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 birding...

         Arkansas

 







Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos ©Robert Royse http://www.roysephotos.com/index.html

Arkansas is ideally situated for birds and birdwatchers alike. Its mild southern climate consists of long, warm summers and short, cool winters. Geographically, the Great Plains approach Arkansas` western border in Texas and Oklahoma while the Mississippi River forms the eastern border along Tennessee and Mississippi. Many distinct habitats are contained with these borders, including patches of remnant prairie, upland and bottomland forests, lowland marshes, and many open lakes and rivers. This diversity, along with Arkansas` prime position along the Mississippi flyway and its proximity to typically western and gulf coast birds, yields an impressive state list of 388 species.

Many of the Natural State`s prime birding spots are accessible in the form of State or National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, Forests, and the Buffalo National River. And although the birding community in Arkansas is fairly active, there are still exciting discoveries to be made. For example, breeding populations of Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Green Warblers were discovered hundreds of miles from their previously known breeding grounds as recently as 1993.

Drawing a line from the northeast to the southwest corner of the state creates the easiest physio-graphic division of Arkansas: above the line are the highlands; below the line are the lowlands. The highlands can be further divided into the Ozark Plateau and the Ouachita (pronounced WASH-ih-taw) Mountains, which consist of mostly oak-hickory or oak-hickory-pine forest. The lowlands are made up of the Gulf Coastal Plain, which runs along the southern border with Louisiana, and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain in the east. The Gulf Coastal Plain is characterized by rolling hills and predominantly pine forest while the Mississippi Alluvial Plain is primarily farming country that has lost most of its trees.

The birds are as varied as the habitats that attract them. As Mel White writes in the Introduction to his A Birder`s Guide to Arkansas (1995, American Birding Association, Inc.); Everyplace in Arkansas is great the first week of May. Seeing 100 species in a day is almost easy during the full swing of migration. In addition, breeding Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman`s Sparrow, and Brown-headed Nuthatch are found in the Ouachitas and southern pine forests. Swainson`s Hawk is an annual migrant in the west. Western Kingbirds have been found breeding in the southwest, Harris`s Sparrow and Western Meadowlark winter in the northwest. Central Arkansas yields wintering flocks of Horned Lark and Lapland Longspur with Smith`s Longspur present in a few locations. In some winters Sprague`s Pipit is found with these species. The low wetland areas provide habitat for millions of wintering waterfowl, and Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, have all been found along the Gulf Coastal and the Mississippi Plains. Add these possibilities to the expected eastern birds and you have an incredible species assemblage!

The Audubon Society of Central Arkansas` web site houses a checklist of Arkansas birds and maintains a Rare Bird Alert that can also be reached by phone at (501) 753-5853. An annotated checklist that includes notes on distribution and dates of occurrence can be obtained by writing to Max Parker, Curator, Arkansas Audubon Society, 2426 S. Main, Malvern, AR 72104 (copies are 15 cents apiece plus a self-addressed stamped envelope). Birders wishing to document unusual sightings should write to Max Parker at the same address.

  contributor

 

Michael Powers
mpowersar@aol.com

  numbers

 
Number of bird species:387

  useful reading

 

A Birder's Guide to Arkansas

By Mel White ABA Birdfinding Guide Series 260pages Spiral Bound 1995
ISBN: 1878788094
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Arkansas Birds

James Kavanagh Waterford Press 1999
ISBN: 1583550100
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Arkansas Birds : Their Distribution and Abundance

Douglas A. James, Joseph C. Neal Hardcover (October 1986) Univ of Arkansas Pr
ISBN: 0938626388
Buy this book from NHBS.com

  useful information

 

State Bird


Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos

  clubs

 

Arkansas Audubon Society

http://www.arbirds.org/rare_birds.html
One of the objectives of the Arkansas Audubon Society has been to contribute to the knowledge of birds in Arkansas through the permanent maintenance of bird records for the state...

Arkansas Bird Records Committee

http://www.arbirds.org/rare_birds.html
One of the objectives of the Arkansas Audubon Society has been to contribute to the knowledge of birds in Arkansas through the permanent maintenance of bird records for the state. The Arkansas Bird Records Committee, a committee of five members chaired by the AAS Curator, is responsible for determining the validity of reports of birds in Arkansas that are rare in the state, difficult to identify, or seen out of season. Noteworthy records that have been accepted by the ABRC appear in the Curator`s report, published each quarter in the AAS newsletter, Arkansas Birds. The ABRC also maintains and periodically publishes the official Arkansas State Bird List.

Audubon Arkansas

http://www.ar.audubon.org/
The usual list of local chapters plus features etc...

Audubon Society of Central Arkansas

http://www.ascabird.org/
We meet at the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Building, #2 Natural Resource Drive, Little Rock. Take West Markham Street west until just before it crosses I-430 and turn right onto Natural Resource Drive and follow the AG&F signs. We`ll be looking forward to meeting you, and bring a friend. You don`t have to be Audubon members to attend.

Nature Conservancy in Arkansas

http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/arkansas/
Yet another NC site that has greatly improved... Welcome to the Arkansas Chapter home page! Here you`ll find information on the many ways we`re working with the people of the state and the nation to help preserve the diversity of living things by protecting the habitats -- land, water, and air - in which they live.

North West Arkansas Audubon Society

http://www.uark.edu/~nwaudubo/
The eagles are usually here between mid-November and mid-March. They fish in the reservoir and loaf in these trees. Their daytime foraging often takes them over 100 miles from the night-time roosting sites.

