HOLLA BEND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.
Day 47 – 31 degrees this morning, and the mist was rising off the Arkansas River; it was really pretty. We slept well last night. The campground was very quiet. The girls are happy we aren’t traveling again today. Rob and I are going to Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge to do our slow-drive thing.
While I was stumbling around trying to wake up, Rob heard the lock horn and he went down to the river, in front of our campsite, to wait for the approaching barge. Nothing happened, but he got pictures of the Cormorants, White Pelicans, Sea Gulls, a Bald Eagle, and a Canada Goose. Shortly after he came back to the RV, he saw the water churning at the lock and he went back down to the River. He photographed a barge, pushed by a tug boat as it came slowly out of the lock and went by our campsite. The passing of the barge churned up fish which caused lots of bird activity. Meanwhile in the RV, Gracie and Java were on the dashboard oblivious of all the excitement outside.
We stopped at a Subway on the way to the NWR to pick up sandwiches for lunch. It was about a half hour drive to the Refuge. We spent several hours driving through and until the end of the drive we saw almost no one. It was very quiet and the weather was good, although it did cloud up a bit. The last time we were at this wildlife refuge, it was raining the entire time. Here’s a little information about Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, followed by our pictures from today. While we didn’t come close to seeing everything on the list quoted below, we had a good, relaxing time.
“The refuge is home to wintering waterfowl, migratory songbirds and a number of resident bird species that use the refuge year-round. Due to the refuge’s habitat diversity and geographical location near the transitional zone for eastern and western species, as many as 235 species of birds have been documented to occur on the refuge annually. Wildlife also includes many species typically found in bottomland hardwood forest. White-tailed deer and small mammals such as squirrels and raccoons can be seen throughout the refuge. The refuge is located on the northern edge of the American Alligator’s range. This ancient reptile is listed as threatened in Arkansas and makes its home in the lakes and sloughs of the refuge. Although their numbers may not be great, they are known to nest on the refuge. The lakes, wetlands, bottomland forest, and grasslands that comprise the refuge provide a variety of wildlife a place to call home. Some refuge inhabitants include cottontail and swamp rabbits, beaver, river otter, coyote, wild turkeys, and bobcats. During most of the year, wading birds such as great blue herons and egrets can be seen feeding in the shallow waters along refuge lakes and wetlands.” From the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2018 brochure.
Tomorrow we’ll be leaving Arkansas and heading into Oklahoma. More ACE campgrounds & National Wildlife Refuges await us. The high today was 61 degrees; it was partly cloudy.
For more information about Old Post Road Park, Army Corps of Engineers Campground, click here.