Date: 6/30/25 6:20 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 30
It was partly cloudy, very warm, and a bit windy on the bird survey today. 64 species were found. Not much out of the ordinary except for a pair of House Finches which we seldom see at Red Slough. Some of the wetlands are drying up and have large feeding swarms of herons and egrets feeding in what little water is left. Here is my list for today:
Is There Dusting At Your House?
Jerry Wayne Davis
June 7, 1990
Is there dusting at your house? No, I am not checking to see what kind of housekeeper you are and if you have been running around with a rag and a can of Pledge.
What I am asking is, do you have a place in your yard for the birds to do their dusting, sunbathing, and anting? We are not meeting our birds needs just by providing nest boxes, feeders and water. Dusting is important to help remove external parasites, dry feathers, and help realign feather barbs and barbules. And anting has been observed in over 250 species of birds and is said to rid or reduce bird external parasites and possible soothe skin irritations. You may have observed birds sunbathing by spreading their tail and wing feathers. This can also help drive out external parasites and increase body temperature.
It is insightful for me to watch various resident and migratory birds going through the dusting and sunbathing behavior. I have even had a family of eastern cottontail rabbits and several species of lizards come on an almost daily basis to stretch out in the hot sand for maybe some of the same reasons.
If you do not have a dusting, anting and sunbathing area for your birds, it is time to consider it.
Go into that beautiful green monoculture lawn that you have worked so hard to weed, feed, water, spray and mow. Select an area close to your bird bath(s) and / or feeders, where the birds are already coming. Pulverize the area to about a foot deep so that it looks similar to a horseshoe pitching trap; a size 4 feet by 4 feet square is a start. If you are lucky enough to already have sandy soil that is a plus. If not, you may need to dig out the fertile soil that you have cultivated for so long and replace it with fine white sand. The smaller the sand particles and the higher the reflective value, the better it will be for dusting and sunbathing. The sand is droughty enough to discourage grass and weeds, but if you need to retard grass encroachment, you can put a border around it. If you do not have a natural source of sand, you can obtain mortar sand from a ready-mix company or use the play sand sold at home supply or landscape retailers. The finer the grain size the better it will be for dusting and the whiter it is the better for sun bathing and heat radiation.
Once this is in place, sit back and enjoy the insight that you can gain in summer and winter from yet another element of the birds world and rabbits, squirrels, and other wildlife use can be an extra bonus.
Date: 6/29/25 6:20 am From: Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Unified Checklist of the Birds of the World
Have you all seen the new AviList list of the birds of the world? I remember when the official number of bird species was around 8,600. The 2025 list includes 11,131 species,
Updating a personal world list will be a heavy task so I'm contracting with Dan Scheiman for help. My lists are scattered in old field guides, regional checklists, and notes in the original copy of Clements. Someday I'm going to get organized.
https://www.avilist.org/checklist/v2025/
Below are the July, and August field trips sponsored by the Audubon Society of Central Arkansas (ASCA). Anyone can join us. You don't have to be a member of ASCA to participate in the field trips. All levels of birders are welcome. I have extra pairs of binoculars for anyone to use if you don't have your own binoculars. Please feel free to contact me off-list list if you have any questions. I'll be out of the state from June 29 until July 14 and will have limited access to check my phone, so I'll be slow responding to any questions. Karen Holliday ASCA field trip coordinator ASCA Field Trips July, August July 19Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois D’Arc WMAHope, Hempstead Co. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the south end of the commuter parking lot at the I-630/I-430 intersection at Shackleford Road in Little Rock. We’ll stop at the McDonalds in Hope (Exit 30 off I-30) around 8:45 a.m. for those in south Arkansas who would like to join us. Look for Great-tailed Grackles at McDonalds. We should arrive at the Bois D’Arc WMA at 9:15 a.m. Our target birds will be Purple and Common Gallinules and their chicks, Anhingas, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Least Bitterns, herons, egrets, and possibly an alligator or two! Very little walking will be involved. Bring scopes, plenty of water, snacks, and lunch. There are several restaurants in Hope if you prefer to eat lunch in town. Bois D‘Arc WMA is located 10 miles south of Hope. Take Exit 30 off I-30 and go east. Continue past McDonald’s, then under the railroad overpass. At the light at the big intersection, turn right onto Hwy. 67. Go 1/3 of a mile. At the brown sign, turn left onto Hwy. 174. Take Hwy. 174 south 6 miles to the 3-way stop sign at Spring Hill. Turn right onto Hwy. 355. Go west for 4 miles. Turn right at the white wooden WMA sign just before the highway ends in the lake. Follow the paved road, then turn left onto the first gravel road and go down to the lake. GPS: 33.558062, -93.694239August 23Bald Knob National Wildlife RefugeBald Knob, White Co. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in North Little Rock on the east side of the Other Center, in the parking lot below McDonald’s. The Other Center is on McCain Blvd. across from McCain Mall. Take Exit 1 west off US-67/167. We’ll arrive at Bald Knob NWR headquarters building around 8:30 a.m. for those who want to meet us there. If running late, look for the line of cars parked on Coal Chute Road. This federal refuge is also a National Audubon Important Bird Area. We expect to see shorebirds, herons, night-herons, egrets, and possibly Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills. It will be very hot so bring plenty of water, snacks, sunscreen, and a hat. If you have a scope, bring it. Very little walking will be involved. There is no bathroom on-site. There is a McDonald’s just off Hwy. 67/167 at Bald Knob Exit 55. Go to www.fws.gov/baldknob/ for driving directions and more information about the refuge. GPS: 35.260233, -91.571903
Date: 6/25/25 8:22 pm From: Lucy c Weberling <000002a0405ec27a-dmarc-request...> Subject: Banded pigeon here
There is a banded pigeon hanging out on our road. We live a mile west of the casino on Highway 20 just west of Skiatook. He has been seen in different people’s yards. I am sure he belongs to someone or some project. Do you all have any ideas of what I should do?
Thank you
Lucy weberling
Sent from my iPhone
<Lucyoga...>
918-633-8890
############################
Date: 6/25/25 5:51 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 25
It was partly cloudy and warm, with a light wind, on the bird survey today. 64 species were found. Nothing out of the ordinary except for a singing Wood Thrush which are rare in Summer at Red Slough. Several fledged Neotropic Cormorants were seen making short distance flights chasing their parents and begging to be fed. Anhingas were very busy today making flights in and out of the heronry feeding their young of which some are close to fledging also. Lots of gallinule broods and as I scanned the lakes I noted several Common Gallinules sitting on floating nests. Green Herons were really busy feeding young today too. Concerning the Ring-necked Ducks I have been reporting, not only this summer and basically every Summer; they are hold overs from duck season. They probably have some steel shot in them that makes them unable to migrate north even though they seem fine otherwise. Was really cool to see a couple Minks following each other today. They were near the photo blind on Pintail Lake. Lots of Swamp Rabbits hanging out on the Pintail Lake levee road this year too. Been seeing some good photo ops for them. Here is my list for today:
Date: 6/24/25 11:18 am From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...> Subject: Re: Orchard Oriole song
Perhaps I did not describe it well. If you have the Merlin app and search for Orchard Oriole you can then select on the 9 sounds. Then select the song for the Fuertes's subspecies. While playing that song you will see a diagram of the song as well as hear the song. In that particular song recording it seems like there are 2 different birds singing. One of them is closer and louder and the diagram of that sound is darker and bolder whereas the softer sound is not as dark. I was hearing that softer sound. Brian
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Ian MacGregor <00000489141846bd-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2025 8:04 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Orchard Oriole song
Do Orchard Orioles have whisper song?. I once saw and heard a Hooded Oriole, not in Arkansas, delivering one; soft warbles sung with the bill closed. The only other bird I ever saw do this was a California Scrub-Jay. The song was surprisingly soft and musical.
I find whisper songs interesting as they can be delivered by birds whose normal repertoire lacks a true song. I also think they are not often heard, but that may be my personal experience.
Ian MacGregor Bella Vista
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM, Brian Carlson < <brianrcarlson...><mailto:On%20Sun,%20Jun%2022,%202025%20at%204:43%20PM,%20Brian%20Carlson%20<<a%20href=>> wrote:
I saw and heard an Orchard Oriole today. The song it was singing was the softer notes that Merlin has for the Fuertes subspecies. It was along Plum Street near Denning. It looked like a regular Orchard. I guess they learn other songs.
Date: 6/23/25 6:04 pm From: Ian MacGregor <00000489141846bd-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Orchard Oriole song
Do Orchard Orioles have whisper song?. I once saw and heard a Hooded Oriole, not in Arkansas, delivering one; soft warbles sung with the bill closed. The only other bird I ever saw do this was a California Scrub-Jay. The song was surprisingly soft and musical.
I find whisper songs interesting as they can be delivered by birds whose normal repertoire lacks a true song. I also think they are not often heard, but that may be my personal experience.
Ian MacGregor Bella Vista
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM, Brian Carlson < [<brianrcarlson...>](mailto:On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM, Brian Carlson <<a href=)> wrote:
> I saw and heard an Orchard Oriole today. The song it was singing was the softer notes that Merlin has for the Fuertes subspecies. It was along Plum Street near Denning. It looked like a regular Orchard. I guess they learn other songs.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1
Date: 6/23/25 2:01 pm From: Taylor Long <00000455b6b08e87-dmarc-request...> Subject: NWAAS Field Trip: Intro to Mill Branch Park - Sat, Jun 28th at 8am
Greetings Birders!
The Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society is hosting a field trip to Mill
Branch Park <https://maps.app.goo.gl/B3TtYzj6vnWKghg4A> in Goshen, AR
this Saturday, June 28th at 8:00 AM. Our first attempt at this trip was
rained out, but the weather this Saturday is looking great. Full details
below. Hope to see some of you there!
