Suter Wildlife Refuge Report

As reported by Mary Mauel...

Location: Suter Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 9/8/09
Notes: The weather was overcast from rains the night before. The sun did not come out until 10:30am. The trails were muddy from the good rain and there was water in the creek where the bridge one crosses before entering the board walk. That is where the Louisiana Waterthrushes were observed. More rain is expected here at this site during September 9-12, 2009. A possible female American Wigeon was spotted today. However someone else and I will have to verify it because I could not see it clear enough with my binoculars. It was mixed in with the Mottled Ducks on the shore line to the right of the end of the board walk. Good birding!
It was cooler on this morning and probably about 75 degress F. Butterfly species observed were 7 Western Pygmy Blue, and 1 male Pipevine Swallowtail. The butterflies were observed from entering the South Entrance to the park. The Western Pygmy Blue is only observed along the shore line by entering at the South Entrance to the park and walking down to the shore line and observing them on their larval host plant. There were some Sea Oxeye Daisy still blooming which they do like to nectar on also.
Number of species: 44

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 12— Flew over head while on the board walk.
Mottled Duck: 20
Pied-billed Grebe: 7— Swmimming and diving in the bay.
American White Pelican: 100
Brown Pelican: 6
Neotropic Cormorant: 8
Least Bittern: 1
Great Blue Heron: 25
Great Egret: 15
Snowy Egret: 5
Little Blue Heron: 1
Tricolored Heron: 3
Reddish Egret: 2—Observed 1 as the white morph feeding in the bay near the shore line and the
dark morph perched on top of a tree like shrub near the lagoon.
Green Heron: 2—Feeding for fish along the lagoon.
Black-crowned Night-Heron: 1— Observed the adult standing in the lagoon at 7 am.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: 2—Observed the adult in the bay and the immature in the lagoon.
White Ibis: 1—Feeding by the end of the board walk along the shore line.
Roseate Spoonbill: 7
Sora: 3—Juvenile was feeding on the dry land picking up washed up small fish and other items of interest right where the water meets the dirt. He was flicking up his beigy brown tail for about 10 minutes having a good time feeding after the good rains filled up the lagoon and the Oso Bay on Monday night, September 7, 2009. The waters in the bay were high along all the shores. The adults were feeding along the lagoon. Both adults were observed for about 3 hours. It was a good day for herons and rails.
Common Moorhen: 2
American Coot: 4
Black-necked Stilt: 19
American Avocet: 3
Willet: 1—Was in his winter plumage.
Sanderling: 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1
Western Sandpiper: 1
Laughing Gull: 50
Caspian Tern: 2
Forster's Tern: 1
Mourning Dove: 5
Black-chinned Hummingbird: 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker: 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee: 2
Eastern Phoebe: 1
Couch's Kingbird: 2
Loggerhead Shrike: 2
Nashville Warbler: 1
Yellow Warbler: 2
Louisiana Waterthrush: 3
Northern Cardinal: 2
Red-winged Blackbird: 6
Great-tailed Grackle: 10



Location: Suter Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 9/3/09
Notes: Sunny, clear, skies; very humid, probably about 77 degrees F. This was the temperature at the beginning of the birding time at 8am and was probably around 87-90 degrees by the end because of the humidity factored in for the day time heating already. Good birding!
Number of species: 34

Mottled Duck: 10—Swimming in the lagoon.
American White Pelican: 75
Brown Pelican: 5
Neotropic Cormorant: 4—In the lagoon.
Least Bittern: 1—Fishing in the lagoon.
Great Blue Heron: 20
Great Egret: 4
Tricolored Heron: 1—Fishing in the lagoon.
Green Heron: 3—The immature and the 2 adults were fishing in the lagoon.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: 1—in the lagoon
White Ibis: 1—Only had the brown on the neck remaining as a juvenile.
Roseate Spoonbill: 25
Purple Gallinule: 3—Juveniles foraging with the adult in the lagoon.
Common Moorhen: 2—Foraging in the lagoon.
American Coot: 2—Swimming in the lagoon.
Wilson's Plover: 1—Full breeding plumage.
Black-necked Stilt :15
American Avocet: 1—in breeding plumage in the bay.
Willet: 5
Marbled Godwit: 4
Ruddy Turnstone: 2—Molting between breeding and winter plumage.
Sanderling: 10
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher: 5
Laughing Gull: 50
Black Skimmer: 3
Black-chinned Hummingbird: 3—Nectaring and perching at times by the flowers and shrubs at the Butterfly Garden.
Loggerhead Shrike : 2
Tennessee Warbler: 2
Yellow-throated Warbler: 1—Observed him to be the Interior East with the white lores and had just caught a dragonfly and was working on eating it along the trail.
Northern Cardinal: 2—Coming the sprinkler along the beginning of the trail at the parking lot.
Red-winged Blackbird: 10
Great-tailed Grackle: 6