Stasis

Due to a schedule overloaded of late with work and family business, I have been unable to conduct any searches for two weeks.  Last week would have been an opportune time, since there were several days of unusually cool temperatures (nearby Hattiesburg, MS, beat its record low one night by seven degrees).  Unfortunately, I will not be able to do any searching this week, either; and next week is not looking promising at all.

I chafe at every day missed in the woods and swamps.

Expedition: Red Swamp, Pascagoula WMA, 07 July 2014

IBWOH's:  Richard Ezell, Christopher Carlisle

Summary:  A day-long scouting trip of the upper Pascagoula River WMA, focusing on the Red Swamp, where Red Creek flows into Black Creek, before Black Creek reaches the Pascagoula.  An initial foray into the nearby Whiskey Hills, at the southeastern corner of the DeSoto National Forest, did not yield any terrain of interest, though there were some nice red oaks and magnolias among the stands of young pine.  Much of the morning was spent attempting to access the Pascagoula WMA  south of Benndale on the west bank; however, we soon found that access was severely restricted by private property.  We finally found a WMA road that led directly to Black Creek, some miles above where it joins with the Red.  We set off downstream immediately; and, although we did not find the confluece of Red and Black Creeks as I had hoped, we passed through some very nice swampland.  None of the mixed bottomland that I saw was particularly old, probably second-growth at best; but we believe it worthy of greater exploration, albeit from a different direction.

After lunch in Lucedale, we headed back southward, this time along the east bank of the Pascagoula.  There access was much less restricted, and we were delighted and intrigued by the magnificent swamps and bayous that greeted us along the banks of this mighty river.

I can not identify this small tree near the boat ramp, growing over Black Creek.

EDIT:  Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis.  Thanks, Mark!

Black Creek, looking upstream.

Red Swamp, immediately off the WMA road.  

The water was fairly shallow.

 Much of the swamp has already dried out, allowing us easy passage.  There were virtually no biting insects, and we saw only a black snake.

Richard unwisely left his camera at home, forcing him to attempt shots with his camera phone.  The Yellow-crowned Night Heron we found here was most accommodating, however.

 A beautifully eerie stream cut through the dry swamp bed.  The water was cool, and clear as a bell.

 We did not investigate its source.

Dead cypress near the swamp stream.

A hollow giant.

At fifteen and a half feet in circumference, he was by far the biggest tree we found in Red Swamp.

One of the few woodpecker cavities we saw.

Richard estimated the entrance to be three inches wide by four inches long.

I studied this cavity for a long time before moving on.

After working through some very difficult terrain, we eventually found an old fishing camp, and came out again upon Black Creek.

 Richard in his element.

Dry swampland back near the truck.  I saw my first ever white ibis here, a white specter in the gloom.

Richard spotted this tung oil tree as he drove us down a road.  Tung oil was until recently an economically important species here.

A beautiful slough near a park on the west bank of the Pascagoula.

Across the Pascagoula River on Highway 26, then south, we found ready access to the Pascagoula WMA, and this simply lovely oxbow.

 White ibis.  Second one of the day, second one of my life.

 'Sup.

Pascagoula River at Josephine Sand Bar/Sandy Wash Bend.  Swallow-tailed kites, Mississippi kites, a snowy egret, and a couple of families swimming.  An artesian well gushed nearby, one of several we found in this area.

Conclusions:  (1) Access to Red Swamp, Black Swamp, and most of the upper and middle Pascagoula is likely best achieved from the east bank.  (2) A benefit of summer searches for IBWO is the drying up of swamps that would otherwise require kayaks.  Such areas are relatively free of underbrush, and allow for quiet passage.  But to reach such areas often requires crossing deep water; thus:  

(3)  We are going to need kayaks.

Excursion: Tall Pines Trail, 2 July 2014

No real IBWO hunting, just a relaxing morning on an easy trail.  Many birds, though there were no new species to add to the Little Big Year list.  Woodpeckers were active, as is usual in these woods:

Flicker family meeting.

