McInnish Park and Elm Fork Nature Preserve, Dallas, March 2014.

I just want to make it clear that I did not fall off my bike. To an inexperienced Redgannet watcher, I accept that my dismount may have appeared sudden and ungainly, but I can assure you that it was intentional.

I took a couple of jaunts into the area during this itinerary, but shall try to include them as one post. For eBird, the list below has been split over three sites; Coppell-Ledbetter Rd, Elm Fork Nature Preserve and McInnish Park.

I travelled light with just binoculars on the evening that we arrived and caught the bus to Coppell-Ledbetter Rd to make a quick recce of the area before the sun set. The evening was bright and warm and the first bird I saw was a life Harris’s Sparrow. I wished that I had brought the camera. With just 8 birds and 2 checklists, eBird may be overstating its potential by designating this site as a hotspot, but it was so close to the other two sites that I wanted to check it out and at the same time make sure that I could access Elm Fork Nature Preserve from W Belt-Line Road, so the visit was warranted. Also seen were Eastern Phoebe, White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Chickadee and Great Egret.

The next morning was Saturday and the bus doesn’t run until after 08.30, so I cycled the 30 minutes or so along W Belt Line Rd and sneaked in under the railway line at Google Earth ref; 32577.06N 965547.38W. It was much colder this morning. The low cloud and poor light made me wish that I hadn’t bothered with the camera, but then I saw a Nine-banded Armadillo snuffling through the leaf litter by the edge of the trees and started clicking. Sadly the clicking was to no great effect and I shan’t trouble you with the results. The sports fields here were quiet at 07.30, but the baseball diamonds further up were already busy.

I headed up to the top of McInnish Park and worked my way back down so as to make the best of a short morning. Most noticeable was a large icterid flock made up of Great-tailed Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird. On the far edges of the flock were a few meadowlarks, but I was unable to distinguish between east and west until later.

The most productive spot was found along the road on the northern edge of the lake at Google Earth ref; 32 57 47.25N 96 56 18.85W. The lake on this side was shallow with small islands and a more overgrown bank. Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, and Song Sparrow were seen here while Downy Woodpecker, White-crowned Sparrow and Tufted Titmouse were seen in the bushes on the other side of the road. The woods just beyond brought Northern Cardinal, Yellow-rumped Warbler and more Harris’s Sparrow.

The lake to the west had looked very promising on Google Earth, but failed to live up to its potential. A few Gadwall, harbouring a single Pintail amongst them, flushed from the bank and a Great Egret stood on the far side.

The icterid flock had moved across to the bank by the lake and they moved in a rolling flush before me as I walked along. The meadowlarks were slowest to fly and I was able to get a picture that made me plump for Western Meadowlark.

To the south of the baseball fields is Elm Fork Nature Preserve, a remnant of ancient woodland bequeathed to the citizens of Carrollton, by the descendants of the original owner who had bought it for “woodrights” many years ago, but only cut when wood was needed. Carolina Wrens could be heard from the car lot and one responded to a pish as I chained up the bike. 

Blue Jays leapt into screeching action as a Red-shouldered Hawk flushed aat my first clumsy footfall on the path.  A circular trail leads through the woodland, skirting the eponymous fork of the river, past a lake on the eastern side and back to a visitor centre which was still closed as I reached it at around 10.30 on this Saturday morning. 

Signs warning visitors to stay on the path to avoid contact with venomous snakes added a certain frisson to the stroll and I confess to giving more attention to the leaf litter than to the treetops. A Red-bellied Woodpecker showed great interest in a sap-seeping scar on a tree trunk and was joined by a Northern Cardinal which took over once the woodpecker moved on.

Just to the west is another small wood with a short, circular route on a paved trail. Brown Thrasher, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Eastern Bluebird were added from here. On the grass to the south of the small wood, a mixed group of American Robin, American Pipit and American Goldfinch fed from the ground. They had been forced into each others’ company by the football teams which had now taken over on the soccer pitches, leaving just a small area of un-sporty turf in the corner.

 Birds seen; 55

Canada Goose 25, Gadwall 20, Mallard 6, Northern Shoveler 80, Northern Pintail 1, Green-winged Teal 13, Lesser Scaup 1, Bufflehead 3, Pied-billed Grebe 3, Double-crested Cormorant 100, Great Blue Heron 1, Great Egret 1, Black Vulture 5, Turkey Vulture 2, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 30, Ring-billed Dove 300, Mourning Dove 4, Red-bellied Woodpecker 3, Downy Woodpecker 4, Northern Flicker 4, Eastern Phoebe 5, Blue Jay 13, American Crow 1, Carolina Chickadee 7, Tufted Titmouse 5, Carolina Wren 3, Bewick’s Wren 1, Winter Wren 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4, Eastern Bluebird 3, Hermit Thrush 1, American Robin 6, Northern Mockingbird 3, Brown Thrasher 1, European Starling 60, American Pipit 25, Yellow-rumped Warbler 20, Savannah Sparrow 3, Fox Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow 4, White-throated Sparrow 19, Harris’s Sparrow 8, White-crowned Sparrow 10, Dark-eyed Junco 18, Northern Cardinal 18, Red-winged Blackbird 150, Western Meadowlark 5, Great-tailed Grackle 140, Brown-headed Cowbird 40, House Finch 4, American Goldfinch 24.

