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By the time the first week in July rolls around it’s pretty hot throughout the state of Louisiana, this year being no exception. What’s more, June appears to have been one of the hottest on record.

During the spring, a long list of bird species migrated through the state with some going as far as the arctic circle to reach their breeding grounds. And, by the time they get there, our local birds and many species of migrants that make Louisiana their summer home have already nested, with some fledgling young.

For bird watchers and folks who enjoy being out in nature, the hot summer months can be a slow period when it comes to seeing wildlife. Back in early May, if you took a hike into the bottomland hardwoods, paddled a canoe or kayak into a tupelo-cypress swamp, or sat on the back porch of a vacation cabin near a wooded area on the edge of an overgrown field, you’d have heard singing.

The “sweet-sweet-sweet” sound of the prothonotary warbler, the soft sweet variable warbles of house finches and painted buntings, and the rich repeated “pidaro-pidaro-pidaro” sound of the Carolina wren have all quieted now that the hot summer months and breeding season have come to a close.

Yet, the summer months do offer nature viewing and birding opportunities if you happen to be interested in wading birds.

Though most have fledged their young by late June, a few roseate spoonbills, great egrets, snowy egrets, and little blue herons, are still on the nest, along with white ibis.

But, some of the best places to see some of these waders at this time of year is just west of Lafayette in the rice and crawfish agricultural areas, particularly when the fields are being pumped out.

In these ponds and fields there are lots of invertebrates, minnows, snails, tadpoles, frogs, crawfish, and small catfish available to feed on.

The wading birds have evolved over the years when it comes to Louisiana’s agricultural practices. The birds have figured out big feast days occur when farmers drain these fields.

It’s quite a sight to see 100 or more wading birds of different species gathered around a field drain as water pours into a drainage ditch. The confused prey doesn’t stand a chance of escaping so many hungry beaks and bills.

I’ve come across wading bird feeding frenzies like this on more than one occasion when traveling the back roads just before sunrise south of Crowley and Jennings. The birds are all stacked up on the drain jockeying for the best positions. Every now and then a great egret will use its stiletto beak to poke at a potential usurper.

One Louisiana summer visitor you may come across in these rice/crawfish fields is the wood stork. Wood storks breed during the late winter in Florida and parts of Georgia and South Carolina. According to the American Bird Conservancy, the estimated wood stork population is 250,000, with the majority breeding in Central and South America.

The U.S. population is estimated at roughly 30,000 and considered a species of conservation concern.

Last summer, while sitting along a rice field levee west of Gueydan and South of Lake Arthur watching a mixed flock of egrets, roseate spoon bills, wood storks, and white ibis, I spotted a clapper rail near me grabbing a couple pieces of crawfish from the shallow water. Apparently, the remnants were leftovers from one of those feeding frenzies.

The rail would run out of the grass, grab a piece, and run right back.

When I got up to leave, I noticed five little black puff balls that momma rail was feeding. I was able to snap a couple of photos of them, but when they spotted me, it was if they vanished into nowhere, disappearing before my very eyes. I learned that day these shy rails are masters at using cover for protection.

Other cool wading birds you might see on a trip to agriculture fields in southwest Louisiana are purple gallinules, yellow-crowned night herons, black-crowned night herons,
great blue herons, white-faced and glossy ibis, and green herons.

Most of these birds are active right at sunrise for a couple hours and as the morning heats up move on to shaded cover and trees to perch in through the hotter part of the day.

Be sure to bring a hat, wear long sleeve shirts, put on plenty of sunscreen and bring lots of water to stay hydrated during these hot summer days. Taking a day to check out wading birds can be a fun outing and Louisiana’s agricultural areas coastal wetlands are great places to find them at this time of year.

John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.

St. Mary’s unemployment rate followed a statewide and regional trend in May, jumping back over 4.0%.

The rate is not seasonally adjusted and includes all nonfarm workers, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

In May, St. Mary’s jobless rate was 4.4%, up from 3.7% in April 2023 and 4.1% from May 2022.

The number of employed in St. Mary fell by 61 to 19,039 month over month, but is up by 603 jobs from May 2022.

The number of unemployed people here rose 144 to 875 from April to May. Eighty-one more people were unemployed this May than in May 2022.

In Assumption, the May unemployment rate was 4.8%, up from 4.0% in April and from 4.4% a year ago. Employment was down 68 to 8,453 month over month.

St. Martin’s unemployment rate rose 6/10ths of a point to 3.8% from April to May. Employment was down 259.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was 3.9% in May, up from 3.2% in April and 3.7% from May 2022.

The state added 5,700 jobs April to May and 46,300 in the last year.

The economic sector with the biggest gain was private health and education, which gained 1,800 jobs month to month and 17,100 over the last year. Leisure and hospitality, which has shown some resilience after pandemic losses, lost 700 jobs April to May but is up 6,900 from a year ago.

AARP BINGO
St. Mary AARP Chapter 4435, 4014 Chennault St., Morgan City, hosts Wednesday Bingo. Doors open at 8 a.m., bingo starts at 10:30 a.m.

MT. ERA
Baptist Church, 406 Lawrence St., Morgan City, celebrating the 17-year pastoral anniversary of the Rev. Norman A. and Katherine Stovall at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 23. Speaker the Rev. Ronald McCoy, Little Zion Baptist Church, Berwick, and Mt. Zion and Mt. Pilgrim Baptist churches, Morgan City.

MC Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Morgan City-based M C Bank & Trust Co., will acquire the holding company for Heritage Bank of St. Tammany.

MC Bancshares and Heritage NOLA Bancorp Inc. have announced that they have entered a “definitive merger agreement,” the Morgan City company said in a press release.

The boards of both holding companies have adopted the merger agreement under which Heritage NOLA will be acquired for cash equal to the value of its adjusted tangible shareholders’ equity at the time of closing plus $6.5 million.

Based on Heritage NOLA’s adjusted equity as of March 31, shareholders will receive a tentatively valued $19.50-$20.50 per share of common stock. “on a fully-diluted basis after giving effect to outstanding stock options.” The price may change based on transaction costs and other factors.

"We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Heritage Bank to expand our presence in St. Tammany Parish," said Chris LeBato, CEO of MC Bancshares and M C Bank. "As local Louisiana banks, we share similar core values and a relationship-centric approach to serving the communities that we are fortunate to be a part of. This transaction is a very natural and contiguous expansion of our current footprint."

"We are thrilled about this combination with M C Bank,” said David Crumhorn, president and CEO of Heritage NOLA Bancorp. “The infrastructure that has been assembled at M C Bank over the years will enable our customers to access a substantial product offering while still receiving the local decision making and the exceptional service they have become accustomed to at Heritage Bank. Our collective corporate values and culture are closely aligned."

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and the approval of the shareholders of Heritage NOLA Bancorp, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023.

At the effective time, Heritage Bank will be merged with and into M C Bank with M C Bank as the surviving entity.

Following the effective time of the merger, M C Bank will continue to operate Heritage Bank's offices as branch offices of M C Bank. Heritage Bank's website says the company currently has offices in Covington, Slidell and Madisonville.

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., is acting as financial adviser to Heritage NOLA Bancorp and rendered a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Heritage NOLA Bancorp in conjunction
with this transaction.

Luse Gorman is serving as legal counsel to Heritage NOLA Bancorp and Heritage Bank. National Capital L.L.C., is acting as financial adviser to MC Bancshares. Fenimore Kay Harrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to MC Bancshares and M C Bank.