Bona Dea Update

The last 2 days has produced about one half inch of much needed rain. The creeks and ponds at Bona Dea are really low. The nights have turned much cooler and the vegetation has started to lose its leaves and has stopped growing. Also the ducks and geese have began to move back in. On Prairie Creek just a few yards north of the Big Bridge on Serendipity Trail there is a flock of Mallard Ducks that just keep moving or swimming in the water chasing each other as they usually do. Only a few feet from them is a flock of Wood Ducks. They keep separated and watch each other. You cannot see these flocks unless you leave the trail and walk down thru the bottom-land and woods and sneak up on them before they fly. Today, I was walking, without camera, and close to the West entrance to the park, I saw a unusual and pretty sight. There were a couple of oak trees next to each other and in the tops were several gray squirrels cutting acorns, the hulls would fall to the ground and through the limbs and leaves making a noise and then several Acadian Flycatcher birds were darting about the lower limps trying to catch food and then on the trunks closer to the ground there were White-breasted Nuthatch birds gleaning the bark for insects. I stayed there and watched for several minutes. All kinds of wildlife in that one spot. Also flocks of Eastern Phobie birds were about. They have long slender tails and constantly flip them up and down. Flocks of American Crows were flying around and the Cormorants were back in Lake Dardanelle on the snags spreading their wings wide open. Just like last year. Also the Grebe very small brown ducks were in the water closeby. Today I also saw a Night Heron wading bird standing in Prairie Creek by the big bridge and just staring down at the water for as long as I was there trying to hypnotize a fish for supper. Have been continuing to feed the fish every few days. But the many many Turkey Vultures have not returned to the area as yet. Yesterday I saw a white tailed deer standing motionless at the edge of Prairie Creek not far from the spillway. He was waiting for me to move first. I did and then he did. A few days ago at a boat launching ramp close to the park on Lake Dardanelle I happened to notice some very pretty and to me unusual type of daisy flowers that were still blooming in this colder weather. I took these photos of a Lobed Tickseed wildflower..