Labird: This afternoon I found a startling 95 BBWD and 1 Fulvous WD on a newly
flooded area of my managed wetlands in Red River Parish. The FUWD is the first
NWLA record that I know of north of the Spanish Lakes Unit of RRNWR near
Powhattan. 95 is a record concentration of BBWD for NW La. and at a time of
year when non-breeding aggregations are not seen here at all, only pairs and
broods. This group contained a sub group of 15 juveniles and 5 adults,
probably family groups but too well developed to be normal for here where I
have recorded new broods only in late July through September. Spring nesting
is reported elsewhere, in Arkansas along the Red and in coastal Louisiana but
not in NW LA. These full sized and fully feathered juveniles were produced in
spring. The remainder of the flock were all non-breeders (pale legs, mostly
not paired) so probably second year sub-adults. I have never seen this here
either. Though there is no way short of lab work to know where they came from,
there are two interesting circumstantial hints. If my farming calendar is
correct, rice fields in SW LA are drained or draining now ahead of harvest.
Also, SW Louisiana has lost much of its rice acreage in the past decade. An
alternate hypothesis is that NW LA produced all these ducks last year and they
are just local non-breeders hanging out. That does not explain the Fulvous
though.
Whatever the case, and many here don't care why they are where they are, the
Fulvous is a good one to look for on the managed wetlands at RRNWR Bayou Pierre
Unit "Yates Tract". These birds, if they follow other BBWD behavior, move
between my fields and those plus others in the area. I also saw the first
apparent migrant BWTE on August 7 so there are ducks to see on the steaming mud
in-between the migrant shorebirds.
Paul Dickson
Red River Parish