At the end of October, myself and fifteen other members of the BOS (Buffalo Ornithological Society) traveled to Louisiana for the tenth annual Rice and Rail Festival. This event combines the harvesting of the rice fields in Jennings, Louisiana and assisting birders to see the otherwise skulky Yellow Rail that inhabits the fields during fall migration.
The farmers were wonderful, allowing rides on the massive combines that cut the field. I took a ride on the combine with my friend, Bernie. As the machine drove through the field, harvesting the rice, we saw Yellow Rails, Soras, Virginia Rails, sparrows, and wrens fly out of the way of the blades, safely exiting to another area in the field. We were instructed to watch for the white secondaries that Yellow Rails show in flight. In total, I saw five Yellow Rails.
Another side show went on during the harvesting - Great and Cattle Egrets were everywhere - getting quite close to the combine, feeding on the grasshoppers and other insects the blades spun out. It's amazing none were injured!
At the very end of the festival, the banders who had set up nets at key points during the harvesting, caught a Yellow Rail. We had the exciting opportunity to watch the rail get banded, measured, and then released. The close views we had of that little rail were awesome!
The eight days of the trip included a whole lot of birding in the area. We went to the gulf coast and saw lots of shorebirds: egrets, Marbled Godwits, pelicans, gulls, plovers, dowitchers, etc...
We also birded through Texas on our way back to the Houston Airport, where we flew out of. At one stop in the county of Galveston, we spotted a White-tailed Kite perched in a field. That was my favorite of my three life birds on the trip. The hooked bill, red eyes, and black wings on this otherwise white bird were simply gorgeous.
Enjoy the photos!
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The The bander showing the white secondaries of the Yellow Rail that was caught in the banders' nets
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Banding the rail
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Recording the bird's measurements
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All done and ready for release!
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My friend, Bernie, gets the opportunity to release a sparrow caught in the nets
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A Snowy Egret hunts along the rocky shore of the East Jetty Beach in Cameron Parish, Louisiana
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A couple hundred Black Skimmers took to the air at the East Jetty Beach!
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There were LOTS of American White Pelicans resting on the beach.
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This Wilson's Warbler gave us all great views as he peeked out of the reeds near the beach.
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We saw Roseatte Spoonbills all over - at probably every stop!
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A lovely Nelson's Sparrow peeks out of the grasses on our way to Rutherford Beach.
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Usually a very secretive marsh bird, we were amazed at the great views this Clapper Rail gave our group!
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On the evening of our second day, we were treated to hundreds of Sandhill Cranes going to roost for the night.
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This American Bittern was among 7 that we saw flying over a marsh one night.
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A White Ibis (left) and a Black-bellied Whistling Duck getting along nicely!
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Full views of a young Purple Gallinule were a real treat!
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Black-necked Stilts on our field trip to a water treatment facility
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We know these geese as Greater White-fronted, but in Louisiana, they're called "Speckled Bellies"!
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A Sedge Wren gave some short views as we combed a field looking for a LeConte's Sparrow
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This Northern Harrier flew overhead at the LeConte's Sparrow field.
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A Willet catches lunch on the gulf on our way to Holly Beach
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An American Avocet in winter plumage at Holly Beach in LA
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A Yellow-billed Cuckoo thinks he's invisible!
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This pretty, little Philadelphia Vireo came up as rare in Peveto Woods in LA
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A beautiful female Painted Bunting was a nice surprise at our first stop in Texas on our way to the airport.
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This young Reddish Egret gave us wonderful looks at Rollover Pass in Texas.
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One of my favorite birds, the Marbled Godwit, was at Rollover Pass in numbers!
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A Brown Pelican gave a flyby at Rollover Pass.
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This White-tailed Kite was life bird #3 for me on the trip - just gorgeous!
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Another view of the kite as he dodged the advances of a pair of Northern Harriers.
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One more of the kite - I'm rather partial to this bird!
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A cute little Snowy Plover at Bolivar Flats in Galveston, TX
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There were at least 3 Wilson's Plovers at Bolivar Flats, a very nice bird to see again!
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A Red Knot catching something yummy at Bolivar Flats
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At Bolivar Flats, this Osprey flew by carrying a nice sized fish!