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Since I went to the Ozark National Forest yesterday, getting up at 4AM and then topped that off with a star party at Pinnacle Mountain State Park getting home at midnight, I decided to sleep in (till 5:45 as it turned out) and go close to home.  I chose Cook’s Landing and I think I chose well.  I did not see anything exotic, p[perhaps not even anything I haven’t already seen this month, but I did see a lot.  In two hours, I saw 42 species which was 12 more than I saw in the entire 6+ hours in the national forest.  I walked close to 5 miles according to the pedometer and I was looking for the end during that last mile.

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Species seen or heard:

• Killdeer
• Northern Mockingbird
• Common Grackle
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Northern Cardinal
• Carolina Wren
• European Starling
• Wood Duck
• Orchard Oriole
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Purple Martin
• Cliff Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Swallow sp.
• Eastern Kingbird
• Mourning Dove
• Rock Pigeon
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Chimney Swift
• Carolina Wren
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Carolina Chickadee
• Tufted Titmouse
• White-eyed Vireo
• Indigo Bunting
• Eastern Phoebe
• Green Heron
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Northern Parula
• Summer Tanager
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Belted Kingfisher
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Fish Crow
• American Robin
• Northern Flicker
• Common Yellowthroat
• Eastern Towhee
• Mallard
• Dickcissel

Sam and I joined ASCA for a field trip to the Ozark National Forest for a look at breeding warbler.  We started at a spot a little east of Pelsor, then worked our way back down south along highway 7 stopping at Page Hollow and Granny Gap road.  It was a hot sunny day and we were worn out by the end. Our total species count was rather low but we did get most of our target birds and Sam picked up several life birds.

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Species seen or heard:

• Acadian Flycatcher
• American Goldfinch
• Black-and-white Warbler
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Blue Grosbeak
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• Cerulean Warbler
• Chimney Swift
• Downy Woodpecker
• Eastern Towhee
• Hooded Warbler
• Hooded Warbler
• Indigo Bunting
• Kentucky Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Ovenbird
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Prairie Warbler
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Tufted Titmouse
• White-eyed Vireo
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Yellow-throated Vireo
• Yellow-throated Warbler

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