Hot Springs, Arkansas has a rich history. From being known as America's First Resort, to it's infamous gangster connection, and the Birthplace of MLB Spring Training. But did you know it has a unique bird history, too? Writer Leslie Fischer dives into that history in the Wild History of Birds in Hot Springs, including the most famous ostrich on the American continent, Black Diamond, and present birds including Garvan Woodland Gardens celerity, George the Peacock.
A crack echoed from the backyard. My husband looked up and spotted an eagle soaring above our house, a branch it had stolen from one of our trees gripped tightly in its talons. Thanks to our protected forests and abundant waterways, sightings like these are common, yet still exhilarating. The area boasts a wide range of species, and despite being a serious birding destination, as towns go, Hot Springs is a bit of an odd bird with a quirky character that’s part of its charm. It should come as no surprise, then, that our avian endeavors have included some out-of-the-box attractions and events. Ever since Hot Springs was established, locals have been finding ways to entertain their guests, and birds have been a big part of the draw, bringing an element of the unusual to the wild history of birds in Hot Springs.
One of the town’s earliest attractions was the Ostrich Farm. Located on a seven-acre swath of land on Whittington Avenue, it operated from 1900 to 1953 with nearly 400 ostriches at its peak. While today we have horse-drawn carriages carting couples through downtown, at one time, it was ostriches doing the pulling – a spectacle that was a little less romantic and a bit more… absurd. In addition to offering carriage rides to couples, the farm allowed kids to ride the ostriches like ponies, and on Sundays, it hosted ostrich races with jockeys racing the birds along a quarter-mile track.
Black Diamond was the most famous of the ostriches. Weighing 300 pounds and standing nine feet tall, he was called “the most famous ostrich on the American continent” in his obituary, according to a Sentinel-Record article by Garland County Historical Society Executive Director Elizabeth Robbins. Ostriches also competed in races at the Arkansas State Fair when it was held at Oaklawn Park (now Oaklawn Hot Springs). While the ostriches usually raced each other, there was a notable exception where Black Diamond raced a thoroughbred horse, and – to everyone’s astonishment – won.
While the Ostrich Farm has long been closed, one of its contemporaries remains. The Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo opened in 1902 and is Hot Springs’ oldest remaining tourist attraction outside of the park. (It is predated only by the bathhouses.) In addition to its namesake alligators, the farm is home to a petting zoo with a wide variety of animals, including many species of birds: a pair of emus named Henry and Henrietta (yes, they are a couple), plus parakeets, peacocks, turkeys, silkie chickens, and four breeds of ducks – all of which can be fed by visitors, providing an up-close and fun experience.
This next attraction ranks up there with the Ostrich Farm in its level of absurdity, and likewise, it has since closed. The IQ Zoo operated from 1955 to 1990 and showcased a wide range of trained animals performing various acts: Donald the Drumming Duck; Clara the Clucking Clerk, who would sell you a postcard; and Graceful Gertie, a tightrope-walkingchicken. Another chicken named Casey played baseball, using its beak to operate a small bat. When the bird hit a home run, it rounded the bases of a miniature ball field and received a treat after crossing home plate.
While it might all seem like silly fun, there was some serious science behind it. The first known attraction of its type, the IQ Zoo was opened by a husband and wife who had worked under psychologist B.F. Skinner to help train pigeons to guide missiles during World War II. After the war, the couple moved to Hot Springs and opened a business to train animals for the entertainment industry. The couple and their business partner, Bob Bailey, utilized a field of applied animal psychology that conditions animal behavior through positive reinforcement. The zoo was a showcase of their successes, and it attracted the attention not only of Walt Disney, but also of the U.S. government, which hired them to train animals for intelligence work.
Another notable local bird enthusiast was actively seeking to escape the attention of the U.S. government when he made Hot Springs his home. Owney “The Killer” Madden moved to Hot Springs from New York in 1935 due to mounting pressure from the feds, and he brought with him an unlikely hobby – raising homing pigeons. When the former crime boss wasn’t entertaining visiting gangsters or golfing at the country club, he was tending to his beloved birds at his home on West Grand Avenue, where he built a pigeon loft on the roof to house them.
Hot Springs undoubtedly has a colorful past, but these next birds bring a pop of color to our present. King George II and his successor have been entertaining guests at Garvan Woodland Gardens for over a decade. The blue shoulder peacock boasts a large train of iridescent feathers, and when he fans them out, it’s a dazzling display that has visitors oohing, aahing, and snapping his photo – which he seems to enjoy. He and his mate, Sebrina, a three-year-old peahen, are semi-tame and can be hand-fed by staff and volunteers. However, like most peacocks, George is territorial and will peck at his reflection, thinking it's another male suitor. The 210-acre botanical garden is also home to numerous other bird species. Some you might spot include pileated and red-headed woodpeckers, bald eagles, summer tanagers, red-tailed hawks, and golden-crowned kinglets.
Around Hot Springs, even our natural bird phenomena boast an element of the unusual (as they say, birds of a feather flock together), and Bird Island on Lake Ouachita looks like something out of a Hitchcock movie. Each summer, tens of thousands of purple martins descend upon the tiny island, encircling its treetops in a mad frenzy before settling down to rest for the evening. Designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, the island is a stop on the birds’ migratory path to Brazil. The island, which measures about 1,200 feet long, is only accessible by boat. Lake Ouachita State Park offers tours to the island during the summer months. (The park also offers bald eagle watch tours in the fall.) Lake Ouachita, only about 30 minutes from Hot Springs, is visited by many other species of birds, including egrets, herons, and, of course, bald eagles, making it a prime destination for birders. You’re just as likely, though, to spot some feathered friends right in town – while walking down the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail, or just hanging out in someone’s backyard.
I was recently studying the photos I took of three woodpeckers that visited my yard one afternoon. I was comparing them to illustrations in a field guide for identifying birds. It was like playing a game of Spot the Difference as I tried to determine if they were pileated woodpeckers or… perhaps… could they be… ivory-billed woodpeckers?
Long believed to be extinct, the bird’s last purported sighting was in eastern Arkansas in 2004. Given our history (not to mention our natural habitat), Hot Springs seems a likely destination for a bird flying under the radar. Rarer things have happened and liked to hide out in Hot Springs in its gambling heyday.
It didn’t take long to determine that the birds in my yard were pileated woodpeckers, but that didn’t take away from the joy I felt watching them flit between the trees. Their wings, spread out, looked like piano keys, I thought.
So when visiting Hot Springs, be sure to bring your binoculars, but don’t forget your fun-loving spirit and sense of humor, because we do things differently here, and, as our wild bird history goes to show, we always have.
Don't miss the Birding Festival of the South presented by Oaklawn, October 8 - 10, in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas! The inaugaral festival will feature keynote speakers, live music, film, field trips, and more! Register now.
Leslie Fisher is a media professional with a passion for travel and adventure. She has Covered Hot Springs and the surrounding areas for over a decade and enjoys being a tourist in her hometown.