1. No category

 No. 235
www.losbird.org
LOS OFFICERS AND
BOARD MEMBERS
President - Marty Floyd
2044 Bayou Road
Cheneyville, LA 71325
337-459-0445
[email protected]
Vice President - Donna Dittmann
435 Pecan Drive
St. Gabriel, LA 70776
225-642-5763
[email protected]
Secretary - Joelle J. Finley
6654 Argonne Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70124
504-488-3996
[email protected]
Treasurer - Judith O’Neale
504 Whitebark Drive
Lafayette LA 70508-6362
337-981-1011
[email protected]
Past President - Ed Wallace
340 Audubon Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70125
504-343-1433
[email protected]
Board Member - Jay V. Huner
428 Hickory Hills Drive
Boyce, LA 71409
318-793-5529
[email protected]
Board Member - Christine Kooi
1965 Cherokee Avenue
Baton Rouge LA 70806
225-381-3108
[email protected]
Board Member - Larry Raymond
6675 North Park Circle
Shreveport, LA 71107-9539
318-929-3117
[email protected]
LOS News Editor - Kimberly Lanka
1732 Silliman Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225-936-7941
[email protected]
Submission Deadline
Fall LOS News
September 1, 2015
Journal of Louisiana Ornithology
Jennifer O. Coulson
64340 Fogg Lane
Pearl River, LA 70452
[email protected]
Spring 2015
BATON ROUGE, LA
newsletter of the
2015 LOS SPRING MEETING
Friday and Saturday, April 24-25
Cameron, Louisiana
**PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE DINNER AND MEETING BY APRIL 18th**
Friday Evening: First Baptist
Church in Cameron, 110 School
St. off Marshall Street (the main street)
6:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. Registration:
Light snacks will be provided by the
Cameron Parish Tourist Commission.
7:00 P.M. Meeting and Evening
Program:
Update and Current
Status of Louisiana Whooping
Cranes. Sara Zimorski, LDWF
Whooping Crane Project Biologist
will provide an update on the status of
the Whooping Crane re-introduction
project, which includes the most
recent release at White Lake WCA on
December 29, 2014. Originally from
Charlottesville, Virginia, Sara studied
biology at the University of Virginia
before moving to Baraboo, Wisconsin
to work at the International Crane
Foundation, which is where she
learned all about and became
fascinated with cranes. During her
almost 12 years there Sara ran the
captive breeding program which
was primarily focused on breeding
Whooping Cranes for reintroduction. Additionally, she worked on the
eastern migratory Whooping Crane
reintroduction and was fortunate
to escape most Wisconsin winters
by migrating south to Florida
with the birds. In early 2011, just
before the first cohort of Whooping
Cranes arrived in Louisiana, Sara
began working for the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries as
the Whooping Crane biologist. Saturday Morning
7:00 A.M. Field Trip: Meet in the
parking lot of the Cameron Motel.
Marty Floyd, Ed Wallace, Donna
Dittmann, and Steve Cardiff will lead
field trips to the Cameron Parish
hot spots. Bring lunch, water, bug
spray and walkie talkies if you
have them.
Saturday Evening: First
Baptist Church in Cameron,
110 School St. off Marshall Street (the
main street)
6:30 P.M.-7:00 P.M. Registration.
7:00 P.M. Meal: Chicken/sausage
jambalaya, green beans, green salad,
roll, dessert, and tea prepared by
Tressie Smith.
7:30 P.M. Meeting: Presentation
of the President’s Awards and the
George H. Lowery, Jr. Award.
LOS 2015 Meeting, Continued on page 2
Page 2
LOS 2015 Meeting, Continued from page 1
Evening Program: The Use of Radar to Study
Biological Targets in the Atmosphere.
