I decided to track down reports of Laughing and Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Lake Dardanelle this morning with the option of going to Holla Bend afterward. I got a late start due mainly to sleeping in but got to the Lake Dardanelle Dam at around 9:30. Then I went to Delaware Park where I ran into the Nichols. The funny thing about that was I was spying on and photographing this odd looking and large gull, which I took to be a 1st winter Herring, when an email arrived on my cell phone. It was from Kenny to AR-Bird announcing he was at Delaware Park scoping a Thayer’s Gull. So I walked over the small hill separating us and continued to bird with Kenny & LaDonna.
After finishing there, I decided to head home with a stop at Lake Conway on the off change that there would be a Black-legged Kittiwake. Alas there was not but there was what I believe is a Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser hybrid.
Species seen or heard:
Lake Dardanelle
• Ring-billed Gull
• Northern Cardinal
• Dark-eyed Junco
• American White Pelican
• Great Blue Heron
• American Crow
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Laughing Gull
• Northern Mockingbird
• Eastern Phoebe
• Canvasback
• Turkey Vulture
• Herring Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• American Coot
• Ring-billed Gull
• Thayer’s Gull
• Bufflehead
• Black Vulture
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• European Starling
• Pied-billed Grebe
Lake Conway
• Ring-billed Gull
• Great Egret
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser Hybrid
• Bufflehead
• Common Goldeneye
• Belted Kingfisher
• Mallard
• Turkey Vulture
