Arkansas’ mild climate and variety of habitats makes it a well-known destination to watch birds.
“Birding is a simple activity that anyone can do,” said Shea Lewis, a regional supervisor at Arkansas State Parks. “Basically, you can start at home with the basic bird feeder. A lot of folks are backyard birders, and they keep a feeder up and just kind of keep a list of what they see in their backyard.”
Lewis has been a birder for around 20 years and started the activity as a seasonal interpreter at Millwood State Park in the southeast corner of the state. He realized the park was alive with birds, and he didn’t know what they were. Before too long he met friends who were birders.
He has about 500 birds on his list.
“Arkansas’s position in the mid-South means we have a blend of birds characteristic of the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Midwest making for a diverse avifauna,” added Dan Scheiman, bird conservation director at Audubon Arkansas.
“Arkansas also has a tremendous population of wintering waterfowl that both birders and hunters enjoy,” he said.
Lewis said Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area in Benton County and the lake at Lake Dardanelle State Park near Russellville are prime birding areas.
Lewis said his favorite birding memory varies from season to season.
“This time of year is peak shorebird migration and so depending on where you are at in the state, there are great birding spots for every time of year,” he said.
The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, in a partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, has also produced a birding and watchable wildlife brochure that includes information on different species of birds in the state, viewing locations and tips for bird watching trips.
For more information on birding in the state visit arkansas.com/birding/ or Arkansas Audubon Society’s website at arbirds.org.