LITTLE ROCK — You can plan an outing to see a rare bird in Arkansas just as you might plan to catch the sunset at Mount Nebo or admire autumn leaves in the Ozarks.
The Arkansas Rare Bird Alert system makes it possible to find birds in the wild that you would never think to look for. A phone call is all you need to be on your way.
Access is free. You don’t have to be an expert birdwatcher, computer whiz or travel long distances. While searching for the bird, you could visit out-of-the-way places, learn lessons in bird identification and encounter other fascinating wildlife.
The Rare Bird Alert is sponsored by the Audubon Society of Central Arkansas (www.ascabird.org). Serious birders who find unusual birds within the borders of the Natural State report their observations via phone or the Internet. A compiler assesses the strength of each report, then records the type of bird, location and time of its sighting and puts that information on a hot line anyone can listen to by dialing (501) 753-5853. Sightings are also reported on the arbird-l listserv, an Internet message system explained at arbirds.org.
For example, swallowtailed kites are sleek, elegant black-and-white hawklike birds that fly with incomparable grace. Three of these rare, remarkable birds were reported on the hot line last summer.
Though the swallow-tailed kite occasionally visits Arkansas, Mel White in his book A Birders Guide to Arkansas
classifies it as an “accidental bird,” meaning that it has been seen fewer than five times in 10 years. Its natural range is mostly in northern South America and along the Gulf of Mexico.
The swallow-tails were first spotted by Delos McCauley and his wife, Hazel, avid amateur birdwatchers and photographers, on Aug. 16 last year. As they drove south across the U.S. 79 bridge that spans the Arkansas River near Pine Bluff, a swallow-tail flashed low just above their windshield.
Hazel did not recognize it immediately but knew it was a bird not commonly seen in the area.
Delos turned the car around as soon as possible. They drove back across the bridge and, much to their delight, saw three of the birds frolicking above a row of cottonwood trees at Sheppard Island. They reported the sighting to the Rare Bird Alert system. They continued to post updates during the 14 days that the birds were in the area.
After the McCauleys’ report, at least 30 other birders saw the posting and visited Sheppard Island. Most were able to watch one of the kites soaring about, catching dragonflies on the wing.
When the birds were no longer seen, the hot line reported their departure.
FREE AND EASY
Planning trips to find rare birds using the system does not require a deep understanding of bird identification. An inexperienced birder can find a photo in a field guide or on the Internet before leaving home. Field guides and birding websites show photographs and distinguishing marks of each species. Searchers can learn the markings (size, color, wing pattern, beak shape, etc.) of that bird.
It’s not necessary to learn all birds, just that bird.
On Christmas Eve 2008, the hot line reported that a black-legged kittiwake was being seen below the dam at Lake Conway. My grandsons and I had no idea what the bird looked like, so as we drove the 35 miles from Scott toward Mayflower the boys studied one page of Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America.
It described the bird as like a gull, with distinctive black patches on the bottom of its wings. It also reported that kittiwakes were ocean birds with population centers in saltwater off the coast of Alaska and Maine.
Since this was our first time to try the alert system, we thought we would have trouble making the identification. However, before I even stopped the car in a graveled parking lot, grandson Cody pointed through the windshield and said, “There it is.” We got long, close looks at the kittiwake as it flew, swam, perched and dove for small fish in swift water.
Grandson Colton described the differences between the kittiwake and the Bonaparte gulls that were flying about in the same area, since the field guide cautioned against confusing the two species. We also saw the kittiwake shake water from its feathers shortly after it took flight from the water, much like a dog after a swim — considered one of its most interesting behaviors.
The boys also photographed three bald eagles and saw a belted kingfisher plunge repeatedly into shallow water, always coming up with a minnow in its mouth — that’s why it is the “king” of fishermen.
RARE AND WHERE
Normally the birds we call rare in Arkansas are plentiful in other places. For example, a great-tailed grackle would be considered rare in Arkansas and has been reported as a Rare Bird Alert, but it is so abundant in San Antonio that it’s considered a public nuisance.
Other birds are rare everywhere.
When birds wander on the edges of their natural range or out of their normal habitat it is difficult to predict their behavior. Their visits in those areas are frequently brief and they might have moved off by the time you arrive to look for them. I’ve managed to spot birds mentioned on the alert system about three-quarters of the time. But even when I have failed to see the unusual bird, I have found other wildlife of interest.
The bobwhite quail is not rare, but its numbers are declining. One time I went looking for a Harris sparrow that had been reported near Fort Smith. I didn’t find it, but I did see a family of quail, a mother with eight chicks marching behind her. I had not seen that precious sight since I was a boy.
WHO IS THAT?
The voice on the hot line is DeLynn Hearn of North Little Rock. She is a teacher and independent beauty consultant who has volunteered as compiler and transcriber for the Audubon Society of Central Arkansas since 2002. There are usually four or five rarities being seen at any one time, but during peak migration or after unusual weather there could be as many as 20 unusual birds on the alert list.
Hearn uses her discretion in deciding which sightings to record for the hot line. She tries to assess the reliability of the early reports based on the expertise of the birder, whether the report includes photos and the likelihood that the bird could be found in that area again.
If, say, a casual backyard birder saw a warbling vireo at a feeder once two days ago, did not get a photo and has not seen the bird since, she would probably not post the sighting. Though the report may be true, vireos do not commonly frequent feeders; it was probably in migration and has since moved on; and the bird was seen on private property, inaccessible to the public.
On the other hand, if the backyard birder saw a rufous hummingbird at a feeder and it was seen and photographed there many times, even midwinter, and the homeowner invited others to come see the hummer after calling, she would post that sighting.
Jerry Butler is a regular contributor to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on topics related to
birds. He welcomes reports and
stories about birds in Arkansas at
grandoc@att.net.
ActiveStyle, Pages 23 on 06/21/2010