Tonight’s moon had a gorgeous ring around it, separating it from the bright stars surrounding it. According to the local TV station, the moon ring is also called a “winter halo” and “is usually caused by ice crystals that form high in the upper atmosphere.”
We took full advantage of one of the final days of fall weather with a kayak trip on Lake Ouachita. We paddled to one of the many small islands and set up camp. We swam, ate lunch and generally enjoyed the good weather. In the spring or summer, I wouldn’t mind going back and spending the night. They even have a grill on the island for us to use. Not bad.
In August, I completed my first Bird Island sunset tour at Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs. I was in awe. There were literally hundreds of Purple Martins coming in to roost for the night.
Bird Island, designated an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society, is Arkansas’ largest known pre-migratory Purple Martin roost. It is 1,260 feet long and about 100 feet at its widest point. According to Audubon Arkansas, an estimated 8,000-50,000 birds use the area between late July and early August.
Lake Ouachita State Park now offers Purple Martin boat tours, which has the boats circling the tiny island at sunset so viewers can watch the Purple Martins and other birds come in to roost.
For my visit, one part of the island housed egrets and other larger birds, such as Little Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets and Great Egrets. The Purple Martins filled the trees and the skies covering the rest of the island. It was a nice way to end the evening — watching the birds glide across the water towards the island with a beautiful sky behind them.
I traveled to Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge earlier today to see how it looks in the fall before ending up at a nearby park’s swimming hole. Here’s some photos.
It’s been forever since my family did a mini-vacation together so we finally decided to go wild and take a Saturday trip to Blanchard Springs in the Ozark National Forest.
Its been at least 10 years since we visited the Blanchard Springs caverns. The caverns formed when rainwater soaked into the ground for millions of years, going through cracks in the limestone bedrock to dissolve the stone and slowly widen the cracks. The water remained underground until surface erosion carved valleys allowing the water to escape.
For our day trip, we took the Dripstone Trail before heading outside to explore the base of the Blanchard Springs mountain. Finally we headed to Batesville to eat dinner at Josie’s. The restaurant is next to the White River Hydroelectric Project Lock and Dam No. 1, which is really low right now meaning. The low water didn’t dull the evening though — we got to see a gorgeous sunset while watching goofy people get stuck in the sand. 🙂
Here’s some pictures from our trip (minus the stuck trucks.)
July 17: July’s Photo A Day Challenge – Tools
It’s the little things that help the most sometimes when you are having a bad day. For me, there are two tools that always help brighten my day – some perfume I got from Hawaii and my favorite every day earrings.
July 16: July’s Photo A Day Challenge – Transparent
It’s been a rainy weekend so I’m glad our newspaper was actually bagged and tagged closed, which unfortunately is not always the case. The above is not the newspaper that I work for but a state-wide one.
Rediscovering Arkansas with a few detours.
We preserve, conserve, and study the native plants of Arkansas
Our Nicaraguan Journey
Rediscovering Arkansas with a few detours.
Think left & think right & think low & think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" -Dr. Seuss
I previously worked as a news and sports photographer. Recently I have been enjoying wildlife photography. My approach toward bird photos is similar to sports photography. I attempt to capture mostly action and hopefully a unique perspective.
Urbanites in the woods, doing all our own stunts.
WILD IN FLORIDA: Exploring and Photographing Florida's Threatened Ecosystems, Wildlife, and More
by Jo Woolf
Rediscovering Arkansas with a few detours.
Rediscovering Arkansas with a few detours.
Rediscovering Arkansas with a few detours.
Memos for Me 