LABIRD-L for Saturday, January 13, 2001

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   Fox Sparrows   Patrick Willis    8:43am   1-12-01 Purple Martins - Lutcher, LA   Tom & Eloise Sylvest   10:27am   goldfinches   Peggy Siegert    2:11pm   Smith's Longspurs   Marlyn J. Patten   6:03pm

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Subject: Fox Sparrows
From: Patrick Willis <p.willis(AT)CENTURYTEL.NET>
Date: 13 Jan 2001 8:43am

Paul, we were fortunate enough to have a fox sparrow show up in our yard
on Christmas Day and a second one appeared a few days later.  They
remain with us at this point.  It was a lifer for me and they are
beautiful birds.
Beth Willis
Jena, La (LaSalle Parish)


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Subject: 1-12-01 Purple Martins - Lutcher, LA
From: Tom & Eloise Sylvest <tomande(AT)STARGAZER.NET>
Date: 13 Jan 2001 10:27am

Tommy and Gail Zeringue of Lutcher, LA, (St. James Parish, 40 miles west of
New Orleans, LA)
had three Purple Martins at their bird boxes Friday January 12, 2001. I saw
one Adult Male and two Immature males on their boxes on January 12.

This is my only report so far. However, this posting should be a reminder
to all LA Labirders to keep us all informed of the purple martin migration
as they observe it taking place this season.

Good Birding
Tom Sylvest


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Subject: goldfinches
From: Peggy Siegert <PEGSIEGERT(AT)CS.COM>
Date: 13 Jan 2001 2:11pm

LAbird,

Just as predicted a few days ago, our goldfinch population has soared the
last two days and continues to build.

Peggy Siegert
Slidell, LA
zone 8b
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Subject: Smith's Longspurs
From: "Marlyn J. Patten" <puffin(AT)FASTBAND.COM>
Date: 13 Jan 2001 6:03pm

This morning, Jan. 13, I joined Martha Lennard, Nora McClure and leader
Terry Davis to search for the Smith's Longspur at the Shreveport Regional
Airport. The weather was cloudy, slightly breezy and quite cold.
Nevertheless, during our search from 8:00-10:00 a.m. we recorded on the
airport grounds:

Northern Harrier - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Horned Lark - 2
European Starling - 2 Flybys
Savannah Sparrow - 4
SMITH'S LONGSPUR - 9
Eastern Meadowlark - 55-60

It was interesting for me to be able to compare the call of the Smith's with
the "rattle' and "tew" (downward slur, sort of a wheez really) of the
Lapland's I had heard last week at the Simpson sod farm west of Covington.
To me the call of the Smith's is not really a rattle in the sense of the
Lapland, but rather a slightly higher-pitched series of more precise
individual notes. I just wish that I had the right kind of taping equipment
for recording both species.  The only vocalizations that I have are songs of
both species on the breeding grounds on the LP records of Peterson's 2nd
Edition of "A Field Guide to Western Bird Songs" publ. in 1962.  The calls
of the wintering birds here in La. are not recorded on those records.

Thanks Terry for one more new bird.

Harvey L. Patten
Covington, La.