Despite having walked this 3-mile trail more than a dozen times, I still notice things I had not before.  This sweetbay is only about twenty yards from a major fork, and is in a bottom that I usually take a lot of time in when passing through; and yet:

I had not noticed this cavity before.

 Looks to be about right for either a Red-bellied Woodpecker, or a Flicker.

A slow hike of a forest is incredibly time-consuming, but what may be revealed by such a passage makes it well worth the hours spent.  

Rose mallow.

Excursion: West Tiger Creek, 28 June 2014

At the suggestion of "fangsheath" from the Ivory-billed Woodpecker forum, this morning I visited an area where burned-over pine meets a narrow band of mixed bottomland, which has the potential for wood borer blooms.  I was in the woods shortly after dawn.  It had rained the night before, so the forest was still dripping wet, and it was very humid and still.  The bugs were no problem, but after a couple of hours fighting the thick brush, I grew weary and ready to retire.  There were a few big trees, mostly pines, but at least one very large poplar over fifty years old, and a goodly number of white oak.

This area was burned over back in March, I believe. 

This pine had some strange bark growth to it. 

Not sure what caused it. 

I did happen upon a feather from friend Dryocopus pileatus:

 
So it was not a complete washout.  But I am tired.  I may not head out into the field for several days.

Expedition: Leaf Wilderness, 23 June 2014

IBWOH's:  Brian Carlisle, Christopher Carlisle

Summary:  Brian and I were in the 900+ acre Leaf Wilderness at dawn.  Our goal was to travel northeastward from the remains of the trailhead, to Horseshoe Lake, a landlocked oxbow off the west bank of the Leaf River.  We covered several miles of mixed bottomland, along with several high ridges which held some nice oak, pine, and magnolia.  It was not too warm.  After about four hours, our trip was complete.  There were no kents or DK's (double-knocks), but we found some intriguing woodpecker work.  It was very difficult terrain.  We attempted, as always, to move silently through the woods, but there was inevitably much snapping of branches underfoot, as well as the wet ground sucking loudly at our boots.  We only saw two snakes; other wildlife included a deer, two box turtles, a Hooded Warbler, many singing Prothonotary Warblers, and two Yellow-crowned Night Herons (one adult, one juvenile).

This first group of photos were taken by me.  Several turned out rather blurry, unfortunately; but some of Brian's did, too, apparently, so I do not feel so bad.

 Some serious bill-work there.

 We found a second giant cypress, here just beyond a hollow sweet gum.  I named this cypress Leaflock.  Brian got some better pictures.

 Brian getting some photos of Leaflock.

 He is very focused.  My photo is not.

 Shield-like roots out upon a long slough.

 We followed this slough a mile or more.  Very difficult going, with many downed trees.

 A large woodpecker nest cavity high up in a tree across the slough.  Very well-formed entrance.

 Approaching Horseshoe Lake from the east.  We somehow overshot it initially, putting us on the west bank of the Leaf River.

 A group of dead timber in Horseshoe Lake.  A nice woodpecker cavity is in the tree to the far left.

 The cavity looked big enough for a wood duck.

Brian's photos turned out much better.  He is our group's chief photographer.

 Woodpecker nest cavities in a living hardwood tree.

 Gloom in the pre-dawn swamp.

Yeah.  Our bad.

  We measured Leaflock:  17' circumference, putting him at over 5' in diameter.

 I believe he is probably over 250 years old.

 Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

Conclusions:  The Leaf Wilderness, while relatively small, abuts the Leaf River WMA (part of the larger DeSoto NF system), three Nature Conservancy preserves, and the Pascagoula WMA, putting it in the heart of a vast network of nearly unbroken Ivory-bill habitat.  It includes both bottomland hardwood and mixed bottomland, swamp, and mixed upland forest, which would afford Ivory Bill a variety of potential food sources.  Needless to say, we will return to this Wilderness, probably many times in the years to come.