-Taylor Long
NWAAS Field Trip Coordinator
Intro to Mill Branch Park
The Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society will host a birding field trip to
Mill Branch Park in Goshen on Saturday, June 28th at 8:00 AM. This
gorgeous birder-friendly park opened in 2022 and offers well-maintained
trails through 111 acres of varied habitat including ponds and spring-
fed creeks, open fields, and wooded north-facing slopes. There are
already over 100 bird species documented on the eBird Hotspot
<https://ebird.org/hotspot/L18722300>, with plenty of potential to add
more as birders continue to discover this special park. Goshen resident
and park steward Mary Smith will join us to discuss the park’s history
and ongoing projects. Meet at 8:00 AM in the paved parking lot at GPS:
36.104104, -93.983367 <https://maps.app.goo.gl/G7Sh3LZEh97zjs5X9>.
Expect to spend 2 hours walking ~2 miles over mown grass trails that
include some steep slopes and one creek crossing (with large flat
stepping stones that are usually dry). Hiking boots, insect repellant,
sun protection, and water are recommended.
RSVP
This trip is free and open to the public. There is no participant limit.
Please RSVP by email to <trips...>
<mailto:<trips...> so we know how many to expect. In your
email, please include your name and the total number in your party.
Directions
From Fayetteville, head East on HWY 45 toward Goshen (~10 miles).
Continue past downtown Goshen just 0.3 miles and watch on the right for
a small sign for “Mill Branch Park” followed by paved driveway off to
the right. Park in the paved lot where you will see a kiosk sign for the
park.
Inclement weather plan
When the weather is bad for humans, it’s usually bad for birds too.
We’ll cancel the trip at least 12 hours in advance if the weather is
forecasted to be dangerous or unsuitable for birding. Field trip
cancellations will be emailed to the NWAAS field trip list (email
<trips...> <mailto:<trips...> to be added to
this list). We’ll also try to post wherever else we can in a timely
manner (Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/Northwest-Arkansas-Audubon- Society-172133076185122>, etc.)
Contact
Contact info for questions about the trip.
* NWAAS Field Trip Coordinator: Taylor Long
* Email: <trips...> <mailto:<trips...> * Cell number (for day-of questions): 479-530-9084
Date: 6/23/25 11:19 am From: Allan Mueller <akcmueller...> Subject: Re: Barn Swallow cooperative breeding
Much better explanation.
Allan
On Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 7:41 AM Robert Day <rhday52...> wrote:
> I agree with Butch. For example, divorce is common in seabirds if the
> nesting is unsuccessful, regardless of the reason for being unsuccessful.
>
> RHD
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jun 23, 2025, at 5:57 AM, Gmail <butchchq8...> wrote:
>
>
> Nestling death can have nothing to do with "blaming" the mate. More likely
> they are just using a rule of thumb "if nest is not completely successful,
> go somewhere else". Many species do this, so it's not unique to Barn
> Swallows.
>
> Butch Tetzlaff
> Bella Vista
>
> On Jun 22, 2025, at 19:43, Allan Mueller <akcmueller...> wrote:
>
>
> One of the impressive things about this behavior is that
> having dead nestlings causes a divorce. This implies that the paired
> swallows can "blame" their mate for the death of the nestlings.
>
> Amazing!
>
> Allan
>
> On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM Ragupathy Kannan <
> <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can
>> breed cooperatively.
>>
>> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked
>> up Birds of the World.
>>
>> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to
>> other chores.
>>
>> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>>
>> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents.
>> They then take over the brooding female.
>>
>> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot
>> of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>>
>> For more on this, click here
>> <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr>.
>>
>> Kannan
>> Ft. Smith
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
>> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >>
>
>
> --
> Allan Mueller (It)
> 20 Moseley Lane, Conway, AR
> Home of the Arkansas State Champion Winged Elm
> 501-339-8071
> *BLOG* birdsnonsense.blogspot.com
> Pura Vida
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
--
Allan Mueller (It)
20 Moseley Lane, Conway, AR
Home of the Arkansas State Champion Winged Elm
501-339-8071
*BLOG* birdsnonsense.blogspot.com
Pura Vida
Date: 6/22/25 8:41 pm From: Allan Mueller <akcmueller...> Subject: Re: Barn Swallow cooperative breeding
In BOTW read the last paragraph of "Breeding Range". The breeding Barn
Swallows in Argentina breed during the Boreal Winter (Dec-Feb). During the
Austral Winter (June-Aug) they only migrate as far north as northern South
America, but do not breed there. Still a recent and amazing event.
Allan
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM Ian MacGregor <
<00000489141846bd-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> I think non-subscribers to the Birds of the World website can see the
> range maps. Surprisingly there’s a section of Argentina where they
> breed. These birds are breeding twice a year, once somewhere in their
> normal breeding range and again in Argentina.
>
> Ian MacGregor Bella Vists
> On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM, Ragupathy Kannan <
> <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...>
> <On+Sun,+Jun+22,+2025+at+6:23+PM,+Ragupathy+Kannan+%3C%3Ca+href=>> wrote:
>
> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can
> breed cooperatively.
>
> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked
> up Birds of the World.
>
> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to
> other chores.
>
> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>
> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents.
> They then take over the brooding female.
>
> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot
> of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>
> For more on this, click here
> <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr>.
>
> Kannan
> Ft. Smith
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
--
Allan Mueller (It)
20 Moseley Lane, Conway, AR
Home of the Arkansas State Champion Winged Elm
501-339-8071
*BLOG* birdsnonsense.blogspot.com
Pura Vida
Date: 6/22/25 7:05 pm From: Ian MacGregor <00000489141846bd-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Barn Swallow cooperative breeding
I think non-subscribers to the Birds of the World website can see the range maps. Surprisingly there’s a section of Argentina where they breed. These birds are breeding twice a year, once somewhere in their normal breeding range and again in Argentina.
Ian MacGregor Bella Vists
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM, Ragupathy Kannan <[<0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...>](mailto:On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM, Ragupathy Kannan <<a href=)> wrote:
> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can breed cooperatively.
>
> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked up Birds of the World.
>
> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to other chores.
>
> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>
> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents. They then take over the brooding female.
>
> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>
> For more on this, click [here](https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr).
>
> Kannan
> Ft. Smith
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1
Just as it has unearthed a lot of dirty laundry in our human world!
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM Ragupathy Kannan <
<0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can
> breed cooperatively.
>
> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked
> up Birds of the World.
>
> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to
> other chores.
>
> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>
> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents.
> They then take over the brooding female.
>
> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot
> of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>
> For more on this, click here
> <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr>.
>
> Kannan
> Ft. Smith
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
Date: 6/22/25 5:43 pm From: Allan Mueller <akcmueller...> Subject: Re: Barn Swallow cooperative breeding
One of the impressive things about this behavior is that
having dead nestlings causes a divorce. This implies that the paired
swallows can "blame" their mate for the death of the nestlings.
Amazing!
Allan
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM Ragupathy Kannan <
<0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can
> breed cooperatively.
>
> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked
> up Birds of the World.
>
> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to
> other chores.
>
> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>
> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents.
> They then take over the brooding female.
>
> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot
> of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>
> For more on this, click here
> <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr>.
>
> Kannan
> Ft. Smith
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
--
Allan Mueller (It)
20 Moseley Lane, Conway, AR
Home of the Arkansas State Champion Winged Elm
501-339-8071
*BLOG* birdsnonsense.blogspot.com
Pura Vida
You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can breed cooperatively.
It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked up Birds of the World.
So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to other chores.
But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents. They then take over the brooding female.
As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
For more on this, click here.
KannanFt. Smith
Date: 6/22/25 2:43 pm From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...> Subject: Orchard Oriole song
I saw and heard an Orchard Oriole today. The song it was singing was the softer notes that Merlin has for the Fuertes subspecies. It was along Plum Street near Denning. It looked like a regular Orchard. I guess they learn other songs.
Date: 6/22/25 9:10 am From: Jerry Davis <jwdavis...> Subject: Re: Dark-eyed Junco
I appreciate your reporting the June 10 and 11th Dark-eyed Junco and providing documentation pictures for me to put it on eBird for you. I expect there are many sightings of birds beyond their usual time periods that go unreported. Many may not know when such sightings are out of the ordinary expected timeframe.
Thank you
Jerry Wayne Davis Hot Springs, AR
On 2025-06-22 9:32 am, Terry & Judy Butler wrote: > The Junco I reported in the yard the 1th of June stayed through the > 11th and haven't been seen since the evening of the 11th of June. > > ------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link: > http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1
Date: 6/19/25 7:44 pm From: Ashlyn Ohm <4ever4hiskingdom...> Subject: Re: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
Thank you so much! That helps a lot. I look forward to visiting!
Ashlyn
> On Jun 19, 2025, at 9:39 PM, <jwdavis...> wrote:
>
> You need to go to the links below David Arbour's report to grasp what Red Slough is about and it will answer a lot of your question. I suggest that to see the birds that David reported, there is a lot of walking. There are observation platforms in some locations. Spray down with bug spray and plan for a great day of birding. Red Slough is known internationally and is on the Ouachita National Forest and is an Oklahoma birding Hot Spot.
>
> Jerry Wayne Davis
> Hot Springs, AR
> From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Ashlyn Ohm <4ever4hiskingdom...>
> Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2025 6:47 PM
> To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
> Subject: Re: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
>
> Thank you so much for the detailed reports from Red Slough!
>
> I am interested in seeing many of these species for my bird year and life lists. However, I have never been to Red Slough. What is the access like there? Can the birds be seen from a car, or is walking required? I don’t mind walking but would like to avoid ticks and chiggers this time of year!
>
> Also, can I see the birds with bins, or do I need a scope?