Dr. Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Jr. will discuss research
on using Doppler weather radar to monitor
bird migration and how recent technological
improvements to weather radar enable the
discrimination of biological targets from weather
and allow the discrimination of birds and insects
in radar return. He will also discuss some current
work with a new type of avian radar operating
at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Sid received his B.S. from the University of New
Orleans in June 1963, an M.S. from Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, in August 1965, a Ph.D.
from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, in
Spring 2015
August 1968, and held a Post-Doctoral Fellowship
at the Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia
from Fall 1968 until Fall 1970. He is retired from
Clemson University where he was a faculty member
from 1970-2006 and taught Ornithology, Animal
Behavior, and Behavioral Ecology in the Department
of Biological Sciences. He currently consults in the
area of Remote Sensing and Technology and is a
part-time faculty member in the Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering at the University of
Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where he works on
the assessment of avian radars with Dr. Edwin E.
Herricks’s group. Sid’s research emphasis on studies
of bird migration across the Gulf of Mexico began in
graduate school in the early 1960s and continues
today. He has used combinations of radar and
direct visual techniques to study the characteristics
and geographical patterns of bird
migration throughout the United
States. His research in applied
ornithology has examined 1) the
attraction of migrating birds at night
to different types of lighting on tall
towers, 2) the risks of migrating
birds colliding with man-made
structures such as transmission
lines, towers, and wind turbines, and
3) the problem of aircraft colliding
with migrating birds.
Cameron Accommodations:
The phone number for the
Cameron Motel is 337-775-5442.
The Cameron Motel also has sites
available for RV campers. Several
eating places are open in Cameron,
Creole, and Johnson’s Bayou. Other
accommodations can be found in the
Sulphur-Lake Charles area.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE
FOR DINNER:
APRIL 18, 2015
PLEASE PRE-REGISTER
FOR THE MEETING!
Spring 2015 Page 3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Wonderful meeting in Metairie and kudos to our hosts
the Orleans Audubon Society and Crescent Bird Club. We
had two excellent speakers – Donata Henry and Jennifer
Coulson. A special thanks is in order to both of our
speakers and their efforts in adding to our knowledge of
Louisiana birds.
The total bird list was over 100 species. The weather
was cooperative and we had quite a few good field
trips. A thank you to each of our field trip leaders: Ed
Wallace to Venice, David Muth and Phillip Wallace
to Bayou Sauvage, Glenn Ousset and Tom Trenchard
to Fontainebleau State Park, Mary Joe Krieger and
Marianne Thompson to City Park, Wendy Rihner to Jean
Lafitte National Park, Chris Brantley to Bonnet Carre
Spillway and Lizette Wroten’s hummingbird garden.
Wherever the participants chose to go, I think everyone
had a great time.
Looking forward to the next meeting scheduled for
Cameron in April.
Don’t forget that a joint vegetative planting effort
on Apache Oil property will be done before Friday’s
meeting. Not only has Apache offered access to this
property for us to visit, but is letting us plant vegetation
to provide habitats for migrants on the chenier.
LOS New Members
Paul and Mary Barnes, Mandeville, LA
William C. Bowie, New Orleans, LA
Ethel Bromley, Jefferson, LA
Rob Dobbs, Lafayette, LA
Anne Gaiennie, Lafayette LA
Deanna and Gordon Griggs, Lake Charles LA
William Jones, Lake Charles, LA
Jennifer Lyn Sabala, Baton Rouge, LA
Gloria Slick, Petal MS
Elna Stokes, Lacombe LA
Ellen Winchell, Mario & Sheridan Philipp,
Mandeville, LA
Marty Floyd
www.losbird.org
LOS MEMBERSHIP FORM
 Renewal
Dues are payable January 1st of each year;
Please check your mailing label for expiration date.
