Karen Holliday, Sam, and I went to Lake Sylvia in the Ouachita National Forest Sunday. Due to the clouds and wind, the birding was slow but we did pick up FOS Summer Tanagers and a pair of nesting Red-shouldered Hawks. I did find a new life moth – the Grape Leafroller Moth. After Sylvia, we went to a forest service lake that we were told about called Lake Huston near Perryville. By the time the Sun was shining more and the insect life picked up there. I found a life butterfly, the Hoary Edge (cool name, huh?) and there were several very striking Blue Corporeal dragonflies. We also picked up FOS Chimney Swifts there and Prairie Warbler on Highway 10 on the way back. None of my bird pictures turned out but some of the insects did. I hope you like them. Right click image to see an enlargement.
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.
Weekend of April 7 & 8
Sam and I joined several birders Saturday for an extended tour of Saul’s Fish Farm, Treadway Minnow Farm, and Bald Knob NWR. It was a beautiful days with lots of sunshine plus a Ruff (life bird for Sam) and a life butterfly, dragonfly, and damselfly for me. Plus an epic battle between a snake and a frog, the snake won. Sunday was cloudy and cold and more subdued but I managed a FOS Yellow-sided Skimmer.
