Category: Birding

We went to Magness Lake this afternoon; I was hoping to add Mute and Tundra Swans to my year list.  Unfortunately, neither was around.  I talked to a woman named Pat (I think), one of the owners, and she was very helpful.  She had not heard about the sighting of a Mute Swan earlier this week but had heard Tundra Swans several times recently.  There were about 75 swans there and I studied them all but all were Trumpeters.  No hint of yellow or orange in the bills.  I was glad to have them but I was hoping for a trifecta.

There were also one Ross’s Geese, one dark adult Snow Goose, one Snow Goose x Ross’s Goose hybrid, one Greater White-fronted Goose, about 100 Ring-necked Ducks, plus a smattering of more common birds.

I finished the year with 263 Arkansas species seen in 2009, 303 seen in Arkansas in my life list, 438 in my global life list.

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Species seen or heard:

• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Snow Goose
• Snow x Ross’s Goose (hybrid)
• Ross’s Goose
• Canada Goose
• Trumpeter Swan
• Mallard
• Ring-necked Duck
• Bufflehead
• Great Blue Heron
• Black Vulture
• Turkey Vulture
• Carolina Chickadee

Its sunny, cold, and somewhat windy when I arrived at the landing.  I was greeted by three Pied-billed Grebes at the first pond. Surprisingly, they swam toward me. This soon changed of course but I was able to get a few pictures before they got too far away.  At the backwater, I saw first two then three more small Canada Geese. I realized just how small when ducks swam nearby and then I realized I had five Cackling Geese.  However, after studying the pictures I realized I was wrong. As small as they were, the bills were too large.  After some study, I learned that the smallest Canada Goose can be smaller than the largest Cackling Goose.  Bummer.

I then proceeded to walk around the area. It was cold and windy but I saw a few birds, 26 species in all.

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I had another Friday off so I went to TRP after dropping Sam off at school.  It was sunny and not too bad temperature wise.  I spent 90 minutes and walked about ¾ mile along the backwater and open field.  My highlight was this Hermit Thrush.

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• Pied-billed Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Coopers Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Fish Crow
• Carolina Wren
• Eastern Bluebird
• Hermit Thrush
• American Robin
• Northern Mockingbird
• European Starling
• Field Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Lincoln’s Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-winged Blackbird