ARKANSAS & LOUISIANA 
Date, location, and the fact that the bird is compieting its pri- 
mary molt all suggest that this subaduSt Parasitic Jaeger at 
Holly Beach, Cameron Parish 5 August 2908 had summered in 
the Gulf of Mexico; there are very few such well-documented 
records for Louisiana. Photograph by Matthew I Pontiff. 
DLD), a Black Scoter on Mallard L., Mississip- 
pi 20 Nov (ph. Ron Howard), and another 
Black at C.N.E 28 Nov (first record for Desha; 
ph. D&SB) were the only scoters reported. A 
well-documerited Least Grebe at C.EH. 3-7 
Aug (ph. JBr, MAM, m.ob.) established a first 
state record for Arkansas and was without a 
doubt the Region’s best bird of the season. 
PELICANS THiOUGH SPOONBILL 
Although there have been a number of recent 
inland occurrences of Brown Pelicans that 
were not obviously related to tropical storms, 
a rash of reports this season was almost cer- 
tainly directly or indirectly attributable to 
Hurricane Ike (interestingly, none linked to 
Hurricane Gustav). Inland Louisiana reports 
(all imms.): 8 at Cotile L., Rapides beginning 
14 Sep, a maximum of 9 there 21-22 Sep, and 
at least one lingering through 14 Oct O^H); 
one at Cross L., Shreveport, Caddo 14-20 Sep, 
joined by another 22 Sep and both remaining 
through 14 Oct (ph. CEL); one at Rayne, Aca- 
dia 20 Sep (ph. DBo); one on the Red R. near 
Ninock, s. Bossier 3 Oct (TD); one at Baton 
Rouge 23 Oct (ph. DBo); and one at Cata- 
houla N.W.R., LaSalle 1 Nov (Lindsay Cold- 
iron). A Brown Pelican at M.L., Hemp- 
stead/Little River starting 13 Oct, 2 there 25- 
27 Oct, and then one lingering through 8 Nov 
(CM, m.ob.) were the only individuals that 
turned up in Arkansas but represented the 
4th occurrence for that location and pushed 
Arkansas’s total close to 20 records. Neotrop- 
ic Cormorants are now expected in small 
numbers as far n. and e. in Louisiana as the 
Baton Rouge area, but one at Red River 
N.W.R., Bossier 18 Oct (CEL), 2 at Cross L. 21 
Oct (ph. CEL), one at Cotile L. 25 Aug QVH), 
and one far se. near Venice, Plaquemines 30 
Nov (vt. PAW, DPM) were from areas with few 
r I Magnificent Frigatebirds tend to be relatively susceptible to being blown inland by tropical cyclones, and it's no sur- 
3 fl prise that this was the case with both of our Sep 2008 hurricanes. ¥Aat's interesting is to compare the two storms in 
terms of the pattern of displaced frigatebirds. During Gustav, the earlier, smaller, and fester of the two storms, there vme only 
six sightings involving 6 individuals; an ad. male at Baton Rouge 1 Sep (DBo); an ad. male at White Oal L,, Ouachita, AR 2 Sep 
(ph. KC, Hilda Jones, ph. DS, DBr); an imm. at Grand L., Chicot, Mi 2 Sep (K&LH, OB); an ad. male at M.L., Hempstesd/Littk Riv- 
er 2-3 Sep, joined by an imm. 3 Sep (CM; there were only about a dozen previous Arkansas records); and a bird over the Red R. 
near Minock 3 Sep (TD). In contrast, larger, slower-moving Hurricane Ike resulted in zero frigatebirds in Arkansas but delivered 
large numbers to s. Louisiana: late on 1 1 Sep, up to 20 were seen over downtown New Orleans (Kevin Colley, Lehman Ellis); on 
12 Sep, at least 32 were noted from Baton Rouge (5; ph. DLD, SWC et al.) to St. Gabriel, Ibervilk (IT, JVR}, 60 near Hammond, 
Jmgipahoa (Mike Freiberg), 106 n. of L. Pontdiartrain in the Covington area, St. Tammny (Harvey L. Patten), 250+ at Berwick, 
St. Mary (Ear! Robicheaux), 101 at Lafayette, Lafayette (ph. PEC); on 13 Sep, 43 in the L Pontchailrain/B.S.N.W.R. area, Orleans 
(PAW, DPM, RDP), 7 at Spanish L., Iberia (ph. PEC), 15 at L. Martin, Sf. Martmie (also there 14 Sep; ph. PEC), 3 at Cotile L. (2 
there 14 Sep; both JVH); and, on 14 Sep, 2 more near St. Gabriel (JVR), a juv. at Shreveport (Rosemary Seidler), and an ad. in 
M River (HH). Surprisingly, an ad. female appeared at Cross L 
records; one much farther n. at L. Jack Lee, 
Felsenthal N.W.R., Union 25 Sep (LA) was 
only about the 12th to be found in Arkansas. 