Bus no 400 runs every 30 minutes at peak times and every hour after that and at weekends. It runs east and west along W Belt Line Rd. Fare costs $2.25 and it has a bicycle rack. The nearest stop to the sites above is the turning at Hutton road, just west of Carollton train station, at Google Earth ref; 32 57 7.06N 96 55 47.38W

Cycling on the Belt Line Road is not for the faint of heart. It is a three-lane carriageway with no hard-shoulder or cycling lane. There are a few bridges that cross small rivers. These bridges have no sidewalk or any traffic buffer, so you must cycle or walk in the traffic lanes. It will be necessary to cross the carriageways in both directions to avoid the on-coming traffic.

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada Page for more posts from Dallas, including; White Rock Lake and 

 White Rock Creek

Birding, Birdwatching Dallas, Elm Fork Nature Preserve, McInnish Park

White Rock Creek, Dallas, Jan 2013

My original plan for today involved Sandy Lake, but a well placed concierge advised me that Sandy Lake was in fact an amusement park and that despite having its own entry on eBird, would be closed to all-comers on a cold Monday morning in January. So I changed to my fall back plan with a gentle ride to White Rock Creek.

On the small lake at Winwood Park (Google Earth ref; 32°57'12.92"N 96°48'40.21"W) were a few Gadwall and a couple of Mallard. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew in and began tapping on the far side. An Eastern Phoebe perched on a reed, hoping that some insects might show themselves on such a cold morning.

Blue Jays and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were making quite a din by one of the houses across the lake. Lots of holes and loose ivy high in an oak tree made me hopeful that an owl might be hiding there, but I couldn’t see one.

Plenty of smaller birds were feeding along the fence line of the other house that borders the park. Dark-eyed Junco, and Carolina Wren were feeding low down with Yellow-rumped Warbler and Golden-crowned Kinglet higher up.

The path drops down from the main road onto the riverside where a Downy Woodpecker whinnied a couple of times before I saw it.

In a berry tree, feeding American Robins were joined by a couple of Cedar Waxwings. A small flock of Red-winged Blackbirds were also in the berry tree, but I couldn’t see if they were feeding on the fruit.

The large total of Great-tailed Grackles was estimated from a big flock that flew over. I was using my press and point camera today which takes a while to warm up. The flock had been flying over for about 10-15 seconds before the camera was ready.

Birds seen;

Gadwall 7, Mallard 8, Double-crested Cormorant 3, White-winged Dove 3, Red-bellied Woodpecker 6, Yellow-bellied Woodpecker 1, Downy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 1, Eastern Phoebe 1, Blue-Jay 16, American Crow 1, Carolina Chickadee 2, Tufted Titmouse 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Carolina Wren 4, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, American Robin 8, Northern Mockingbird 2, Cedar Waxwing 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 12, Dark-eyed Junco 4, Northern Cardinal 2, Red-winged Blackbird 8, Great-tailed Grackle 3015.

White Rock Trail runs as far South as White Rock Lake, but is fractured in places and detours through housing developments. A map may be needed to follow it easily.This section is about 1km long and can be accessed by continuing past Winwood Lake for a further 100m.

Follow the links below for previous posts from White Rock Creek;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/damselflies-on-white-rock-creek-july.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada Page for more posts from Houston including; White Rock Lake

West Nile Virus, or jet-lag? Dallas, Sept 2012

Texas is in the grip of an outbreak of West Nile Virus. Dallas leads the field in cases of the mosquito-borne disease and the authorities are enacting plans to spray insecticide from the air to reduce the numbers of adult insects. Ignorance on my part prompted me to make enquiries about the virus and the risks. I found that it has recently become endemic across the country and is borne by mosquitoes that have ingested blood from infected birds. I weighed the risk against the consequences, took the normal precautions, kept calm and carried on.

After visiting White Rock Lake (a WNV hotspot), I am suffering from disorientation, loss of cognitive function and a stiff neck. How would I know if my symptoms are a result of the virus or just jet-lag coupled with a morning’s warbler-watching? 

