John K. Flores: Winter's peak is perfect for birding

BAbout this time every winter, I get an email from my son David’s father-in-law, Bernie Life, who lives in Sunset. Life is not an avid birder, instead, he’s more of a backyard feeder observer, who always lets me know when the American goldfinches arrive. What’s more, he gets bunches of them.
Sunset is only 75 to 80 miles away from the Tri-City area. What’s interesting is, it’s not until the overnight temperatures dip into the teens and low 20s, when I see them at our feeder here in Patterson.
During the big snow of 2025, we suddenly had hundreds of goldfinches gorging themselves in the backyard along with pine siskins, Carolina chickadees, downy woodpeckers, doves, northern cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, grackles, and, of course, our local sparrows.
It’s fun to watch them when the temperature is hovering around 27 degrees and you’re hunkered down inside with a cup of hot chocolate not going anywhere. That said, there’s also nothing quite like braving the elements and taking a winter birding trip along the gulf coast at this time of year as well.
This past week, just before the big freeze I made my annual winter trip to Cameron Prairie and Lacassine National Wildlife refuges in search primarily for waterfowl, but also any other winter birds that might be targets of opportunity.
I woke at 4 a.m. to get to Cameron Parish before sunrise. Was it worth losing sleep and putting up with 32-degree weather? You bet!
I got to see 10 different species of waterfowl and 32 different species of birds overall. Driving those wildlife loops in January and February are nothing short of spectacular. Many of the ducks are paired up and the drakes are in full mating plumage.
Northern shovelers, aka spoonies, don’t get a lot of credit when it comes to puddle ducks. Most hunters want to shoot mallards, pintails, gadwalls and teals, but I’d have to say that when it comes to sporting colors, they just might be one of the prettiest ducks in the wild.
This winter has also produced its rare visitors. Right here in St. Mary Parish you can make a run to Cypremort Point State Park and see a vermillion flycatcher. It hangs out in the oak trees near the pavilions and restrooms.
There’s another vermillion flycatcher, this one an immature male, hanging out at the Burns Point landing. Both can be a little shy, but if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll eventually spot them.
Avid bird and nature photographer Frank Garacci took a photo of a white-tailed kite near Rutherford Beach a few weeks ago. This particular bird resides year round in parts of both North and South America and is more frequently sighted in southeast Texas.
Besides seeing and photographing the white-tailed kite, Garacci said, “I’ve also photographed a pair of great kiskadees in southern Vermilion Parish and there still is a small flock of buffleheads hanging out at the Lacassine pool. Several species of sparrows have been documented in the last few weeks including a vesper, seaside and Nelson’s.”
For those living in St. Mary Parish interested in seeing both blue- and green-winged teal in their full mating plumage, I recommend making a trip to Cypremort Point State Park. There is a large marshy area with several open ponds just before the park entrance. When the sky is blue and the sun just up above the horizon, their colors really pop in the sunlight.
Take your time driving along the road to the park entrance. Besides teal and vermillion flycatchers, I’ve seen swamp and song sparrows, American kestrels, crested caracara, osprey, eastern phoebe, belted kingfishers, great egrets, snowy egrets, brown pelicans, roseate spoonbills, mottled ducks, killdeer, gulls and terns.
Bayou Vista resident and Terrebonne Bird Club President Paul Schaub participated in the annual Audubon Christmas bird count. During this year’s count, Schaub says he had a Lincoln Sparrow that is new to the parish, as well as the usual Savanna, swamp, white-throated and song sparrows.
Together, both he and his wife totaled 56 species that included raptors, warblers, wood ducks, blue headed vireos, kinglets, egrets and herons.
On a recent trip to Brownell Memorial Park & Carillon Tower, I was looking for golden- and ruby-crowned kinglets, along with pine warblers. The kinglets were easy to find, the pine warblers not so much. But there were also woodpeckers galore, tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadees, Carolina wrens, and other species that made the trip worthwhile.
We’ve reached the peak of winter and it won’t be long before many of the wintering birds will be leaving, particularly waterfowl.
Speaking of waterfowl, according to estimates, there is nearly a million mid-continent lesser snow geese scattered throughout the state. While on my trip to Cameron Prairie and Lacassine National Wildlife refuges, there were four different massive bodies I was able to see up close. It’s literally a sight and sound I never get tired of.
With all of the hunting seasons ending, and one major football game remaining, there’s plenty of time to change things up and take a winter nature drive. Trust me. A trip along the Louisiana coastline will be well worth it.
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.