Joe Neal reports on workday at Wilson Spring

I woke up this morning in Fayetteville to gray skies, north wind, and
snow on the ground. Could be a good birding day. Also, a good day for
conservation. Michelle Viney (and her team) from Audubon Arkansas'
northwest Arkansas field office (Fayetteville) teamed up with Sam's
Club for a volunteer work day at the Wilson Springs property here in
Fayetteville, adjacent the Sam's Club. Over the years, Mike Mlodinow
and I have documented more than 120 bird species there (Bell's Vireo,
Painted Bunting, American Bittern, etc). Despite the cold, north wind
& snow, there were 25-30 volunteers to help remove invasive callery
pears -- what is hopefully the opening effort to reclaim this former
tallgrass prairie and Henslow's Sparrow nesting habitat.
The volunteers are women and men, youngish and oldish. All of us here
in NWA have been hauling limbs for a month as a result of the ice
storm. Here were the volunteers from Sam's Club anyway. What a sight
it was.

Michelle asked me to make a few comments before the volunteers set off
on the pear-removal effort. Here's what I offered:

The history of this property is basically lost in the mist of time,
so let me take you back.
Native Americans hunted buffalo here. Buffalo were still seen in the
Fayetteville area by the first visitors in the 1820s.

The City of Fayetteville was established in Prairie Township. Please
note: it was not established in Tree Township, Subdivision Township,
or Mall Township, or Sam's Club Township. It was Prairie Township,
because when the first settlers here looked around what they saw were
tall, native, prairie grass: Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian
Grass, and Switch Grass. The only trees they saw were in scattered
oak barrens surrounded by native grass plus trees along the major
streams, like Clabber Creek.

This is what I mean about being lost in the mist of time. You cannot
look around Fayetteville now and see the buffalo or the native
grasses. But, that doesn't mean history is unimportant.

Clabber Creek and its associated natural springs is an important
perennial stream that runs through what was once an extensive prairie
that consisted of at least 25 square miles, part of which included
Prairie Township. In the Clabber Creek area, open fields were covered
with prairies grasses and prairie wildflowers. The fields included
small round mounds?we call them prairie mounds-- that formed thousands
of years ago. Mounds have been mostly plowed down and paved over. The
native grasses and wildflowers have been mostly replaced with
non-native grasses like fescue. The fields have been invaded by
non-native trees like callery pears.

The Wilson Spring property is important because many aspects of its
status as prairie grassland remain. There are still prairie mounds on
the property, including fine examples near the Wilson Spring run
within sight of Sam's Club. A rare prairie fish, the Arkansas Darter,
can still be found in Wilson Spring. Scattered in nooks and crannies
are small areas that retain the four chief native grasses: Big
Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switch Grass. Some very
rare wetland plants have also survived, reminding us of our natural
heritage right under our noses here alongside I-540.

Wilson Spring is still one of the best places in the immediate
Fayetteville area to see and hear more than 120 species of native
birds, many of them strongly associated with prairies. Bell's Vireo,
once a common bird here, still nests in the open field thickets.
Painted Buntings (one of America's most beautiful native birds)
occurs here in summer. Until recent years, Henslow's Sparrow found one
of its only nesting habitats in Arkansas here.

In the heart of the development area of northwest Arkansas,
Wilson Spring provides that rare greenspace where people can commune
with nature on her own terms near where we live the rest of our lives.
Restoration efforts can improve this opportunity by returning more of
Wilson Spring to its original beauty and functionality as a prairie
coursed by perennial springs and Clabber Creek.

This restoration will add greatly to the value of the property to all
visitors, surrounding developments, and it will help rescue from the
mists of time our true prairie origins in Prairie Township.

JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Don't let the contractors take all your brushpiles; the birds won't forgive you

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of mockingbird on brushpile at World Peace Wetland Prairie on February 25, 2009,


The more buds you spot on the ends of small limbs the more likely these limbs are the ones to keep on your property if you want plenty of song birds to be in your neighborhood when spring comes. You might also try to convince your neighbors to preserve some similar brushpiles on their property. And urging neighbors to preserve ice-damaged trees on their property also will help.
Many won't understand. But every property owner who keeps a brush pile or resists pressure to cut down a damaged tree can make a difference in the reproductive success of song birds in the coming spring.

