Category: Birding

I arrived at 8:06 AM. The skies were clear, surprisingly, the temperature nice and little or no wind. Started seeing ducks right off the bat. After all the recent rain, the roads were a little soft and one spot in particular near the eastern side where there was no gravel was especially soft. I saw at least two breeding plumage Bonaparte’s Gulls which was nice.

Species seen or heard:

• Eastern Bluebird
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Ruddy Duck
• Lesser Scaup
• Great Blue Heron
• Eastern Meadowlark
• American Crow
• Greater Yellowlegs *
• Lesser Yellowlegs *
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Northern Shoveler
• Mourning Dove
• Long-billed Dowitcher *
• Fish Crow
• Killdeer
• Solitary Sandpiper *
• Pectoral Sandpiper *
• Great Egret
• Barn Swallow *
• American Coot
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Blue Jay
• Canvasback
• Tufted Titmouse
• Bufflehead
• Snowy Egret *
• Ring-necked Duck

* – first of season.

I arrived at the park at 7:30, willing to take whatever I could find but hoping for spring migrants. I made a large clock-wise loop going up into the “hill country” then down into the marshes and swamps and back. Probably a distance of three miles in as many hours. Nothing exotic although Gillam Park is proving to be the best place I know of for Hairy Woodpeckers, they seem to like the “hill country”. I don’t know if sapsuckers breed in Arkansas at all but the 4 I saw appeared to paired off.

Species seen or heard:
• Fish Crow – 18
• Carolina Wren
• Carolina Chickadee
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 2
• Tufted Titmouse
• American Robin
• Blue Jay
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 4
• Northern Flicker
• Eastern Towhee
• Northern Mockingbird
• Eastern Phoebe
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Turkey Vulture – 20
• Pine Warbler
• Hairy Woodpecker – 3
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Northern Cardinal
• Downy Woodpecker
• White-throated Sparrow
• Brown Thrasher
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Brown Creeper
• Field Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco

I arrived at the lake at about 7:45. It was cloudy but clearing and about 50+ degrees. I wanted to get back into Bell Slough to see if anything was new in the last week. The first thing I noticed was the water over the dam was much less that 7 days ago. Later as I got into the WMA, I realized the water level there was 3, maybe even 4 feet lower than last Sunday. In fact, Grassy Lake was flowing into Palarm Creek instead of the other way around. I got my first of season Black-and-white Warbler today and Yellow-breasted Chat, both based on calls. There was a probably escaped domestic or domestic hybrid goose on the creek. He was mostly white, orange feet, gray wings, black bill, with black markings on his neck and head. Even though it did not seem as birdy as last Sunday, I got 40 species in about 2.5 hours.

Species seen or heard:
• Black-and-white Warbler *
• Yellow-Breasted Chat *
• Mallard
• American Robin
• Carolina Chickadee
• White-throated Sparrow
• Blue Jay
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Mockingbird
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Great Blue Heron
• Belted Kingfisher
• Eastern Phoebe
• Ring-billed Gull
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eastern Towhee
• Tufted Titmouse
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Brown Thrasher
• Carolina Wren
• American Crow
• Great Egret
• Northern Flicker
• Fish Crow
• Blue-winged Teal
• Common Grackle
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Field Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Turkey Vulture
• Brown Pelican
• American Coot
• Purple Martin
• House Sparrow

* First of season