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Several ASCA members went to this WMA about 20 minutes east of Searcy on Saturday to see the Grasshopper Sparrows that had been previously reported there.  Once I learned of their success, I decided to follow them on Sunday.  I got a late start due to trying to do too much, install a new hard drive and get it cloned, but arrived there at 9:30.  I found these Grasshopper Sparrows in the fields between the WMA office and the creek just as described.  I had listened to their call beforehand and heard and then saw them within minutes of arriving.  They were the only truly extraordinary site although I did see many Cattle Egrets and a dozen American White Pelicans.  There was also one crayfish who questioned if I wanted a piece of him.

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** = Life Bird.

Species seen or heard:

• Grasshopper Sparrow **
• Cattle Egret
• Indigo Bunting
• Mourning Dove
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• American White Pelican
• Dickcissel
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Northern Cardinal
• Killdeer
• Common Yellowthroat
• Anhinga

I decided to walk the East Quarry Trail, a trail I had never done before.  I started the walk at 7 AM.  The weather was clearing and the temperature was still mild.  I was not inundated by species but I did encounter Pine Warblers and Indigo Buntings frequently, the latter being common at the actual East Quarry.  While there I heard what sounded like a Painted Bunting and as it turns out, it was.  I got some good pictures and then later saw his lady friend.  I heard a familiar warbler sound that I couldn’t quite place. I later listened to my birding CDs and identified it as a Wilson’s Warbler even though its about a week late for that one.  The round trip is about 3 miles which I finished up about 9:30.

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* = First of Year

Species seen or heard:

• Wilson’s Warbler *
• Pine Warbler
• Indigo Bunting
• Carolina Wren
• Carolina Chickadee
• White-eyed Vireo
• Eastern Wood-Pewee
• American Crow
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Tufted Titmouse
• Summer Tanager
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Worm-eating Warbler
• Fish Crow
• Blue Jay
• Northern Cardinal
• Painted Bunting
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Green Heron
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Mourning Dove
• Turkey Vulture
• Swainson’s Warbler

Kenny Nichols suggested this place for this time of year. It was a little further afield than I wanted to go but when I woke up an hour early I decided to go for it. I got on the road by 5:45 and arrived there at 7:38. Upon my first good glimpse of the lake, I saw 5 species of heron/egret so I suspected I was in for a good morning and I was. I started at a little side road on the east side of the lake. This spot has no boat launch and I was the only one there though I could see other cars where there was a launch and several boats on the lake. I was almost immediately greeted by Common Moorhen and many Purple Gallinules. I thought I heard a Sora and later heard him again for sure. There were many Great Egrets and Little Blue Herons with lesser numbers of Great Blue and Green Herons and Snowy Egrets. After a bit I looked at approaching egrets and realized they were a group of White Ibises, luckily I looked when I did as I never saw them again. I also heard a Least Bittern there and at another place. I checked out other approaches and saw more of the same but this one first spot gave me all the coolest birds of the day. In all, I picked up 5 first of year birds here plus another (Cattle Egret) as I passed through Evening Shade. I also saw two Nutria and a Coyote as I left.

My best images of the day can be found here.

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* = First of Year

Species seen or heard:

• Purple Gallinule *
• Common Moorhen *
• White Ibis *
• Least Bittern *
• Sora *
• American Crow
• Blue Jay
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Green Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Great Blue Heron
• Red-winged Blackbird
• White-eyed Vireo
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Eastern Wood-Pewee
• Orchard Oriole
• Common Yellowthroat
• Prothonotary Warbler
• Swainson’s Warbler
• Fish Crow
• Barn Swallow
• Common Grackle
• Anhinga
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Northern Mockingbird
• Tufted Titmouse
• Mourning Dove
• Turkey Vulture
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Eastern Kingbird
• Killdeer
• Northern Cardinal