The 118th CBC in Louisiana

By Erik I. Johnson
Director of Bird Conservation for APP Louisiana
Published December 10, 2018

During the 2017-2018 (118th) APP Christmas Bird Count, 211 parties (11 fewer than last year) dedicated 1661 party-hours (61 fewer than last year) across 28 counts (1 fewer than last year, but still higher than the 2010-2017 average). In addition, 33 feeder-watchers provided 53 hours of count data.A total of 2,960,087 individual birds were counted, with Red-winged Blackbird (1,228,149), Brown-headed Cowbird (732,513), Snow Goose (390,969), and White-faced Ibis (66,798) topping the list and collectively representing 81.7% of all birds counted.Can you guess the 19 species that were reported from all 28 CBCs? The answer will be at the bottom of this report – no cheating!

The species total across all Louisiana CBCs was 249 species, 10 short of last year’s tally, plus two count-week species (Yellow Rail and Parasitic Jaeger).It was a particularly cold winter this year(averagereported CBChigh/low = 59/44 F), perhaps suppressing species numbers a bit this year compared to last, which was an unusually warm winter(averagereported CBChigh/low = 65/51F).Despite the relatively low species showing, one new state species record was found on the Thibodaux CBC – a group of fourLimpkin– and one new state subspecies record was found on the Grand Isle CBC – aYellow “Mangrove” Warbler.Why these two tropical birds chose winter of 2017-2018 to show up in Louisiana is beyond me.An additionaleightLBRC “Review List” species were found:Common Merganser(East Baton Rouge),Harris’s Hawk(Sweet Lake-Cameron Prairie N.W.R.),threeWhite-tailed Hawks(Sweet Lake-Cameron Prairie N.W.R.),Anna’s Hummingbird(Lafayette),Brown-crested Flycatcher(New Orleans),Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird(New Orleans),Spotted Towhee(Sweet Lake-Cameron Prairie N.W.R.),andShiny Cowbird(Grand Isle).

Among the 28 Louisiana CBCs, 20of them hit the 100 species mark, andtwotallied 150 or more species:Sabine N.W.R.(158) andPalmetto Island (156). Four additional countstopped140species: New Orleans (147), Creole (145), White Lake (142), andLacassineN.W.R.-Thornwell(141). Among north Louisiana CBCs, the counts with the most species were Red River N.W.R.(119) and Pine Prairie (109).

A respectable number of warbler specieswasfound this year – 15. It was a pretty remarkable year forYellow-throated Warbler, with 12 reported fromfivecounts(compared to2birdsfrom 1 count last winter), andWilson’s Warbler, with 61 reported from 16 counts, includingnineinBaton Rougeandonefrom a north Louisiana count(Pine Prairie). Other notable warblers includedOvenbird(2, Grand Isle; 1, Venice),NorthernWaterthrush(1, Grand Isle; 1, Palmetto Island),American Redstart(1, Sweet Lake-Cameron Prairie N.W.R.),NorthernParula(1, Pine Prairie; 1LacassineN.W.R.-Thornwell),Prairie Warbler(1, Crowley; 1, New Orleans; 2, Venice), andBlack-throated Green Warbler(1, Grand Isle; 2, New Orleans; 1, Venice).

Other notable finds includedFulvous Whistling-Duck(2, Lake Charles; 1, Palmetto Island),Least Bittern(1, Creole; 1, New Orleans),ɲԲDz’sHawk(1, Creole; 1, New Orleans),Franklin’s Gull(1, Palmetto Island; 1, Sabine N.W.R.),Lesser Black-backed Gull(1, Shreveport),Common Tern(2, Johnson’s Bayou),Sandwich Tern(1, Sabine N.W.R.),Broad-tailed Hummingbird(1, Lafayette),Calliope Hummingbird(2, Baton Rouge; 1, Pine Prairie; 2, St. Tammany),Least Flycatcher(1,LacassineN.W.R.-Thornwell; 1, Sweet Lake-Cameron Prairie N.W.R.; 1, Venice),Western Kingbird(1, Claiborne; 1, New Orleans),Bell’s Vireo(1, Baton Rouge; 1, Venice),Wood Thrush(1, Creole),Clay-colored Sparrow(1, New Orleans),Harris’s Sparrow(1, Creole; 3, Shreveport),Summer Tanager(1,LacassineN.W.R.-Thornwell; 1, Palmetto Island; 1, White Lake),Western Tanager(1, Venice), andRose-breasted Grosbeak(1, Baton Rouge; 1, Fort Polk).

Continuing expansions of several species are apparent, withNeotropicCormorantnow well established in Baton Rouge (50),andalsodocumented in Thibodaux (3) and Reserve-BonnetCarreSpillway (9). Ten years ago, a handful ofInca Doveswould still be largely restricted to western Louisiana, but now 234 birds were counted from 17 counts spanning from Johnson’s Bayou to Venice, and north St. Tammany, Pine Prairie, andCheneyville-Lecompte.A total of 96Crested Caracaras, another species that has become increasingly common in southwestern Louisiana and is expanding eastward,were reported from 10 CBCs including one in Venice.Say’s Phoebehasalsosuddenly became much more regular in the last decade, an althoughamerefivewere reported fromfourcounts this year,twowerefrom New Orleans,onewasfrom Baton Rouge, andonewasfrom Claiborne, whichcontinues to suggest an eastward winter expansion. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reintroduction ofWhooping Cranecontinues to excite birders, andfivebirds were found at White Lake.

The 19 species found on all 28 CBCs were Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier,Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrel, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-rumpedWarbler, White-throated Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Northern Cardinal.

Thank you to those and compilers that coordinated the count effort this year, as well as all the volunteer counters!