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> Ashlyn
>
>> On Jun 18, 2025, at 7:08 PM, <arbour...> <arbour...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> The bird survey started off overcast, mild, and windy, with a couple rain showers, then turned partly cloudy, warm, and calm around noon. 65 species were found. Lots of nesting activity going on in the heronries on Pintail and Otter Lakes and gallinule chicks everywhere. Here is my list for today:
>>
>> Black-bellied Whistling Ducks - 9
>> Wood Duck - 10
>> Mallard - 1 drake
>> Ring-necked Duck - 8 (7 males & 1 female.)
>> Pied-billed Grebe – 5
>> Neotropic Cormorant - 16
>> Anhinga - 106
>> Least Bittern - 5
>> Great-blue Heron - 2
>> Great Egret - 8
>> Snowy Egret - 8
>> Little-blue Heron - 69
>> Cattle Egret - 1300
>> Green Heron - 18
>> Black-crowned Night Heron - 1
>> Yellow-crowned Night Heron - 1
>> White Ibis - 10
>> Black Vulture - 6
>> Turkey Vulture – 7
>> Mississippi Kite - 1
>> Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
>> Purple Gallinule - 127
>> Common Gallinule - 108
>> American Coot – 6
>> Mourning Dove - 17
>> Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 4
>> Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2
>> Belted Kingfisher - 1
>> Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
>> Downy Woodpecker - 1
>> Acadian Flycatcher - 2
>> Eastern Phoebe - 2
>> Eastern Kingbird - 1
>> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - 3
>> White-eyed Vireo - 11
>> Bell's Vireo - 1
>> Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
>> Red-eyed Vireo - 3
>> American Crow - 3
>> Fish Crow - 1
>> Tree Swallow - 16
>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 5
>> Cliff Swallow - 10
>> Barn Swallow - 15
>> Carolina Chickadee - 3
>> Tufted Titmouse - 4
>> Carolina Wren - 10
>> Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
>> Yellow-throated Warbler - 1
>> Prairie Warbler - 1
>> Black-and-white Warbler - 2
>> Prothonotary Warbler - 13
>> Common Yellowthroat - 7
>> Yellow-breasted Chat - 6
>> Summer Tanager - 2
>> Eastern Towhee - 1
>> Northern Cardinal – 22
>> Blue Grosbeak - 2
>> Indigo Bunting - 20
>> Painted Bunting - 4
>> Dickcissel - 3
>> Red-winged Blackbird – 18
>> Common Grackle - 18
>> Brown-headed Cowbird - 10
>> Orchard Oriole - 3
>>
>>
>>
>> Odonates:
>>
>> Prince Baskettail
>> Eastern Pondhawk
>> Blue Dasher
>> Great-blue Skimmer
>> Common Whitetail
>> "red" Saddlebags
>> Black Saddlebags
>>
>>
>>
>> Herps:
>>
>> Three-toed Box Turtle
>> Blanchard's Cricket Frog
>> Green Treefrog
>> Green Frog
>> Bullfrog
>>
>>
>> Good birding!
>>
>> David Arbour
>> De Queen, AR
>>
>>
>> Check out the Red Slough Photo Gallery: https://pbase.com/red_slough_wma >>
>> Birders Guide to the Red Slough WMA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ouachita/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=fseprd1043423 >>
>>
>> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
>> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1
Date: 6/19/25 7:39 pm From: <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> Subject: Re: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
You need to go to the links below David Arbour's report to grasp what Red Slough is about and it will answer a lot of your question. I suggest that to see the birds that David reported, there is a lot of walking. There are observation platforms in some locations. Spray down with bug spray and plan for a great day of birding. Red Slough is known internationally and is on the Ouachita National Forest and is an Oklahoma birding Hot Spot.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Ashlyn Ohm <4ever4hiskingdom...>
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2025 6:47 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
Thank you so much for the detailed reports from Red Slough!
I am interested in seeing many of these species for my bird year and life lists. However, I have never been to Red Slough. What is the access like there? Can the birds be seen from a car, or is walking required? I don’t mind walking but would like to avoid ticks and chiggers this time of year!
Also, can I see the birds with bins, or do I need a scope?
Thank you so much!
Ashlyn
On Jun 18, 2025, at 7:08 PM, <arbour...> <arbour...> wrote:
The bird survey started off overcast, mild, and windy, with a couple rain showers, then turned partly cloudy, warm, and calm around noon. 65 species were found. Lots of nesting activity going on in the heronries on Pintail and Otter Lakes and gallinule chicks everywhere. Here is my list for today:
Date: 6/19/25 6:48 pm From: Ashlyn Ohm <4ever4hiskingdom...> Subject: Re: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
Thank you so much for the detailed reports from Red Slough!
I am interested in seeing many of these species for my bird year and life lists. However, I have never been to Red Slough. What is the access like there? Can the birds be seen from a car, or is walking required? I don’t mind walking but would like to avoid ticks and chiggers this time of year!
Also, can I see the birds with bins, or do I need a scope?
Thank you so much!
Ashlyn
> On Jun 18, 2025, at 7:08 PM, <arbour...> <arbour...> wrote:
>
>
> The bird survey started off overcast, mild, and windy, with a couple rain showers, then turned partly cloudy, warm, and calm around noon. 65 species were found. Lots of nesting activity going on in the heronries on Pintail and Otter Lakes and gallinule chicks everywhere. Here is my list for today:
>
> Black-bellied Whistling Ducks - 9
> Wood Duck - 10
> Mallard - 1 drake
> Ring-necked Duck - 8 (7 males & 1 female.)
> Pied-billed Grebe – 5
> Neotropic Cormorant - 16
> Anhinga - 106
> Least Bittern - 5
> Great-blue Heron - 2
> Great Egret - 8
> Snowy Egret - 8
> Little-blue Heron - 69
> Cattle Egret - 1300
> Green Heron - 18
> Black-crowned Night Heron - 1
> Yellow-crowned Night Heron - 1
> White Ibis - 10
> Black Vulture - 6
> Turkey Vulture – 7
> Mississippi Kite - 1
> Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
> Purple Gallinule - 127
> Common Gallinule - 108
> American Coot – 6
> Mourning Dove - 17
> Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 4
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2
> Belted Kingfisher - 1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
> Downy Woodpecker - 1
> Acadian Flycatcher - 2
> Eastern Phoebe - 2
> Eastern Kingbird - 1
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - 3
> White-eyed Vireo - 11
> Bell's Vireo - 1
> Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
> Red-eyed Vireo - 3
> American Crow - 3
> Fish Crow - 1
> Tree Swallow - 16
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 5
> Cliff Swallow - 10
> Barn Swallow - 15
> Carolina Chickadee - 3
> Tufted Titmouse - 4
> Carolina Wren - 10
> Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
> Yellow-throated Warbler - 1
> Prairie Warbler - 1
> Black-and-white Warbler - 2
> Prothonotary Warbler - 13
> Common Yellowthroat - 7
> Yellow-breasted Chat - 6
> Summer Tanager - 2
> Eastern Towhee - 1
> Northern Cardinal – 22
> Blue Grosbeak - 2
> Indigo Bunting - 20
> Painted Bunting - 4
> Dickcissel - 3
> Red-winged Blackbird – 18
> Common Grackle - 18
> Brown-headed Cowbird - 10
> Orchard Oriole - 3
>
>
>
> Odonates:
>
> Prince Baskettail
> Eastern Pondhawk
> Blue Dasher
> Great-blue Skimmer
> Common Whitetail
> "red" Saddlebags
> Black Saddlebags
>
>
>
> Herps:
>
> Three-toed Box Turtle
> Blanchard's Cricket Frog
> Green Treefrog
> Green Frog
> Bullfrog
>
>
> Good birding!
>
> David Arbour
> De Queen, AR
>
>
> Check out the Red Slough Photo Gallery: https://pbase.com/red_slough_wma >
> Birders Guide to the Red Slough WMA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ouachita/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=fseprd1043423 >
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
Date: 6/18/25 9:12 pm From: Barry Haas <bhaas...> Subject: Re: Birds and the Big Beautiful Bill
The budget bill webinar was recorded. E-mail Ark. Audubon Society President Lynn Foster at <lfoster5211...> <mailto:<lfoster5211...> or Sierra Club Central Arkansas Group Chair George Wise at <bgcdwise...> <mailto:<bgcdwise...> to get the recording.
Date: 6/18/25 8:15 pm From: Donna Haynes <00000003bd9d64d2-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Birds and the Big Beautiful Bill
I didn't get to attend, was the meeting recorded? If so, could a link to watch be provided? Donna HaynesWest Pulaski Co.
Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
On Wed, Jun 18, 2025 at 6:58 PM, Gmail<butchchq8...> wrote: Maybe someone can give us a written summary?
ButchBella Vista
On Jun 18, 2025, at 15:03, Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
If, like me you have not read the entire budget bill (Big Beautiful Bill) passed by the House and now before the Senate, tonight is your chance to learn what is in this bill that will impact birds and by extension the environment. Presenters include Arkansas Audubon Society President Lynn Foster.You are urged to check in at 7 tonight June 18.This link should take you there;
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83755989678
Jack StewartEducation Chair Arkansas Audubon Society
Date: 6/18/25 5:08 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
The bird survey started off overcast, mild, and windy, with a couple rain showers, then turned partly cloudy, warm, and calm around noon. 65 species were found. Lots of nesting activity going on in the heronries on Pintail and Otter Lakes and gallinule chicks everywhere. Here is my list for today:
Date: 6/18/25 4:58 pm From: Gmail <butchchq8...> Subject: Re: Birds and the Big Beautiful Bill
Maybe someone can give us a written summary?
Butch
Bella Vista
> On Jun 18, 2025, at 15:03, Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>
> If, like me you have not read the entire budget bill (Big Beautiful Bill) passed by the House and now before the Senate, tonight is your chance to learn what is in this bill that will impact birds and by extension the environment. Presenters include Arkansas Audubon Society President Lynn Foster.
> You are urged to check in at 7 tonight June 18.