 New Member
Name:_______________________________________________________________________
Address:_____________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:________________________________________________________________
Phone:(______)________________________ E-mail:__________________________________
Make check payable to: LOS
Send to: Judith L. O’Neale, LOS Treasurer
504 Whitebark Drive, Lafayette, LA 70508-6362
*Please add $2.00
for foreign subscriptions
**Installments may be arranged
for Life memberships
DUES STRUCTURE:
___Regular: $20.00/yr
___Family: $25.00/yr
___Junior (under 14): $7.50/yr
___Student: $10.00/yr
___Senior (over 65): $15.00/yr
___Senior Family: $20.00/yr
___Library $15.00/yr*
___Contributing: $50.00/yr
___Sustaining: $100.00/yr
___Life: $300.00** 
___Family Life:  $500**
Spring 2015
Page 4
Rusty Blackbirds: Looking Forward, Looking Back
Author: Judith Scarl, International Coordinator, Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz
A female Rusty Blackbird huddles on a Minnesota
rooftop during a blizzard, fluffing herself into a ball
to keep warm. A male flips leaves in a roadside ditch
in Maryland, navigating partially frozen mud to
hunt for spring’s first invertebrates. A noisy, mixed
flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed
Cowbirds, and the occasional Rusty lifts off from an
Ohio cornfield, seeking safety in nearby trees.
These snapshots highlight the adventures and
challenges of Rusty Blackbird spring migration,
a journey that takes this species from its flooded
forest wintering grounds in the southeastern
U.S. northward to the boreal forests of Canada,
Alaska, and far northern New England. Rusty
Blackbirds pose both a conservation challenge
and an environmental mystery. This species has
experienced one of the most precipitous declines of
any once-common landbird, losing up to 95% of its
population over a 40-year span. Until the late 1990s,
no one noticed this decline, much less understood
it. Today, although some of the bird’s habits
remain unstudied, our new understanding of Rusty
Blackbird breeding and wintering ecology enables
scientists to formulate conservation strategies
for this species on both ends of its migratory
range. However, we
know little about
Rusty
Blackbird
migration ecology,
a critical element
to ensure that the
species is protected
throughout its full
annual cycle.
To identify migratory hotspots, understand
migration timing, and inspire the public to support
Rusty Blackbird conservation, the International
Rusty Blackbird Working Group, in partnership
with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
and dozens of state and local partners, including
Louisiana State University, developed and launched
a three-year Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz
in March 2014. This Blitz challenges birders across
38 states, 9 provinces, and 3 Canadian territories to
search for Rusty Blackbirds during their northward
migratory journey. While rangewide Blitz dates
span the beginning of March through mid-June, each
state and province focuses efforts during peak Rusty
migratory activity for its region. Here in Louisiana,
our peak Blitz dates include all of March, when the
majority of Rusties will travel through our region.
To
participate,
birders
scour
the
landscape
for Rusties and
report their data
to eBird under the
“Rusty Blackbird
Spring Migration
Blitz” observation
type,
allowing
the Blitz to tap
into an existing network of citizen scientists and
to encourage new supporters to use a broadbased conservation tool. These data will be used
to identify Rusty Blackbird hotspots across the
landscape and assess whether critical stopover
areas are adequately protected. The ultimate goal
is to ensure that Rusty Blackbirds have access to
high-quality habitat throughout a journey that is
energetically costly and already fraught with peril.
Between 1 March and 15 June 2014, 4750 observers
submitted 13,400 Rusty Blackbird observations to
eBird, a 61% increase in submissions over 2013,
the year before the Blitz. In Louisiana in 2013 we
had 16 submissions containing Rusties. In 2014
we had 57 – that’s an increase of 256% over the
previous year! Data from this pioneer Blitz year
will guide our 2015 and 2016 Spring Migration
Blitz efforts; based on where observers reported
large flocks of Rusties in 2014, we’ve identified
potential hotspots that need to be revisited in 2015
to evaluate whether Rusties rely on the same areas
Rusty Blackbird, Continued on page 5
Spring 2015 Rusty Blackbird, Continued from page 4
year after year. Of course, the Blitz effort will still
be looking for new hotspots in 2015, so birders are
encouraged to search far and wide for Rusties and
report all observations to eBird.