President Doug James announces February 28, 2009, meeting in Bentonville Public Library

I thought the newsletter would have reached you all by now but delays by
the printer make it unlikely. So I hereby announce that the second
Public Meeting of the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society will be this
coming Saturday, February 28, 10 am to noon in the Wal-Mart Room of the
Bentonville Public Library. The program will be a repeat of UofA Prof.
Malcolm Cleaveland's presentation last Saturday at the Fayetteville Public
Library--"Climate Change Coming Soon to a Planet Near You." This repeat
pattern will be followed at meeting this spring to attract members in both
the southern and northern parts of the NW Arkansas region.


Douglas A. James tel: 479-575-6364
Department of Biological Sciences fax: 479-575-4010
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201, U.S.A. e-mail: djames@uark.edu

Read my beak, Bella Vista: Don't oil my eggs, don't shoot my goslings

Please click on image of face of Canada goose to Enlarge and read her bill.

Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society gathers for global-warming program

Click on images to enlarge view of a couple of slides on suggestions for mitigating global climate change that were a part of the Saturday Feb. 21 Fayetteville Public Library event, "Climate Change Coming Soon to a Planet Near You," presented by UoA Professor Malcomb Cleaveland.
On Saturday Feb. 28, 10 am to noon, the same presentation will be repeated in the Rotary Room of the Bentonville Public Library.

Mockingbird finds sunshine nice after another cold night on World Peace Wetland Prairie

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of mockingbird on February 19, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society meets at 10 a.m. Saturday in Fayetteville Public Library

Sat. Feb. 21, 10 am to noon, Walker Room, Fayetteville Public Library
> "Climate Change Coming Soon to a Planet Near You"
> presented by UoA Professor Malcomb Cleaveland
>
> Sat. Feb. 28, 10 am to noon, the same presentation will be repeated
> in the Rotary Room of the Bentonville Public Library.
>
>
> Douglas A. James tel: 479-575-6364
> Department of Biological Sciences fax: 479-575-4010
> University of Arkansas
> Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201, U.S.A. e-mail: djames@uark.edu
>

The Great Pruning: Joe Neal names the ice storm of 2009

I have a name for our now, just-about-all-gone northwest Arkansas ice
storm: the great pruning. It has pruned just everything. I went to the
old Lindsey Prairie today at Siloam Springs. The old former prairie is
covered with melted ice water. All the low places are playas. Saw 7
Bald Eagles in a field, gathered around remains of a small carcass --
maybe an ice victim -- seemed to be taking turns picking at what was
left. Tall prairie mounds north of the Siloam airport offer refuge
from the ice melt -- saw 2 coyotes enjoying themselves on the east
side of a big mound, in bright sunshine. One of the them was darker
than any coyote I've seen. Just down the road -- a fine Harlan's Hawk,
perfect blotches like the cover image on the current issue of Birding.
Hailing from the Far North, you know a big hawk like that probably
wasn't too inconvenienced by the ice or the great pruning. The great
pruning laid down the tall grasses at Chesney Prairie Natural Area.
Swamp Sparrows there probably appreciate more water. I was watching
them, then overhead heard a familiar gabbling overhead -- a flock of
maybe 100 Snow Geese (blues and whites), heading north. What the heck,
it was 60 degrees and the sky was pure blue -- maybe they were missing
winter.

JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

City link below offers wide range of information to help cope with ice-storm problems

Fayetteville city Web site offers information on ice-storm related concerns, debris pickup, shelters, other services

Please name the bird not part of the flock on World Peace Wetland Prairie

Please click on images to identify birds on World Peace Wetland Prairie from sundown to dusk on January 29, 2009.




Joe Neal identified the odd bird among the doves as a sapsucker!

Woodpeckers can have a great year in Fayetteville if people will keep the damaged trees that die later from the ice storm

Please click on images to ENLARGE view of woodpecker on World Peace Wetland Prairie at about sunset on January 29, 2009.

