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Dress appropriately for the trips. Bring your own binoculars and
scopes. You may need to bring a sack lunch unless a specific announcement indicates
otherwise. In the summer bring plenty of water, sunscreen and bug repellant.

Kestrel by Sharen Carter

Spring 2008 Field Trips
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May
10, 2008
International
Migratory Bird Day
Allsopp
and Murray Parks, Terry Lock & Dam, Little Rock
We will be celebrating International Migratory
Bird Day on Saturday, May 10th with a field trip to Allsopp and
Murray Parks, and Terry Lock & Dam.
Both parks have great habitat for spring migrants.
We will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the lower entrance to Allsopp Park.
To get there from west Little Rock, take Cantrell Road to Cedar Hill
Road. Turn right at the traffic
light, go about 1 block and turn right into the park.
We will meet at the far end of the parking lot, closest to the trail.
From Allsopp, we will travel to nearby Murray Park.
Afterwards, we will meet for lunch at Whole Hog Cafe,
located at 2516 Cantrell Road. For those who wish to continue birding after
lunch, we will go on to Terry Lock & Dam. Our target bird there will be Painted Bunting.
All birders are welcome.
For more information contact Karen Holliday at karenh@arkleg.state.ar.us

Field
Trip Reports
Camp Robinson Special Use Area and Woolly Hollow
State Park
April 12, 2008
Our April trip was scheduled for Cook’s Lake and the
new Visitors Center at the White River NWR. Due to severe flooding at both
sites, plus an significant inundation of buffalo gnats at Cook’s Lake, we
changed our destination to a bug-free and higher-ground location. Saturday
morning, seventeen birders headed to the Camp Robinson Special Use area to
find Bachman’s Sparrows. The day was cool and very windy. Arriving at the
site, we could hear several sparrows singing over the noise of the wind. We
weren’t able to get the birds to tee up in the wind, except in one instance,
giving part of the group a good but quick look.
The group then drove to Woolly Hollow State Park.
Jerry Butler met us there and reported seeing a Blue-winged Warbler and an
osprey while he waited for us to arrive. Jeff Lawrence, a beginning birder
from Greenbrier, was pleased to join us. We walked the first part of the
Huckleberry Trail, from the trail head to the campground. It was still windy
and birds were scarce, but several critters were out enjoying the sunshine. We
spotted skinks, lizards, two garter snakes, plus a multitude of butterflies
and lovely spring flowers. The dogwoods were numerous and quite showy. After a
picnic lunch, several birders stayed to walk the trail below the dam. We
didn’t relocate Jerry’s Blue-winged Warbler but did find a Northern Parula, a
life, state, and year bird for several.
Some of the group needed a Louisiana Waterthrush, so
we headed back to Camp Robinson to a location where a pair of Waterthrush nest
each year. No sign of the birds. The stream in their little ravine has been
quite high for a while due to all the rain, which might be one reason the
birds weren’t there. We had a total of 34 species for the day.
Karen Holliday
Warren Prairie and Moro Big Pine
March 15, 2008
Our March field trip, originally scheduled for March 8, was postponed due
to snowy weather. We rescheduled for March 15 and kept our fingers crossed the
Henslow’s Sparrows would still be at Warren Prairie. Henslow’s don’t do well
in snow and it was close to time for them to leave the state. Our luck held!
The weather was great and 17 enthusiastic birders in rubber knee boots arrived
at Warren Prairie to trudge through the wet fields. Bill Holiman gave an
excellent overview of the unique characteristics of the Natural Area and an
explanation of how the salt slick barrens and prairie mound woodlands were
formed. With Bill leading the way, we immediately flushed two very cooperative
Henslow’s and spent 15 minutes admiring them and getting stunning, close-up
views through Bill’s scope. The sparrows were life birds for many! We spent
the rest of the morning spotting an interesting variety of birds scattered
throughout the diverse habitat. Before leaving Warren Prairie, we flushed two
more Henslow’s!
After a quick stop for an outdoor lunch at the Bulldog Café in Hampton, we
headed for the Moro Big Pine Natural Area-WMA. Through excellent habitat
management of the loblolly-shortleaf pine flatwoods, Moro Big Pine is now home
to at least two dozen Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Our group inspected three
accessible RCW’s roost sites, whose trees exhibited the characteristic resin
trails. No birds were present as it was early afternoon and they were still
out foraging. We stopped to admire a Pygmy Rattlesnake sunning itself in the
middle of the road. Keith Newton, who has a cabin on nearby Champaganole
Creek, joined us. After showing Keith the roost sites, we followed him to his
cabin, which sits on the bayou area of the creek. He gave an interesting
account of the diversity of wildlife and flora that he sees around his cabin.
We ended the day with 39 species of birds, new birding friends, and a good
familiarity of the two areas for future birding trips. –Karen Holliday
Stuttgart Airport
February
9, 2008
Yesterday (Feb 9), Audubon Society of Central AR birded Stuttgart
Airport (Important Bird Area). Twenty-six birders gathered together
including 3 from Three Rivers Audubon. We saw 25 species. The weather was perfect and the birds
cooperated; we saw most of our
targets. Once again the SMITH'S LONGSPURS showed how easily they can
hide in the grass, even at close range, but we were able to see all
the distinguishing field marks on birds in flight. We saw at least
55 Smith's but not a single Lapland; the ag fields might have had too
much vegetation, too much henbit for their liking. We didn't have to
flush SHORT-EARED OWLS to see them in flight (and be scolded by a
Harrier for being up at the wrong hour), though later one person did
flush a remarkable 12 birds as he got closer to take photos! A LE
CONTE'S SPARROW gave us great looks as it perched in a saltbush,
whereas a SEDGE WREN flew among us but never perched up. Despite
being rarely reported this season, a few of us lucked on a single
SPRAGUE'S PIPIT at the exact spot marked on Dennis's
map. http://web.mac.com/dmbraddy/Arkansas_Birder/Hotspots/Entries/2008/2/8_Stuttgart_Municipal_Airport.html
Another successful trip! Please join ASCA on March 8 for a trip to Warren Prairie Natural Area, home of the largest wintering population
of HENSLOW'S SPARROWS in the state.
Dan Scheiman
Little Rock, AR
HOLLA
BEND NWR JANUARY
19, 2008
Yesterday, 32 birders met at Holla Bend NWR for Audubon Society of
Central AR's monthly trip. With so many people we thoroughly covered
the area where the Common Ground-Doves had been but did not find
them. However our numbers did help us flush many sparrows including
several Le Conte's, and later a Short-eared Owl across from the
observation tower. Two Trumpeter Swans flew up from the oxbow. Then
we headed to Country Loop Rd. where were unable to relocate the
Bewick's Wren or a Harris's Sparrow, but we did get excellent looks
at a mammal-carrying Sharp-shinned Hawk and two Purple Finches. Then
it was off to the Lake Dardanelle Dam where, despite two rounds of
back-and-forth between north and south sides, we did not find the
Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull, or Rock Wren. Those species had been
seen the day before, earlier that day, or in another location so they
are still around if anyone else wants to look. It was an exciting,
fast-paced day of chasing rarities, several birders got
life/state/year birds, and everyone had fun, so I'd call it a success!
If you are interested in chasing these rarities (again) and want a
group of birders to bird with, then note that the Disorganized Bird
Club will be going to Holla Bend next Saturday, Jan 26. Contact
Sally Jo Gibson sjogibson@windstream.net for more information.
Dan Scheiman, Little Rock, AR
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