THE PAU GB NOB UU eI N 
APRIL IN ARKANSAS 
by Lillian M. Smith 
The whip-poor-will’s plaintive beats stopped, and so did 
all sound around our motel on Lake Bull Shoals. Beautiful 
silence covered us until 4 a.m., when an eager cardinal 
whistled a few notes. Abashed by the lack of response, or 
suddenly mindful of the dark, he hushed for an hour. 
Now he was ready to perform his whole repertoire, 
joined by the Carolina wren and titmouse. Then a new and 
dominant note entered the sound track: the pileated wood- 
pecker was whacking at a dead oak a hundred yards west of 
our cabin, his favorite tree of the year before. 
This spring, as we did last, we stayed in small Ever- 
green Motel, separated by hickories and oaks and redbud 
from shore of lake. Holly bushes at our door sheltered white- 
throats or cardinals at night, and in the sunshine were 
humming with hundreds of bees. I could hardly wait for 
the start of a new day, and the word which kept running 
through my mind was “‘ineffable.”’ 
Bing, German Shepherd protector of motel’s owner, 
waited on the steps while I swallowed coffee. He always 
accompanied me on my expeditions, and was patient while 
J circled a tree or an area to identify or confirm a song I'd 
heard. 
We walked to a nearby bench and I sat down to check 
on birds enjoying the morning buffet set out by the pro- 
prietor. In a dish on the window sill was a cake made of 
fat, peanut butter, seed, cornmeal and syrup. Several feet 
away a feeder offered sunflower and commercial wild bird 
seed. The bluebird, nuthatch and Carolina wren (nesting 
in garage) came most often, but red-bellied and red-headed 
woodpeckers, chickadees, white-throated and field sparrows, 
as well as cardinals, were frequent visitors. 
Bing and IJ next stopped at the house across road. Al- 
though the seed mixture in the feeder was identical with 
Mr. Worzalla’s, this site was preferred by goldfinches and 
purple finches. 
Now I could follow the road down to the shore where 
the field sparrow sang, and where I had seen the chat last 
year. Or J could climb the hill and pass a house set back on 
spacious lawn where a mockingbird and chipping sparrows 
performed. At the end of the road I could go left to the 
public beach, populated by kingbirds and orchard orioles, 
or towards town to the tree where a red-eyed vireo sang. 
