Date: 10/5/25 6:34 am From: Nancy L Newfield via groups.io <nancy...> Subject: Re: [labird] Listing Groups
Oh, add Red-naped Saosucker to my list.
TN
On Sun, Oct 5, 2025 at 8:28 AM Nancy L Newfield via groups.io <nancy=
<casacolibri.net...> wrote:
> Paul,
>
> To my knowledge, going back some years, 2 people had hosted 9 hummer
> species . . . the late Ron Stein and the aged and infirm Gene Street of
> Reserve and LaPlace respectively. I've been stuck at 8 since 1995 and I
> have a lot of company at that total. The semi easy one that I am missing
> is Anna's of which I probably had one, but a super aggressive Rufous chased
> it away before I got a look. I heard it while sitting on the front porch,
> but it was gone before I could get a good look. And, because of
> demographic shifts in my neighborhood, chances of reprising Anna's or of
> getting any of the higher test species are minimal. I have not kept up
> with everyone's totals in recent years, so if anyone else has a total above
> 6 species, I'd like to start a new list.
>
> Over the years, I have observed a total of 13 hummingbird species in
> Louisiana - still needing Lucifer - of which there is only 1 single kosher
> report.
>
> My 47th winter banding season is just about to start and I plan to spend
> the next 2 weeks making up sufficient bands for a few years. I always keep
> a couple made for big boys such as Rivoli's and Blue-throated and will keep
> about 10 unmade in case of a rash of Mangos. My 16 year old "Colibrimobile"
> is in good operating condition and it is kept with a full tank at all
> times.
>
> If I recall correctly, in 1991, LOS sponsored a "Yard List Challenge" and
> there is no reason *not* to reprise that game. I've kept a yard list for
> 55 years, but given the changes in my area, there isn't much chance of
> adding . . . My last addition was a flyover Limpkin in 2024, so I think I
> will have a very long wait for a Flamingo or some storm-tossed seabird.
>
> Shorebird-wise, I am missing both Siberian Sand-Plover [which I saw in
> Arizona in 2016] and Mountain Plover. Actually, Mountain Plover would be a
> lifer for me. I got Black-tailed Godwit in 1994, when Jim Holmes found one
> near Kaplan.
>
> I got the Antillean Nighthawk in New Orleans 1977 and Band-tailed Pigeon in
> Zwolle in 1982. Great White Heron doesn't count, but I did see the one in
> New Orleans in 1981.
>
> I plan to be in Louisiana continuously until mid January 2026, when I'll
> fly south for a few weeks. That should encourage all Louisiana listers to
> be especially vigilant during that period. Look at my absence as an
> invitation to bird hard and 1-up me.
>
> Titanium Nan [honoring 1 of 2 recently installed body parts that keep me
> competitive]
>
> On Sat, Oct 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM Paul Conover <zoiseaux...>
> wrote:
>
> > Nancy, Labird,
> >
> > Come on now, Titanium One, you know you used to like it when you
> > filled in a page:)
> >
> > And I know you'd be thrilled to get your Louisiana hummer card
> all
> > filled in!
> >
> > PEC
> >
> >
> > On 10/4/2025 9:41 AM, Nancy L Newfield wrote:
> >
> > Gee Paul,
> >
> > You surely are a trouble-maker!
> >
> > NLN
> >
> > On Fri, Oct 3, 2025 at 9:36 PM Paul Conover via groups.io <zoiseaux=
> > <lusfiber.net...> wrote:
> >
> >> Labird,
> >>
> >> In the days when field guides took eternities between editions and
> >> birders tended to carry their battered copies of Peterson or the Golden
> >> Guide to the edge of doom, it used to be a thrill when I could check off
> >> every species portrayed on a page, all the buntings or woodpeckers or
> >> whatever. I found over the years that I wasn't unique in celebrating
> >> these small accomplishments, and when I'd compare notes with other
> >> birders, it was interesting to see whether the blanks on our pages were
> >> misses in common or just personal nemeses.
