Mulberry area winter activities include ‘birding’

story by Connie Las Schneider

Outdoor activities in the Mulberry River area get quieter during late fall and winter. Music festivals are over, motorcycles and boats are put away and the loudest sounds become the gun shots of hunters or the occasional whir of ATV motors.

In the cities, holiday lights displays become the main attraction.

This quiet season is also the best time for “birding” in the Mulberry River area. According to Ornithologist Dan Scheiman, bird conservation director with Audubon Arkansas, bird watching is the second most popular outdoor hobby after gardening.

“More people watch birds in the U.S. than hunters and anglers combined,” said Scheiman.

Eagle watching is especially popular during in late fall and winter because the birds are easier to spot once the leaves are gone, Scheiman explained. He said when the breeding season ends the eagles are no longer territorial and are more likely to roost together near water.

Karen Rowe, bird biologist for the Arkansas Department of Game and Fish, said there are two key clues to bird watching; habitat and timing.

“If you know what the birds prefer to eat, you’ll know where to look. Eagles like to eat fish, so you’ll see them along water ways. Find a dominant tree on the water’s edge that is taller and wider than the rest with fewer branches, and if you are patient, you’ll probably see them,” Rowe said.

Compared to song birds, which are active at first light and best spotted the hour after sunrise and a few hours before dusk, eagles are not early risers.

“The best time to view eagles is usually between 10 a.m. and noon and then again in the late afternoon because eagles like to wait for the earth to warm up and (air) thermals to develop,” Rowe said.

While eagles are the national symbol of the United States, eagles are known in the birding community as being “a little lazy and will even steal the prey from other eagles or Osprey, a fish-eating hawk,” Rowe said.

For first time birders, Rowe suggests getting a field guide and look for distinguishing characteristics like coloration around eyes, wings and along the tail. The shape and size of the beak will also tell you what the birds like to eat and thus, where to look, she added.

Patience is also a virtue for successful birders.

“Some of the best birders are also hunters because they know how to sit still, watch and wait,” Rowe said.

OTHER MULBERRY RIVER AREA EVENTS
• Ducks Unlimited
An active fundraiser for the Frog Bayou Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and other fowl-friendly projects, the Ozark area chapter of Ducks Unlimited is having their annual fund-raising banquet. The event begins at 6 p.m., Nov. 5, at St. Mary’s Lawrence Hall in Altus. The event includes a “green wing duck calling contest,” live and silent auctions and a raffle. Contact Buffalo Leding for more information at (479) 970-9744.

• Holiday Trail of Lights
Nov. 18-19, Ozark hosts “Purple Friday” weekend — the weekend before Black Friday. The North Franklin County Courthouse will be decorated with white lights for the holidays and there will be a free portable ice skating rink and giant snow globe for family photos. Merchants that will be open will display purple ribbons on their doors.

Ozark businesses also will have a Fall Open House on Nov. 6. Their Christmas open house is on Dec. 4. The annual Christmas parade is Dec. 10. Call (479) 667-2525 for more info.

Altus also has a popular Christmas lighting display and activities in their City Park, as does downtown Paris. For more info on the Trail of Holiday Lights in the region, visit this page of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism website.