A Good Day for Birding

It was by far the best day for birding during the Spring migration on my walk thought the woods. I had just finished mowing grass and while taking a break I saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on one of the feeders. My first of the season. I thought that more Spring migrating birds might be around so I headed for the woods.

A brilliant Indigo Bunting feeding along a fence row with a couple of Northern Cardinals was my first sighting. I could hear a Carolina Wren calling and another song that I thought was a vireo. It got closer and closer and with a few squeaks I got great looks at a White-eyed Vireo. While squeaking up the vireo a Gray Catbird popped up from some heavy brush. There was some movement above, it was a female Summer Tanager. Hey, this is getting good. I stood in that one spot for a while but never saw another migrant.

Headed back to the house to see a pair of Mississippi Kites soaring overhead. A Red-bellied Woodpecker worked on excavating a nest cavity in an old pine tree not from the Pine where the Red-shouldered Hawks are nesting. I did manage to see a single chick on the nest. Might have been more but could only see the one. Not much else other than the regular crew of Carolina Chickadees and such. Did have a dozen Chimney Swifts fly overhead along with a lone Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

They're Back

American Goldfinches are pretty common birds during the winter months and I had my fair share this past winter. I haven't seen any since late February so it was an treat to see several at the feeders over the weekend. The males begin to look quite different as they molt into their breeding plumage. Other feeder birds included my FOS (first of season) Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow, House Finch, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove and Inca Dove. There were plenty of fly over Black and Turkey Vultures but no kettles of migrating hawks. Speaking of hawks, I saw the Red-shouldered Hawk on its nest. Almost forgot the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Saw three males at once on one occasion but still haven't seen a female ruby-throat.

I made a brief walk to the woods and heard a White-eyed Vireo but could never see it. I looked for 15 minutes while it called but could never get a look at it. Also had a FOS Prothonotary Warbler dart in front of me down by the pond. A lingering Yellow-rumped Warbler was foraging down by the sough along with a couple of Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays while a Carolina Wren worked a brush pile. Only came across a few butterflies like this Little Wood-Satyr. Also saw more Pearl Crescents, Eastern Tiger Swallow-tails and Cloudless Sulphur.

Bickham Dickson Park

It's one of the best birding parks in the city of Shreveport. A mix of ox-bow lakes, open meadows and river woodlands, the park is located on the banks of the Red River. In fact at one time the ox bow lakes were part of the ever winding Red River. The birding is good year around but it is during Spring migration when birding is at its best. I've birded the park for many years and have a personal species list of 199. On one spring day, fellow birder Charles Lyon and I tallied 102 species. It was the best day of birding I've had at any time in Caddo Parish.

Today, however, the woodland birding was almost a big goose egg. I was saved from a shutout by single Red-headed and Downy Woodpeckers. The best birding today was around the back loop drive. A blanket of yellow wild flowers cover the inner part of the loop while the outside of loop provided great views of Yellow-crowned Night-herons. I counted a half dozen with most of them showing their breeding plumes. There were lots of swallows flying about, mostly Barn and Purple Martins. The lake still had quite a few American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes, a pair of Blue-winged Teal.

Sunday Mourning Walk in the Woods

Took another walk in the woods this mourning and boy was it quiet. Quiet is nice but not this quiet. Only managed to see or hear four birds, Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. However, there was enough butterfly activity to keep me awake. Pearl Crescents (see photo right) were everywhere! I must have counted two dozen. Good numbers of Little Wood-Satyr were seen as were a few Giant Swallowtails and one Red-spotted Purple. Around the house I still have a couple of male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds with more cardinals, Chipping Sparrows, Mourning Doves and an occasional Eastern Bluebird.