Birding Hot Springs, Arkansas

   We got up early, put our dog Cosmo in the kennel and set off to bird Hot Springs, Arkansas. We stopped at a little store because we needed a pad to write down our trip list, the list of birds we see on a birding trip. It is raining today so I wanted a handkerchief. And maybe some drinks for the cooler. We went up to the door of the store and the clerks were just opening up. They thought we were the "Breakfast Crew", there to bring them breakfast.

   We spotted a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in flight on our way out of Memphis. This large bird flies with its long neck coiled tightly under its chin. It is so distinctive that identification for us is easy.

   The drive to Little Rock was made difficult by the rain. We found fish farms just south of I-40 near Little Rock. Blue Winged Teal (Anas discors), Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Pied Billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), and Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) were some of the highlights. Berry thinks the Double Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) ought to be a highlight too.

   We made it to Hot Springs and the rain stopped. Delightful! At a golf course Berry found American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). These are perfectly white pelicans, but easy to identify in flight with the back edge of their wings being black. The fellow at the golf course guided us to a dam where we saw the Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), the Dark Eyed Slate Colored Junco (Junco hyemalis) and a family of Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina).

Arlington Hotel

   Having birded after lunch we stopped at a Starbucks to get something warm to drink and to fiddle with our blog. In Hot Springs we stayed at the historic Arlington Resort Hotel on the same floor as Al Capone had when he was here.

   For dinner, Berry had the Red Snapper. I had the "Lamb Lollipops". Very nice. Berry relaxed doing the whole bath house experience with a mineral bath and then a nice massage. I chickened out, relaxing instead in the room, surfing the internet, planning tomorrow's birding adventure.

Robert and Berry