The Latest from Me

I went to Cook’s Landing Saturday morning hoping for birds and pictures.  I checked out the dam but settled on the service road due a large number of people.  There were about a hundred Ring-billed Gull at the dam but nothing more interesting.  On the service road, I saw a FOS Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, House Finch, Song Sparrow, and one Fish Crow. I keep thinking, “that’s the last butterfly or dragonfly of the season” and was  surprised to find a single Double-striped Dancer.

Later, about 3PM, I went to the Lake Maumelle spillway and walked the trail there. I saw a number of Bufflehead coming into the sheltered area perhaps for the evening, several Black Vultures, one Pine Warbler.

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Mitchell Pruitt, who is working a Big Year, contacted several us to see if we wanted to join him for a search for a Nelson’s (previously Sharp-tailed) Sparrow at Bald Knob NWR. So, Karen H, Dan S, Sam and I all went Sunday morning. We picked a field south of the grain bins and walked out. Within 5 minutes Dan had spotted a yellowish headed sparrow and we followed it around for the next 20 minutes to confirm. Between field marks spied through binos and photos later examined we confirmed it was in fact the sought after Nelson’s Sparrow. Sam and I shared a New Species Fist Bump in celebration.