> >>
> >> Nowadays I tend to apply that exercise to groups of birds I've seen
> >> in Louisiana. Typically there's a species or two in each group that I
> >> realize have kept most/all Louisiana birders from running the table on
> >> certain groups. In some cases, it's pretty likely that no one will ever
> >> be able to complete a group list.
> >>
> >> Here's a list of groups (fairly arbitrarily grouped in some
> >> cases) and my best guess of whether anyone has seen them all. Some
> >> smaller groupings (swans, jaegers, etc.) I omitted, and I also removed
> >> extinct or probably extinct species. I'll leave names of birders out.
> >>
> >> Geese: Several birders have seen them all, with the limiting species
> >> being Brant.
> >>
> >> Ducks: No one (Origin Hypothetical Baikal Teal is the catch).
> >>
> >> Grebes: No current birders. Least Grebe! Maybe Lowery had them all, if
> >> he had Red-necked.
> >>
> >> Doves and Pigeons: Only those who have seen Band-tailed, the only hard
> >> one.
> >>
> >> Anis and Cuckoos: No one (Smooth-billed Ani). Mangrove Cuckoo next
> >> hardest.
> >>
> >> Nightjars: Several birders who saw/heard the sole Antillean Nighthawk
> >> record.
> >>
> >> Hummingbirds: Maybe one; the speed bump is Lucifer Hummingbird.
> >>
> >> Rails: Many
> >>
> >> Shorebirds: Probably; toughest is Siberian Sand-plover, and Black-tailed
> >> Godwit also narrows the field.
> >>
> >> Gulls: No one. Black-headed, Heermann's, and Western make it tough, and
> >> Kelp might be hard to get again.
> >>
> >> Terns: Several birders
> >>
> >> Loons: Some; not sure how many.
> >>
> >> Shearwaters: No one; Manx and Sooty are the limiters, and Cory's and
> >> Scopoli's are probably still only unofficially on lists.
> >>
> >> Sulids: A few; Red-footed is the hard one.
> >>
> >> Herons: Many (even if Great White Heron is included).
> >>
> >> Hawks: No one if Goshawk is included; very few otherwise because of
> >> Zone-tailed Hawk.
> >>
> >> Owls: No one, I think. Snowy (did anyone chase it?) and Flammulated
> >> would be a tough pair.
> >>
> >> Woodpeckers: No one. No one has all three of Williamson's and Red-naped
> >> sapsuckers, and Ladder-backed.
> >>
> >> Falcons: A few--Those who have seen Prairie Falcon.
> >>
> >> Flycatchers: None. Many tough ones.
> >>
> >> Vireos: No one; Plumbeous, Cassin's.
> >>
> >> Corvids: One birder. Clark's Nutcracker and Chihuahuan Raven the
> >> limiting species.
> >>
> >> Swallows: One birder.
> >>
> >> Wrens: Many
> >>
> >> Mimids: Many thanks to stakeout Curve-billed.
> >>
> >> Thrushes: Probably several. Varied and Townsend's Solitaire the hard
> pair.
> >>
> >> Longspurs: Several, I think.
> >>
> >> Sparrows: No one; Tree Sparrow, Baird's, Brewer's...
> >>
> >> Orioles: Many
> >>
> >> Blackbirds: Many
> >>
> >> Warblers: Probably none. Virginia's and Hermit, followed by several
> >> other tough ones that were however more widely viewed.
> >>
> >> Tanagers: Many
> >>
> >> Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings: None. Varied Bunting, Blue Bunting,
> >> Pyrrhuloxia...
> >>
> >>
> >> Does anyone see any errors or omissions here?
> >>
> >> Paul Conover
> >>
> >> Lafayette
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > --
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Nancy L Newfield
> > Casa Colibrí
> > Metairie, Louisiana USA
> > <nancy...>
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> >
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Nancy L Newfield
> Casa Colibrí
> Metairie, Louisiana USA
> <nancy...>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
>
>
>
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
<nancy...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
