Month: January 2024

A Golden Eagle

January 31, 2024

It took about a decade but I finally saw my first Golden Eagle.

While Golden Eagles are spotted in Arkansas every year, these sightings are not plentiful and the eagle is typically long gone by the time another birder arrives to get a look. They are more common out west.

That is until this winter. A Golden Eagle has been hanging around Atkins Bottoms with regular sightings since January 1. After a local shared a great photo of the eagle on Facebook, a friend and I decided to make today our day to see a Golden Eagle.

Arriving early morning, we finally caught up to our Golden Eagle as it was lazily soaring high above fields and stirring up a great flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. We watched it for a good 10 minutes before it finally disappeared from sight.

The Golden Eagle, which has gold feathers on the back of its head and neck, is the largest raptor in North America. It looks similar to a juvenile Bald Eagle so you have to look closely for those gold feathers as well as study the amount of white on the wings. Golden Eagles have less white on the wings than juvenile Bald Eagles.

Cackling Geese

January 18, 2024

While I saw my first Cackling Goose several years ago, I didn’t actually have a photo of one – that is until today. There were six Cackling Geese mixed in with Canada Geese at Beaverfork Lake in Conway, Ark. Cackling Geese are similar to Canada Geese, but are half the size with a shorter neck, small bill and a steep forehead.

Cackling Geese breed in subarctic and arctic habitats in Canada and Alaska, and can be found in Arkansas during the winter months. But, they are still considered rare in the state. Not many have been spotted over the past few years. The six spotted today actually brought out several birders from Central Arkansas enticed also by reports of Common Mergansers and a Red-necked Grebe being found at the lake. Of the three reported rare birds, I only lacked photos of the Cackling Geese.