Ozark Mountains-view from cabin

The Ozark Mountains in Arkansas are simply beautiful. I spent four days in a cabin on a mountain, enjoying the outdoors and some new scenery. I saw new birds, butterflies, turtles and even a new species of squirrel. A dramatic thunderstorm and delightfully cool weather moved through one morning as well. I have pictures of everything, and this is the first of 2 (probably) posts sharing the scenes  from the Ozarks. Enjoy!

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

This is the first time I have ever seen a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) with my own eyes! Woohoo! I am surprised I had the composure to get a few photographs.

The Birds of America, John James Audubon © 1937 The Macmillan Company

James Audubon illustrated the Pileated Woodpecker along with the similar-looking but possibly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis). Since Audubon’s time, the scientific name for the Pileated Woodpecker has changed from Ceophloeus pileatus to Dryocopus pileatus, and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has gone from rare to Critically Endangered, according to the IUCN. Cornell sponsored a team to search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the US, and maintains a website dedicated to news of their ongoing efforts and general Ivory-billed news.

The bird that ruled the forest surrounding my cabin was an Indigo Bunting, I think. The whole time I watched it, listened to it, and photographed it, I thought it was a different (than Eastern) kind of bluebird. Here’s a picture – I would love to know what anyone else thinks:

Indigo Bunting?? (Passerina cyanea)

View from the back

Now I’m wondering if this bird could possibly be a Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)?

This cheerful little bird sang and sang and sang. He loved this particular perch, which was fine by me! I put together a little animated GIF file – these will have to do until I get a decent video camera:

Bunting? Grosbeak? Singing!

~

I had not thought about the role that my mountain-side elevation would play in my birdwatching. I soon realized that I had an eye-level view of hawks, vultures, and crows, soaring above the tops of trees that were just down the mountain from my porch chair. It was hard to get pictures of their graceful flight between the vertical frame of the trees, but I managed to get at least one that will give you the idea:

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)-soaring at eye-level

Is that cool, or what?!!

This is a good place to leave off, and it looks like it might be a total of 3 posts on the Ozarks after all.

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