Bona Dea Update

Bona Dea was very cloudy today, Thursday. It had rained about an inch in the past 2 days. We needed it and a whole lot more. I had a visitor with me at the park today from out of town. He was a former co-worker and he is a friend that wanted to bring his camera and take some photos. We walked on most of Serendipity Trail and on Swinging Bridge Trail and did some exploring in the bluffs on the west side. So Paul Ray gets the credit for the photos on this post. We went to where the Alligator usually plays around. Of course it is in its winter sleep format by now. While at the bluffs and going down the steep stairs, he took this water pond photo of Black Water Swamp. It had several ducks in it. It is very run over with lily pads and other vegetation. Also a Great Blue Heron wading bird was there and we actually saw a few more all over the park. Coming into the park after parking, he took these 2 photos of the two separate park signs. The Mallard Ducks photo was taken up stream from the Big Bridge on Prairie Creek. The photo showing all the leaves shows a small White-throated Sparrow bird right in the middle of the photo. There were a lot of birds out today. Some nuthatches, Pileated Wookpeckers, Cardinals, Crows, Cormorants on their on snag on Lake Dardanelle, Carolina Chickadees. Some really small birds that looked like Acadian Flycatchers or something similar birds. Gray Squirrels were all over the place. I had hoped to see a deer but no luck on this trip. Also some very small brown Grebie Ducks out close to the Cormorants. But from both ends of Prairie Creek straight through the park, the Mallard and Blue Teal ducks were all over. Did not see any Wood Ducks. That was odd. But they won't mix with the Mallards to well if they don't have some room. The Bird and Duck populations are starting to look like they did this time last year. But the water levels are really low. Never have seen them that low and Bull Frog Pond is completely dry or was before this last rain. The authorities have completed cleaning out the pumping station debris that accumulates from the drainage from the City of Russellville and backs up at the pumping station screens. We had a good visit and will do it together again pretty soon.