Seven Roseate Spoonbills in two places Metairie

Today I had a high count of the fall, seven Roseate Spoonbills during my morning commute.

Four were in the drainage ditch along Airline Drive, just west of Lester (which is a bit west of David Dr).

Three were in the median ditch of West Metairie, between Clearview and Transcontinental.

A visiting birder also reported one in City Park two days ago, in a pond just north of I-610.

Good birding!

Peter

for a copy of Birding Made Easy, email me at birding.made.easy.new.orleans@gmail.com, or look for it at the Maple Street or Garden District Book Shops.

Roseate Spoonbills roosting this evening at Lafreniere Park

At evening twilight tonight there were five spoonbills roosting with the other waders at the boardwalk in Lafreniere Park.  Just as when I saw them here last year, they were all at the very tops of the roost trees- two in one tree, three in the other.

Good birding,

Peter

Distinguishing Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

One identification challenge that is commonly faced by birders in southeast Louisiana is that of separating Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers.  Apart from barring on the outer tail feathers of the Downy (white in Hairy), there is no simple mark that can be used to separate the species- only more subjective characters of size, bill size, and voice.

The following should provide additional help:

1) Relative abundance

in our area overall, Downies greatly outnumber Hairies.  In urban New Orleans, the ratio is greater than 100:1.  In non-urban forested areas, it is not so lop-sided, but Downy is still notably more numerous than Hairy.  So keep in mind that the odds are with Downy from the start.

I probably detect a half dozen or fewer Hairies per year in urban New Orleans (this includes one this morning in the Jefferson batture, which prompted this post!).  However, in forests outside town, they are regular enough that it is reasonable to hope for one on a given day's list.

2) Bill size

Hairy bills really are noticeably larger than Downies- enough so that an observer familiar with both can know immediately which one they are looking at.  A Hairy bill looks like a chisel, a Downy like a pick.

3) Call note

Although the pik of the Downy and peek of the Hairy may seem (from these descriptions) quite similar, these are again different enough that an observer familiar with them can separate them with confidence, even a single note heard at a distance.  The Hairy note is louder and more robust.

The long calls of the species are not confusable- the Downy being a trailing-off series of rather delicate notes, and the Hairy being a loud evenly pitched rattle- maybe even more like a kingfisher than a Downy.

A little publicized difference is the length of the drum roll- Hairy notably longer, with (in my experience) little or no overlap in length.  However, it is rare to have opportunity to use this.

4) Body size

Again, the species differ enough that this difference will often make the species identity obvious to an experienced observer immediately.  Even flying across an opening.

Go out and find a Hairy!

Good birding,

Peter

Roseate Spoonbills continue in Metairie

Roseate Spoonbills are still hanging around the drainage canals along West Metairie Ave and Airline Highway in Metairie.

Yesterday, I saw three flying west along West Metairie around 8 AM, first a single and then a pair ten minutes later, both near David Drive.

Today, a single was foraging in the canal along Airline Drive, just west of Lester (which is also a bit west of David Drive).

Good birding,

Peter

for a copy of Birding Made Easy- New Orleans, make a check out to Gulf South Environmental Investigations LLC for $24 (including $4 shipping), and mail it to
Peter Yaukey
330 Jefferson Heights Ave
Jefferson, LA 70121

or look for it at the Maple Street or Garden District Book Shops.

Some migrants around: flock at UNO

Today I made what I intended to be a brief stop at the small woodlot beside the Fine Arts building on the UNO campus, which is a spot I regularly check for migrants passing through.

I started out seeing a Northern Parula high in a tallow tree, but then had no more contact with any migrants until ten minutes later.  Then I got a different perspective on (probably the same) tallow crown from another direction, and saw movement.  It was a Blackburnian Warbler.  More movement, a Red-eyed Vireo.  Then a Magnolia.  Then a Redstart. Then another Redstart.  Then a Yellow-throated Vireo.  They were hanging with chickadees.

Birds were moving slowly south, putting them into the sun.  So I walked around the south side of the woodlot to try and get them in better light.  The flock continued easing my direction, and I added a Scarlet Tanager, and then a Summer.  Then the same warblers and vireos I had already spotted began to appear in the trees on the edge in front of me.  Just when I thought I had seen everything there was to see in the flock, a Black-and-White Warbler showed itself.

Walking back around the woodlot's east edge to return to my car, another Scarlet Tanager startled me by sallying out to snag a bug over the lawn, about ten feet over the ground.

Good birding,

Peter

for a copy of Birding Made Easy-New Orleans, mail a check for $24 (includes $4 shipping) made out to Gulf South Environmental Investigations LLC, to
Peter Yaukey
330 Jefferson Heights Ave
Jefferson, LA 70121

or look for it at the Maple Street or Garden District Book Shops.

Screech-Ambulance duet

Yesterday morning I stepped from my house in the morning twilight and heard what I first took to be distant sirens in two directions- one to the east, and one to the west of me.

After several seconds, I realized that the one to the west was actually not a distant siren, but a close screech owl- in my back yard.  Its whinny call was remarkably similar to the siren (ambulance, apparently) in pitch and length; it was making the usual trembling notes but was just far enough away and obscured enough by ambient noise to blend them into a more continuous sound.  It was following the same cadence, matching it one for one.

This is probably the same screech that wigged me out earlier in the month by calling at the exact moment that I mused to myself, "It's been a long time since I heard a screech owl around here."

Just what I need, a mischievous owl.

Peter

overview of today, and possibly a good night to listen for migrants after dark

Lots of birds were reported in the area today, including around the metro area.  I just snuck over to LaSalle Park in Metairie and, in the difficult light around 6 pm, had 7 Northern Waterthrushes, 3 American Redstarts, and singles of Black-and-White, Hooded, and Magnolia Warblers.  Also a Pewee and two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

A couple of birders who went to Grand Isle reported lots of birds, with 23 species of warblers.  Among their counts were 67 Red-eyed Vireos, and 20+ each of Black and White, Magnolia, and Tennessee Warblers, and American Redstart and Northern Waterthrush (which led the warblers at 41).  They also reported 36 Pewees.

It is never possible to predict with certainty, but tonight seems a good setup to detect nocturnal migration. The vast majority of small land birds migrate at night. Low cloud cover with north winds are good conditions to listen for the flight notes of migrants passing overhead.   On the best nights, the calls may be audible at around one per second or better.  But even a night with just a few calls detected per minute can be fun. Thrushes often make up the bulk of call notes at night (this is something of a paradox, since we tend not to find so many "grounded" during the day, but call note frequencies can sometimes suggest large numbers overhead at night).

The most common are usually the heep of the Swainson's Thrush, and the husky veer of the Wood Thrush. There are recordings available that sort out the nocturnal flight calls of different species, and some birders really get into identifying them.

One problem in the city is ambient noise; I find it helps to cup my hands behind my ears to amplify sounds.

Start listening about a half hour after dark, and on into the night.

Good birding!

Peter