Mitchell Pruitt, who is working a Big Year, contacted several us to see if we wanted to join him for a search for a Nelson’s (previously Sharp-tailed) Sparrow at Bald Knob NWR. So, Karen H, Dan S, Sam and I all went Sunday morning. We picked a field south of the grain bins and walked out. Within 5 minutes Dan had spotted a yellowish headed sparrow and we followed it around for the next 20 minutes to confirm. Between field marks spied through binos and photos later examined we confirmed it was in fact the sought after Nelson’s Sparrow. Sam and I shared a New Species Fist Bump in celebration.
Weekend of July 17, 2011
The birding is kind of slow right now but here are some pictures from the weekend from the Little Rock Area.
New State Bird 6/19/2011
With reports of two Neotropic Cormorants hanging out at Bald Knob NWR, Angie, Lenore Gifford, and I headed there Sunday morning. Flooded for weeks, the refuge was finally accessible again. We found the two birds on a levee between two ponds west northwest of the grain bins. We felt pretty sure we had our birds when a Double-crested Cormorant joined them and made the identification easier. They remained too far away for decent pictures but a few were attempted. Since they were the target birds, they were no surprise but we were surprised to see a flock of 20 American White Pelican flying by.