> This link should take you there;
>
> https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83755989678 >
> Jack Stewart
> Education Chair
> Arkansas Audubon Society
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1
Date: 6/18/25 1:03 pm From: Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Birds and the Big Beautiful Bill
If, like me you have not read the entire budget bill (Big Beautiful Bill) passed by the House and now before the Senate, tonight is your chance to learn what is in this bill that will impact birds and by extension the environment. Presenters include Arkansas Audubon Society President Lynn Foster.You are urged to check in at 7 tonight June 18.This link should take you there;
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83755989678
Jack StewartEducation Chair Arkansas Audubon Society
Date: 6/17/25 2:12 pm From: Carol Joan Patterson <0000003a0ccbe138-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Limpkin expansion paper
Speaking of LImpkins, has anybody seen any in northwestern Arkansas or thereabouts this year?
On Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 12:20:22 PM CDT, Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
Two Ft. Smith high schoolers spearheaded this project documenting the rapid expansion of Limpkins across America. The cover of the journal features a photo of a limpkin with a mollusk in its bill, taken by Karen McGee in Lee Creek.
The full paper is here: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3554&context=jaas You can see the cover here:https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/
KannanFt. Smith
Excellent paper by these high school students. It serves as a great reminder why complete data entry into eBird is so important (numbers especially) and the value of citizen science. Patty McLean Patty
-------- Original message --------From: "DUNN, JANE" <DUNNJ...> Date: 6/14/25 12:34 PM (GMT-06:00) To: <ARBIRD-L...> Subject: Re: Limpkin expansion paper
This is wonderful on several levels. Jane D
Get Outlook for iOS
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2025 12:19:41 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Limpkin expansion paper
Two Ft. Smith high schoolers spearheaded this project documenting the rapid expansion of Limpkins across America. The cover of the journal features a photo of a limpkin with a mollusk in its bill, taken by Karen McGee in Lee
Creek.
Date: 6/14/25 10:34 am From: DUNN, JANE <DUNNJ...> Subject: Re: Limpkin expansion paper
This is wonderful on several levels. Jane D
Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef> ________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2025 12:19:41 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Limpkin expansion paper
Two Ft. Smith high schoolers spearheaded this project documenting the rapid expansion of Limpkins across America. The cover of the journal features a photo of a limpkin with a mollusk in its bill, taken by Karen McGee in Lee Creek.
Date: 6/14/25 10:20 am From: Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> Subject: Limpkin expansion paper
Two Ft. Smith high schoolers spearheaded this project documenting the rapid expansion of Limpkins across America. The cover of the journal features a photo of a limpkin with a mollusk in its bill, taken by Karen McGee in Lee Creek.
The full paper is here: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3554&context=jaas You can see the cover here:https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/
KannanFt. Smith
Date: 6/13/25 10:10 am From: Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
On Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 11:28:22 PM CDT, Lynn Foster <lfoster5211...> wrote:
This is such wonderful news, Kannan. Thanks for sharing it with us, and thanks for all your work on behalf of the Trust.
On Wed, Jun 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
Ten Auduboners from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas did a birding tour in Panama based at the Canopy Tower June 1-8, 2025. The tour raised $600 for the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust.
Highlights of the tour include:
Over 200 species of birds, including rare encounters like Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Northern Potoo, and Green Shrike-vireo: https://ebird.org/tripreport/380635Antbirds galore with several species around army ant swarms Several herps including a close sighting of a Boa Constrictor Over 400 species of plants and animals documented in our bioblitz project: Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
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Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
Wild flora and fauna documented during Dr. R. Kannan's Arkansas Audubon Society Trust fund raiser nature tour to...
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KannanFt. Smith
My favorite photo is the Bridled Forest Gecko on the termite tunnel. Took me a minute to find it. Clever Gecko
Jack StewartErbie
No doubt about it, theres a building boom in Northwest Arkansas. More homes and buildings mean more panes of glass are going up.
Bird-window collissions are also on the rise.
Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society is on a mission to ask citizens to install collision deterrents on their windows. Installing decals on glass is one easy way. A little computer research reveals all kinds of artsy stickers that birds will see and hopefully not fly into the glass. Its a crash thats often fatal to our feathered friends.
Another idea is to install lengths of parachute cord to hang vertically from the top of a window to near the bottom of a window or lower. The group has step by step instructions on its website, nwarkaudubon.org, for creating this stringed collision prevention. Cords dont take long to install and its an inexpensive prevention, as Joe Neal of Fayetteville writes on nwarkaudubon.org.
For the past 30 years, I have been looking at birds through a large picture window at my home in Fayetteville. For about half that time birds paid the price of my hobby, Neal writes.
Occasionally a hawk would try to grab an easy meal of a bird on the feeder. Sometimes the escaping bird would fly into Neals window.
What has slowed this way, way down has been installation of some long green strings of parachute cord. I cut the cords I needed to appropriate lengths, then stapled them on a 1-by-2-inch board four inches apart. I fixed this board with strings across the top of my picture window. Id say the whole business cost maybe $5. Most importantly, it slowed down window strikes.
The cord is placed on the outside of the window.
Later, Neal found out the cord is more effective if the strings are placed two inches apart instead of four. It didnt take long for him to modify his set up. Neal stapled his strings to a board, but the vertical strings can also be attached to a horizontal string of cord placed across the top of the window. Its effective on windows and patio doors of homes or giant panes on tall buildings.
I call this a type of work Ozark engineering. Its not beautiful, but it has helped, Neal writes. I used inexpensive materials and wasnt too fussy in terms of how I put them up. This may work for some of you. It will help reduce bird strikes on your windows.
Birds fly into windows because they see reflection of the sky or vegetation in the window. They think its the real thing, not a reflection, and fly into it, according to the National Audubon Society. During mating season, birds may see their reflection in the window. They think its another bird and attack the image. Collisions with glass kill millions of birds each year, Audubon says.
Windows that are especially worthy of attention are windows that have already caused collissions, large windows and glass doors and windows near feeders, bird baths and fruit-bearing plants, says the NWA Audubon website.
People should be able to see the pattern from a distance of 10 feet. Birds need this distance to detect decals or cord so they have time to change course away from the window. The larger the window decal the more effective it will be.
Get even more advice on saving the lives of birds at the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society website. Click on Preventing window collissions at home for more ideas.
Date: 6/12/25 9:28 pm From: Lynn Foster <lfoster5211...> Subject: Re: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
This is such wonderful news, Kannan. Thanks for sharing it with us, and
thanks for all your work on behalf of the Trust.
On Wed, Jun 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM Ragupathy Kannan <
<0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Ten Auduboners from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas did a birding tour in
> Panama based at the Canopy Tower June 1-8, 2025. The tour raised $600 for
> the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust.
>
> Highlights of the tour include:
>
> Over 200 species of birds, including rare encounters like Rufous-vented
> Ground Cuckoo, Northern Potoo, and Green Shrike-vireo:
> https://ebird.org/tripreport/380635 > Antbirds galore with several species around army ant swarms
> Several herps including a close sighting of a Boa Constrictor
> Over 400 species of plants and animals documented in our bioblitz project: Panama
> June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
> <https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/panama-june-2025-arkansas-audubon-group> >
> Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
>
> Wild flora and fauna documented during Dr. R. Kannan's Arkansas Audubon
> Society Trust fund raiser nature tour to...
>
> <https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/panama-june-2025-arkansas-audubon-group> >
> Kannan
> Ft. Smith
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link:
> http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 >
Date: 6/12/25 6:39 pm From: Patty McLean <000008e6fff5e5c8-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
Dr. Kannan, you did a great job coordinating this trip to raise funds for the AAS Trust. Great birds, fun friends and a lovely country!. Patty McLean
-------- Original message --------From: Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> Date: 6/12/25 6:47 PM (GMT-06:00) To: <ARBIRD-L...> Subject: Re: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
Oops I meant Great Potoo, not Northern Potoo. Thanks to Patty McLean for correcting me!
On Wednesday 11 June, 2025 at 11:09:36 am GMT-5, Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
Ten Auduboners from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas did a birding tour in Panama based at the Canopy Tower June 1-8, 2025. The tour raised $600 for the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust. Highlights of the tour include: Over 200 species of birds, including rare encounters like Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Northern Potoo, and Green Shrike-vireo: https://ebird.org/tripreport/380635Antbirds galore with several species around army ant swarms Several herps including a close sighting of a Boa Constrictor Over 400 species of plants and animals documented in our bioblitz project: Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon groupPanama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon groupWild flora and fauna documented during Dr. R. Kannan's Arkansas Audubon Society Trust fund raiser nature tour to...KannanFt. Smith
Date: 6/12/25 4:47 pm From: Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
Oops I meant Great Potoo, not Northern Potoo. Thanks to Patty McLean for correcting me!
On Wednesday 11 June, 2025 at 11:09:36 am GMT-5, Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
Ten Auduboners from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas did a birding tour in Panama based at the Canopy Tower June 1-8, 2025. The tour raised $600 for the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust.
Highlights of the tour include:
Over 200 species of birds, including rare encounters like Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Northern Potoo, and Green Shrike-vireo: https://ebird.org/tripreport/380635Antbirds galore with several species around army ant swarms Several herps including a close sighting of a Boa Constrictor Over 400 species of plants and animals documented in our bioblitz project: Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
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Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
Wild flora and fauna documented during Dr. R. Kannan's Arkansas Audubon Society Trust fund raiser nature tour to...
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Date: 6/11/25 5:26 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 11
The bird survey started off partly cloudy, calm, and warm. Halfway through the survey, rain set in and after about 3.5 hours of pour-downs and moderate rain it finally let up enough for me to finish the survey, although it still sprinkled the whole time. 62 species were found. Some Purple Gallinule broods are hatched out now, joining the numerous Common Gallinule broods that have been out at least two weeks. The Anhinga and Neotropic Cormorant young are large enough now that they can easily be seen in the nests. Some of the anhinga young have even climbed up out of their nests and onto nearby higher limbs in an effort to be the first to meet their parents when they return with food. I was run off by lightning as I was starting to count gallinules on Lotus Lake and never made it back there so gallinule numbers are lower than they would have been. Here is my list for today:
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks - 17
Canada Geese - 4
Wood Duck - 17
Ring-necked Duck - 8 males
Pied-billed Grebe – 3
Neotropic Cormorant - 21 (at least 14 nests with birds on them.)