Our goal for Louisiana is to increase our statewide
coverage; including birding 2015’s Areas of Interest
and expanding visits into flooded forests, shallow
swamps, and swamp edges. Northern Louisiana
and potentially important areas, such as Maurepas
Swamp and the Atchafalaya Basin, could be visited
much more.
As the Rusties’ namesake plumage fades to black
(for males) and charcoal gray (for females) in the
spring and summer, Rusties can be challenging to
identify even for more
experienced birders.
To ensure that the
Spring Migration Blitz
collects high-quality
data, we ask that
birders brush up on
their Rusty Blackbird
identification skills
before participating in the Blitz. The International
Rusty Blackbird Working Group Spring Migration
Blitz web pages (http://rustyblackbird.org/
outreach/migration-blitz/)
contain
several
resources to help birders discriminate between
Page 5
Rusties and look-alike species, such as Brewer’s
Blackbird, Common Grackles, Brown-headed
Cowbirds, and European Starlings. If you are
confident that you’ve seen a Rusty Blackbird, we
welcome your report in eBird!
So, whether you’re looking for the first spring
crocuses, walking your dog, hiking near wooded
wetlands, or specifically out birding, keep your
ears open for a squeaky-hinge call and look around
for Rusty Blackbirds- your efforts will help to
solve one of the final pieces of the Rusty Blackbird
conservation puzzle.
To learn more about the Rusty Blackbird Spring
Migration Blitz and how to participate, visit our
website at http://rustyblackbird.org/outreach/
migration-blitz/ or contact your state/provincial
coordinator Sinead Borchert ([email protected].
edu).
This piece is adapted from an article, authored by
Judith Scarl, that originally appeared in the Spring
2014 version of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies’
“Field Notes” publication.
LOS on Facebook
Labirders: This is just to let you know that
those of you who are LOS members and
are also on Facebook may be interested
in “liking” LOS’s new Facebook page. Just
type in “Louisiana Ornithological Society”
in the FB search box, and you’ll find it.
Good birding,
Christine Kooi
Baton Rouge
Don’t Miss . . . .
April 29 - May 3, 2015
Spring 2015
Page 6
LOS 2014 Winter Meeting
Bird Species Checklist
Common Gallinule 6
Blue-headed Vireo 3
American Coot 4
Blue Jay 1
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 50
Black-necked Stilt 15
American Crow 25
Gadwall 120
Killdeer 150
Tree Swallow 15
Mottled Duck 4
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Northern Shoveler 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Green-winged Teal 4
Willet 4
Sedge Wren 1
Lesser Scaup 6
Least Sandpiper 6
Marsh Wren 1
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Long-billed Dowitcher 4
Carolina Wren 2
Common Loon 1
Wilson’s Snipe 8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Pied-billed Grebe 5
Bonaparte’s Gull 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Double-crested Cormorant 50
Laughing Gull 150
Eastern Bluebird 1
Anhinga 6
Ring-billed Gull 75
Northern Mockingbird 8
American White Pelican 150
California Gull 1
European Starling 50
Brown Pelican 15
Herring Gull 30
American Pipit 100
Great Blue Heron 2
gull sp. 1500
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Great Egret 15
Caspian Tern 5
Common Yellowthroat 1
Snowy Egret 4
Forster’s Tern 25
Palm Warbler 8
Little Blue Heron 3
Royal Tern 12
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Tricolored Heron 6
Sandwich Tern 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 2
Reddish Egret 1
Black Skimmer 800
Savannah Sparrow 11
Cattle Egret 12
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 6
Le Conte’s Sparrow 4
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 5
Nelson’s Sparrow 2
White Ibis 12
Mourning Dove 15
Seaside Sparrow 1
Roseate Spoonbill 1
Great Horned Owl 1
Swamp Sparrow 12
Black Vulture 25
Belted Kingfisher 6
White-throated Sparrow 2
Turkey Vulture 15
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Northern Cardinal 4
Osprey 6
Downy Woodpecker 2
