Date: 4/17/24 6:44 pm From: Ian MacGregor <00000489141846bd-dmarc-request...> Subject: A 12 FOS Day.
I started the day at the Beaver Lake Nursery Pond. Yellow-rumps were thick! I know I didn't check every one, but I did gert my first Yellowthroat, and a couple of Orange-crowms. Other firsts were Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Orchard Oriole, and Indigo Bunting.
It was then off to Hobbes State Park. At the Sinking Stream trail, A Louisiana Waterthrush was singing loudly and often. I saw a pair of them, but no Ovenbird or Hooded Warblers. I saw Ovenbird there last year, to me the place looks very much overgrown for them. but they have already been seen there this year.
Hooded Warbler is my worst miss for Arkansas. I was wondering if any of the songs, I could not identify might be one. When I got back to the parking lot to start down the Van Winkle, trail a warbler flew into a small tree. I thought it looked good for a female Hooded, but in my life I had only seen three Hoodeds all male. Her mate sooon appeared beside her. A very bright male Hooded, and the seventh FOS of the day.
Then it was off to the Visitor Center, a male ruby-throated was perched next to, a bush with red tubular flowers, for number 8. The walk a the center yielded a pair of Swainson's Thrushes for number 9. Some very bright Paula's added much to the whole Hobbes experience
I thought I would end the day at the Charlie Craig. I did the western portion and then ran into Josh Matlock. The thing I found most interesting before I met Josh, were the numbers of Starlings actively hawking insects. I cannot remember seeing them do so. There were Purple Mountains around to be sure, but the starlings were easily separated from them.
Josh told me that someone had reported a Semipalmated Plover, which would be a life bird for him. I told him that there is a very good chance of an active birder seeing them. We approached a newly nearly-drained pond. Josh pointed out some large black-billed waders. I said they looked like Willets. When we got there the birds flew a short distance without leaving the bond, and called loudly. Josh has his life Willets, and I gad my 10rh FOS. I said the pond looked good for Semipalmated Plover, and soon I found it. A two-lifer day for Josh and my 11th FOS of the day.
There were also 28 Pectorals, at least 7 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a handful of Baird's. I had a strange experience. I looked at a bird next to a Lesser Yellowlegs, it looked very much like a Solitary to me, but when I looked again. It was obviously a Lesser. Inlooked a third time, and it looked again like a Solitary. I told Josh, "I'm trying to turn that bird into a Solitary". He said," I think you are right.", but less that a minute later it looked like a Lesser again. Josh had to leave. I found another bird, close by, and could even see the bar on the tail. I thought if thst'ds not a Solitary, I'm giving up. This one remained a Solitary. The thing is the other showed the bolder eye ring and the back markings, and greenish legs, and shorter bill, of a Solitary. Indeed , I think it was the same bird. It was almost as if while we glanced a way, a lesser replaced the Solitary a couple of times. Maybe some needed to study the use of of practical jokes, by Tringa Sandpiers.
Josh told me not to find anything too good, as he was leaving. A couple minutes later, I l was looking at the back of a American Avocet, flying over the last pond. They swim well, so perhaps it had been on the pond which is quite full. That was my 12th FOS of the day.
I think my best spring day ever. Now, I cannot get my camera to connect to my computer. my photos are far from prize-winning, but I'd like to see if I any at least make the bird identifiable.
Almsot forgot, there was also an American Golden-Plover on ther strip between the last ponds on the Southwest, It was quite tame, and I wanted to see what my pictures looked like.