Date: 6/11/25 10:02 am From: Jerry Davis <jwdavis...> Subject: Re: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
Great trip and dedication to helping fund the Trust and increase knowledge of birds beyond our borders.
Jerry Wayne Davis Hot Springs.
On 2025-06-11 11:08 am, Ragupathy Kannan wrote: > Ten Auduboners from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas did a birding > tour in Panama based at the Canopy Tower June 1-8, 2025. The tour > raised $600 for the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust. > > Highlights of the tour include: > > Over 200 species of birds, including rare encounters like > Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Northern Potoo, and Green Shrike-vireo: > https://ebird.org/tripreport/380635 > Antbirds galore with several species around army ant swarms > Several herps including a close sighting of a Boa Constrictor > Over 400 species of plants and animals documented in our bioblitz > project: Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group [1] > > PANAMA JUNE 2025 ARKANSAS AUDUBON GROUP > > Wild flora and fauna documented during Dr. R. Kannan's Arkansas > Audubon Society Trust fund raiser nature tour to... > > Kannan > Ft. Smith > > ------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the ARBIRD-L list, click the following link: > http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?SUBED1=ARBIRD-L&A=1 > > Links: > ------ > [1] > https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/panama-june-2025-arkansas-audubon-group
Date: 6/11/25 9:09 am From: Ragupathy Kannan <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> Subject: Panama AAST tour raises $600 for the trust
Ten Auduboners from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas did a birding tour in Panama based at the Canopy Tower June 1-8, 2025. The tour raised $600 for the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust.
Highlights of the tour include:
Over 200 species of birds, including rare encounters like Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Northern Potoo, and Green Shrike-vireo: https://ebird.org/tripreport/380635Antbirds galore with several species around army ant swarms Several herps including a close sighting of a Boa Constrictor Over 400 species of plants and animals documented in our bioblitz project: Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
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Panama June 2025 Arkansas Audubon group
Wild flora and fauna documented during Dr. R. Kannan's Arkansas Audubon Society Trust fund raiser nature tour to...
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A movement outside my window caught my eye. I planted a snaky, helical red metal pole (originally intended to train up twining vines or tomato plants), to signal the mowers to stay away from a red-bud sapling.
A male cardinal landed on the pole. The pole began to oscillate. I could see him compensating with a side-to-side movement of his head, to keep his eyes trained steadily forward. I pictured what his spine must be doing.
This reminded me of a brilliant Mercedes commercial showing the same kind of function in chickens. Find it and laugh. It’s really pretty marvelous. Look for “youtube mercedes chicken commercial.”
As was my little male cardinal, pretty marvelous. Who flew off, apparently unimpressed by his own brilliance.
Date: 6/9/25 4:48 am From: Kim Hillis <kimberlyannhillis...> Subject: Re: Buffalo Road birding 6.8.25
Brian,
I sure enjoy seeing your birding adventures via video. Your up close of the prairie warbler is special!
Thanks for sharing your videos. I almost feel like I am there with you!
Saturday, June 6 was this month's field trip sponsored by the Audubon Society of Central Arkansas (ASCA). The group gathered at the Willow Beach recreation area and campground near Scott. It has a good mix of habitats with marshy areas, grassy open fields, a small lake, a wooded area, and borders the Arkansas River. In spite of predicted rain and possible storms, ten people showed up. The marshy area netted us Wood Ducks, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, a Prothonotary Warbler, a Pileated Woodpecker, other woodpeckers, plus two Yellow-billed Cuckoos. The Prothonotary Warbler is always a big hit with birders. Keeping an eye on the radar for the approaching storm, we moved through the park to the river and the open grassy areas. A group of ten Pelicans huddled in a group in a shallow area across the river along with one lone Great Egret. The grassy area had Cliff and Barn Swallows, also Purple Martins working the area along with an Indigo Bunting. A couple of Baltimore Orioles were singing close by. We were going to make a quick try for the resident Painted Bunting. But, with the storm on top of us, the rain and lightning getting bad, I called a halt to the trip and everyone immediately agreed and headed home. It was a dedicated group of birders to brave the weather. It included Dawn Stirrup, her husband, and their two tiny budding birders. Birding is never dull, with all kinds of challenges, adventures, weather, and sharing with good birding friends. Our birders today were definitely troopers for this stormy, wet field trip. Karen Holliday ASCA field trip coordinator
I figured out that the entire country pack is no longer available. One must download each individual department (what we call states here) that is of interest. Brian
________________________________
From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...>
Sent: Saturday, June 7, 2025 6:31 PM
To: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <arbird-l...>
Subject: Colombia bird pack- Ebird
I installed the Colombia bird pack years ago but have been unable to update it for quite some time. Ebird said that there was an update available but I never was able to update it. So today I decided to delete the Colombia pack only to discover that it is no longer available. I even restarted my phone and looked again but it isn't there. Anyone else have the Colombia pack or know what is up with this issue? Thanks, Brian
I installed the Colombia bird pack years ago but have been unable to update it for quite some time. Ebird said that there was an update available but I never was able to update it. So today I decided to delete the Colombia pack only to discover that it is no longer available. I even restarted my phone and looked again but it isn't there. Anyone else have the Colombia pack or know what is up with this issue? Thanks, Brian
Date: 6/6/25 9:04 am From: Karen Holliday <ladyhawke1...> Subject: ASCA field trip Saturday
Below are the details for tomorrow's Audubon Society of Central Arkansas (ASCA) field trip. There is a chance of rain and possible thunderstorms. That could change so check the weather in the morning before heading to Willow Beach. I'll be at Willow Beach at 8:00 a.m. in case the rain holds off. We might be able to get in an hour or two of birding. We will be near our vehicles the whole time, so we can jump in them if it starts to rain.Karen Holliday ASCA field trip coordinator ASCA June field trip June 7 Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Willow Beach Campground near Scott, AR. The picnic/campground area is easy walking on level, paved and grassy areas bordering the Arkansas River. It offers a mix of habitats, from large cottonwood trees full of Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Warbling Vireos, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and Prothonotary Warblers. Multiple swallow species skim the grassy areas. River species include gulls, terns, and cormorants. Egrets and herons lurk in the marshy areas. A nearby neighborhood is a gathering spot for Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Great-tailed Grackles. This will be a morning trip.From Little Rock, take I-440 east past the airport, then take U.S. Highway 165 east for 2.5 miles. Turn right onto Colonel Manard Road and continue for three miles. Turn right again onto Blue Heron Parkway and follow signs to Willow Beach. GPS: 34.695944, -92.136181.
Sweet story, Harriet. Patty
-------- Original message --------From: Harriet Jansma <000007a2e0d8d68f-dmarc-request...> Date: 6/6/25 4:08 AM (GMT-05:00) To: <ARBIRD-L...> Subject: renesting
Our 98-year-old neighbor at Butterfield Trail Village retirement community feeds mealworms to the carnivores, and she always has a nest of Carolina wrens in the spring. During the winter, the wrens liked to visit our porch, near hers, to explore the large pots
and garden baskets that we stored under the table.
We didn't expect to lure them for nesting, but that is what has happened. This week they suddenly decided that our porch was the perfect cool shady place for a late nest, and they chose my spouse's bike helmet as the place. It hangs in the back, and they squeeze
in between it and the wall. In between trips, they sit on our porch ledge and sing at top volume. The daily bike rides will be limited to the trails until the helmet is again available for road trips.
In the back pasture here, near the large fenced garden, residents nurture bluebirds. A great number of birds raise their fledglings there, and residents photograph the eggs and the hatchlings and share the news to all. Among the many bird lovers here, they
are a special subculture.
Date: 6/5/25 4:53 pm From: Barry Haas <bhaas...> Subject: NPR: Avian populations are on the decline. Could birding help revitalize conservation efforts? (Rebroadcast)
Dear ARBIRDers,
This morning I heard part of this interesting segment on NPR. One surprise was hearing a shout out for a member of the Arkansas birding community. At least there is one positive mention of Arkansas beyond our borders.
If you are interested in investing 34- minutes to listen, here’s the link:
From the deep woods just west of Little Rock,
Barry Haas
P.S. On the evening of May 19 we had a surprise visitor on the small pond directly behind our house: a male Green-winged teal. Then yesterday morning when I first looked out at the pond there was a: male Green-winged teal. Same bird? No way to know since they don’t sport numbered license plates.
Date: 6/5/25 5:34 am From: Harriet Jansma <000007a2e0d8d68f-dmarc-request...> Subject: renesting
Our 98-year-old neighbor at Butterfield Trail Village retirement community feeds mealworms to the carnivores, and she always has a nest of Carolina wrens in the spring. During the winter, the wrens liked to visit our porch, near hers, to explore the large pots and garden baskets that we stored under the table.
We didn't expect to lure them for nesting, but that is what has happened. This week they suddenly decided that our porch was the perfect cool shady place for a late nest, and they chose my spouse's bike helmet as the place. It hangs in the back, and they squeeze in between it and the wall. In between trips, they sit on our porch ledge and sing at top volume. The daily bike rides will be limited to the trails until the helmet is again available for road trips.
In the back pasture here, near the large fenced garden, residents nurture bluebirds. A great number of birds raise their fledglings there, and residents photograph the eggs and the hatchlings and share the news to all. Among the many bird lovers here, they are a special subculture.