Tex-Ark Audubon

http://www.ar.audubon.org/chapter-texark.html
Our designated area of service covers approximately a 40-mile radius of Texarkana. We are a nonprofit volunteer organization that loves nature and provides education to help protect our environment and the things that live around us. We are also a service organization for our communities, state and country. We have been in existence since 1962. We were originally called the Texarkana Nature Club, then in 1998, we chose the present name...

  reserves

 

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

http://www.agfc.com/destinations_ol.html
Unlike other woodpeckers, the red-cockaded roosts in cavities in live pines. It needs 80 to 120-year-old pines for its cavities, and extensive pine and pine-hardwood forests to meet its foraging requirements. Much of the Southeast has been cleared for agriculture. Many remaining pine forests are unsuitable for the red-cockaded woodpecker. Each year, more areas become unsuitable. Because of the drastic loss and continued decline of habitat, the bird is endangered.

Arkansas State Parks

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/
Clickable map & links about events in Arkansas State Parks...

Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.fws.gov/biglake/
Over 227 species of birds have been observed by refuge personnel and visiting ornithologists since 1915. Copies of the refuge bird checklist are available at the headquarters and portions of the refuge are open to birding year-round...

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.fws.gov/cacheriver/
...famed for the recent re-discovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker...

Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.recreation.gov/detail.cfm?ID=(1428)
Holla Bend NWR, established in 1957, is located 8 miles down river from Dardanelle, Arkansas. The refuge is situated on a bend of the Arkansas River which was cut off when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers straightened the river in 1954 for flood control. Refuge lands include over 7,000 acres of agricultural fields, bottomland forest, and open water...

Lake Chicot State Park

http://www.ozarkconnections.com/chicot.html
The park interpreter provides a variety of programs including guided walks, barge tours through cypress swamps, nature talks, films, demonstrations, and living history from the pioneer and Civil War periods...

Lake Frierson State Park

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/park.asp?id=33
On the eastern shores of the lake is 135-acre Lake Frierson State Park. Added to the Arkansas State Parks System in 1973, the park is fast becoming a popular recreation area where visitors can relax and enjoy the beauty of the forest-covered land...

Ouachita National Forest

http://www.hotspringsar.com/info/forest/forest.htm
This is the land of True Grit, the novel by Charles Portis later made into a movie starring John Wayne. Wild outlaws and hard-working hill country people are a real part of the history and traditions of these mountains, as much as craggy forests and plentiful wildlife...

White River National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.fws.gov/whiteriver/
Possible Ivory-billed Woodpecker place...

  trip reports

 

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

1999 [May] - Jeff R. Wilson

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/USA/AR-05-99-BD.htm
After rain had washed us out last year, Mark Greene and I declared We shall return. The Arkansas Big Day record that Gene and Shannon Knight and I set years ago (160) is well below what it should be...

  local guides

 

Birding Pal

http://birdingpal.org/ar.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

  places to stay

 

Buffalo River Lodge B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/ar/buffaloriver/
View the lodge`s 62 scenic acres of woods and meadows from the double deck, wrap around porch or large outdoor hot tub! Bird watchers enjoy the many varieties of birds on the property throughout the year...

Prospect Place B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/ar/prospectplace/
The back patio is great for morning coffee and communing with nature. The birds and squirrels make wonderful companions. All four guest rooms have ceiling fans, private baths and include complimentary evening refreshments...

  mailing lists

 

ARBIRD-L

http://comp.uark.edu/~kgsmith
List contact:Contact: Kimberly Smith kgsmith@uark.edu
To subscribe to list:listserv@listserv.uark.edu
subscribe arbird-l your name

Arkansas Birding

http://groups.yahoo.com/clubs/arkansasbirding
A forum to discuss birds observed in Arkansas. Founder`s message: I am a novice birdwatcher and would like to get to know other birdwatchers in my area. Would love to know what birds you are seeing and what areas you enjoy birding.

  other links

 

Arkansas Breeding Bird Atlas

http://www.uark.edu/misc/kgsmith/abba.html
The Arkansas Audobon Society initiated the Arkansas Breeding Bird Atlas (ABBA) Project in 1994 for the purpose of developing a series of distributional maps for all species of birds that breed within the state. Initial funding of the project came from the Arkansas Game and fish commission, the University of Arkansas, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C. Data collection began in 1994. Success of this project is dependant upon volunteers for data collection among the 875 total blocks within the state.

BLOG - Arkansas Birding

http://arkansasbirding.blogspot.com
Birding and Photography of Arkansas Birds

  artists

 

Bird Artist - Chris Vest

http://www.originalbirdart.com/vest
I have a long history of taking pretty mediocre bird photos. With crummy lens and lack of patience, I've put together bird images from Israel to Alaska that are breathtakingly dull and out-of-focus. but I do have photoshop skills, so my choice was either to cut my throat in photo envy and self-loathing, or breath new life into the bad photos with considerable "painting", merging and touch-up; and so voila: part painting, part photography. I've been a photographer and illustrator for 30 years; unfortunately, it's almost all been for employers that view art purely as commerce. That aspect of my 'development' is now history, I'm commencing a freelance career with a greater emphasis on fine art. I do have a small number of participations in gallery showings, including a 'best of show'-- but frankly they are so scattered and disjointed that listing them would smak of desparation rather than great contiguous achievement...

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