Samantha and I and perhaps 28 other birders descended on this WMA near Hope Saturday. Our targets were Purple Gallinule, Common Moorhen, and hopefully an American Alligator. We got there at about 9:30 and immediately saw the first two plus young and later saw an alligator, Samantha’s first wild gator. We called it a short day and headed home around noon. Unfortunately, my 200-400mm zoom started acting up and I had to put the camera away before the alligator showed up. At the commuter parking lot, where the journey started and ended, we saw a family of Killdeer including two or three young ones.
Fourth of July Weekend 2009
It started Thursday evening, the 2nd. Angie, Samantha, and I went to a Twilight stroll event at PMSP starting at 8:30. James Mullins was the interpreter and we were the only public attendees. We saw several bats in the gathering gloom plus one raccoon across the Little Maumelle River and then close up one beaver as he walked to the river.
Friday morning I went to Lake Conway to drive around in hopes of seeing the nesting Bald Eagles or Osprey that had been reported there. I found a new public access point but did not see those birds.
Friday evening, I took Jack, Sam, and her friend Brandon to PMSPVC to a paddleboat event and we paddled around the quarry lake for a bit. I believe I heard a coyote and we saw a skunk on the way there. It was fun.
Saturday morning, the 4th, I birded Cook’s Landing. There was nothing extraordinary there except one armadillo but I did get 36 species in 2 hours in July.
Saturday afternoon, I took the kids to the Clinton Presidential Library to see the space exhibit. It was fun but we were all ready to come home.
Sunday was the big event. Angie and I went to Mount Magazine State Park for a second attempt at the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. It would be a state bird for me. Luckily we arrived during an interlude between rain spells. With the help of park interpreter Don Simons, we found one.
Later Sunday, I was getting bored at home so when the Sun came out and the forecast looked good, I headed to PMSPVC again to bird the Rocky Valley and East Quarry Trails. Despite the mild temperature the humidity seemed around 100% and I got soaking wet from sweat. I did see some warblers though plus plenty of hummers at the feeders and one chipmunk. Luckily I finished when I did though, while it seemed to clear up while I was hiking before I could drive home thunderstorms appeared from no where and drenched the area.
Mt. Magazine State Park 6/28/2009
Samantha and I went to Magazine this morning. Our target bird was the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. It’s a long trip so we left early. Mapquest & Google Maps both said about 2:20-2:30 but we made it in 1:50 without excessive wreckless driving. I hadn’t visited the mountain in many years, probably since my previous birding life. It was way different, with new cabins and lodges. We parked at the hang gliding area and then walked along the south edge to the lodge looking for the sparrow. The weather was nice, perhaps 10 degrees cooler than Little Rock. As we returned to the car, I thought I had found one but when I got home and checked the pictures, I realized that I had a Chipping Sparrow instead. They are fairly similar from the front with the Rufous having black sideburns while the Chipping is clean shaven. Then we walked up Signal Hill just to say we were there. On the way out, we stopped at the now open Visitor Center and added goldfinches to our trip list. On the way home, along Highway 10, we got stuck behind a wide load who drove reasonably when he could but had to slow to a crawl in the turns. The trip home took 20 minutes longer than the trip there.
Species seen or heard:
- Eastern Phoebe
- American Crow
- Blue Jay
- Indigo Bunting
- Eastern Wood-Pewee
- Eastern Bluebird
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Carolina Wren
- Barn Swallow
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Blue Grosbeak
- Acadian Flycatcher
- Downy Woodpecker
- Chipping Sparrow
- Red-eyed Vireo
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Tufted Titmouse
- American Goldfinch
