Nov. 21, 2009

Lake Dardanelle and Holla Bend

ASCA’s November field trip was Saturday, Nov. 21. Fourteen birders participated. Our first stop was Delaware Point on Lake Dardanelle. We were treated to close fly-overs by juvenile and adult Bald Eagles. The lake was dotted with White Pelicans. Several Canvasbacks were diving amongst a large raft of American Coots. We then moved to Riverview Park, located below the dam at Dardanelle. A large "Venue" of Black Vultures were huddled around a shallow pool feasting on several large, dead carp. Included in the Venue were two juveniles with heads still fully feathered. A Greater Roadrunner was spotted on the road above the Park. After lunch, we moved to Lake Point Conference Center located on the north side of the lake near London, AR. The management has given permission for birders to come on the property. Birders are asked to first check in at the reservation desk to alert staff they are on the property. Since there is limited public access to this area of the lake, being able to gain entry is much appreciated! Gulls tend to congregate in the evenings in this part of the lake. Next, with the goal of finding the Golden Eagle reported at Holla Bend NWR on Thursday, the group headed to the refuge and drove the loop. The only eagle spotted was a juvenile Bald Eagle. A Palm Warbler was sighted mixed in with Yellow-rumped Warblers. Several Northern Harriers were seen investigating the fields. We ended the day with a total of 49 species.

Millwood Lake

October 24, 2009

Saturday, October 24, nine birders gathered at the Beard’s Bluff observation deck at Millwood Lake. It was a gorgeous, cloud-free day with temperatures in the high 60’s, a wonderful change from our endless days of rain. Multiple rafts of mixed ducks and coots were scattered around the lake, along with a couple of Horned Grebes. Small pockets of White Pelicans were mixed in. A couple dozen American Avocets were briefly spotted. A juvenile, then an adult Bald Eagle did a fly-by right in front of the deck, almost close enough to touch. A large raft of well over 100 Forster’s Terns were sitting on the water, with many more circling in the air. This caught our attention as it’s uncommon for terns to sit on the water. We then moved to the state park to the area below the dam to hunt for the Rock Wren. After walking and searching all the way to the spillway, the bird finally popped up and started high-tailing it back the way we had just come, giving us a merry chase. He finally settled in one spot and commenced his signature bobbing, giving everyone great looks.

While eating lunch at the lakeside picnic tables at the marina, we watched several Snowy Egrets continuously skimming close to the surface of the lagoon while dragging their bright yellow feet through the water. They were trying to attract and spear a fish for their own lunch. We headed back to the observation deck for another search of the lake. More ducks were visible in the afternoon light. American Wigeons, Ruddy Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, Redheads, and Lesser Scaup were all spotted, giving us a total of 59 species for the trip.

Bona Dea Trails

Sept. 19, 2009

Ten birders met at Bona Dea Trails in Russellville on Saturday, September 19^th. Luckily, the rain held off for the entire trip. We were please to welcome several newcomers-- two people from the Little Red River Audubon Society, a lady from Drasco, and a gentleman and his fifteen year old son from Hot Springs. The Hot Springs men are photographers interested in learning to identify and photograph birds. Many of the 36 species we saw sat still long enough for them to get good photos. The always showy male Wood Ducks wowed them. We flushed a Barred Owl who flew a short distance, landed, then allowed us long looks at him while he gave us long looks back. The foraging flocks of warblers had everyone scrambling to identify them before they moved out of range. Our next field trip will be October 24 to Millwood Lake. Check our ASCA website at www.ascabird.org for more information.

Wood Duck, Double-crested Cormorant,  Green Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, European Starling, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Summer Tanager, Prothonotary Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Northern Cardinal