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> Sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2025 8:53 AM To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...> Subject: Birding along Leonard Ranch Road (Maysville) BIRDING ALONG LEONARD RANCH ROADhttps://ebird.org/checklist/S246583412 … For a few hours … … just a few… … while a south wind hums its way down powerlines … … and hayfields of a former tallgrass prairie ... … and wind owns an infinity of grass. Wind makes the old former prairie into a dance again With elegant and eligible white Penstemons. With pink prairie roses waiting deep in green grass. Where Dickcissels and Eastern Meadowlarks as in ages past sing. Where vultures tip and turn among caravans of clouds. Where I wait patiently for Northern Bobwhites(!) but hear none. I’m thankful for Eastern Kingbirds and Loggerhead Shrikes. … In this one place … … every year … … a monument to remind … … swaying in the wind ... … Blue Larkspurs atop prairie mounds. Come on wind. Blow us back to kingdom come.
Date: 6/4/25 6:08 am From: Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Birding along Leonard Ranch Road (Maysville)
BIRDING ALONG LEONARD RANCH ROAD
https://ebird.org/checklist/S246583412 For a few hours
just a few
while a south wind hums its way down powerlines
and hayfields of a former tallgrass prairie ...
and wind owns an infinity of grass.
Wind makes the old former prairie into a dance again
With elegant and eligible white Penstemons.
With pink prairie roses waiting deep in green grass.
Where Dickcissels and Eastern Meadowlarks as in ages past sing.
Where vultures tip and turn among caravans of clouds.
Where I wait patiently for Northern Bobwhites(!) but hear none.
Im thankful for Eastern Kingbirds and Loggerhead Shrikes.
In this one place
every year
a monument to remind
swaying in the wind ...
Blue Larkspurs atop prairie mounds.
Date: 6/3/25 4:12 pm From: Carol Joan Patterson <0000003a0ccbe138-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
Last week Donald and I were walking along a Goshen country road. We saw a brown quail walking near the road. We guess that it was some domestic variety of a Northern Bobwhite - or else a close relative.
On Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 02:03:09 PM CDT, <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> wrote:
Another note on this subject. The Northern Bobwhite is a quail, but "Bobwhite Quail" is not its correct name. This slang name will never be rooted out of use in our society, but we find Bobwhite Quail used by birders and even in some papers by people that should know better.
Jerry
From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...>
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2025 8:41 AM
To: <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...>; <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
I watched this podcast about Bobwhite issues a while back and found it interesting.
https://youtu.be/qcf5OMAVK_M?si=eqCW2BYxi7nuWUmyFrom:The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...>
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2025 8:52 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE! You are right, Northern Bobwhites "don't do fescue" or other nonnative plants and those need to be converted to native warm season grasses. These grasses are also Anti native insects. There are 119 million acres of pastures and exotic grasslands that are worthless for habitat for Northern Bobwhites and grassland birds. If you drive by these and do not see grassland birds on the wire or sitting on a fence post you can conclude that those acres are of little value for grassland birds.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has had publications on the Management of the Northern Bobwhites and contact their local Lands Biologists to get help with what you need to do for restoration. There is also a program called Acres For Wildlife and the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, and the internet is replete with how to information. The Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is ahabitat-based plan prepared by the Southeast Quail Study Group Technical Committee. The plan aims toprovide a roadmap to restore regional bobwhite populations. The northern bobwhite is a state-identified target species of the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership, a collaborative approach to conserve habitat on working lands.
The Northern Bobwhite was treated like the Batard Child for decades and its decline was ignored, and efforts and money were spent on deer and turkey management. Native pastures were converted to exotic grasses and this replaced warm season grasses, small farms and gardens with habitat as non-supporting as a paved freeway.
I was a member of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative for 20 years and there is more to recovery than can be included in an email. If you want to see what Northern Bobwhite habitat looks like, take a drive along the Buffalo Road on the Ouachita National Forest south of Waldron, Arkansas or some of the AGFC demonstratio areas. Forty Acres of excellent habitat can support four coveys, but you also need to talk your neighbors into joining the efforts. Stocking pen raised birds will not be successful and native birds finding 40 acres in a sea of worthless habitat may be a long shot, but it has happened.
I wish you well in your efforts, but it is a tough task ahead and most give up before success is achieved.
Jerry Wayne DavisHot Springs, AR
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Donald C Steinkraus <00000ee1e1d4ca69-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 9:18 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
We just made a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve in Oklahoma and were so happy to hear bobwhite every time we got out of the car. The habitat there is excellent for them. We had not heard bobwhite in years in NW AR.
Do any of you birders think it is possible to bring bobwhite back to NW AR? We have forty acres: about half pastures and half woods. We have tried to restore about 7 acres to native prairie plants. The other pastures are primarily fescue, Johnson grass, orchard grass, and don't seem suitable for bobwhite.
There seem to be so many factors against bobwhite: ticks, coyotes, foxes, hawks, domestic cats, snakes, human hunters.
If any one thinks we could restore some quail to our property near West Fork, please tell us how.
Don SteinkrausFrom: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025 10:46 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE! For many years, my parents have made an annual visit to Washington, D.C., for a week of museums and lectures, courtesy of my historian and World War II veteran father. What I remember most from those trips was hearing Bobwhite call from our motel grounds across the Potomac in Virginia. I could see the tip of the Washington Monument and hear the birds calling. Of course, there is no suitable habitat for Bobwhite in that area today.
When Pam and I moved to Arkansas 25 years ago, we occasionally heard Bobwhites in the fields near Erbie campground, and some years, even on our property. Then, silence would follow for at least 10 years. We were thrilled to listen to them again in 2023, and since then, it has been silent again.
On Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 03:36:49 PM CDT, <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> wrote:
Thanks for the note and report. People expect birds to nest on the freeways and in manicured yards. Too many people think of the Northern Bobwhite as just a bird species people used to hunt. They fail to realize that the habitat needed by this species and the disappearance of the Bob Bobwhite call is also the habitat needed and the decline of by 46 other bird species. The status of clean fencerows is a determent to many species, both birds and mammals. The loggerhead shrike is one species example that has a mirrored decline with the Northern Bobwhite. How often do you see the Shrike? Has anyone missed these species? The silence is deafening.
Jerry Wayne DavisHot Springs, AR
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:10 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers were chief draws for me when in late 1980s I became involved with efforts on Ouachita NF to stop their decline and recover the population. Trips to RCW sites in Waldron area often included seeing and hearing Northern Bobwhites. Eventually I realized how ecologically connected they are in the mature, park-like Shortleaf Pine-dominated forests with a grassy understory rich in plant diversity. This diversity is required to produce insects and seeds bobwhites require.Later as a Forest Service biologist, I was climbing RCW trees. From that lofty perch, hearing the strong whistled calls in the forest: BOB … BOBWHITE! And seeing a bobwhite covey foraging its way underneath me.A healthy bobwhite population was a great thrill for me, coming from Fayetteville, where the population was in rapid decline. Christmas Bird Count totals in excess of 100 bobs continued into the 1990s, then plunged rapidly towards 0.Fields became subdivisions and shopping malls. Plant and insect diversity replaced by urban yard monocultures where native plants are replaced and insects poisoned. Now we have more shopping opportunities. We do not have Northern Bobwhites. Bobwhite is now just part of the town’s history, like the Civil War Battle of Fayetteville.So this is my segue to Memorial Day weekend, just passed. I have had enough of no bobwhites.In past years this has been easily fixed by a 25-minute trip to Siloam Springs and its Chesney Prairie Natural Area. Siloam and Chesney were on the sidelines of explosive urban growth in Northwest Arkansas City up to a few years ago. No more. Committed, energetic management for plant diversity and Tallgrass Prairie restoration continues at Chesney, but Siloam is increasingly engulfed by urbanizing monocultures. Rare Oklahoma Grass Pink orchids persist at Chesney, but bobs are gone.So my fallback plan is a 45-minute drive from Fayetteville to the former Beaty Prairie in western Benton County. Bobwhites are hanging on, but each trip I make I see more of the urbanizing culture as in Fayetteville, Siloam. A former expansive pasture/hayfield with bobs is broken up a few acres at a time. Once I could hear 6 bobs calling. Now it’s houses, fields become mowed yards, with squeaky-clean fence lines a bobwhite could not walk to avoid a hawk.Pretty grim. But it’s not the whole.Over this Memorial Day period, I made trips full of bobwhite hopes. Northern Bobwhites YES: Prairie State Park north of Joplin, Missouri, about 2-hours from my house. eBird submission:https://ebird.org/checklist/S241595955 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S243009189. Robert S. Kerr Reservoir dam and spillway on Arkansas River: https://ebird.org/checklist/S243523352.We have lost a lot. We will lose a lot more if we ever give up our backing for public lands managed to preserve our natural heritage. Keep our public lands public. Encourage our wealthy fellow citizens to follow Katharine Ordway who used much of her inherited wealth to save prairies – and Northern Bobwhites.
Date: 6/2/25 6:07 pm From: Kevin Krajcir <kjkrajcir...> Subject: June 2025 ASCA Presentation
Hello!
Please join the Audubon Society of Central Arkansas next Thursday June 12th at 7 PM to hear from Karen Holliday, ASCA’s Field Trip Coordinator, about her bird watching trip to Guyana, South America in March 2025.
Karen Holliday and three long-time birding friends spent two weeks in March in Guyana, South America. Guyana was a new country for everyone. Guyana has over 600 species of birds. It has an excellent mix of habitats from mudflats along the Atlantic coast, pristine rainforests, large grassland fields, open savannahs, and rivers. The mountain birding included a canopy walkway. Harpy Eagle was the target bird for the group, which with incredible luck they saw on the second day of the trip. The group heard and saw a total of 283 species. Their favorite animal was seeing two Giant Anteaters.
Karen is retired from the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research at the state Capitol where she worked for 23 years. Before that she was director of the Lawrence County Library system in Walnut Ridge, AR. When she moved from Walnut Ridge to Little Rock, she joined the Audubon Society of Central Arkansas. Participating in ASCA's activities, she met many birders which encouraged her to expand her birding efforts from backyard birds to birding statewide, then internationally. She has traveled to all seven continents and over 50 countries, many of them birding trips.
