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).
When the weather is bad for humans, it’s usually bad for birds too. We’ll cancel the trip at least 12 hours in advance if the weather is forecasted to be dangerous or unsuitable for birding. Field trip cancellations will be emailed to the NWAAS field trip list (email [email protected] to be added to this list). We’ll also try to post wherever else we can in a timely manner (Facebook, etc.)
Contact info for questions about the trip.
All Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society field trips are free and open to the public. We always welcome new members, but membership in NWAAS is not required for participation. We try to make our field trips accessible to everyone, all ages, abilities, interests. Beginning birders are always welcome. We have field trips on Saturdays and Sundays to accommodate different schedules. We try to arrange carpools where possible.
If you plan on attending a field trip, please RSVP to [email protected]. This helps us plan for attendance, communicate to participants last-minute, and manage attendance for trips with limited capacity.
For maps and more information about these places, check the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society web site http://www.nwarkaudubon.org/ and the section “Places to bird in northwest Arkansas” (under Menu on upper left side of the home page).
If you are interested in being added to the NWAAS email list for updates on field trips and other society events, please send a message to: [email protected]. Some of the information on the trips below can change, so additional details & updates about trips are sent via the email prior to the announced date -- check the NWAAS Facebook page for the latest.
SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS! Our field trips are open to everyone. We try to warn about any special dangers that might be encountered, but neither NWAAS nor individual field trip leaders assume responsibility for personal safety. If you have special needs, or special concerns, please ask the field trip leader before the trip starts. We do not knowingly place anyone in danger on any field trip. We count on those who attend to keep trips safe for everyone.