TURTLE BOY AND THE BIRDS

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Louisiana Bird Observatory has made a couple visits with the potential of more routine studies. AWESOME !!

Louisiana Bird Observatory, has made two recent visits led by Eric Johnson (Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon Louisiana), and what a good time + learning experience it was! Fine nets (mist nets I think) were set up along the interior edges of the northeastern corner fence line in order to capture and band resident and migratory birds as well as collect a good bit of supplemental data about said birds, such as sex, age, molt, weight, wing measurements, body fat, and more before releasing the birds back into the wild. I really had no idea (no formal education relating to ornithology) how much information can be gathered by having a bird in hand. A field expedient work station was set up to process each bird and release it within a minimal time to reduce stress on each bird. We talked about the possibility of a regular schedule of recurring events because the site has good potential for steady data collection. I sure hope they decide to set up a station here. Thank you Eric Johnson and Katie Barnes for the knowledge imparted. See below for a glimpse of the two days.

White Eyed Vireo. Measuring and comparing groups of feathers helps determine molt and subsequently age.

Banding Station with nets in background

Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler with band.

Male Painted Bunting

White Eyed Vireo

Male Painted Bunting

Northern Cardinal

Northern Waterthrush

American Redstart

Bird Banding Station

Carolina Wren

Common Yellowthroat

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher

Banding Station

Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher

Carefully removing Ruby-Throated Hummingbird from net

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Restoration Update 2018:

The restoration is looking good as a whole, there are problematic areas that always need tending to but all in all I think it's going well.

In a nearly always flooded landscape Cypress seedling seemingly take forever to get above the shrub layer. Every winter I wonder if any have survived, and without leaves they were nearly impossible to find, but in Spring there are always more than I expected and my nervousness lets up. In this 45' plot I can easily identify 15 trees at a good spacing. This is going to be a beautiful spot........ (in 100 years!). You are welcome kids.

Each season there is more abundance and diversity in the Prairie plots, Indigo and False Indigo are amongst the first to flower and stand out sharply.

Tallow trees all gone, now you can more easily see the transplanted Iris and Cypress that circle the flooded wooded potholes.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Hoo's watching who? I always feel like I'm being watched out here !

2-18-2018, Bald Eagle. Spooked two while walking in.

2-18-2018, Barred Owl

2-18-2018, Gator in the little pond

Monday, February 26, 2018

Just when you think you know what you've got..........

Always something new going on at the place and something new to catalog. The Acadiana Master Naturalists came out to the property after a half day of presentations at LDWF in New Iberia and walked a loop around the place learning about all the restoration efforts. Billy F. came along and wanted to net some fish and minnows for a project he is working on at home.

Billy F. educating A.M.N. students (probably with Cricket Frog in hand).

After the A.M.N. left we went back into the property to find some puddles. We brought a dip net and a bucket with a battery powered air stone to keep the catch alive until Billy could get em home. First puddle we stopped at we drug the net through the 2-4 inch deep water and caught some Sailfin Mollies, Green Sunfish, Golden Top Minnows, Sheepshead Minnows, lots of crawfish .....AND...a minnow that looked different.

Bayou Killifish (this is an update to my original post where the minnow was identified as a Salt Marsh Topminnow).