Find out more about our upcoming programs, plus fieldtrips to Willow Beach Campground, Bois D'ark WMA, and Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge. And finally catch up with fellow members on their incredible trips to view new birds.
Another note on this subject. The Northern Bobwhite is a quail, but "Bobwhite Quail" is not its correct name. This slang name will never be rooted out of use in our society, but we find Bobwhite Quail used by birders and even in some papers by people that should know better.
Jerry
________________________________
From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...>
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2025 8:41 AM
To: <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...>; <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
I watched this podcast about Bobwhite issues a while back and found it interesting.
https://youtu.be/qcf5OMAVK_M?si=eqCW2BYxi7nuWUmy ________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...>
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2025 8:52 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
You are right, Northern Bobwhites "don't do fescue" or other nonnative plants and those need to be converted to native warm season grasses. These grasses are also Anti native insects. There are 119 million acres of pastures and exotic grasslands that are worthless for habitat for Northern Bobwhites and grassland birds. If you drive by these and do not see grassland birds on the wire or sitting on a fence post you can conclude that those acres are of little value for grassland birds.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has had publications on the Management of the Northern Bobwhites and contact their local Lands Biologists to get help with what you need to do for restoration. There is also a program called Acres For Wildlife and the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, and the internet is replete with how to information. The Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is a habitat-based plan prepared by the Southeast Quail Study Group Technical Committee. The plan aims to provide a roadmap to restore regional bobwhite populations. The northern bobwhite is a state-identified target species of the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership, a collaborative approach to conserve habitat on working lands.
The Northern Bobwhite was treated like the Batard Child for decades and its decline was ignored, and efforts and money were spent on deer and turkey management. Native pastures were converted to exotic grasses and this replaced warm season grasses, small farms and gardens with habitat as non-supporting as a paved freeway.
I was a member of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative for 20 years and there is more to recovery than can be included in an email. If you want to see what Northern Bobwhite habitat looks like, take a drive along the Buffalo Road on the Ouachita National Forest south of Waldron, Arkansas or some of the AGFC demonstratio areas. Forty Acres of excellent habitat can support four coveys, but you also need to talk your neighbors into joining the efforts. Stocking pen raised birds will not be successful and native birds finding 40 acres in a sea of worthless habitat may be a long shot, but it has happened.
I wish you well in your efforts, but it is a tough task ahead and most give up before success is achieved.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Donald C Steinkraus <00000ee1e1d4ca69-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 9:18 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
We just made a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve in Oklahoma and were so happy to hear bobwhite every time we got out of the car. The habitat there is excellent for them. We had not heard bobwhite in years in NW AR.
Do any of you birders think it is possible to bring bobwhite back to NW AR? We have forty acres: about half pastures and half woods. We have tried to restore about 7 acres to native prairie plants. The other pastures are primarily fescue, Johnson grass, orchard grass, and don't seem suitable for bobwhite.
There seem to be so many factors against bobwhite: ticks, coyotes, foxes, hawks, domestic cats, snakes, human hunters.
If any one thinks we could restore some quail to our property near West Fork, please tell us how.
Don Steinkraus
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025 10:46 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
For many years, my parents have made an annual visit to Washington, D.C., for a week of museums and lectures, courtesy of my historian and World War II veteran father. What I remember most from those trips was hearing Bobwhite call from our motel grounds across the Potomac in Virginia. I could see the tip of the Washington Monument and hear the birds calling. Of course, there is no suitable habitat for Bobwhite in that area today.
When Pam and I moved to Arkansas 25 years ago, we occasionally heard Bobwhites in the fields near Erbie campground, and some years, even on our property. Then, silence would follow for at least 10 years. We were thrilled to listen to them again in 2023, and since then, it has been silent again.
On Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 03:36:49 PM CDT, <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> wrote:
Thanks for the note and report. People expect birds to nest on the freeways and in manicured yards. Too many people think of the Northern Bobwhite as just a bird species people used to hunt. They fail to realize that the habitat needed by this species and the disappearance of the Bob Bobwhite call is also the habitat needed and the decline of by 46 other bird species. The status of clean fencerows is a determent to many species, both birds and mammals. The loggerhead shrike is one species example that has a mirrored decline with the Northern Bobwhite. How often do you see the Shrike? Has anyone missed these species? The silence is deafening.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:10 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers were chief draws for me when in late 1980s I became involved with efforts on Ouachita NF to stop their decline and recover the population. Trips to RCW sites in Waldron area often included seeing and hearing Northern Bobwhites. Eventually I realized how ecologically connected they are in the mature, park-like Shortleaf Pine-dominated forests with a grassy understory rich in plant diversity. This diversity is required to produce insects and seeds bobwhites require.
Later as a Forest Service biologist, I was climbing RCW trees. From that lofty perch, hearing the strong whistled calls in the forest: BOB BOBWHITE! And seeing a bobwhite covey foraging its way underneath me.
A healthy bobwhite population was a great thrill for me, coming from Fayetteville, where the population was in rapid decline. Christmas Bird Count totals in excess of 100 bobs continued into the 1990s, then plunged rapidly towards 0.
Fields became subdivisions and shopping malls. Plant and insect diversity replaced by urban yard monocultures where native plants are replaced and insects poisoned. Now we have more shopping opportunities. We do not have Northern Bobwhites. Bobwhite is now just part of the towns history, like the Civil War Battle of Fayetteville.
So this is my segue to Memorial Day weekend, just passed. I have had enough of no bobwhites.
In past years this has been easily fixed by a 25-minute trip to Siloam Springs and its Chesney Prairie Natural Area. Siloam and Chesney were on the sidelines of explosive urban growth in Northwest Arkansas City up to a few years ago. No more. Committed, energetic management for plant diversity and Tallgrass Prairie restoration continues at Chesney, but Siloam is increasingly engulfed by urbanizing monocultures. Rare Oklahoma Grass Pink orchids persist at Chesney, but bobs are gone.
So my fallback plan is a 45-minute drive from Fayetteville to the former Beaty Prairie in western Benton County. Bobwhites are hanging on, but each trip I make I see more of the urbanizing culture as in Fayetteville, Siloam. A former expansive pasture/hayfield with bobs is broken up a few acres at a time. Once I could hear 6 bobs calling. Now its houses, fields become mowed yards, with squeaky-clean fence lines a bobwhite could not walk to avoid a hawk.
Pretty grim. But its not the whole.
Over this Memorial Day period, I made trips full of bobwhite hopes. Northern Bobwhites YES: Prairie State Park north of Joplin, Missouri, about 2-hours from my house. eBird submission: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241595955 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S243009189. Robert S. Kerr Reservoir dam and spillway on Arkansas River: https://ebird.org/checklist/S243523352.
We have lost a lot. We will lose a lot more if we ever give up our backing for public lands managed to preserve our natural heritage. Keep our public lands public. Encourage our wealthy fellow citizens to follow Katharine Ordway who used much of her inherited wealth to save prairies and Northern Bobwhites.
Date: 5/31/25 8:41 am From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...> Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
I watched this podcast about Bobwhite issues a while back and found it interesting.
https://youtu.be/qcf5OMAVK_M?si=eqCW2BYxi7nuWUmy ________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...>
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2025 8:52 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
You are right, Northern Bobwhites "don't do fescue" or other nonnative plants and those need to be converted to native warm season grasses. These grasses are also Anti native insects. There are 119 million acres of pastures and exotic grasslands that are worthless for habitat for Northern Bobwhites and grassland birds. If you drive by these and do not see grassland birds on the wire or sitting on a fence post you can conclude that those acres are of little value for grassland birds.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has had publications on the Management of the Northern Bobwhites and contact their local Lands Biologists to get help with what you need to do for restoration. There is also a program called Acres For Wildlife and the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, and the internet is replete with how to information. The Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is a habitat-based plan prepared by the Southeast Quail Study Group Technical Committee. The plan aims to provide a roadmap to restore regional bobwhite populations. The northern bobwhite is a state-identified target species of the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership, a collaborative approach to conserve habitat on working lands.
The Northern Bobwhite was treated like the Batard Child for decades and its decline was ignored, and efforts and money were spent on deer and turkey management. Native pastures were converted to exotic grasses and this replaced warm season grasses, small farms and gardens with habitat as non-supporting as a paved freeway.
I was a member of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative for 20 years and there is more to recovery than can be included in an email. If you want to see what Northern Bobwhite habitat looks like, take a drive along the Buffalo Road on the Ouachita National Forest south of Waldron, Arkansas or some of the AGFC demonstratio areas. Forty Acres of excellent habitat can support four coveys, but you also need to talk your neighbors into joining the efforts. Stocking pen raised birds will not be successful and native birds finding 40 acres in a sea of worthless habitat may be a long shot, but it has happened.
I wish you well in your efforts, but it is a tough task ahead and most give up before success is achieved.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Donald C Steinkraus <00000ee1e1d4ca69-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 9:18 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
We just made a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve in Oklahoma and were so happy to hear bobwhite every time we got out of the car. The habitat there is excellent for them. We had not heard bobwhite in years in NW AR.
Do any of you birders think it is possible to bring bobwhite back to NW AR? We have forty acres: about half pastures and half woods. We have tried to restore about 7 acres to native prairie plants. The other pastures are primarily fescue, Johnson grass, orchard grass, and don't seem suitable for bobwhite.
There seem to be so many factors against bobwhite: ticks, coyotes, foxes, hawks, domestic cats, snakes, human hunters.
If any one thinks we could restore some quail to our property near West Fork, please tell us how.
Don Steinkraus
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025 10:46 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
For many years, my parents have made an annual visit to Washington, D.C., for a week of museums and lectures, courtesy of my historian and World War II veteran father. What I remember most from those trips was hearing Bobwhite call from our motel grounds across the Potomac in Virginia. I could see the tip of the Washington Monument and hear the birds calling. Of course, there is no suitable habitat for Bobwhite in that area today.
