Lake Martin during Nesting Season (April, 2003)
Lake Martin is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the
Americas, and April is a wonderful time to visit this
unique place. During the spring, an amazing variety of
birds, including herons, egrets, spoonbills, ibis, coots
& anhingas, visit the area to feed and nest. Just 15
minutes from Lafayette, I felt like I had walked into a
Wonderful World of Disney movie: the sounds and sights were
so overwhelming and intense and so close to modern America
that it was hard to believe (and reassuring to find) that
there were still wild areas in the US that teeming with
life. Even without binoculars, you could watch egrets
nesting in the trees regurgitating food to feed their
babies. With binoculars, much more detail was visible.
Visiting the area several times over the past month, I
found I could follow the progress of a specific family of
egrets: I identified a nest with a nesting bird, a week
later discovered three newly hatched baby egrets in it, and
then came back to follow their progress each week, watching
their mother feed them, and observing them as they
noticeably grew larger and larger. I was also fascinating
by the pink roseate spoonbills, truly primitive looking
birds, as they nested and flew overhead. Besides birds, I
saw gators on each visit, as well as turtles & nutria.
The best time to visit the lake is early in the morning, or
an hour or so before sunset. Located halfway between
Lafayette and Breaux Bridge, I highly recommend you take a
side trip to Lake Martin during the spring for an
experience you will never forget.
Link to photos