Date: 4/13/25 7:28 am From: Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Birding in Ouachita NF--Pine-Bluestem Buffalo Rd.
I took pride in telling that class that some of the pioneers who spearheaded the restrictors and snake excluding devices in RCW nests were our own Joe Neal and Barbara Raulston, both Doug James's graduate students in the 1990s. Â
On Thursday 10 April, 2025 at 11:12:40 pm GMT-5, Ciera Grijalva <cgrijalva2004...> wrote:
April 10, 2025
I had a fantastic time birding today with my Ornithology class, led by Dr. Kannan. We took a trip down to the Ouachita National Forest, specifically to Upper Buffalo Road in Scott County. The main goal of our outing was to check out the snake excluders and restrictors used to protect Red-cockaded Woodpecker nests.Â
We had an in-depth discussion about the role of prescribed burns in maintaining the woodpecker’s habitat, and how these controlled fires benefit many other species and the ecosystem as a whole. While we saw several nests dripping pinesap, we didn’t spot any RCWs this time.
That said, the trip was far from uneventful! We were thrilled to spot a Broad-winged Hawk, the first one reported in Arkansas this season to our knowledge. We also spotted a Bachman’s Sparrow, which was absolutely amazing to see.
I've linked our full eBird checklist below for anyone interested in seeing the complete list of species we observed.
