Arkansas.com Escape to Arkansas

My photography of Arkansas

Today I am going to share a few of my best photos taken in Arkansas. I also have a new video on youtube (my Brother created it for me) that I am using to promote my work. We all have goals and dreams that we strive to reach or achieve. Becoming a professional nature photographer would be my dream come true. I crave to see every corner of my home State - ARKANSAS! To be able to share every flower, mountain view, waterfall, bird.... From the flatlands, delta, foothills to the Ouachita Mountains. I want to show why we are called the "Natural State". Starting with our residents, what we do for fun and relaxation. The festivals, carnivals, fairs, events...that are uniquely themed for our area. How we live, what we see, where we go to get away, and when would be the best time to visit & experience Arkansas.

"After the flood"  Yell County

Spring fed waterfall located in the foothills of Mt. Nebo

View from Mather Lodge on Petit Jean Mt.

Little Rock's River Market area

Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs

Fishing on the Fourche LaFave River in Perry County

Junction Bridge & view of North Little Rock from the Riverwalk

Picnicking under our State Tree the Pine

Every area of our State offers many things to do & see. I would love the opportunity to share it all with you.
Watch my video on youtube  :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuuRR0xAFLU  
Want to see more?  Please leave a comment. Like what you see? Please share it.
All photographs are for sale, contact me via E-Mail at bvanmeter59@gmail.com
Thank You so much! I appreciate all your support, comments, and feedback.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuuRR0xAFLU

No bird photos in this one. I am sharing a variety of photos with you today. This weekend I got to witness the last stage of the Mayflies life. They were everywhere. I also have some landscape photos too. Hope you all enjoy them.

Remmel Dam in Jones Mill. This is the Ouachita River side.

Root system of a tree along the Ouachita River.

Sun rising on the Ouachita River.

The sun is shining on Remmel Dam. A very popular fishing site.

Walking along the river you can find many wild flowers and creatures lurking within.

A creatures home?

We live in the Ouachita Mountains in the foothills.
A lot of wide open spaces.

The mornings sunlight catches our State Tree "The Pine"
standing proud and noble.

My cat "Hazel". She just turned 8 years old this past month.
She wanted in on the action too!

Front entrance of "The College of the Ouachitas".
It is located in Malvern.

This past weekend I was witness to the last stage of the Mayflies moulting.
It is the only winged insect that under goes this stage with wings.
It makes them very unique. Few species live in lakes.
This was taken at Cox Creek Lake.
There were 100's of them.

Cox Creek Lake is all riled up because a storm is brewing.

All is calm after the storms at sunset.

The next morning we had a little fog and a mirror-like lake.
Hope you enjoyed my photos. Watch for my next post.
Never know what may be on here, where I may go next or
what will catch my eye and lens. Til then.....
Have a wonderful week !!!

This is my second attempt this morning to post from here. Can't say I am happy about it. I was almost finished and it just quit on me. So, I will try once again as I am no quitter, but it will not be as long as I planned or contain all the information that the first had. Sorry, sometimes these sites give you a major surprise and extra pain.... So,sharing the last of my bird photos with you. Next time I will share something different.

A common Grackle

American Robin

A Great Blue Heron

Eastern Bluebird

Mourning Dove

Duck

Great Egret

Indigo Bunting

Male Purple Martin

Juvenile Purple Martin

Blue Jay after his bath in the lake.

Male and Female House Finches

Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher

Female House Finch and this may be her baby.
Notice the smile of achievement!

Carolina Wren

Male Cowbird. He didn't let the rain or the wind that was swinging the feeder stop him from eating.

Red-winged Blackbird

Mr. & Mrs. Geese and their goslings going out for their morning swim
to teach the children to upend and find food.

These white ducks came tearing across
 the water at us in the canoe
. They went to the shore to have a little meeting.
The whole time they never broke formation.

Tufted Titmouse. Very curious of humans.
 These have hung on my windows looking in and watching me.

A Carolina Chickadee or a Black-capped or maybe a hybrid. They all look the same.
How you can tell them apart is by their songs.
A Carolina has a 4 note song, Black-capped a 2 note song & Hybrids have a 3 note song.
They can't even tell who is what. That is why there are Hybrids.

