The Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society will host a field trip to Cave Mountain and the upper Buffalo River in Newton County Sunday, June 4 at 9:00 AM. Birding and botanizing go hand-in-hand on this field trip, but our most sought-after prize will be the fabulous Cerulean Warbler that breeds on these slopes. Other local specialties include Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, American Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, and Wood Thrush.
We’ll meet at 9:00 AM at the Boxley Bridge (GPS: 35.961136, -93.404506) where Cave Mountain Rd. (Co Rd 5) splits off of HWY 21. We will make our way up Cave Mountain, then head north on HWY 21 towards Ponca ending around noon. The trip will consist mostly of driving to different stops with modest walking and no extensive hiking. We’ll be driving up some steep narrow dirt roads and parking along the shoulder in some areas – we encourage carpooling to limit the number of cars in our group. All ages and experience levels are welcome. You do not need to be an NWAAS member to attend.
Learn more about birding around the Upper Buffalo on the NWAAS website’s Places to Bird page.
Cave Mountain is south of Boxley, AR on HWY 21. Using the intersection of Arkansas 43 & 21 as reference: Boxley Baptist Church is 0.5 miles south of the intersection. Our meeting point adjacent the bridge over the Buffalo is 1.2 miles south of 21 and 43 (GPS: 35.961136, -93.404506). If you are moderately late, head up Cave Mountain Road (Newton County Road 5) to find us. If you are fashionably late, you may find us along 21 somewhere between Cave Mountain Road and the Ponca store (snacks).