Things to Do at Mount Magazine State Park

Arkansas Bird Watching

Arkansas bird watching opportunities change with the seasons. In the spring, the Arkansas climate and weather brings migrating songbirds to fill the woods with song. Scarlet tanagers, indigo buntings, and warblers declare their territories as nesting season approaches. Glades along southern bluffs provide nesting sites for rufous-crowned sparrows, rarely seen in other areas of Arkansas. Birding enthusiasts can see roadrunners hunt lizards, snakes and other wildlife in Arkansas on these arid sites. Vultures nest in inaccessible crags. Raptors and other Arkansas birds of prey use updrafts to glide past bluffs during fall migration. Many hawks, eagles, and falcons have been seen here.

Rufous-crowned sparrows (Aimophila ruficeps) are common in western states. However, here in the Arkansas bird watching scene you’ll only find them nesting on the south facing bluffs of Mount Magazine. This is the eastern most reaches of its breeding range. Many Arkansas birding enthusiasts come to Mount Magazine to add this species to their life lists.