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Friday evening, CAAS members met at Pinnacle Mountain State Park to hold a “private” start party for some people from Parks and Tourism and two vistors from Japan.  They were a lead party for a larger group who would be coming in a few months.  The seeing was acceptable but the full moon rose before long. The Japanese visitors were very appreciative.

I chose Cook’s Landing for my first Memorial Day weekend bird outing Saturday morning. I arrived at 7:15  and walked the big triangle from the first parking lot to the river, along the River Trail to North Shore  Trail, then back along the Isabella Jo Trail.  It was c=kind of a slow day with only 31 species spotted.

Sunday morning I went back to PMSP to walk the Rocky Valley and East Quarry Trails in search, primarily, for a Painted Bunting.  It was a good walk, about 3 miles, and I encountered plenty of Pine Warbler, several Wilson’s Warbler, a few Yellow-billed Cuckoo, plus assorted other common birds but no Painted Bunting.

Memorial Day morning I went to an area west of Highway 9 and south of Paron denoted as “Nance BBS” in eBird.  It looks like timber company land and the gate was marked Lee Creek P.O.H.C.  I was pleased to find the temperature to be about 5 degrees less than what it was in Little Rock.   In eBird, the area appeared to be a good place for Scarlet Tanager and Whip-poor-will, two birds I have yet to see this year.  I didn’t see them but was bombarded with Yellow-breasted Chat, Indigo Bunting and Red-eyed Vireo.  I usually hear rather than see REVI but these were not shy.  I also heard four Prairie Warblers and saw one American Redstart, two first of year birds.  I rarely look to the Ouachitas for birds, probably thinking it is hot and dry, but I was pleasantly surprised by this place.  I’ll probably check it and other places in the area again.

As I left, I saw a “something something Hunt Club” on the gate across the road so I guess the POHC is something like “Privately Operated Hunt Club” but there were no posted, “keep out” or “no trespassing” signs so I figure they probably don’t care if I bird as long as I leave the deer there.  I wonder if the land is owned by Weyerhauser (whose name is prominent in the area) and they lease hunting rights to these clubs.

I decided to bird locally this morning so I decided on Allsopp Park and the Murrays, all know for their migrants.  Unfortunately, none were incredibly busy but I did hear Wood Thrush, Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, see two Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Allsopp.

Later, at Murray Park, I encountered a first of season Willow Flycatcher, two Pileated Woodpecker, a Great Crested Flycatcher, multiple Eastern Kingbird, and other more common birds.

Finally, at the lock and dam, I saw about 50 Cliff Swallow swarming on a puddle of water. It took a bit for me to realize what they were doing, when you make your homes from mud, you need mud.  By this time the temperature was in the mid-eighties and the bird life was diminishing. I walked to the small bridge, on the River Trail, over a small tributary whose name I don’t know.  While I was standing there alone on the bridge, it felt as if someone banged it with a massive hammer.  Less than a minute later, there was a series of vibrations in and on the bridge that made it cumbersome to walk.  That was 9:50 AM on 5/23/2010 and I wonder if there was an earthquake then.  I’ve never felt one but I know small earthquakes rattle Arkansas all the time.  Later I checked this site (http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/last_event_states/states_arkansas.html ) and learned that there was a 1.9 mag quake just 26 hours earlier and a 2.7 the day before. I plan to check back to see if this was one.

I debated over whether I should go to Belted Kingfisher or not Saturday morning since I had just been there Thursday evening and it had been clear since but in the end I went.  The Sun was shining and it was much less busy than it had been Thursday evening.  Far fewer birds, no terns at all.  However, even so I managed some first of seasons. I saw two Ruddy Turnstone, one Baird’s Sandpiper, and one White-rumped Sandpiper.  I also got a great look at a Yellow-breasted Chat (see pictures) and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird through my spotting scope.  The spotting scope did not succeed in turning him into a Black-chinned Hummingbird though.