Date: 1/22/25 6:08 am From: Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Rusty Blackbirds at Pea Ridge NMP
Courtesy of Polar Vortex2, most everything surface water-wise is frozen up around Northwest Arkansas City. Exceptions are some deeper areas of lakes AND natural flowing springs, including those along the tour road at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Even with current extreme low temps (4 degrees F yesterday morning!), there were patches of ice along spring runs, but several along the tour road were flowing yesterday.
I just about had the place to myself, so no trouble to just stop – windows down, heater running -- and take a long look up and down the spring. First bird was a Yellow-rumped Warbler that seemed to have found some bugs (?) in vegetation along the open water. Then a Carolina Wren. Then White-throated Sparrows.
Heard some clacking. Soon Rusty Blackbirds dropped down out of the trees, then into bushes by the spring, then down into the spring run itself. They came in waves until maybe there were 125 (?) at least, walking around in the vegetation, perched in bushes, and on vines and down woody material along the spring. Some were obviously bathing, based upon all the splashing.
Other bird activity included Dark-eyed Juncos in flocks, in sunny, short-grass places along the tour road. So many Juncos is one of the wonders of mid-winter. I was surprised by so many Eastern Bluebirds. The highest number was at a cannon battery on the battlefield below Elkhorn Tavern. Bluebirds perched on the barrel and wheels and sallied down into the sunny, grassy below. A flock of meadowlarks on Leetown battlefield were busy foraging. No vocalizations, so not sure about which species.
18 degrees F all day. Good for birding, if you keep windows down and heater running. https://ebird.org/checklist/S210248405<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS210248405&data=05%7C02%<7Carbird-l...>%7C8a7e7a40311047a6bb9d08dd3aee2a5b%7C79c742c4e61c4fa5be89a3cb566a80d1%7C0%7C0%7C638731516756946527%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hvxA0V3jfAXF5rmJTAz8z9Ws95rqV%2FcBpuJLu%2Bc%2Bz7g%3D&reserved=0>
