Birding Resources & FAQs

America's WETLAND Birding Trails

To see the America's WETLAND Birding Trail information, go to one of the following sites:

FERMATA http://www.fermatainc.com/la/index.html

LA Dept. of Tourism AW Birding Trail http://www.louisianatravel.com/explorela/outdoors/birding/

To see the whole map: http://www.americaswetland.com/custompage.cfm?pageid=125

Resources for Birding

How do I learn to identify birds?

Consult the following websites and books:

Online Free Sites -

Percevia – http://www.percevia.com/

This site lets you look up birds by name, gives you a picture, description, range, habitat, and bird song.

USGS Patuxent Bird Identification Info Center –

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/fram1st/info.center.html

This site lets you look up birds by name, gives you bird identification information and a picture.

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology - free online Bird Guide (gives you bird photos, range maps, bird descriptions, bird behavior, bird songs, and cool facts)
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

Birding Field Guides –

Look for birding field guide titles that include North America or Eastern North America. Some suggested titles:

A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Roger Tory Peterson, Houghton Mifflin.

A Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America by Chandler S. Robbins, Bertel Bruun, and Herbert Zim, Golden.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America by, National Geographic.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, by David Allen Sibley, Alfred A Knopf.

Bird Life Histories

Louisiana Birds by George H. Lowery, Jr., LSU Press

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, by David Sibley, Alfred A. Knopf.

The Birds of North America (Paper copy and online version are available) http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/

This encyclopedia gives detailed life histories for 716 species of birds nesting in the USA and Canada. It is a project of the American Ornithologists' Union, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Bird Songs

A Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides) by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Roger Tory Peterson (Series Editor)

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology - free online Bird Guide (allows you to listen to bird songs with photos and other bird information)
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

Bird Nests and Eggs

Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Birds' Nests byHal H. Harrison
Houghton Mifflin,

A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds, 2nd Edition

by Paul J. Baicich and Colin J. O. Harrison, Academic Press,

FAQs

Where can I purchase birding supplies?

Online sales of books, optics, clothes, bird feeders and other supplies:

American Birding Association Sales http://americanbirding.org/abasales/

Louisiana Ornithological Society Saleshttp://losbird.org/bulletin/storeinfo.htm

Wild Bird Centers, Covington, Louisianahttp://www.wildbirdcenter.com

Wild Birds Unlimited, Lafayette, Louisianahttp://www.wildbirds.com

Where can I find checklists of Louisiana birds?

Bird checklists come in many forms. Checklists give names of birds in taxonomic order. A checklist can cover the entire state, a region, or a specific locality, such as a state park. Some checklists give bird names only, others show occurrences by seasons of the year and habitat.

The Official Louisiana Field Checklist, compiled by Donna L. Dittmann, Secretary, Louisiana Bird Records Committee (April 2005), is posted online at the Louisiana Ornithological Society, http://www.losbird.com. Paper copies can be ordered online at LOS Sales, http://losbird.org/bulletin/storeinfo.htm

Other Sources:

Bird watching club checklists. Many clubs have created their own checklists for specific localities which are frequented by the club on its field trips. Terrebonne Bird Club, Louisiana Birders Anonymous, and Orleans Audubon Society have created checklists for their regions. Contact each club directly for a paper list. Some are available online. To find a birding club nearby a place you want to visit go to http://www.birdlousiana.com and click on Bird Clubs. Check a club’s website for a regional checklist.

State Welcome Centers, Tourist Commissions, and Convention and Visitor Bureaus dispense checklists to visitors upon request. For example, the Lake Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau printed their own, titled “Birding Guide Southwest Louisiana.” Check the 33 Resources Centers listed in the back of the America’s WETLAND Birding Trail brochures and inquire about checklists. The 33 Resource Centers listed online at http://www.americaswetland.com.

Louisiana State Parks and Historic Sites. Some state parks have created their own checklists, such as Grand Isle State Park. Inquire at each individual park. Parks are found online at http://www.lastateparks.com/

The following State Parks and Historic Sites are locaed along the America's WETLAND Birding Trails: Sam Houston Jones State Park, Palmetto Island State Park, Cypremort Point State Park, Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, St. Bernard State Park, Grand Isle State Park, Audubon State Historic Site, Centenary State Historic Site, Port Hudson State Historic Site, Tickfaw Sate Park, Fairview-Riverside State Park, Fontainebleau State Park, and Bayou Segnette State Park.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Inquire at Louisiana State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and Refuges.

