Date: 3/31/25 5:21 pm From: Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Swainson's Hawks at Maysville
There were two adult-plumaged SWAINSON’S HAWKs just north of Maysville in western Benton County today. This is a fairly early arrival in my experience, though we have seen them as early as March 20. Most of the northward migration in northwest Arkansas (including the Arkansas River Valley – Kibler bottoms) occurs later, roughly from second week of April into second week of May.
Another observation of note: In one area of today’s survey, I encountered a significant concentration of Turkey Vultures (~25) and crows (both species, total ~40) attracted to an operation that involves spraying onto fields a thick slurry of what I assume is waste liquid associated with poultry processing. This is the same area – no lakes or any large bodies of water anywhere near -- where I found over 500 Ring-billed Gulls December 11, 2024. Like today’s vultures and crows, on the ground where poultry wastewater was applied.
Here is a link to what I submitted to eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S222185035
