I’ve seen roadrunners a few times in my life but since I got back into birding five years ago, they’ve been a nemesis bird for me. I finally got a unsatisfactory glimpse of one last year breaking the spell. Last Sunday, I was visiting Dierks Lake in SW Arkansas looking for Cerulean Warbler when I drove past one on the side of the road. I slammed on the brakes (it was a very lightly traveled road) backed up, then quietly getting out the camera and out of the car. My bird was very cooperative, maybe he likes having his picture taken. Here is the best of the lot.
Busy Saturday
Saturday was a pretty full day. I started with birding Burns Park in the morning. I made a big loop from the southwest corner of Burns Park, along the River Trail, up North Shore Trail to the small wetlands on North Shore Drive, then back through the open fields to my starting point. The variety of birds was pretty good even if the number were not. I picked up three first of season birds there. Then I had agreed to judge one of the contests at the annual Science Olympiad so I was off to UALR where that turned out to actually be two events. I’m not complaining, last year we had to write the tests as well as judge them. Finally, Jack and I went to CAAS for the meeting where we enjoyed a good presentation on the space race as told by Soviet and US stamps of the era. Besides the FOS birds, I also picked up FOS Variegated Fritillary and Giant Swallowtail butterflies though it took all day to do so.
Two Rivers Park April 6, 2012
Angie and I visited Two Rivers Park after work today. The red clover, whatever its true name is, was attracting many butterflies, bees and other insects. Click image to enlarge.
