GOING BACK IN TIME….
10/28 and 11/2/24 We headed to Louisiana for the Yellow Rail and Rice Festival and want to thank everyone there (especially Donna, Steve, Kevin and Shirley, and Eric) for all their hard work! The combines harvest the rice which harbor Yellow Rails, Soras and such; and the audience gets to watch these sneaky birds fly. While it had been very, very dry for rails, we did get to see a Yellow Rail on the last day. It was very interesting to be a part of it all and the folks there were so very nice!
10/30/24 – 11/2/24 Near Jennings, Louisiana: The star of the show was the Yellow Rail. We had only heard them before (They sound like a type writer if you are old enough to know what that sounds like.) and had never seen this illusive little bird.
10/30/24 – 11/2/24 Near Jennings, Louisiana: It was really special to find 8 Whooping Cranes feeding out in a field one morning. Thus a study of adults with a couple of immature birds:
10/31/24 – 11/2/24 Lacassine NWR, Louisiana: On a rainy day, Purple Gallinule trio (ad, 2juv.) put on a bit of a show for us! Also: Black-bellied Whistling Duck , Neotropic Cormorant , Black-necked Stilt , Vermilion Flycatcher , Limpkin with snail , Crested Caracara , distant American Kestrel trio (females chasing each other) , Greater Yellowlegs , Stilt Sandpiper , and Wilson’s Snipe .
11/1/24 Rockerfeller NWR, Cameron Prairie NWR, and Rutherford Beach, LA: A day birding the coast yielded a very tame Merlin, a Clapper Rail , a number of Roseate Spoonbill individuals, and a Seaside Sparrow duo that were rather curious about us. Also: Black-necked Stilt , Willet , White Ibis , Yellow-crowned Night-Heron , and Marsh Wren . Then: Caspian Tern group, American Avocet , Belted Kingfisher , Great-tailed Grackle , Forster’s Tern ,and Neotropic Cormorant .
10/30/24 – 11/2/24 Near Jennings, Louisiana: Northern Harrier , Swainson’s Hawk (Light juv.) , American Bittern in flight (poor image but still of interest), Merlin , Kildeer , and Great Egret landing in the rice fields.
10/28 and 10/29/24 We took a break in our drive to Louisiana and birded briefly in Tallahassee, FL and an old cemetery in MS: Blackburnian Warbler , Downy Woodpecker , Pileated Woodpecker , Sedge Wren , Eastern Towhee , Swamp Sparrow , Golden-crowned Kinglet , and Song Sparrow .
MOONBEAMPUBLISHING.ORG 