Red-winged Blackbird 35
Northern Harrier 4
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Meadowlark 12
Cooper’s Hawk 1
American Kestrel 25
Yellow-headed Blackbird 3
Bald Eagle 3
Eastern Phoebe 6
Common Grackle 6
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Vermilion Flycatcher 1
Boat-tailed Grackle 75
Red-tailed Hawk 8
Western Kingbird 4
Great-tailed Grackle 4
Clapper Rail 1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 120
Sora 1
Loggerhead Shrike 2
Spring 2015 Page 7
Announcing a New Spring Birding Event:
Waders in Working Wetlands: Shorebird Extravaganza 2015
29 April - 3 May 2015
Waders in Working Wetlands: Shorebird Extravaganza
will focus on the abundance and diversity of birds in
southwestern Louisiana’s working wetlands (rice and
crawfish). The event will be based in Jennings. As the name
suggests, this event celebrates shorebirds. It’s a great time of
the year to visit this area to look for shorebirds – there are
lots of them and most are in fancy breeding plumage. There
will be trips to see shorebirds, a few talks one afternoon to
address shorebirds in the working wetland landscape, and a
workshop to hone your shorebird identification skills. Socials
include a Meet and Greet at Mike’s Seafood in Jennings, an
evening of entertainment at the quaint Strand Theatre in
Jennings featuring The R. Bruce Reunion Tour, and a crawfish
boil in traditional Louisiana style at Tallgrass Farms in nearby
Roanoke. Like AVESTEAM’s Yellow Rails and Rice Festival,
the atmosphere will be fun, casual, and laid back. Spring
is a wonderful time to visit southwestern Louisiana to look
for birds. The Shorebird Extravaganza will complement the
Yellow Rails and Rice Festival by providing the opportunity
to see many additional species not present during a late fall
visit – many birds will be singing and in gorgeous breeding
plumage. There will be guided field trips to explore other
habitats, such as longleaf pine forest, swamp and bottomland
Help Plant Natives
Prior to the LOS meeting in Cameron
on April 24, there will be a vegetative
planting on Apache property west of
Holly Beach.
I have:
110 bundleflower
12 red buckeye
15 honey locust
that need to be planted. This is a joint
effort of LOS, LDWF and NRCS along
with Apache Oil and any assistance
would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact Marty Floyd at
[email protected] or 337-459-0445
if interested in helping. Thanks.
hardwoods, freshwater and saltwater marsh, and, of course,
beaches along the Gulf Coast. At the Extravaganza, you should
have the chance to encounter a large cross section of the
specialty breeding and migrant birds of the southeastern US
during your visit.
For more information or to register online, visit:
http://www.snowyegretenterprises.com/Snowy_Egret_
Enterprises/Shorebird_Extravaganza.html
Please consider attending this year to kick off this new event,
and please help spread the word. For more information or to be added to our festival email list,
email Donna L. Dittmann at [email protected]
Judith O’Neale
Louisiana Ornithological Society
504 Whitebark Drive
Lafayette, LA 70508
PRSRT STD.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Lafayette, LA
Permit No. 507
Dues are payable in January of each year; please check your mailing label.
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– PRE-REGISTRATION FORM –
LOS 2015 SPRING Meeting – APRIL 24-25
CAMERON, Louisiana
Deadline APRIL 18, 2015
Name(s):______________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:_________________________________________________________________________________
Email:_________________________________________________________________________________________
Number registering for meeting _________ at $10.00/person
= $______________
Number registering for dinner _________ at $15.00/person
= $______________
Donation enclosed
+ $______________ Membership Dues enclosed
+ $______________ $__________ Please complete form and mail with check payable to:
Judith O’Neale
504 Whitebark Drive, Lafayette, LA 70508
[email protected]
Total enclosed