Post by swampfox on Jun 30, 2013 13:54:35 GMT -6
At approximately 7:30 a.m., I located and subsequently photographed a juvenile Cave Swallow mixed in with several hundred swallows gathered on the power/telephone lines adjacent to First Old River, an ox-box lake of the Red River, in eastern Miller County. Although surrounded by private farmland, much of First Old River is accessible to the public. The entrance where the boat ramp is located is probably within 1/2 mile of the intersection of AR Hwy 296 and, what in Google Earth anyway, appears to be Miller County 379. Cave Swallows are still technically a rarity in Arkansas but records seem to be increasing annually now. Oddly enough, as delighted as I was to find this Cave Swallow, I found but, sadly couldn't photograph, an even more interesting swallow. 99%+ of the swallows gathered this morning at First Old River were Northern Rough-winged-one of which was melanistic. It was dark sooty-brown in the areas where it should've been sandy brown. I was greatly disappointed not to be able to photograph this striking swallow.
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