Jefferson Island Rookery

My wife, grandson and I took a trip to Jefferson Island Rookery recently to see what was up with the birds in the Rookery.

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The setting sun nicely lit a white juvenile Little Blue Heron hanging around in the trees.

This first year Little Blue Heron transitioning into adult-like plumage was a different looking bird and certainly cool to witness.
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A Cattle Egret landed in a tree and added his stick to his nest.

This Cattle Egret in his magnificent breeding plumage was continually hounded for food by his chicks.

'Golden Hour' placed a golden glow on this Cattle Egret as he set on the edge of a tree limb.

The baby Roseate Spoonbills were just plain cute with their little spatula beaks.

An adult Roseate Spoonbill showed himself on the edge of a limb later in the day.

My wife and I had a great time observing the variety of birds and chicks and look forward to going back one day next year.

Prothonotary Warbler

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Do you recognize this bird? It showed up about a week ago in a swampy area transforming into its adult plumage.

Once its transition is complete it will look like this. One of its parents was close by. This brilliant yellow bird is always a pleasure to see and is a striking sight in the Louisiana swamps.

Kistatchie's Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

Skilled birder Steve Shively put us on some of Kisatchie's endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. A Bachman's Sparrow, Prairie Warbler, and  Brown-Headed Nuthatch were in the area, all of which were firsts for me.

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A Bachman's Sparrows was sitting on a vine singing away in the open Piney Wood's area.

The harsh, hilarious songs of the Yellow Breasted Chats broke the silence in the Piney Woods.

It was a delight to see the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. The thin line of red plumage behind his eye identifies him as a male.

A hat's off to the personnel at Kisatchie for doing an excellent job managing this endangered species.

A closer look.at the thin red line behind his eye between the black and white plumage.

A Prairie Warbler was a first for me. This little guy was singing his little heart out in a pine tree close by.

Here he is again perched on a limb.

Some Brown-Headed Nuthatches were seen in the area but never came into camera range. It's always great to add new species to one's list.

The Peveto Beach Surf Scoter

The Peveto Beach Surf Scoter reported on labird was not breeding in Canada or Alaska and was still present this morning. It was loafing around in the surf inside the barrier rocks almost even with the eastern boundary of the Santuary. It didn't seem disturbed at all by my presence.

Its multi-colored orange, yellow and white bill with a black circular spot was remarkable and a sight to see. I'm not certain why it doesn't have the white patch on its forehead and on the nape of his neck typical of male Surf Scoters but there must be an explanation. Regardless, it was a pleasure to see such a sea duck and obtain a picture for our fine group of labirders to see.

The dark area at the top of the picture is the barrier rocks just off the beach.

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