This gallery shows photos from a one-week trip spent mostly in southwestern Louisiana in Oct/Nov 2021. The first part was three days on a birding trip with Field Guides Birding Tours, in three different ecosystems near Lafayette, LA. The main ecosystems were rice fields south of Welsh, coastal areas (salt marshes near Cameron and freshwater marshes at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge), and pine forests in Kisatchie National Forest. The great highlight, although it may sound strange!, was the rice fields on the first day. Somehow, some time not long ago, someone noticed that the rice harvesting combines scare up lots of birds. And it turns out that the birds that the combines flush are quite interesting!! They include many Rails, which are always somewhat or very secretive, usually found in marshy areas. In late October/ early November, some species pass through this region and bulk up on rice, or those that live there year-round like King Rails, apparently just take advantage of the food and cover available in the rice fields. Among the migrating rails, the one that most of us were dying to see was the Yellow Rail, a near mythic bird that is almost impossible to see under normal circumstances. Most birding trips that "find" them only hear their call while wading in Minnesota swamps in the middle of the night, without ever seeing them. But here in the rice fields, one can actually see them in broad daylight. The rice harvesters have entered into agreement with various birding groups to allow people to ride on the combines while they harvest, or to ride alongside in ATVs, as long at the harvest work is not disturbed. In fact, it has become a festival - the Yellow Rails and Rice Festival - which draws viewers from all over the country. Almost all rail sightings are brief - the bird flies up to get out of the way of the combine, and then right back down in the thick grass. You can tell Yellow Rails because they have a band of white on the trailing edge of their wings. The harvesters seem to enjoy it - the combine driver blows a whistle whenever a Yellow Rail is flushed :-).
One of the most interesting aspects of the experience is that researchers from LSU try to catch as many rails and other birds and measure and band them. This allowed us to see some remarkable birds up close, including a Sedge Wren, a Sora, and yes, a Yellow Rail. So exciting to see them in the hand and then released into the fields, where they promptly disappear. Watching the researchers try to catch the rails was fascinating. They see them fly up from the combine and see exactly where they drop down, but then even in short cut grass, the birds can easily vanish under the sparse cover. But they were able to catch three birds while we were there. Great experience!
The Field Guides birding trip also included trips to coastal marshes and pine forests, where we saw some southeastern specialties such as Brown-headed Nuthatch and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Most people in the group also saw Bachman's Sparrow, but I never got it in view. There were many other highlights, including fantastic looks at a King Rail and several Clapper Rails, gators, and beautiful scenery.
After the birding trip, I drove around the area on my own, ranging over to the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Alabama, getting as far as Dauphin Island in southwestern AL. To get there, I made a slight detour to Bayou La Batre, AL, where I looked for Forrest Gump and his boat, the Jenny. I saw neither :-), but enjoyed the shrimp boats, scenery, food, and quite a few great birds!
This part of the country inspired some great music. I found myself singing songs along the way, and include a few lyrics in the captions below :-).
One of the most interesting aspects of the experience is that researchers from LSU try to catch as many rails and other birds and measure and band them. This allowed us to see some remarkable birds up close, including a Sedge Wren, a Sora, and yes, a Yellow Rail. So exciting to see them in the hand and then released into the fields, where they promptly disappear. Watching the researchers try to catch the rails was fascinating. They see them fly up from the combine and see exactly where they drop down, but then even in short cut grass, the birds can easily vanish under the sparse cover. But they were able to catch three birds while we were there. Great experience!
The Field Guides birding trip also included trips to coastal marshes and pine forests, where we saw some southeastern specialties such as Brown-headed Nuthatch and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Most people in the group also saw Bachman's Sparrow, but I never got it in view. There were many other highlights, including fantastic looks at a King Rail and several Clapper Rails, gators, and beautiful scenery.
After the birding trip, I drove around the area on my own, ranging over to the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Alabama, getting as far as Dauphin Island in southwestern AL. To get there, I made a slight detour to Bayou La Batre, AL, where I looked for Forrest Gump and his boat, the Jenny. I saw neither :-), but enjoyed the shrimp boats, scenery, food, and quite a few great birds!
This part of the country inspired some great music. I found myself singing songs along the way, and include a few lyrics in the captions below :-).
