[bsg] Prairie Falcon location is OFF LIMITS!! )):
- From: Terry Davis <trdavis22@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on Louisiana Birds <LABIRD-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "bsg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <bsg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2014 17:10:03 -0800 (PST)
Hi all,
I regret to inform everyone but it has come to my attention that King Hill rd
from approximately (measured by runningmap.com in hybrid mode) 2.38 miles N of
it's confluence with La 485, to further North, is now private. This is
certainly news to me! This was formerly a public rd which members of the
Shreveport Bird Study Group traveled on fairly frequent occasions in winter to
see Sandhill Cranes, wintering raptors and other birds- without any worry. The
road continues throughout it's curvy trajectory from La 485 to La 174 to the N.
Evidently, the road has been closed since 2004. Again, neither myself nor any
other birders that I know of, had been previously informed of this. There has
been times during ultra-wet weather in the past several years when the gate
2.38 miles N of La 485 had been closed and locked. We figured at those times
that it must've been a cooperative effort between land owners, which mostly
live on the N end of the rd, to keep the
road from becoming deeply rutted by using the N entrance at 174 during rainy
weather.
This is sad news. I was certainly hoping to try and relocate the bird in the
near future for photographic documentation. The only bright side of the
situation is that larger falcons generally have greater individual ranges in
winter. With that said, maybe the bird could be found farther S along the other
roadsides that are publicly accessible, or elsewhere in the area. Habitat on
the N end near La 174 is more hilly and oak/ pine. However, I see other likely
possibilities with similar habitat to the East, both S and North off of La 174-
provided these roads aren't gated, too. Let's just respect the rights of the
land owners wherever we go.
Since I'm the one that made the initial post regarding the sighting, I
apologize if this has caused anyone any undue trouble. I bird quite a few
private areas in N-w La in which I've developed good rapport with the land
owners. I do not make a habit of driving on private roads or walking on private
lands where I'm not allowed. Unfortunately in this case, things have changed
regarding public accessibility of the land in question. Good luck for those
who'd definitely like to try other areas that may be publicly accessible
nearby. Speaking for myself, I definitely plan on it!
Terry
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- » [bsg] Prairie Falcon location is OFF LIMITS!! )): - Terry Davis
