Date: 5/5/25 11:29 am From: Dottie Boyles <ctboyles...> Subject: Port of Little Rock Birding
Saturday, May 3rd, Karen Hart and I made a short run out to the Port of Little Rock area. I was hoping for some lingering shorebirds but found none. The three Blue-winged Teal couples, seen the week before, were found in a ditch farther down the road. Turning onto Slackwater Harbor Dr, we saw a large flock of Bobolinks, in the grassy triangle area just past the levy. We sat there for several minutes and watched the Bobolinks bob up and down in the grass, while Red-winged Blackbirds flashed their bright red epaulets. Also saw one Mississippi Kite. A FOS for me.
Leaving Slackwater, we made a left onto Frazier Pike looking for Western Kingbirds, we found two. But the real entertainment was watching a Loggerhead Shrike fly across the road, land in the gravel, and began battle with a small snake. The snake had nowhere to hide as the shrike danced around it, finally killing it. Then the shrike picked up its prize and flew back across the street. Unfortunately, just as it did, a big truck went by. We were pretty sure the bird had cleared the truck, but when we saw it again, it did not have the snake. After finding a small chain-link enclosure topped with barbed wire, I drove over to it. Sure enough, there hung the snake on one of the barbs. Sorry we missed the impaling, but the battle was fascinating to watch. Karen took a picture of the impaled snake, which will be in the next Snipe issue.
Sunday, May 4, after seeing Sarah Morris' post about the Yellow-headed Blackbird, I drove back to the port. Never did find the blackbird but spent about two hours watching the large flock of Bobolinks, Red-winged Blackbirds, and a large flock of Mississippi Kites. With all the circling and diving they were difficult to count. My last count was 41, but I know that was not all of them. While watching one kite, I saw a large kettle of raptors. Just specks in the sky, to high and far away to ID before disappearing into a cloud.
