Bona Dea Update

Bona Dea was cloudy and cold today. This was a day for the blackbirds, flycatchers and nuthatches. On Parkway Hwy by Lake Dardanelle across from Bona Dea there were 3 Double-crested Cormorants on the old snag and some Pied-billed Grebe ducks swimming around. Also some Gulls flying about. On Swinging Bridge Trail there were the usual Acadian Flycatchers in the trees being pretty active catching insects. I did not see any ducks around but heard them on Black Water Swamp. Also saw the Tufted Titmouse birds mixing with the flycatchers. But one of the unusual things seen today was a Eastern Phoebe Flycatcher. I have seen this bird many times on this Trail and around Goose Pond to the east of the trail over the years but did not pay much attention to it. It is a greenish gray bird with a long tail and twitches its tail all the time. It flew from the trail away from me to a bush in Goose Pond. See photo. Carolina Chickadees were chirping away by the spillway. No basking turtles today as it was not sunny or warm. No snakes have appeared so far this year. They have not been plentiful the last few years probably due to the area flooding so much and they might have not survived their hybernation. I then drove over to the eastern parking area and went on Old Shorty Trail. There I saw another unusual sight eventhough I have seen them before. It was a Brown Creeper Nuthatch. These are brown very small birds that travel very fast over the tree trunks looking for insects. See photo. They have a white breast but usually cling so close to the trees that you miss the white breast. But I did see a very bright breasted bird doing the same thing on the tree trunks and this must be the White-breasted Nuthatch that I have seen in the same area earlier this year. At the far east end of the part on Old Shorty Trail were hundreds of Eastern Starling blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackle blackbirds. Mixed in with these were American Crows. Don't know why they were just in this area. Acadian Flycatchers were in that area too and I saw 2 Gray Squirrels playing in the trees amongst the blackbirds. Male Northern Cardinals were on the ground around the picnick tables. Robins were there too.