Drew

This is a new opportunity to contribute to our birding community. Introducing the Arkansas Birding Hotspots website https://birdinghotspots.org/us/arkansas     This platform allows birders to submit photos of a hotspot or to offer tips for birding, birds of interest, […]or notable trails. Every eBird hotspot has a page. On each page you will find links to “Upload Photos” or “Suggest Edit.” Where do you park? Is there a good time of the year to visit? Is there a trail, pond, or other area you would recommend? Is it helpful to carry a scope? Are there safety concerns? If access is restricted, who do you ask for permission? Help birders know where to go and what to expect when they visit. Even if a hotspot has information, we welcome edits, updates, and better photos. Click Find Hotspots on the homepage for a search menu.

The handful of other states that have birding hotspot platforms have seen thousands of visitors to their pages. This is a boon for our state’s avitourism, as well as our fellow Arkansans. Like Wikipedia, the more our birding community contributes, the more useful this site will be for us all. All submissions are reviewed by an editor before being made public.

The volunteer editorial team has kicked things off with full accounts of some of the hottest hotspots, plus basic info for every state park, WMA, NWR, natural area, Corps lake and more.

Examples:

Bald Knob NWR https://birdinghotspots.org/hotspot/L218758

Stuttgart Municipal Airport https://birdinghotspots.org/hotspot/L127211

Woolsey Wet Prairie https://birdinghotspots.org/hotspot/L502940

Tips for submissions:

• Consider what would be most helpful for a visiting birder to know.
• Add only what you know; most fields are optional.
• Write in third person, e.g. This site is best visited in spring. NOT I prefer to visit this site in spring.
• Add a link for the “official” webpage about the location, if applicable.
• Capitalize bird names just as they appear in field guides.
• Photos should feature habitats and show what the location looks like. Birds can be in the photos but are not the focus of photos.
• Remove watermarks from photos. All photos are released into the public domain unless otherwise noted. For copyright add © before your name in the credit “By …” line.

Birding Hotspot Editors

Sandy Berger, Betty Evans, Patty McLean, Devin Moon, Allan Mueller, Ariana Remmel, and Dan Scheiman