Two American Bitterns at N.EU. 24 Sep 
(DBo) were relatively early for s. Louisiana. 
One or 2 Least Bitterns at W.’W.E 15 Oct QCN) 
represented only about the 2nd fall record for 
nw. Arkansas and only about the 3rd Oct 
record for the state. Surprisingly rare just 
slightly inland in the New Orleans area, a Red- 
dish Egret there 17 Aug (vt. PAW) was even 
more interesting because it was not associated 
with any tropical weather event; another at 
B.S.N.W.R. 13 Sep (PAW, DPM, RDP) was 
most likely associated with the passage of 
Hurricane Ike. Dark ibis are reported with in- 
creasing frequency far inland but remain of in- 
terest, especially those identifiable to species; 
this season, only White-faced Ibis were con- 
firmed, including one at S.EE 29 Aug (K&LN, 
DS, ph. RH), 3 there 17 Sep (KN), 8 at C.N.E 
20 Sep (DB), and a late flock of 1 1 there 2 Nov 
(ph. D&SB). Roseate Spoonbills are also on 
the increase but still mentionable far inland, 
and some fall 2008 records were possibly re- 
lated to hurricane activity, e.g., 2 along the 
Red R., s. Bossier 3 Sep (TD, J&JT), 19 n. of 
Lake Village, Chicot 2 Sep (K&LN,), 22 at 
B.K.N.W.R. 9 Sep (KN, Bill Alexander, Robert 
Pearrow), and 17 at C.N.E 20 Sep (DB); 2 at 
New Orleans 13 Sep (PAW, DPM) were rare 
for the area and also possibly Ifee-related. 
OSPREY 
THROUGH CRANE 
A pair of Ospreys constructing a nest at L. 
Dardanelle, Pope/Yell during early Aug 
(K&LN) apparently represented the first 
known breeding attempt at this well-covered 
site. A White-tailed Kite at B.S.N.W.R. 15 
Oct-25 Nov (vt. PAW, GO, Dan Carroll) was 
a notable bird in se. Louisiana, where there 
have been few records in recent years. Swain- 
son’s Hawks are now considered rare and lo- 
as late as 20 Sep (ph. CEL). 
cal summer residents in nw. Arkansas, but 
there is still little direct evidence of breeding. 
Thus, a family group including an ad. and 2 
dependent fledglings in the 
Vaughn-Cherokee City area, Benton 19 Aug 
(ph. JCN) and 4 including at least one juv. 
there 1 Sep (ph. DS, MAM, PBr, AD) were of 
considerable interest. A Swainson’s Hawk at 
Most recent fall records of Burrowing Owls in Louisiana have 
come from Grand Isle and from affshore oil platforms, pre- 
sumably southbound migrants that haw mistakenly over- 
shot the mainland. Following that trend was this individual 
on the "Cajun Express" rig in the Gulf about 240 Im south- 
southwest of Port Fourchsn, Lafourche Parish 1 9 November 
2008 — apparently one of three Burrowing Owls present on 
the rig on that date. Photograph by Nathan Webster. 
New Orleans 4 Nov (GO), one at Grand Isle, 
Jefferson 15 Nov (ph. JTS, MW), and 6 in low- 
er Plaquemines 16 Nov (DPM, PAW, CR) were 
all relatively late and also farther e. than usu- 
al for Louisiana. 
Arkansas observers monitoring late fall rice 
harvesting operations were rewarded with 
several Yellow Rails, including singles at 
C.N.E 26 Oct (DB), in Cleburne 4 & 6 Nov 
102 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
