Date: 3/4/25 4:37 pm From: Glenn <000001214b3fcb01-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Jackson County Birds
Not to mention the rough-legged hawk that wintered near the Possum-Grape exit for several years.
Glenn
On Tue, Mar 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM, Patty McLean<000008e6fff5e5c8-dmarc-request...> wrote: Over the past few years, Jackson County has been on the radar of some serious birders and photographers. For me, it started when TWO Snowy Owls showed up in January 2022. They stayed in the area for several weeks, giving birders and nature lovers a total delight.
Then this past December, an immature Long-tailed Duck showed up at the Grubbs WTP. Michael and I went to see it several times because it is such an infrequent visitor to Arkansas and was relatively close to view -- an extra treat. We initially thought it was a female, but when we saw it yesterday, we knew it was actually a young male, showing a bicolored pink and black bill and distinct white feathering atop the upper wing. From "Birds of the World:" an immature Long-tailed Duck appears similar to a female (as is also true with Northern Harriers) and can make the ID to gender a challenge. But don't be tempted to go until the flood waters recede after today's rain. The adjacent Cache River Relief area was already crossing the road yesterday (but shallow).
Additionally, Smith's Longspurs have been reported by several birders this winter from the fields around the Newport Airport. We haven't figured out where to look for them yet, but hope to go there one of these times.
But the real news of the day was relocating the Crested Caracara found by Paul Provence. And, frankly, we just got lucky. One of those "right time, right place" moments. And if David Finch hadn't noticed an interesting bird land in the distant field, we might have missed it altogether.
Although several other birders showed up and didn't see the Caracara, they did find a few other interesting birds in the vicinity: a dark, nearly black Red-tailed Hawk and what appears to be a Golden Eagle.
We've created a stakeout hotspot for folks to use from the Caracara location on Jackson County Road 66. https://ebird.org/checklist/S216472075 All i can say is Wowza! Jackson County is definitely a great place to look for some unusual and surprising birds! Here's a link to some of the frequently birded hotspots in the county. https://birdinghotspots.org/region/US-AR-067 Patty McLean and Michael Linz The Roadrunners
