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Outside Front Cover Inside Front Cover what is a wading bird? Selecting the most graceful bird group To be sure, other bird groups possess within the entire class (Aves) of birds – similar combinations of long legs, arguably the most graceful of all animal long necks, and long bills. Both classes – is a difficult task. By the same the cranes (order Gruiformes) and token, however, it is equally difficult certain shorebirds (i.e. stilts, curlews, to deny the top spot to the exquisitely- godwits, and some sandpipers; order sculpted, long-legged, long-necked, Charadriiformes) are prime examples. long-billed wading birds. But the cranes are more genetically allied with the rails, and the shorebirds possess Biologically, the bird group known bloodlines which are closer to the gulls Ronnie Gaubert, Photographer_Tricolored Heron as the “wading birds” is comprised and terns. David Chauvin, Photographer_Cattle Egret of those species belonging to the families Ardeidae (bitterns, herons, Seventeen species of wading birds egrets), Threskiornithidae (ibises and regularly occur in Louisiana. These spoonbills), Ciconiidae (Wood Stork), include the American Bittern, Least and Phoenicopteridae (flamingoes), all Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, of which possess proportionately long Snowy Egret, Reddish Egret, Tricolored legs, long necks, and long bills adapted Heron, Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, for wading and feeding in relatively Green Heron, Black-crowned Night- shallow water; and all of which belong Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, to the bird order Ciconiiformes. White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, and Wood Stork. David Chauvin, Photographer_Green Heron Charles Bush, Photographer_American Bittern David Chauvin, Photographer_Great Blue Heron Darlene Boucher, Photographer_Reddish Egret Charlie Hohorst, Photographer_Roseate Spoonbill Pg 1 (bottom of inside front cover) wading birds in Louisiana Would you believe that the majority wading bird’s life history involves water: 2003), a total of 496 historical nesting of Louisiana’s 33 million total acres is foraging, breeding, nesting, roosting, colony sites within south Louisiana (all officially classified as wetlands? While it migrating – you name it. or parts of 32 parishes, from Avoyelles is true that a substantial portion of these parish southward through the coastal wetlands has been drained or otherwise Feeding is a wading bird’s most barrier islands) were surveyed in April- degraded, Louisiana is still a very “wet” spontaneous activity, occurring June of 2001. Of those sites, 298 were place, particularly when compared to throughout the state’s freshwater, inactive, 162 were active, and 36 new other states. brackish, and saline marshes, and at the locations were discovered. From this edges of most any water body including data, the surveyors have extrapolated In Louisiana, the term “wetlands” estuarine bays, lakes, ponds, woodland that an additional 289 undiscovered encompasses much more than the pools, swamps, rivers, bayous, creeks, sites probably exist within the study Charlie Hohorst, Photographer_Great Blue Heron wide, 3 million acre swath of marshes canals, and ditches. Breeding and area, bringing the hypothetical total to located within the coastal zone itself. nesting most often occur over carefully 487. Moreover, a substantial number In fact, of the 60+ distinctive natural selected swamp or lake habitats. of additional sites also exist within the communities identified by the state’s Roosting sites employ the tallest canopy northern half of the state, particularly biologists, at least 47 can be classified as tree layers available along rivers and within the Red River, Sabine River, and “totally wet” (bays, lakes, rivers, bayous, streams as well as within and along the Ouachita-Black River watersheds. etc.) or “wetland” (marshes, swamps, edges of swamps and lakes. bottomlands, etc.) in nature. What this means is that Louisiana is From a conservation planning a wading bird mecca. Based on these Obviously, this is great news if you standpoint, southern Louisiana has surveys and a comparison of estimates happen to be a wading bird living in been fortunate to have had the luxury from other states, Louisiana supports Louisiana! For wading birds, “water of conducting numerous wading and significant numbers of wading birds. In water everywhere” translates not only to seabird nesting surveys from 1976 fact, there are more waders in Louisiana “food food everywhere,” but also “safety through the present. In the most recent than in any other state. safety everywhere.” Every aspect of a published survey (Michot, Jeske, et al. Charlie Hohorst, Photographer_Glossy Ibis Darlene Boucher, Photographer_Great