Louisiana Waterthrush, A Reno County Nester?

This morning my dad and I were measuring a roofing job near Sylvia when I heard a loud and unfamiliar call coming from a nearby spring-fed swamp.




Luckily I had my birding gear along and trotted over to check it out. I was really surprised when a waterthrush popped out in response to my pishing. I assumed it would be a Northern Waterthrush (even though this would be near record early), but I was surprised to see its broad white "eyebrows" flaring out behind the eye, whitish underparts and an nearly unmarked throat. This was obviously a Louisiana Waterthrush!

Louisianas are fairly common in eastern Kansas, but are very scarce in the rest of the state. (This was a first county record.)

Per usual, my camera focused skillfully on the twig in the foreground when the waterthrush turned broadside. It would have been a nice pic...

Louisianas nest as near by as eastern and extreme southern Kansas, but are typically found near clear, fast-moving streams     a habitat not usually found in flat, dry Reno county. This stream, however, while not fast flowing, was crystal-clear. This bird seemed very skittish, skulking along the stream bank, but would vigorously chase other birds off other birds that came too near. This territorial behavior makes it seem possible it was nesting nearby. I thought I heard a second bird calling at one point, which would make this seem more likely.

The habitat where I found the waterthrush

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Butterflies have been pretty slow lately, other than a few Least Skippers I saw while tracking down the waterthrush. I did find a Pipevine Swallowtail (county lifer!) the other day as well as this cooperative Goatweed Leafwing that teed up nicely on a willow twig.

Joseph