When Pam and I moved to Arkansas 25 years ago, we occasionally heard Bobwhites in the fields near Erbie campground, and some years, even on our property. Then, silence would follow for at least 10 years. We were thrilled to listen to them again in 2023, and since then, it has been silent again.
On Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 03:36:49 PM CDT, <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> wrote:
Thanks for the note and report. People expect birds to nest on the freeways and in manicured yards. Too many people think of the Northern Bobwhite as just a bird species people used to hunt. They fail to realize that the habitat needed by this species and the disappearance of the Bob Bobwhite call is also the habitat needed and the decline of by 46 other bird species. The status of clean fencerows is a determent to many species, both birds and mammals. The loggerhead shrike is one species example that has a mirrored decline with the Northern Bobwhite. How often do you see the Shrike? Has anyone missed these species? The silence is deafening.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:10 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers were chief draws for me when in late 1980s I became involved with efforts on Ouachita NF to stop their decline and recover the population. Trips to RCW sites in Waldron area often included seeing and hearing Northern Bobwhites. Eventually I realized how ecologically connected they are in the mature, park-like Shortleaf Pine-dominated forests with a grassy understory rich in plant diversity. This diversity is required to produce insects and seeds bobwhites require.
Later as a Forest Service biologist, I was climbing RCW trees. From that lofty perch, hearing the strong whistled calls in the forest: BOB BOBWHITE! And seeing a bobwhite covey foraging its way underneath me.
A healthy bobwhite population was a great thrill for me, coming from Fayetteville, where the population was in rapid decline. Christmas Bird Count totals in excess of 100 bobs continued into the 1990s, then plunged rapidly towards 0.
Fields became subdivisions and shopping malls. Plant and insect diversity replaced by urban yard monocultures where native plants are replaced and insects poisoned. Now we have more shopping opportunities. We do not have Northern Bobwhites. Bobwhite is now just part of the towns history, like the Civil War Battle of Fayetteville.
So this is my segue to Memorial Day weekend, just passed. I have had enough of no bobwhites.
In past years this has been easily fixed by a 25-minute trip to Siloam Springs and its Chesney Prairie Natural Area. Siloam and Chesney were on the sidelines of explosive urban growth in Northwest Arkansas City up to a few years ago. No more. Committed, energetic management for plant diversity and Tallgrass Prairie restoration continues at Chesney, but Siloam is increasingly engulfed by urbanizing monocultures. Rare Oklahoma Grass Pink orchids persist at Chesney, but bobs are gone.
So my fallback plan is a 45-minute drive from Fayetteville to the former Beaty Prairie in western Benton County. Bobwhites are hanging on, but each trip I make I see more of the urbanizing culture as in Fayetteville, Siloam. A former expansive pasture/hayfield with bobs is broken up a few acres at a time. Once I could hear 6 bobs calling. Now its houses, fields become mowed yards, with squeaky-clean fence lines a bobwhite could not walk to avoid a hawk.
Pretty grim. But its not the whole.
Over this Memorial Day period, I made trips full of bobwhite hopes. Northern Bobwhites YES: Prairie State Park north of Joplin, Missouri, about 2-hours from my house. eBird submission: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241595955 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S243009189. Robert S. Kerr Reservoir dam and spillway on Arkansas River: https://ebird.org/checklist/S243523352.
We have lost a lot. We will lose a lot more if we ever give up our backing for public lands managed to preserve our natural heritage. Keep our public lands public. Encourage our wealthy fellow citizens to follow Katharine Ordway who used much of her inherited wealth to save prairies and Northern Bobwhites.
Date: 5/31/25 6:52 am From: <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
You are right, Northern Bobwhites "don't do fescue" or other nonnative plants and those need to be converted to native warm season grasses. These grasses are also Anti native insects. There are 119 million acres of pastures and exotic grasslands that are worthless for habitat for Northern Bobwhites and grassland birds. If you drive by these and do not see grassland birds on the wire or sitting on a fence post you can conclude that those acres are of little value for grassland birds.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has had publications on the Management of the Northern Bobwhites and contact their local Lands Biologists to get help with what you need to do for restoration. There is also a program called Acres For Wildlife and the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, and the internet is replete with how to information. The Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is a habitat-based plan prepared by the Southeast Quail Study Group Technical Committee. The plan aims to provide a roadmap to restore regional bobwhite populations. The northern bobwhite is a state-identified target species of the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership, a collaborative approach to conserve habitat on working lands.
The Northern Bobwhite was treated like the Batard Child for decades and its decline was ignored, and efforts and money were spent on deer and turkey management. Native pastures were converted to exotic grasses and this replaced warm season grasses, small farms and gardens with habitat as non-supporting as a paved freeway.
I was a member of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative for 20 years and there is more to recovery than can be included in an email. If you want to see what Northern Bobwhite habitat looks like, take a drive along the Buffalo Road on the Ouachita National Forest south of Waldron, Arkansas or some of the AGFC demonstratio areas. Forty Acres of excellent habitat can support four coveys, but you also need to talk your neighbors into joining the efforts. Stocking pen raised birds will not be successful and native birds finding 40 acres in a sea of worthless habitat may be a long shot, but it has happened.
I wish you well in your efforts, but it is a tough task ahead and most give up before success is achieved.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Donald C Steinkraus <00000ee1e1d4ca69-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 9:18 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
We just made a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve in Oklahoma and were so happy to hear bobwhite every time we got out of the car. The habitat there is excellent for them. We had not heard bobwhite in years in NW AR.
Do any of you birders think it is possible to bring bobwhite back to NW AR? We have forty acres: about half pastures and half woods. We have tried to restore about 7 acres to native prairie plants. The other pastures are primarily fescue, Johnson grass, orchard grass, and don't seem suitable for bobwhite.
There seem to be so many factors against bobwhite: ticks, coyotes, foxes, hawks, domestic cats, snakes, human hunters.
If any one thinks we could restore some quail to our property near West Fork, please tell us how.
Don Steinkraus
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Jack and Pam <00000064a46c579c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025 10:46 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
For many years, my parents have made an annual visit to Washington, D.C., for a week of museums and lectures, courtesy of my historian and World War II veteran father. What I remember most from those trips was hearing Bobwhite call from our motel grounds across the Potomac in Virginia. I could see the tip of the Washington Monument and hear the birds calling. Of course, there is no suitable habitat for Bobwhite in that area today.
When Pam and I moved to Arkansas 25 years ago, we occasionally heard Bobwhites in the fields near Erbie campground, and some years, even on our property. Then, silence would follow for at least 10 years. We were thrilled to listen to them again in 2023, and since then, it has been silent again.
On Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 03:36:49 PM CDT, <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> wrote:
Thanks for the note and report. People expect birds to nest on the freeways and in manicured yards. Too many people think of the Northern Bobwhite as just a bird species people used to hunt. They fail to realize that the habitat needed by this species and the disappearance of the Bob Bobwhite call is also the habitat needed and the decline of by 46 other bird species. The status of clean fencerows is a determent to many species, both birds and mammals. The loggerhead shrike is one species example that has a mirrored decline with the Northern Bobwhite. How often do you see the Shrike? Has anyone missed these species? The silence is deafening.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
________________________________
From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:10 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: BOB ... BOBWHITE!
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers were chief draws for me when in late 1980s I became involved with efforts on Ouachita NF to stop their decline and recover the population. Trips to RCW sites in Waldron area often included seeing and hearing Northern Bobwhites. Eventually I realized how ecologically connected they are in the mature, park-like Shortleaf Pine-dominated forests with a grassy understory rich in plant diversity. This diversity is required to produce insects and seeds bobwhites require.
Later as a Forest Service biologist, I was climbing RCW trees. From that lofty perch, hearing the strong whistled calls in the forest: BOB BOBWHITE! And seeing a bobwhite covey foraging its way underneath me.
A healthy bobwhite population was a great thrill for me, coming from Fayetteville, where the population was in rapid decline. Christmas Bird Count totals in excess of 100 bobs continued into the 1990s, then plunged rapidly towards 0.
Fields became subdivisions and shopping malls. Plant and insect diversity replaced by urban yard monocultures where native plants are replaced and insects poisoned. Now we have more shopping opportunities. We do not have Northern Bobwhites. Bobwhite is now just part of the towns history, like the Civil War Battle of Fayetteville.
So this is my segue to Memorial Day weekend, just passed. I have had enough of no bobwhites.
In past years this has been easily fixed by a 25-minute trip to Siloam Springs and its Chesney Prairie Natural Area. Siloam and Chesney were on the sidelines of explosive urban growth in Northwest Arkansas City up to a few years ago. No more. Committed, energetic management for plant diversity and Tallgrass Prairie restoration continues at Chesney, but Siloam is increasingly engulfed by urbanizing monocultures. Rare Oklahoma Grass Pink orchids persist at Chesney, but bobs are gone.
So my fallback plan is a 45-minute drive from Fayetteville to the former Beaty Prairie in western Benton County. Bobwhites are hanging on, but each trip I make I see more of the urbanizing culture as in Fayetteville, Siloam. A former expansive pasture/hayfield with bobs is broken up a few acres at a time. Once I could hear 6 bobs calling. Now its houses, fields become mowed yards, with squeaky-clean fence lines a bobwhite could not walk to avoid a hawk.
Pretty grim. But its not the whole.
Over this Memorial Day period, I made trips full of bobwhite hopes. Northern Bobwhites YES: Prairie State Park north of Joplin, Missouri, about 2-hours from my house. eBird submission: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241595955 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S243009189. Robert S. Kerr Reservoir dam and spillway on Arkansas River: https://ebird.org/checklist/S243523352.
We have lost a lot. We will lose a lot more if we ever give up our backing for public lands managed to preserve our natural heritage. Keep our public lands public. Encourage our wealthy fellow citizens to follow Katharine Ordway who used much of her inherited wealth to save prairies and Northern Bobwhites.