Sparrows and other species search for scattered corn on ice on January 29, 2009

Please click on images for mix of birds enjoying scattering of chopped corn on icy ground in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on January 29, 2009.

Mallards enjoy south Fayetteville ice on January 29, 2009

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of mallards on ice in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on January 29, 2009.

Red-shouldered hawk hunts from willow tree on Pinnacle Foods wet prairie adjacent to WPWP on January 21, 2009

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of red-shouldered hawk on Pinnacle Prairie, adjacent to World Peace Wetland Prairie in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The hawk is perched in a willow tree on alert for small birds and mammals on the prairie.

David Oakley shares photos made in January 2009

Please click on image to ENLARGE.




I have attached a photo of a Pileated Woodpecker that I was able to capture at Lake Fayetteville a week or so ago. It is perhaps the best shot I have been able to get of that particular bird. I have also included two photos of Bald Eagles that I shot at the Gentry Eagle Watch Nature Trail yesterday.
G. David Oakley
Springdale, AR

Bonaparte's gulls crossing Beaver Lake's dam catch Joe Neal's attention on January 14, 2009

Yesterday morning, from about 7:30 AM to 9:20 AM, I watched as
Bonaparte's Gulls streamed into Beaver Lake in flocks of 10-30. By
9:30 I had tallied a minimum of 342 birds. They came in from the NE,
crossing the north end of the dam. After crossing into the dam site,
they continued up the lake and out of sight. Perhaps they had flown
from a night roost on Table Rock Lake, like Beaver an impoundment of
the former White River that begins just downstream from the Beaver dam
site. I know that 342 Bonaparte's Gulls are just chump change compared
to counts further south, but this is a very high count for NW
Arkansas. I'm not sure I'm a gullophile myself, but it was a
fascinating few hours, and I may have seen a fair percentage of the
Bonaparte's spread out on Beaver. Later in the day, the biggest flock
I saw was at Lost Bridge North Park, where approx. 45 Bonaparte's --
including a dozen Ring-billed -- worked a flock of 50 goldeneyes. It
was a windy day, but I did see the Western Grebe again from Slate Gap
Road.

JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "Nature is already as good
as it possibly can be. He who seeks to improve it will spoil it. He
who tries to direct it will mislead it and become lost himself." --
Chinese philosopher about 2,500 years ago

Short-eared owl photos from Chesney Prairie taken by David Oakley

Please click on images to ENLARGE photos of short-eared owl taken by David Oakley at Chesney Prairie on January 10, 2009.

Joe Neal reports that 25 people walked through Chesney Prairie Natural Area on Saturday and were rewarded by spotting many birds

Amazingly, in real cold & in a sharp, northwest wind, 25 people turned
out for a walk through Chesney Prairie NA sponsored by Northwest
Arkansas Audubon Society. It wasn't easy to see little birds in these
conditions -- fingers don't work binoculars so well. BUT, the prize was a
Short-eared Owl that flushed from a prairie mound in the tall grass.
It flew & circled, perched on a post, got photographed, flew some
more. This is at least the third mid-winter in a row that we have
found Short-eared Owls on this place.

Also: January is eagle month for NWA -- Bald Eagles seem now just
"everywhere." Bill Thurman & I counted 12 on our drive between between
Springdale & Siloam on 412. Art Evans from Gravette called me to say
he had 75 in one place--folks welcomed to visit. Joe Woolbright had 12
perched in one tree.

JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Dark-eyed Juncos common around World Peace Wetland Prairie in early January 2009

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of dark-eyed Junco 50 feet from World Peace Wetland Prairie on January 6, 2009.

Warren Fields offers a couple of extra treats for Saturday morning birders visiting Chesney Prairie

Warren Fields lives near Chesney Prairie Natural Area at Siloam
Springs. He has invited anyone interested to come by his place -- that
sometimes has interesting birds -- anytime after 8AM on Saturday --
the field trip starts at 10 AM Saturday, Jan. 10. Besides birds, he
has offered something further ... read on...his place is just a couple
of minutes from the field trip, too...

"Joe, I live near the Chesney and would like to extend an invitation
to everyone to come by for coffee and muffins before going birding.
Also the birding in my back yard is sometimes very interesting. For
those intersted, anytime after 8:00 AM would be fine.

