Jr. George H. Lowery

“ These observations include numerous field trips into the region where ibises are plentiful throughout the year, especially during the breeding season. I have also visited a large nesting rookery in Cameron Parish, the only one in the state known to me, and the one which I have every reason to believe is the same colony visited by Holt in 1932. Although Holt identified as falcinellus the birds seen by him at a nesting rookery in Cameron Parish, I have never seen that species anywhere in Louisiana except at Grand Isle, 150 miles east of Cameron, as henceforth noted. ”

“ The only winter record for the state is that of a female shot by T. D. Burleigh on December 20, 1944, in a thicket along the Mississippi River at University. He first found the bird at this place in November, and he saw it several times in December before he succeeded in obtaining it. Since Oberholser cited so few Louisiana records, it might be well to mention in this connection that the species is after all a fairly common fall migrant in southern Louisiana. ”

“ However, recent field work has shown the bird to occur regularly and sometimes abundantly in autumnal migration. Forty-one specimens have been collected at University on dates ranging from August 17 to October 5 (Lowery, et al.) . Specimens taken by Burleigh at New Orleans on September 27, 1941, and August 23, 1943, are in the Louisiana State University Museum.
Empidonax minimus (Baird and Baird) , Least Flycatcher
Oberholser (op. cit., 397) listed this species as an uncommon transient since he had only a few sight records at hand. ”

“ Oberholser (op. cit., 216-217) listed the Cuban Snowy Plover as a rare transient in Louisiana, and cited only four definite records based on three specimens. Our recent studies, however, have yielded twelve additional specimens and a number of sight records, all of which indicate that the species is a regular and sometimes common migrant in spring and fall. Eleven specimens in the series are identifiable with certainty as examples of nivosus and therefore constitute an addition to the state list. ”

“ Since 1938, however, it has been found regularly and frequently at numerous localities in southern Louisiana in winter. At Baton Rouge, for example, an adult male was noted almost daily between October 19, 1941, and January 7, 1942, at a small pond on the University campus. An immature male was seen there also on November 25, 1941, but not thereafter. In the following autumn another adult male appeared at the same place on October 23, and was observed regularly until January 15, 1943. ”

“ Examination of the new material reveals that eleven specimens are clearly referable to pallescens, providing, therefore, an addition to the avifauna of the state. As might be expected, pallescens prevails in the western part of the state, although, at least occasionally, it migrates farther east. The specimens identifiable as pallescens are as follows: 7 ♂, 1 ♀, Cameron, April 3, 1938 (Lowery) ”

“ If the bird breeds in Cameron Parish, the nesting race may prove to be pallescens, since a bird taken there on April 3, as listed above, belongs to that subspecies.
Chordeiles minor minor (Forster) , Eastern Nighthawk
Since the one previous record (Oberholser, op. cit., 348) of the occurrence of this subspecies in the state now proves to be an example of C. m. howelli, the following specimens, all taken after the publication of Oberholser's book, constitute the only Louisiana records: 4 ♂, 1 ♀, University, October 3, 5, 12, 23, 1941 (Burdick, Howell, Ray, and Lowery) ”

“ Their efforts in behalf of the Museum have been untiring. I am grateful also to Thomas D. Burleigh and Jas. Hy. Bruns, both of whom have played an integral part in our field activities in recent years and without whose help much less would have been accomplished. John S. Campbell, Ambrose Daigre, James Nelson Gowanloch, Sara Elizabeth Hewes, E. A. McIlhenny, Edouard Morgan, and George L. Tiebout, Jr., have generously contributed notes and specimens which are duly attributed in the following text. ”

“ Bruns has supplied me with copious data on the birds seen in the nesting season at Baines, and the two of us have spent a great deal of time searching for a nest, without success. However, Bruns obtained a juvenile female, just out of a nest, on June 28, 1942. ”

“ Thirteen specimens of this species in the Louisiana State University Museum have been identified subspecifically (in part by J. Van Tyne) as follows: N. a. americanus—4 ♀, Cameron, November 21 and 22, 1940, and December 5, 1942. N. a. parvus—4 ♂, 1 ♀, Cameron, November 21 and 23, 1940, and April 11 and October 31, 1942; 1 ♀, East Timbalier Island, August 18, 1940. Three are intermediate in size and therefore not identifiable with certainty. Contrary to published accounts, the Long-billed Curlew is a fairly common migrant in certain parts of southern Louisiana. ”