Berryhill Park - Searcy, AR (May 25, 2009)

About Berryhill Park:

http://www.searcy.com/city/parks-and-rec/parks

May 25th Stroll:

We arrived at the Berryhill parking area at around 8:45 am. Instead of walking south into the park we followed the paved trail north along Gin Creek.

I must admit that much of my time during this outing was spent photographing the various plants and wildflowers growing along the trails. The last few days off had been rainy or overcast, so I had very few opportunities to take pictures, thus I took full advantage of the sunshine on Monday.

The first thing I noticed was the small groups of Barn Swallows soaring near the creek and above the field in search of insects. These little acrobats were gliding and swooping all over the area, their forked tails a good identifier to help distinguish between Barn and Cliff Swallows (Cliff Swallows tend to have more of a squared tail).

As I strolled along Gin Creek I could hear an incessant call coming from the peak of one of the larger nearby trees. After several minutes of sleuthing I spied the source: a male Eastern Towhee, his black and orange plumage a dead giveaway. The Eastern Towhee song is often described as drink-your-tea! , a decent translation considering the interesting trill at the end. I was able to point the bird out to both my father and grandmother, who, like me, were amazed at the volume of the song coming from such a tiny source. I first spotted an Eastern Towhee this winter in the North Woods of Oxley Nature Center and first heard the song while in Pawnee County near Lake Keystone.

While photographing some flowers I noticed a large form flying overhead. I looked up, watched the form land on a tree, and identified it as a Mississippi Kite. The small raptor then glided out from the tree, drifting on the breeze in search of insects to feast upon. In the past 3 weeks I have seen a large number of Mississippi Kites gliding about over the Tulsa metro area, some in surprising locales (a couple were spotted above a dilapidated industrial lot in Midtown Tulsa). Unfortunately, the MK did not hang around long enough for me to point him out to my father and grandmother.

As we walked back to our vehicle we spotted a small group of European Starlings vocalizing from their perch on an electric line.

Location: Berryhill Park - Searcy, AR

Observation date: 5/25/09 Number of species: 8

Mississippi Kite - Ictinia mississippiensis 1

Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 1

American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2

Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 10

European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 3

Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus 1

Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 3

Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 2

Photos (Numbered from top to bottom):

1) A photo of some dew-covered Yucca blossoms found along Gin Creek.

2) An (as-of-yet) unidentified purple wildflower.

3) A developing blackberry.

4) A photo of the towering tree in which we spotted the singing Eastern Towhee.

5) A small white flower known as Daisy Fleabane. (From Kansas State Wildflower Website): Ancient Europeans believed that the odor of this genus repelled fleas, thus the name fleabane. This seems to have no basis in fact.

6) Another photo of a dew-covered Yucca blossom.

7) A small insect crawling along one of the petals of a Yucca blossom.

8) A grouping of some (as-of-yet) unidentified yellow wildflowers.

-SPQ 5/28/2009

Fort Gibson WMA - Rocky Point, OK (March 8, 2009)

About Fort Gibson Wildlife Managment Area

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/gibson.htm

(From the ODW's Fort Gibson WMA page): "Fort Gibson WMA is a mixture of upland and

bottomland habitats. Upland areas consist of tall grass prairie mixed with farm fields and brushy thickets. Bottomland areas consist of Crosstimbers oak forest with cottonwood and sycamores in and around Fort Gibson lake."

"Approximately 2,700 acres are planted to row crops, annually. Controlled burns are utilized to manage upland habitats. A 3,500 acre waterfowl refuge, in the Jackson Bay area, is managed for waterfowl with 9 wetland units and numerous fields planted to wheat, sunflower, milo and millet."

The southern portion of the WMA is designated a Waterfowl Refuge, meaning one may not hunt within the boundaries during Waterfowl Season (Sept-Apr). This allows for some great opportunities to see migrating waterfowl who are attracted to the area by the lakeside habitat and the crops planted within the WMA. Several species of dabbling ducks can be viewed on the ponds located throughout the Waterfowl Refuge.

March 8th Excursion

While driving through Wagoner (On Highway 69) I noticed several large flocks of birds flying north. Most of the flocks numbered around 50 or 100, but one large group must have been over 300. Both flocks I was able to identify consisted of mixed-sex groups of Red-Wing Blackbirds. 3 or 4 similar flocks were observed while within the WMA boundaries.

I arrived at Ft. Gibson WMA around 7:20 am. The area I chose to explore is located close to the town of Rocky Point, which lies on the west side of Lake Fort Gibson. The Rocky Point parking lot is in the northern section of the WMA, technically a PHA (Public Hunting Area), on county road US-251D.The area consists of several agricultural fields (see photo above) surrounded by wooded sections.

Numerous male Northern Cardinals could be seen perching conspicuously and singing their "cheer" song. A small group of American Crows could be seen and heard around the main agricultural field south of the parking area. Carolina Chickadees could be heard at various wooded locations, I counted at least 4.

3 species of Woodpeckers were observed, an average count for a 3-4 hour walk. I counted at least 5 Northern Flickers, 4 of which I identified by call. Both the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers were observed foraging for insects within a small grove of trees to the south of the agricultural field.

2 small flocks of 6 Double-Crested Cormorants flew over the agricultural field as I made my way back to my car. No other waterfowl were seen during this outing. Also flying overhead were several small flocks (10-15 birds) of Common Grackle.

The highlight of the trip was being able to watch a female Northern Harrier hunt for prey in a small grassy hill south of the agricultural field. She circled a small grove of trees several times before perching on a snag 45 yards from my location. I later spotted an adult male flying overhead.

For a 4 hour outing I felt I saw enough birds to whet my appetite for the day. The chance to watch the Northern Harriers hunt was particularly rewarding and seeing both sexes was a nice bonus. I was able to snap some pictures of the female harrier but they aren't anything special, just enough for basic identification. Weather-wise it was a great day to bird, the temperature reaching close to 60 by the time I left.

Bird Count:

Location: Fort Gibson WMA ("Rocky Point") - Rocky Point, OK

Observation date: 3/8/09 Number of species: 22

Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 12

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 1

Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 2

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1

Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 1

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 5

Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 8

Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1

Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 2

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 6

American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 4

Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 2

Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 4

White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 3

Harris's Sparrow - Zonotrichia querula 2

White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 2

Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis 2

Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 4

Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 50

Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna 2

Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 9

Photos:

Top: A female Northern Harrier in a tallgrass field at Ft. Gibson WMA.

Bottom: A view of the path leading to the main agricultural field south of parking area.

-SPQ 3/8/2009