We were thrilled to host our central Arkansas grandkids Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Tuesday morning. We played pickleball, made lemony blueberry muffins, practiced basketball, and hung out—one of our best visits ever! And now, they are at an age where they pretty much do their own thing and don’t require or necessarily want constant supervised entertainment. Birds continue to enjoy early spring in west central Arkansas. 

Monday morning, before the kiddos were “up and around”, I photographed a few birds actively feeding in trees near our deck. This Northern Cardinal played hard to get, but finally posed long enough for a photo.

Several Yellow-rumped Warblers were flitting among the dense tree limbs.

And then, this Red-bellied Woodpecker, never coming close in, paused long enough in a distant tree to be photographed.

After playing in the pickleball ladder early afternoon on Wednesday, this Tufted Titmouse was photographed in the back yard. 

A few more birds were “shot” Thursday morning before golf in the afternoon. Speaking of golf, the front nine was terrible, but a 41 on the back nine more than made up for it. The greens at Ponce de Leon golf course were lightening fast!

Back to photographing birds. This American Crow would come no closer to a tall tree on an adjacent property some 50 yards away.

This Carolina Wren, whose song is one of the most beautiful in my opinion, was caught singing it’s heart out—possible for a potential mate.

And then, a surprise visitor to our backyard, an Eastern Phoebe, was spotted in a tree some 30 yards away. This is the first time an Eastern Phoebe has been observed one our lot.