Spoil Bank Avifauna in the Intermediate Marshes of Southwestern Louisiana

A study of the bird usage of spoil banks in the intermediate marshes of southwestern Louisiana was conducted from late February 1973 to mid-April 1974 along the Superior Canal spoil bank system within Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Cameron Parish, Louisiana. During the study period we recorded 75 bird species on the banks. In summer we found seven species nesting and 17 other species feeding and/or resting on the banks. In fall, winter, and spring 72 bird species were sighted and/or mist netted on the banks, including spring and fall migrants, and winter and permanent residents of southern Louisiana. The spoil banks' year-round dense cover and high ground were the probable reasons for the bank usage by a diverse group of birds.