Robert and I wanted to go on a picnic. We bought some KFC chicken and put it in the icebox, next to the German mustard potato salad. Celery sticks with cream cheese and cold drinks. The sun was out and the temp was cool. The wind was heavy, due to the cool front which had come through recently. We birded around Arkabutla Lake, in northern Mississippi.
We saw several huge American Crows (Corvus Brachyrhynchos), perched on the railing on the dam. There were Red-wing Blackbirds (Agelaius Phoeniceus) in a tree beside the spillway. We saw a Mourning Dove on a powerline. There was a Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias), standing in the water next to several Great Egrets. We drove by a very large Turkey Vulture which was eating roadkill next to the road.
After driving through a couple of the picnic and camping areas, we saw a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus Colubris) battling the wind. He was fighting to move forward in the heavy wind and at times it looked like it was suspended in mid air. Sometimes we see hummingbirds hovering over our flowers at home.
From the spillway, we proceeded across the dam where we saw Double-Crested Cormormants (Phalacrocorax Auritus) sunning themselves on the bouys in the water. At a nearby campground, while Robert was looking up the Pine Warbler (Setophaga Pinus) he had seen in the Sibley’s Field Guide, Berry pointed out a beautiful White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), walking upside down on the trunk of a tree. This Nuthatch turned out to be the bird of the day.
The White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is a small songbird of the nuthatch family which breeds in old-growth woodland across much of temperate North America. It is a small, stocky bird, with a relatively large head, short tail, powerful bill, and strong claws. The White-Breasted Nuthatch forages for insects on the trunk and branches of large trees. Its feet are made so that it can walk head-first down the side of a tree without falling. We enjoyed this Nuthatch for several minutes as he went up and down the tree trunk.
Moving on, we stopped close to a boat ramp and saw a flock of large Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) finding shelter from the wind in a cove. In among the geese, Robert saw a single Green Heron fishing from his perch on a half submerged limb in the water. In the trees above us, two Red-Headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus) were “fussing” with each other, squawking loudly. Probably a territorial conflict, but who knows, really.
We went from the campground to Bayou Point, a special area for the two of us. At Bayou Point Robert proposed to me on Easter and I accepted. This small peninsula has special meaning for us. We spread out our picnic lunch and enjoyed ourselves, the cool wind, the delightful sunshine and the large stretch of lake water in front of us. At our picnic area, we watched a juvenile Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus) perched on a limb in a tree and a beautiful Mississippi Kite (Ictinia Mississippiensis) soaring above us in the wind.
After eating lunch we walked around the little peninsula. There was a large bee hive in an Oak Tree. There were bees tending to it. Robert took a picture of it with his IPhone. Look in the tree next to the trunk, about twenty feet high. It is the large beige basketball sized thing in the tree.
It was fun to be out, away from work and computers. On the way to the expressway, we pasted a flock of around 75 Great Egrets (Ardea Alba) in the Coldwater River run-off. Below is the complete list of the birds we saw today.
- American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos)
- Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius Phoeniceus)
- Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus Podiceps)
- Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis)
- Turkey Vulture (Cathartes Aura)
- Blue Jay (Cyanocitta Cristata)
- Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus Tyrannus)
- Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)
- Mourning Dove (Zenaida Macroura)
- Great Egret (Ardea Alba)
- Bank Swallow (Riparia Riparia)
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus Colubris)
- Northern Mockingbird (Mimus Polyglottos)
- Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Auritus)
- Pine Warbler (Setophaga Pinus)
- White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta Carolinensis)
- Green Heron (Butorides Virescens)
- Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus)
- Mississippi Kite (Ictinia Mississippiensis)
- American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius)
What a wonderful day!! We are ready fro our vacation to Arizona at the end of September.
Robert and Berry
photos courtesy of wikipedia
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