Using the Blue Line from Downtown Dallas, brings you to White Rock Station. At this time of year the walk to the lake and around the northern section leave you with the sun in your eyes for much of the walk. I had set the Singing Bridge as my furthest limit. Not very far to walk, but the walk passed through the best warbler habitat that I knew of within easy reach. Plenty of Tufted Titmouse kept up a soundtrack for the morning with Carolina Chickadee and Northern Cardinal easily recognisable by ear.

The first warblers came before I reached the lake, but I struggled to make a confident ID at the scene. In the end, I settled for Nashville Warbler mixed with a couple of Yellow Warblers. More migrants came at the small bridge at the most north-westerly extreme of the lake (at Google Earth ref;  32°51'2.38"N 96°43'45.20"W). It bounces uncontrollably when anyone jogs across it. I guess that’s the purpose of joggers eh?

A Warbling Vireo and Wilson’s Warblers were seen here as they fed from the myriads of mosquitoes. The path tracks for over 12kms around the lake and is busy with joggers and cyclists.  I recognised a couple of cyclists going round for a second and even third time as I ambled slowly along in a clockwise direction towards the Singing Bridge. There was very little out on the water, just a Great Egret and a couple of Mallard. The trees and bushes along the path were similarly quiet in the heat of a Texan, late Summer’s day that pushed the mercury past 40°C.

From the Singing Bridge, you can see into a small lobe of the upper lake. Among the Mallards were a single American Wigeon and a female Northern Pintail with her long, slim, elegant neck. As I turned to set out home, I noticed a bird hawking from dead snags on the north shore. It was a flycatcher with a long streaming tail. As I watched, it shuffled on its perch, revealing rose-coloured flanks and under-wing. Today’s lifer is a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.

I retraced my steps along the path hoping to get a closer look at the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, but by the time I reached it, it had turned into an Eastern Kingbird. 

Back on the bouncy bridge Wilson’s Warblers, Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireo were thrown into a panic as a young Cooper’s Hawk came through. I wondered if the biting insects were bothering it, as it continually wiped its bill across its legs and looked to be biting its own toes.

The cycle trail leading back past the station still held a couple of surprises with a Summer Tanager putting in a brief appearance and a White-eyed Vireo that responded to a quick playback. The cycle trail continues along White Rock Creek.

There were plenty of mosquitoes. Best practise advice is to avoid areas of standing water. Cover up with long sleeves and use insect repellent. Be especially vigilant around dusk.

Birds seen; 31

American Wigeon 1, Mallard 45, Northern Pintail 1, Double-crested Cormorant 6, Great Blue Heron 1, Great Egret 1, Snowy Egret 1, Cooper’s Hawk 2, White-winged Dove 3, Mourning Dove 15, Chimney Swift 6, Red-bellied Woodpecker 1, Downy Woodpecker 2, Eastern Kingbird 1, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 1, White-eyed Vireo 1, Warbling Vireo 2, Red-eyed Vireo 1, Blue Jay 4, American Crow 4, Carolina Chickadee 8, Tufted Titmouse 40, Northern Mockingbird 12, European Starling 2, Nashville Warbler 3, Yellow Warbler 6, Wilson’s Warbler 4, Summer Tanager 1, Northern Cardinal 6, Great-tailed Grackle 4, House Sparrow 8.

Damselflies on White Rock Creek, July 2012

From Google Earth ref; 32°57'13.79"N  96°48'36.86"W a track leads down to the White Rock Creek. It was a slow start since I turned 50 this week and had a little party to mark the occasion last night. The short cycle ride had started my blood moving again, picking up the sludge which had settled in my sump and sending it straight back to my head, which reacted by thumping.

Thankfully there were very few birds to stop me as I cycled along beside the stream in the pleasant shade. The few that did catch my attention did not merit photographs. Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice and Downy Woodpeckers showed themselves briefly and a Green Heron flushed from the river bank.

I only stayed for a short while and most of my time was spent in a patch of grass looking at damselflies. The one above I shall take to be a Comanche Dancer, Argia barretti.

The Powdered Dancer, Argia moesta  were very common, but I am taking this identification with a pinch of salt. It is not a perfect fit for the field guide specimen, but I can’t see a better alternative. The juvenile/female, below,  corresponds quite well.

The Blue-ringed Dancer, Argia sedula was another common ode that did not quite match its description in the book.

Especially when the colour matches between individuals varied so.

Also seen along the creek and in a nearby pond were Swift Setwing, Dythemis velox, Eastern Pondhawk, Eurothemis simplicicollis, Black Saddlebags,Tramea lacerata ,and Eastern Amberwing, Perithemis tenera.

Birds seen;

Great Egret 1, Green Heron 1, Eurasian Collared Dove 2, White-winged Dove 2, Mourning Dove 2, Downy Woodpecker 1, Blue Jay 10, American Crow 4, Carolina Chickadee 4, Tufted Titmouse 6, Great-tailed Grackle 60.

