A Saturday at Wapanocca

   It was Robert's idea this time to go birding on Saturday. Berry offered to "flesh out the idea" with a specific destination. She came up with Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, in eastern Arkansas. Great idea ! Berry enjoyed a Breakfast Taco filled with scrambled eggs, diced ham and two types of cheeses. Robert ate a bowl of delicious fruit. We were off.

   The Wildlife Refuge at Wapanocca is a large swampy area surrounding a small fishing lake. The first flying things we noticed in the swamp were a Dragonfly and a Monarch Butterfly. Then, Robert spotted a Brown Creeper (Certhia Americana), clamoring around the underside of a branch, holding on to the branch, upside down. A Brown Creeper is a version of Nuthatcher, of which we have three here. The Brown Creeper is a cute little woodland acrobat.

   We saw our first Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus Tyrannus) of the season, sitting on a small sapling in an open field, along side a gravel road. Each Spring, Kingbirds migrate to the Midsouth from Peru in Latin America. We identify the Eastern Kingbird by looking at its collar and the end of its tail. The white tip of the tail looks like the bird has been dipped in a bucket of white paint. The Eastern Kingbird is very majestic looking.

   Spring is an interesting time for birding. Many birds put on their "courting clothes"; their feathers change colors and the pattern of colors changes. We have seen Palm Warblers (Setophaga Palmarum) many times in our own backyard, in the summertime. Today we saw the Eastern version of the Palm Warbler in its breeding plummage. He was very handsome and I hope he has some luck attracting the lady Palm Warblers.

   Today, we saw large flocks of Indigo Buntings (Passerina Cyanea) all over the refuge. They swelled up in the road as we drove along. Then, Berry saw a bright flash of orange at the top of a tree. It was a male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus Galbula). His bright orange and black colors are an indication that Spring has arrived.

   There are many species of Sparrows, so we have to examine them very closely to identify them. Today, we saw four Chipping Sparrows (Spizella Passerina) in the tall grass on the side of the road. Chipping Sparrows are widespread and fairly common across most of North America.

   We are always on the lookout for Woodpeckers. Today, we saw a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus Varius) flying across the road. The central part of the bird's belly is subtly tinged with a pale yellow color, which is sometimes difficult to see. We spent some time looking for a Eagle's nest that we had seen before in the refuge. The nest is a construction of sticks, as large as a small car situated in the tops of trees. Berry stood up in our sunroof to get a different angle. We could not find the nest, but we met a fellow birder who had a camera with a nice zoom lens. Berry and I left and discussed possibly replacing our spotting scope with a nice camera and a zoom lens. We ate lunch in Marion, Ark. where Robert had a chicken sandwich and a nice salad. Berry had potato skins. What a great day birding. It was time to go home and take a nap.

Robert and Berry

Photos courtesy of wikipedia, grobertson, mdf,