Rockefeller Refuge, Sherburne (Ramah and Whiskey Bay), Pointe aux Chene, Joyce, and Pearl River WMA’s are state parks listed on the America’s WETLAND Birding Trail. http://www.wlf.state.la.us/apps/netgear/page1.asp

National Parks. Jean Lafitte National :Historical Park and Preserve Inquire at park visitor centers in Thibodaux, Chalmette and Marrerro about birding in the parks. http://www.nps.gov/jela

National Wildlife Refuges. Most NWRs have checklists for each location. Some are available online. Most are available on site. For all Louisiana NWRs visit, http://www.fws.gov/southeast/ Click on Louisiana.

Southeast La. Refuge Complex http://www.fws.gov/southeastlouisiana/refuges.htm

Atchafalaya, Bogue Chitto, Delta, Breton, Bayou Sauvage, Shell Keys. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuges.

Bayou Sauvage Checklist http://www.flwr.org/

U. S. Geological Service also lists available checklists. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/chekbird/r4/22.htm

Some additional available checklists:

Feliciana Bird List, Feliciana Nature Society, St. Francisville
Checklist of South-Central Louisiana Birds, Acadiana Park Nature Station, and Louisiana Birders Anonymous of Lafayette (LABA).
Birds of Iberia Parish, Spanish Lake, Iberia Parish CVB
Birding Guide Southwast Louisiana, Lake Charles CVB
Seasonal Checklists, Univesity of Louisiana Lafayette Crawfish Research Center
Birds of Grand Isle and New Orleanshttp://www.jjaudubon.net
Birds of Louisiana Birding Guide, La. Office of Tourism
Birding on Indian Bayou, US Army Corps of Engineers

Where can I get information on meals and accommodations?

Louisiana Department of Tourism http://www.louisianatravel.com

Are there birding festivals? Field trips?

Festivals. Want to have something fun and educational to do while you travel? Birding festivals and events are offered year-round in different locations along the WETLAND trail. Events might celeb rate spring and fall mig ration, hummingbirds, butterflies, nesting birds and more.

A calendar of events and lists of festivals are available from Bird Louisiana at http://www.birdlousiana.com . Click on festivals or calendar. Birding clubs are listed here, too.

Field Trips. The http://www.birdlouisiana.com site links you to birding club across the state and to their field trips. Click on Bird Clubs and Calendar. Contact a club in your area. Birders are friendly and visitors are welcome to join their field trips. This is a great way to visit new bird watching sites, meet local birders, learn to identify new birds along the WETLAND Birding Trail.

How can I find birding guides?

A number of Louisiana birders are available as guides. Most are volunteers. Others charge for their services. They are friendly and knowledgeable and want to show you the best birding spots Louisiana has to offer. Contacts are listed on the La. Ornithological Society (http://www.losbird.org) and Bird Louisiana (http://www.birdlouisiana.com) web sites. You can also contact the president or field trip leader of a local birding club and they will connect you with a resource person who fits your needs.

What are the Louisiana birding organizations?

Birding Clubs and organizations of the coastal area are:

Louisiana Ornithological Society-state-wide.

Orleans Audubon Society and Crescent Bird Club ( New Orleans), Terrebonne Bird Club (Houma/Thibodaux), Baton Rouge Audubon Society ( Baton Rouge), Louisiana Birders Anonymous (Lafayette), Gulf Coast Bird Club ( Lake Charles).

Go to http://www.birdlousiana.com or http://www.losbird.org for more information.

How can I subscribe to Louisiana birding online listservs?

Louisiana has two well-known bulleting boards, LaBird and Humnet.

To subscribe to Humnet

Send email to listserv@listserv.lsu.edu

Type: <subscribe humnet-l Your Name> in the body of the text.

Leave subject line blank

Use the same process for LaBird

Send email to listsev@listserv.lus.edu

Type: <subscribe LaBird-l Your Name> in the body of the text.

Leave the subject line blank.