If coming from Fayetteville on highway 412, turn north on highway 59,
go through the stop light at Cheri Whitlock and it is the first house
on the left.

Coming from Gentry on highway 59, go past Bill Young Road, and it is
the first house on the right past the two greenhouses. About a quarter
mile past Bill Young Road.

It is a red brick house set back a ways from the road. Thanks,
Warren Fields

Nest likely that of a field sparrow, according to Dr. Doug James

Please click on images to ENLARGE view of bird's nest 18 inches or so above the ground in the fork of a small sapling on World Peace Wetland Prairie on January 5, 2009.


Please click on "comments" below to give information about the likely creator of this nest, which was revealed by Lauren Hawkins while cutting back tall grass and other plants that had hidden the nest during the growing season. Dr. Doug James and Joe Neal said that this appeared to a field sparrow's nest.

Woodpecker and cardinal share free lunch

Please click image to ENLARGE view of woodpecker and female cardinal sharing hen scratch at World Peace Wetland Prairie edge on January 1, 2009.

Field trip set for 10 a.m. Saturday, January 10, 2009, at Chesney Prairie Nature Area

field trip, Chesney Prairie NA, Sat. Jan. 10, 2009. Meet 10 AM.‏
From: joeneal (joeneal@uark.edu)
Sent: Mon 12/29/08 8:52 AM

Please mark your 2009 calendar for a field trip with the newly
reflegged Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society, Saturday January 10,
2009. Meet at the entrance to Chesney Prairie Natural Area (directions
below)starting at 10 AM. The relatively late start is to accommodate
travel and let things warm up a bit. Chesney is a fine place to see a
variety of grassland and open country birds typical of northwestern
Arkansas at mid-winter. Please share this announcement with anyone who
might be interested. Joe Woolbright has mowed good paths and folks can
walk as much or as little as they like among spectacular native
tallgrasses. There is plenty of good car birding with a good view of
the old Lindsley Prairie in the immediate area, too, if walking isn't
a good option. For more information, Joe Neal 479 521 1858, or email,
or Joe Woolbright 479 427 4277.

Location of CPNA: Benton County, near Siloam Springs, AR. How to get
there: From Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, take highway 412 W to near
Siloam Springs city limits. At the intersection of 412 & 59, turn N
onto 59. You pass the Siloam Springs airport. Approximately 1 mile
past the airport, note an intersection: the road W is ?Chesney;? road
E is ?Bill Young.? Take Bill Young Road E approximately 0.8 miles. At
this point there is a gravel farm road going N. Go approximately 0.5
miles N on this road to the dead end at chicken houses and the
entrance sign to CPNA.



JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "Nature is already as good
as it possibly can be. He who seeks to improve it will spoil it. He
who tries to direct it will mislead it and become lost himself." --
Chinese philosopher about 2,500 years ago

Cedar waxwing eats berry of nonnative privit on December 28, 2008, on World Peace Wetland Prairie

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of cedar waxwing with privit berry on WPWP on December 28, 2008.

Cedar waxwings on December 28, 2008, at World Peace Wetland Prairie eat berries of privet and China honeysuckle

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of cedar waxwing with face shaded. One must scroll left and right and up and down to find bird closeup in enlarged image. Please be patient.

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of cedar waxwing with berry of nonnative privet bush in its bill on December 28, 2008.

Please click on image to see why this bird is called a cedar waxwing.

Cerulean warbler nesting area adds 80-acre protected zone

Bird’s Breeding Grounds Protected In Ozarks

By The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — The fastest disappearing member of the warbler family is getting a break in Missouri.

The number of the small, sky-blue bird — the cerulean warbler — has been declining over the past four decades. But the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports it is getting a boost through the acquisition of an 80-acre plot of prime breeding ground for the warblers in the Ozarks.

The acreage is bordered on three sides by state and federal forest land, and the fourth side belongs to a conservation-minded private owner.

The 80 acres plugs the doughnut hole that, if cleared, would have allowed the intrusion of cowbirds and other predators that threaten many breeding warblers.

