[bsg] Gorum Quad, Feb 10, 2013 with Comments about bluebirds and robins

From: Jay V Huner <jvh0660@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: LABIRD-L <labird-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:04:00 -0600 (CST)
BIRD STUDY GROUP
The Gorum Quad is now green - whoopee. Nothing neat like a wintering warbler 
but the heron and egret are new to the quad list.

I have been to the Gorum Quad 3 times over the past several days. There are 
beaucoup robins there clearly feasting on yaupon berries. A birder new to the 
central Louisiana area wondered why he had seen so few robins. Well, it's been 
a very mild winter so the robins are clearly to the north of us in 
central/south Louisiana. The extensive yaupon habitat north and west of central 
Louisiana provides plenty of food for the migratory robins. So, about the only 
ones around south of the area are likely to be resident birds. Now, this 
comment is likely to bring messages about huge flocks south to the coast. But, 
if there are such flocks, they are finding plenty of food and don't need to 
come into cities/towns to forage.

I had flocks of 20 and 30 bluebirds in the Red Dirt area a couple of days ago. 
The total was flagged by ebird. Today, I had one flock of at least 21 blue 
birds plus a few here and there. I've seen such large bluebird flocks in past 
years in the Atchafalaya Basin - Alligator Bayou area. I suspect that these are 
composed of birds that have migrated south from colder climes. 

Piney woods quads remain locations where surveys that exceed 30-35 birds 
winter/summer are rare indeed.

Ran into an old timer on an ATV with two apparent grand children behind him. 
Asked about quail and roadrunners. He couldn't recall the last time he 
saw/heard either species. He seemed to think that forest monoculture eliminated 
quail habitat. He had no comments about roadrunner habitat.

Jay Huner
 
> Gorum Quad, Natchitoches, US-LA
> Feb 10, 2013 2:37 PM - 4:37 PM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 2.3 mile(s)
> Comments:     One of shortest quad surveys I've done. But was in NE corner of 
> quad and wanted to be thorough. Mostly bottom with some piney woods on hills. 
> At edge of Red River Valley. Quad is green for Winter Bird Atlas. Robins, 
> waxwings, and bluebirds apparently associated with the extensive lower story 
> yaupon in pine areas.
> 30 species
> 
> Great Blue Heron  1
> Great Egret  1
> Turkey Vulture  1
> Barred Owl  1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker  12
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  3
> Northern Flicker  3
> Pileated Woodpecker  3
> Eastern Phoebe  4
> Blue Jay  15
> American Crow  43
> Fish Crow  18
> Carolina Chickadee  10
> Tufted Titmouse  12
> House Wren  1
> Carolina Wren  4
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet  5
> Eastern Bluebird  31
> Hermit Thrush  2
> American Robin  150
> Cedar Waxwing  100
> Pine Warbler  11
> Yellow-rumped Warbler  15
> Eastern Towhee  2
> Chipping Sparrow  35
> Song Sparrow  3
> White-throated Sparrow  40
> Dark-eyed Junco  16
> Northern Cardinal  16
> American Goldfinch  11
> 
> View this checklist online at 
> http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12921296
> 
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 
> (http://ebird.org/content/la/)
[bsg] Gorum Quad, Feb 10, 2013 with Comments about bluebirds and robins

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