Egret Charlie Hohorst, Photographer_Roseate Spoonbill David Cagnolatti, Photographer_Black-crowned Night-Heron David Chauvin, Photographer_Reddish Egret Pg 2 wading birds & colonial nesting According to the National Audubon species aggregations which can include Heron, Tricolored Heron, and Yellow- Throughout most of Louisiana, wading from both the adults and young birds Society’s The Sibley Guide to Bird Life up to 13 different species. Here in crowned Night-Heron are the last to bird chicks begin fledging out of nests tends to deoxygenate the water below, and Behavior (2001), approximately Louisiana, wading bird colonies arrive, usually by mid-March in the as early as the latter half of March, resulting in an accelerated demise in 13% of all bird species qualify as commonly include other waterbirds coastal zone, and about 2 weeks later with peak fledging occurring by late the very vegetation which supports the colonial nesters. Those birds which such as Anhingas and Neotropic in northern Louisiana. May/early June. Once fledged, the nests. Consequently, waders are forced choose colonial nesting do so for Cormorants, particularly in sites near adults work with the young birds by to abandon even the best colonial several reasons. Besides the obvious or within the coastal zone. Too, some Once eggs begin hatching, the wading “flying” them to appropriate nearby nesting sites at regular intervals (every “safety in numbers” hypothesis, wading bird species will often merge bird nesting colony is instantly sites for lessons in foraging, as well as 10-20 years). Other factors causing additional factors include generalized into large seabird (Brown Pelican, transformed into a wading bird lessons in flying. For the first several nest site abandonment include periodic region-wide scarcity of suitable Black Skimmer, miscellaneous gulls rookery. Rookeries are typically full weeks after fledging, the young usually droughts, loss of nearby foraging breeding habitat, proximity to suitable and terns) nesting colonies when of action and quite noisy with the return to their respective rookery sites areas, or encroachment by humans. foraging habitat, as well as what conditions allow. constant cries of nestlings and adults. for roosting each night. Soon afterward Hurricanes too, take their toll! The can most easily be described as the During daylight hours, the airspace adults escort them to newly-selected devastating hurricanes of 2005 and the “networking” factor: the collective Within the southern third of Louisiana, around a rookery is almost always roosting sites, most often at isolated ensuing region-wide drought through benefits associated with living in a wading bird nesting season begins as filled with adult birds hurrying back sites, atop tall trees lining the banks of the 2006 spring-summer nesting group, such as learning where the early as the latter half of January, when and forth from foraging areas with rivers, bayous, lakes, or swamps. season, caused a substantial number best food supplies are located on a Great Egrets initiate nest-building. As food for the nestlings, as well as late of these colony sites within Louisiana’s day-to-day basis. late winter turns to early spring, more arrivals who might still be in the For the most part, wading bird coastal zone to be abandoned. Where species pile in with each passing week. process of transporting heavy twigs nest/rookery sites are ephemeral in have these birds relocated? At this Most wading bird species are colonial The more strongly neotropical the with which to build nests. nature, primarily due to the fact that point, “the jury is still out.” nesters, annually gathering in mixed- species, the later the arrival. Little Blue the concentration of waste products David Chauvin, Photographer_Great Egret Joe Turner, Photographer_Little Blue Heron Nancy Camel, Photographer_Roseate Spoonbill Patti Ardoin, Photographer_Great Egret Pg 3 nuptial plumage Louisiana’s 2007 As with numerous other bird species, from writer Herbert Job says it all: Bird Watching Dates wading birds exhibit markedly visible “ Here are some official figures changes over certain parts of their of the trade from one source to Remember bodies in response to the onset of alone, of auctions at the London breeding season. With wading birds, Commercial Sales Rooms during Eagle Expo 2007 the most notable changes include the 1902. There were sold 1,608 February 8-10, 2007, Morgan City appearance of bright colors about the packages of. herons’ plumes. contact info 985-395 4905 bill, lores, and legs, and a special molt A package is said to average in in specific areas of the head, neck, and weight 30 ounces. This makes Audubon Country Birdfest Charlie Hohorst, Photographer_Cattle Egret scapular feathers, producing elaborately a total of 48,240 ounces. As