The American Bird Conservancy says securing the tract and keeping it from being cleared and developed will enhance the reproductive success of pairs breeding within a mile around the site.

Please click on image to ENLARGE.

Joan Reynolds recaps December 17, 2008, meeting of the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society

Here's a recap of the NWAAS meeting Dec. 17, 2008: The following
persons were elected officers for the upcoming year 2009:

Doug James, President djames@uark.edu
Joanie Patterson, Vice President joanie.patterson@yahoo.com
Ann Paillet, Treasurer fredp@cox.net
Stephanie Cribbs, Secretary stephanie cribbs@live.com

The following persons volunteered for various positions as set forth
below, to be nominated and confirmed at the first board meeting of
January, 2009:

Scott Michaud Director/Writing/Publications mazhude@yahoo.com
Fred Paillet Director fredp@cox.net
Sarah Whittenberg Director sara_ress@hotmail.com
Brandon Schmidt Director/Website brandonschmidt2@gmail.com
Kris Bolin Director kabolin21@tntech.edu
Aubrey Shepherd Director, Website/Photography
aubreyshepherd@hotmail.com
Joe Neal Director, Field Trips joeneal@uark.edu
Leigh Helm Director leigh7h@aol.com


Thank you all so much for attending the meeting and keeping NWAAS
going! Let me know if you have any questions.

Joan Reynolds

Dr. Doug James accepts presidency of Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Doug James on December 17, 2008.

Neal announces first Audubon field trip for 2009 series to be held on December 28, 2008!

Everyone is welcome to join the newly reorganized Northwest Arkansas
Audubon Society on a field trip to the Eagle Watch Nature Area, just
west of Gentry in Benton County. Sunday, December 28, 2008. Meet at
the parking area just off highway 12, at 9 AM. I will post directions
below. It can be a birdy place, and not just Bald Eagles. After, some
may want to "retire" to a locale a few miles away, for Great-tailed
Grackles, etc.

DIRECTIONS AND OTHER INFO: Notice Highway 59 on your Arkansas highway
map. Gentry is at the intersection of 59 and Highway 12. From this
intersection, travel W on 12 for approx. two miles. The Eagle Watch
Nature Area is approx. 1 mile W of the city limits on the S side of
the highway. Look for the parking lot on the highway?s S side,
immediately E of the highway bridge spanning Little Flint Creek. There
is an information sign in the parking area.
The approx. 1,500 acres of EWNA are part the 500-acre SWEPCO Lake,
constructed to provide cooling water for the coal-fired plant
generating electricity for NW Arkansas. During winter, temperatures in
the lake average in the low 70s. This warm water is presumably the
source of some interesting bird records. The parking lot is the
starting point for a trail that is 0.5 miles long (1 mile round trip).
The trail is well-marked, generally level, and easily walked because
of a thick bed of mulch. The first 0.3 miles include open fields and
the Little Flint Creek bottoms. There is a farm to the E, and a
forested ridge to the W. The final 0.2 miles includes an optional
steeper path into typical Ozark woodland. The trail ends at an
attractive pavilion that provides tables, an appealing overlook of
part of the lake and forested ridges, and information about the flora
and fauna of EWNA.


JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "I have great faith in a
seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to
expect wonders." -- HD Thoreau

Audubon Arkansas

Please click on image to ENLARGE.

Rumor that Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society was dying put to rest

About half the seats in the Pat and Willard Walker meeting room at the Fayetteville Public Library filled with enthusiastic Audubon supporters Wednesday night. New officers were elected and volunteer board members signed on. Joe Neal offered a slate of outings for 2009, starting on December 28, 2008.
Neal hikes and watches birds and leads organized birding events regularly.
We'll provide updates regularly.
The "new" president is Professor Doug James, who was the adviser/leader of the Northwest Arkansas Audubon chapter when it was mostly made up of graduate students from his biology classes decades ago!
A special treat was that Michelle Viney, the Northwest Arkansas coordinator for Audubon Arkansas, attended and offered a new level of cooperation of the local and state chapter and national Audubon.
And, most important, some of the most significant young conservationists in Northwest Arkansas participated.