In May, 2005, Robert and I visited Beaux Bridge, LA during a trip to New Orleans. While out on a drive, we stumbled upon a huge rookery at Lake Martin. There were thousands of birds, with many nests right next to the road. There were a wide variety of species: great egrets, snowy egrets, great blue herons, little blue herons, tri-colored herons, roseate spoonbills, cormorants, and anhingas. To say the least, it was a very interactive experience, but we didn’t have a camera with us.
We were so impressed with our trip to Breaux Bridge, that we often spoke of a return trip, this time with a camera. On April 13 and 14, 2011, we finally made it back to Breaux Bridge. Upon driving out to Lake Martin, however, we found significant changes. The rookery was much further from the road, with many nests beyond view. We stopped at the Cypress Island visitors center and learned that a few years ago, human activity around the rookery had freightened the birds. As a result, there were far fewer birds and the nests were a long way from the road. We also learned that in April the Great Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills are active, but other species arrive in May. We were disappointed, but reality was reality. The nests were so far away that even with our 400 mm lens, the situation was challenging. Heavy cropping was necessary when editing the photos.
The rookery was a long way from the road. Here you can see a couple of Roseate Spoonbils and in the lower middle, a Great Egret.
The Great Egret in the photo above, this time zoomed in to show details
Lake Martin is a beautiful, scenic lake with many cypress trees. In some areas, it has the look of the primeval swamp.
On the other side of the lake from the rookery area, we spied this Green Heron out on a hunting expedition.
The same Green Heron, this time showing off a punk rock “do”, expands the hunting possibilities to a tree.
A cypress forest on the edge of Lake Martin
Every primeval swamp definitely needs an alligator.
Roseate Spoonbill in the rookery
We spoke with a local also out photographing the rookery. She told us about a smaller but more accessible rookery in a near by town, named New Iberia. Although this rookery was still a long way from the road, it was easier to observe the groups of multiple species that make up a rookery. Here we have Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets and the Cattle Egrets with the golden breeding plumage on their heads.
A Great Egret leaving the rookery
Roseate Spoonbill launching from a pole next to the rookery
We chatted with another local in New Iberia who told us about a very unique, human-made rookery on Avery Island. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with Avery Island, but I am sure you have heard of the item produced there, Tabasco Sauce. Avery Island is quite a tourist attraction, offering tours of the Tabasco plant and drives throughout the island. In the 1890’s, during the slaughter of egrets for their breeding plumage, Mr. McIlhenny saved a small group of Snowy Egrets. This group returned every year to Avery Island with their offspring to breed. This area became known as “bird city”. To handle a growing number of returning birds, the owners of Avery Island experimented with building platforms to act as an artificial rookery. This has been a resounding success. While we were there, the platforms were filled with Great Egret families. Later in the spring, other species arrive.
Great Egret families enjoy platform rookery life
We have greatly enjoyed our two visits to Breaux Bridge, LA. It is the home of the cajun culture with lots of cajun music and restaurants. If you happen to visit, do stop by Cafe des Amis We also enjoyed going out to dinner at Mulates for the cajun music, food and dancing. The food at Cafe des Amis is far superior, but Mulates excels in music.