Sherburne WMA Shorebirds

Wanted to post a sample shot of one of the wider views from my visit to Sherburne.  This is just a sample of a much larger area filled with birds, the majority of which in this shot were White Ibis.   I was walking along a small levee, separated from the area in sight above by a small watercourse.   The birds below were all on the near or far bank of that section, offering views of shorebirds that even I could enjoy!  

Solitary Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs

Spotted Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs and Black-necked Stilt

What a location!  Right in this area I also had a roost of Black Vultures numbering in the hundreds.  I am not sure when my travels will next take me to the Baton Rouge area, but when I am next there getting back to the South Farm at Sherburne will be a priority.   

Looks from Louisiana

Last week I had a chance to pull together a great trip out of a combination of birding and photography, work, and meeting with friends from all over the country for a fantasy football draft.   I had three trips out into various habitats in the early part of the week, and then followed it up with some fun in New Orleans when my friends arrived last weekend.   This post contains a few of my favorite captures from the trip.   Above, a White Ibis from my first day trip to the South Farm section of the Sherburne WMA just west of Baton Rouge.

Next a flight shot of a Black-necked Stilt from the same morning.   My arrival flight was planned for an overnight Friday evening, which would lead directly to an early start Saturday.   But as they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men..." and that flight was canceled.    I actually left at ten a.m. on Saturday, and finally caught up with my bags at the hotel just after midnight on Sunday morning.    The drive up to Sherburne and the great birding I experienced were just what I needed to make me forget the travel headaches and immerse myself in all the wildlife that habitat had to offer.

A few days later I took another morning trip, and headed down to Grand Isle for sunrise.   More dedicated shots to come from that, but for the moment, a Green Heron perched to give me a sidelong glance while preening.

The second of two lifers from the trip included in this post, a Clapper Rail.   The other, the White Ibis at the top of this post was the first of nine I added on the trip.

To close out this first of the trip posts, a Willet who was posing as I exited the Grand Isle State Park on my way back to New Orleans.   I really enjoyed my opportunities to get out of the city on this visit to Louisiana.   Granted, late August is far from ideal, but if you are willing to wake really early, and accept that by 9:30 or 10:00 am it will be time to head anywhere indoors, then this is a place where incredible experiences abound.

Aside for traveling birders.  
          I find that one of the great parts of any kind of travel is the advance planning that goes into finding activities that will make a vacation memorable.    For this trip an incredibly helpful site was See Jane Bird's site.   She has a Birding Around Baton Rouge link that had great information on a number of locations in the area, including habitat, likely species, and access details.   There were others as well, but that one knocked it out of the park for a site created by an individual.   Nice work Jane!

More to come....stay tuned!

2011 Count:  214
Lifetime: 286

Heck of a day!

Sunday's ski plans fell through, so based on my success the day before I decided to head up to the Walden/Sawhill Ponds/Cottonwood Marsh complex in Boulder for the early morning hours. After Saturday's bright skies and bitter winds the calm overcast and quiet of Sunday was most welcome.


When I arrived I had the place to myself. The sun was just rising, but light would remain an issue for the morning due to the low clouds. Light and iffy photography aside I was in for a treat. By the time I left the park I had tallied 47 species, more than likely a new best for a solo bird walk of just a few hours in one location. Tops among everything I saw was this Long-billed Dowitcher, which I saw very early, just as I was crossing the boardwalk going into the complex. The bill shape narrowed down the possibilities, but I had my doubts after scrutinizing the first picture and checking the guidebooks. Shape and structure were great for the Dowitcher, but a Dowitcher in May should have a rusty orange breast in its breeding plumage. I felt better once I made it to this shot.


A longer exposure blurs the detail, but begins to show the coloration on the shaded side of the bird. Yet another example of how photographs can be misleading for identification. Fortunately, a bird with a long bill with a downward pointing tip doesn't have many options here.


A bit later I came across another shorebird to identify, this one I was more confident to guess in the field, and confirmed later as Solitary Sandpiper. The bird's shape, and the fine light specks on its dark back are good fieldmarks to set this sandpiper apart.



I was back home sorting through pics and wrapping up a few to-do items for my trip this week when I decided to check COBirds before running a couple of errands. Much to my delight I saw a message that was less than an hour old indicating a Black-necked Stilt was near Stearn's Lake, and a minute's detour from my route.


So two life birds in one day. One was produced by concentrated birding, looking for migrants at as known hotspot, and then using technology to record and reconfirm my sighting. The other, a word of mouth sighting that was incredibly easy to refind. BI was back home sorting through pics and wrapping up a few to-do items for my trip this week when I decided to check COBirds before running a couple of errands. Much to my delight I saw a message that was less than an hour.

Both were memorable, and filled out a very birdy beginning of May. I have a handful of potentially postable pictures, but may or may not get them listed in the next few nights. Although if the snow showers continue I may be looking for indoor activities to pass the time.

2011 Count: 128
Lifetime: 257