Hi all, Hubert and I started out with a slow day hardly finding anything at
Stoner- as the front was passing just before we got there. However, things
got kinda interesting at the sod farm with at least two separate Upland
Sandpipers giving full song- 8 strophes from 1 bird and 2 from another.
Unfortunately, wind was too bad and I wasn't able to record the second
bird. The first bird caught me 100 yards from the truck without the
recorder............|:
Later, around 2:55 p.m. at the bridge on La 538 just n-w of Barnette (just
s of Mooringsport), I heard American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin, among
Hooded and Swainson's Warblers and half a dozen Red-eyed Vireo and others.
I was looking in the top of a blooming ash almost directly into the sun at
around 35' when I spied a distinctive Haemorhous shape as a bird flew down
to a lower branch. Immediately, it struck me as unusual and was thinking,
"what's a House Finch doing here in the middle of a patch of mature
riparian woodland? In the same thought with my bins raised, the question
was quickly answered after seeing the bold white supercilium and malar
stripe of a female-type Purple Finch. I immediately grabbed the camera and
recorder. I got some fairly poor pics. I played very short strophes of
Purple Finch, after which the bird immediately flew in slightly closer and
better pics were obtained. I could also hear the short, dry "pic" calls and
an occasional Blue-headed Vireo partial song-like call, which is typical of
these birds in winter. I took recorder off hold and began recording. It
will likely be Sunday before I can post anything, though- but if all goes
well , I may have some cuts with the bird calling and singing Hooded and
Swainson's Warblers in the background along with several Red-eyed and
White-eyed Vireo and others. Looking at the S'port BSG database I see there
are reported records into early May, then a dotted line of rare occurence
all the way through mid/ 20 Ap. I'm almost entirely sure this is my
personal latest date, though.
Hubert and I had around a hundred or so spp- over 4 lists- ending around 4
p.m. or a little after for an otherwise rather slow day in central east
thru northeast Caddo.
Good birding,
Terry
