Welcome to the Hartley Wildlife Sanctuary

Adventures in Arkansas Blog Series: Post #2

On the second anniversary of my sister’s translocation from California to Fairfield Bay, Greers Ferry Lake Arkansas, I finally set foot in “The Natural State” to pay her and the rest of the family a long-overdue visit. When it comes to its avian life, Arkansas is a state with a rich and diversified natural heritage. The state’s location in the south-central United States, along with its varied habitats, such as forests, fields, wetlands, and mountains, make it a hotspot for birdwatching and conservation.

Adventures in Arkansas is a Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain

Anxious to experience what I expected to be a wonderful morning getting aquainted with Jan and Gary’s beautiful homestead, I was up before the crack of dawn. My sister fixed me a Cup o’ Joe and we sat on the balcony waiting for the dawn chorus to begin. Taking advantage of the cloudless night sky, I managed a shot of the starry, starry night with my iPhone 13 Pro Max (click on the image to see it full screen).

Jan and Gary Hartley have lived in Fairfield Bay at Greers Ferry Lake for two years. The first bird to join the dawn chorus was a “cawing” American Crow, joined shortly after by Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. The “Hartley Wildlife Sanctuary” has stunning, wide-open views towards Greer’s Ferry Lake with giant Post Oaks and spruce trees along the sides and a hummingbird feeder and a seed feeder at the edge of the deck.

The Morning Species Count 9/17/2023

The two hours spent listening, watching and photographing birds on the deck was nothing short of spectacular! While I did not see any new “lifer bird species”, I did add “lifer photographs” of a bird species (Carolina Chickadee) I had seen before, but never photographed. In addition, I replaced a few horrible species photos of a few birds with some much better images.