzed Cowbird flock

At the corner of Hickory and Jefferson Highway in Harahan sits a pair of feeders, stocked frequently with generic store-bought wild bird mix.  I often view them at close range since they are right next to the sidewalk and conveniently positioned at the stop light.  Usually they are thronged by House Sparrows, and occasionally Monk Parakeets, but yesterday a flock of 25 or so Cowbirds was in attendance.

All but two of them were Bronzed Cowbirds- distinguishable from Brown-headed Cowbirds by their more hefty beak with a "Roman nose" shape, and in some birds by the red eye.  The other two in the flock were male Brown-headeds, a nice comparison.

Bronzed Cowbirds typically leave for the winter, so I was not expecting them.  Some readers may be surprised that they were here at all, as some field guides do not show southeast Louisiana as being in their geographical range.  We have for decades had a local disjunct population here, separated from their primary range in Texas.  Our birds are of unknown origin- an ornithological puzzle.

Peter