Category: Birding

After reading an ARBird post about some interesting birds at Joe Hogan, I decided to zip out there on the last day of the month to see if I could get my monthly species count to 100 (it was currently at 99).  As I was driving past Anderson’s I spotted a gaggle of birders by one drained pond and decided to stop and see what was going on.  Glad I did. The pond was full of shorebirds and terns, seven species of the first and three of the other.  Of primary interest was what I mistook for a Hudsonian Godwit but which turned out to be the still exotic but more likely Marbled Godwit.  Even so, I was able to puish my monthly count over 100 for the fifth month in a row.

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Species seen or heard:

• Mallard
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Green Heron
• Semipalmated Plover
• American Avocet
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Marbled Godwit
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Least Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Bank Swallow

I got a late start this morning, I was up late due to a public star party, but got to Treadway’s by 8:30.  I confirmed that if you can spot the Crossroads “exit” on Arkansas 13 you can trim about 3 miles off the trip as compared to going all the way to the water tower and then turning right.  Anyway, there were a fair number of species including some exciting changes of pace like Ruddy Duck (15), Black Tern (2), Forster’s Tern (5), Spotted Tern (1), Semi-palmated Sandpiper (2), and Least Sandpiper (35).  I found most of their ponds to be full but found one to be in the process of being drained so it may be worth keeping an eye on in coming weeks.  This pond is where most of the good action was to be found.

Here is that pond on map:

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On the way back, I stopped at Joe Hogan Fish Hatchery in Lonoke and found that the observation tower is gone.  It’s a shame but it was probably an insurance liability. I found three freshly drained ponds on the eastern side on the hatchery and all three had shorebirds.  Not great numbers but worth keeping an eye on until they dry up.  There I saw Sanderling (1), Northern Shoveler (1 female), Greater and lesser Yellowlegs, Semi-palmated Sandpiper (3), Pectoral Sandpiper (20) and Least Sandpiper (45).

Species seen or heard at Treadway’s:

• Ruddy Duck
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Turkey Vulture
• Killdeer
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Fish Crow
• Purple Martin
• Tree Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Eastern Bluebird
• Northern Cardinal
• Indigo Bunting
• Dickcissel
• Eastern Meadowlark
• House Sparrow

Species seen or heard at Joe Hogan:

• Northern Shoveler
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Green Heron
• Killdeer
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Sanderling
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Belted Kingfisher
• Purple Martin
• Barn Swallow
• American Robin
• Field Sparrow
• Common Grackle

I visited BKNWR just last weekend but decided to check it again after the report of a Brown Pelican. My plan was to visit there and then head to Saul’s and maybe Treadways’ Fish Farms.

I got to BKNWR at 8 and took the first road to the right off of Coal Chute Road after the NWR’s headquarters. This allowed me to drive around though rice fields and sneak up on the ponds from the north side.  I saw many egrets and herons.  I also saw more Black-crowned Night-herons in the same swamp WSW of the grain silos where I saw one last week. This time, I saw 8 mostly juveniles.  No pelicans though.

After about two hours, I left for Saul’s.  I was disappointed.  There was little shore bird habitat there, most of their ponds were full. I only saw two that looked good and one of those was filling up.  Mainly they had egrets and herons.  I stayed at Saul’s about 45 minutes before heading home.

I think I’ll check out Treadway’s and maybe Joe Hogan State Hatchery tomorrow morning.

Species seen or heard at BKNWR:

• Mallard
• Northern Shoveler
• Hooded Merganser
• Northern Bobwhite
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Cattle Egret
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Killdeer
• Black-necked Stilt
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Least Sandpiper
• Rock Pigeon
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Flicker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Eastern Wood-Pewee
• Eastern Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• White-eyed Vireo
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Purple Martin
• Cliff Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Carolina Chickadee
• Tufted Titmouse
• Carolina Wren
• Northern Mockingbird
• Common Yellowthroat
• Northern Cardinal
• Blue Grosbeak
• Indigo Bunting
• Dickcissel
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Common Grackle

Species seen or heard at Saul’s:

• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Least Sandpiper
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Tree Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Northern Cardinal
• Indigo Bunting
• Red-winged Blackbird