Carolina Wren

Juvenile Red Cardinal. The adult male has a black mask, the female a grey one.
 Named for the Catholic Cardinals who wear red.

Mississippi Kites- Male and Female out hunting!

Juvenile Tufted Titmouse fluttering its wings at mama.

Chickadee has come to visit me.

Just a few bird facts before I go today. The Common Grackle can Imitate Human Speech better than a parrot.
The American Robin assembles in large flocks at night, are the first to lay eggs in the Spring
 and are one of the first birds singing in the morning.

The Great Blue Heron nests in colonies of up to 500 with the average being 160. It is the largest Heron in North America.
The Eastern Bluebird will raise 2 broods a year and often the first brood will stick around to help with the second brood.
The Mourning Dove also known as the Turtle Dove is a game bird.
 20 million are shot every year for their meat and sport.
If you crush a feather from a Blue Jay it will lose its color because its coloration doesn't come from pigment.
Carolina Chickadees do not migrate and withstand extremely cold Winters
 because they go into a self-induced hypothermia called Torpor.
They are awake but unresponsive and should not be disturbed during the state of torpor as they could die.
The Mississippi Kite is not an endangered species, but is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
This protects the bird, eggs and nest- occupied or not from being moved or tampered with without a permit.
NEVER sneak up on a Turkey! They can have a heart attack out of fright.
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards and sideways.
An Eagles talon has the same force as a rifles bullet.
A Hawk can spot a mouse from 1 mile.
Green Herons use bait (insects, berries...) dropped on the waters surface to attract fish.
Mallard Ducks travel at a speed of 65 MPH.
Storks lack a Syrinx(sound producing organ) and are mute.
I hope you feel as I do. I will never look at the birds in the same way.
No longer will they be just visitors at my feeders blessing me with their songs.
They are amazing little creatures who have all the skills, traits, and instincts to survive in our ever changing world.

Hope you are all having a pleasant Sunday afternoon and evening. Decided to post this now, instead of tomorrow.High humidity has forced me indoors. Below is 25 more bird photos taken in Arkansas by me. I will also be including a few links to sites so you can identify birds and birding locations.....

This is a female House Finch. The male is almost the same as a Purple Finch,
 except the House Finch has brown marks on its sides.

A male American Goldfinch

Female European Starling

Male European Starling

At first I thought this may be a red-tailed Hawk.
 If you look closely it has a black line on its cheek under its eye.
I now believe this to be a Osprey.

This is a Dark-eyed Junco. It hung around all of March and I have not seen one since.

American Robin

Baltimore Oriole feeding on the ground under the feeder.

Arkansas State Bird- Northern Mockingbird

Hermit Thrush

Northern Mockingbird

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Eastern Towhee

American Crow- A normal visitor at any campsite.
This is why you don't leave food unattended on your picnic table.

Male and Female Canada Geese and their goslings

Baird's Sandpiper

Eastern Bluebird

Male Cowbird

Male House Finch- notice the brown markings on his sides?
 That's what makes it different from a Purple Finch.

The Common Grackle is like a blackbird except it has yellow eyes.

Northern Mockingbird

Male Indigo Bunting

Female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Yellow_Bellied Sapsucker- A type of Woodpecker. This was attracted to an orange half.

 Every State has a state bird, Arkansans named the Mockingbird their state bird in 1929. We are home to more than 400 species of birds, including the endangered Red-cocked woodpecker. Birding has become a very popular hobby. Some have a list of the birds they have seen or heard. The songs of birds can be very deceiving though as many birds are capable mimicking. Just this morning I watched as 4 or 5 crows landed on top of a neighbors home. I was surprised to hear them make giggling sounds, the songs of cowbirds (which sound like water drops) and of all things Turkey noises. So, always spot a bird to identify it or you may be mistaken. Here are those links so that you can identify all those birds you see: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ ,  http://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx , http://arbirds.org/aas_dbase.html .  Happy Birding!