Category: Birding

Arrived at 6:51 AM. I saw an unusual bird, that could only be an Orchard Oriole but had yellow where there should have been burnt yellow. He had the black head and back with yellow underneath and above the rump where the burnt orange would be. Left the area at 7:25.

Species seen or heard:
• Canada Goose
• Dickcissel
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Mockingbird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Red-winged Blackbird
• American Crow
• Barn Swallow
• Orchard Oriole
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Cedar Waxwing
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Wood Duck
• Eastern Phoebe
• Northern Cardinal
• Fish Crow
• Carolina Wren
• Eastern Bluebird
• Brown Thrasher
• Blue Jay

Arrived at about 7:45. It was sunny, mid-50s, and very windy. Saw a single Mallard on Lake Conway and nothing else. In Bell Slough, I went past what I always considered the end of the levee (where the mud always gets bad) to see what there was. I found that the road continued though as a muddy no-gravel kind of road. This wound around staying close to Palarm Creek for a while. Then I found a similar but straight road jutting away from it. I had no compass but based on the Sun’s position, I’d say it ran close to North-South. I followed it a good ways and began to wonder if it was the same road I had previous seen at Bell Slough East. I didn’t want to find out and then walk all the way back and when I got to a marker warning that there was an underground line there I decided to turn back. However, instead of backtracking I took off into the woods knowing that I would eventually run into the road or Grassy Lake. There was little underbrush and the going was not hard. This was the best decision of the day as this is where the warblers were hiding. After a while the soil got much wetter though I never ran into the lake proper. Finally I found myself at what I had considered the end of the road until today. In all I spent 3 ½ hours there at Bell.

Species seen or heard:
• American Redstart
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Blackburnian Warbler
• Magnolia Warbler
• Prothonatory Warbler
• Osprey (with fish in talons)
• Swainson’s Thrush
• Veery
• Common Yellowthroat
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Mallard
• American Robin
• Northern Mockingbird
• Blue Jay
• Canada Goose
• Common Grackle
• White-eyed Vireo
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Indigo Bunting
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Barn Swallow
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Turkey Vulture
• Black Vulture
• Fish Crow
• American Goldfinch
• Orchard Oriole
• Green Heron
• Tufted Titmouse
• Eastern Wood-pewee
• Wood Duck
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Northern Cardinal
• Downy Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• American Crow
• Eastern Kingbird
• Bank Swallow
• Cliff Swallow

This was my first trip to this region near the Arkansas River. Take Highway 89 N from the Mayflower exit on I-40. Follow 89N probably 10 miles or so until it deteriorates and becomes Lollie Road. Follow this road as it deteriorates even more to gravel and passes assorted farm land. You should definitely use YahooMaps or something to provide a map. Eventually Lollie Road will meet Highway 60 in Conway to make going home easier. This list is what I encountered along the road. I arrived at 2:40. Got to the end of the agricultural area of Lollie Road at 4:00. The Yellow-headed Blackbird was one of the target birds.

Species seen or heard:
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Indigo Bunting
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Dickcissel
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Northern Mockingbird
• Carolina Wren
• Mourning Dove
• Bobolink
• American Crow
• Blue-winged Teal
• American Coot
• Canada Goose
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Eastern Kingbird
• Eastern Bluebird
• Northern Cardinal