OVER PAST FOUR DECADES or thereabouts, I and various birding companions have made numerous winter trips to Beaver Lake, Northwest Arkansas City’s water supply and popular recreational resource. Figuring out Beaver’s winter birds ought to be straight forward. It isn’t.
I have bought spotting scopes, cameras, binoculars, etc. to use in this pursuit. Put many miles on cars. Burned a lot of gas. Gearing up isn’t the problem.
In their songs about the Beaver Lake watershed -- “Once a river” (2014) – Kelly and Donna Mulhollan of Still On the Hill describe how roughly 480 miles of shoreline winds back through one hollow after another “like some old dragon.”
Yes, indeed. That old dragon has provided winter birds visiting Beaver all kinds of perfect hiding from prying eyes. Hidden coves. Shorelines with no road access. Little islands blocking the cove behind. Makes it almost impossible for birders.
For a few years, Hobbs State Park Conservation Area sponsored a pontoon boat trip to explore this old dragon in the big open waters off Rocky Branch. We called it a loon trip, though we didn’t see many loons. We did see Horned Grebes and Bald Eagles.
My friend Flip Putthoff occasionally takes a day off from fishing. Instead, his good ship supports a birding expedition. This is a big help. But then there’s 480 miles of shoreline. Dragon hiding winter birds.
As 2025 comes to an end, I put some birding energy into exploring the old dragon, especially in the area around the dam. Starting December 21 and ending today, I’ve made 8 trips to Beaver dam and spent 40 hours at my spotting scope sussing out winter birds.
Lots of clothing layers. Lots of backing and turning and parking at odd angles so I could use my spotting scope. All to follow flocks of birds free to fly wherever they want, up and down the old dragon.
The dragon has yielded a few of her secrets. I’ve posted each of these trips to Cornell’s eBird, in case you want more details.
LONG-TAILED DUCK and COMMON MERGANSER, both from the Far North.
BALD EAGLE: at a nest site monitored for many years by Army Corps of Engineers, and particularly Ranger Alan Bland and Flip Putthoff, Outdoors Editor for Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
BONAPARTE’S GULL and RING-BILLED GULL: Both species numerous in the big pools near the dam. My impression is BONAPARTE’S are most numerous, or at least they have been during my December 21-31 survey.
COMMON GOLDENEYE: Another visitor from the Far North. I have seen flocks of these handsome ducks on every survey. They are apparently experts in finding schools of small fish (Threadfin Shad?). Once they go after them, the gulls get into the action, picking off fish driven to the surface.
Just about time I get a good look at them, off they go into the wild blue yonder, or in our local case, the old Oriental dragon called Beaver Lake.
