From the perspective of those interested in birds, one of the gifts of living in northwest Arkansas is contained in that word “West.” We are not in the Great American West, exactly, but neither are we in the true East. Speaking biologically, we are at a crossroads.…
By Joe Neal Spring is already here, bird-wise. I had my first Fish Crow on February 15. It flew over giving it’s soft — and to my ear southern-accented – AH-AH. We have two crow species here: American Crow, present all year, and Fish Crow that heads south for the…
During my birding peregrinations I recently came across a pink flamingo standing in a yard. It had been through our snow and ice. At one point it exhibited a pretty good pile of white on its back. I first looked it over with my binoculars, then with my spotting scope.…
By Joe Neal I receive regular mailings from private organizations and government agencies with lists of rare birds, rare mammals, rare butterflies, rare snails, etc. They are long, fine print columns with common names, Latin binomials, places where the few remaining creatures are still found. These lists contain hundreds and…
By Joe Neal Robins have so completely occupied northwest Arkansas that we need to change our name to Robinville. Counting robins in cedar and honey suckle thickets, all across the trees and bushes of farms, neighborhoods and parks – I guess it would be like counting stars in the universe.…
By Joe Neal I was out at Lake Fayetteville last week. I saw coots and a few grebes, and heard Canada Geese that I couldn’t. Wind-wise it was calm, and for our endlessly busy northwest Arkansas. I heard YA HONK YA HONK, punctuated by a deep, booming, resonating base: basso…
By Joseph C. Neal Frog – that’s what we are calling a relatively new (since 2005) Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Wildlife Management Area. It’s actually Frog Bayou and located right along the Arkansas River east of Van Buren. It’s an easy drive down 540. Frog has been created in…