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada Page for more from the area, including White Rock Lake and a selection of posts from Houston.

White Rock Lake

I would like to acknowledge JR from Dallas (yes, really!) for his website www.jrcompton.com in which he gives an account of the goings on at White Rock Lake. Dallas, Texas. His “Amateur Birder’s Journal” gave me the impetus I needed for a very quick visit on a very cold day. JR’s main topic of discussion of late on his site, is his fascination with pelicans in flight. So in tribute, I set out to follow his lead. As ever, my photographs failed to live up to my aspirations, which, given the bright, crisp light this morning, was a disappointment. I’m beginning to think it might be me!
The hotel I was staying in is the Marriot Quorum in Adisson. From behind the hotel, bus no. 183 rides into downtown and terminates at West Exchange in downtown Dallas. The tram/subway system connects here at West End Station. I travelled northeast on the Blue Line towards Downtown Garland. I alighted at White Rock and descended the steps to the junction of Northwest and Lawther. The journey took 1 hour exactly. A US$4 day ticket covers bus and train.
Diagonally across the junction, I picked up a cycle path that tracked south parallel to Lawther. It passed through an area marked as a wetland before passing under Mockingbird Lane. As I emerged from under the bridge, I could see White Rock Lake ahead of me.
There were lots of cormorants and gulls over-flying and a formation of seven American Pelicans crossed Mockingbird Lane heading North.
I had come to the lake at Bent Bridge in the northwest corner. A wintry scene greeted me as I approached the shore. The large trees at the waters edge were frosted white in keeping with the season and the chill. Actually, the cold muted the smell of cormorant guano that was the real reason for the effect. I will wager that it gets pretty high during the warmer weather. It was here that the light gained enough strength to allow me to start identifying birds. Carolina Chickadees were calling and Yellow-rumped Warblers flitted amongst the tangles. A Red-shouldered Hawk flew out from the woods on my left and joined a second in the cormorant roosts. The Pelicans were far out, but easily recognisable and accompanied by gulls and Double-crested Cormorants.
I began walking to my left in a clockwise direction. My time as ever was limited and a full circuit of the lake would not be feasible. My plan was to head towards Sunset Bay beyond Hidden Creek as my furthest point before returning back the way I had come. Anyone who has read this blog before knows that my estimation of time and relative dimensions in space is poor. Sure enough, I hardly made it as far as half of that distance, barely even 10% of the lake’s shoreline.
I had a couple of targets in mind this morning. Potentially a couple of red crayon birds were waiting for me in the cold. From the gulls, I hoped to winkle out a Boneparte’s Gull and from the sparrows, I hoped that a Harris’s would emerge.
Between Bent Bridge and Singing Bridge I scanned every Ring-billed Gull looking for a smaller, tern-like bird with a vestigial black smudge on it’s head from it’s summer plumage. The Song Sparrows were plentiful, but I was looking for something larger with a clear white belly and a pink bill.
To the north of Singing Bridge a patch of water huddled out of the wind, sheltered by trees and the Mockingbird Lane flyover. I had my first chance to try to emulate JR’s pictures as a number of pelicans took flight and passed back over the bridge onto the main body of the lake. There were also cormorants, Mallards, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes and some Muscovy Ducks (probably feral). Up on the bridge, the wind was beginning to bite through my gloves and my fingers were already becoming painful.
There was some bankside vegetation along some stretches of the lakeside, which on a warmer day might have had me looking for dragonflies.
Grackles are common here with both Common and Great-tailed in constant view. Red-shouldered Blackbirds and Brown Cowbirds complimented my Icterid list.
Out on the water the birds roosted on boats and piers. I saw a small tern-like bird which turned out to be a tern. Beyond the boat clubs, a Downy Woodpecker landed in a tree right in front of me and posed provocatively. This meant having to take my hands out of my pockets to use the camera. It was becoming windier and beyond uncomfortable. A Fox Squirrel kept his arms in to his sides to preserve heat as he tried to warm up in the sun.
The pelicans were on the far side of the lake split into two groups. The furthest group was bigger but much more distant. The nearest consisted of around 45 birds. They were accompanied in the water by cormorants with gulls wheeling above. As I watched, they appeared to be heading towards me. Slowly but surely, they were moving eastwards across the water. The pelicans at the back would take to the air and reach across the wind to get to the front of the feeding flock. Thereby the front birds eventually found themselves at the back and took flight to get to the front again. It reminded me of pursuit cycling teams in reverse.
Standing still for a while had been a mistake. The cold and the wind had cut into me and I found myself constantly swearing and getting very cross with my useless fingers. It was time to bail out and head home. But that meant heading into wind which only served to make it worse. I was actually feeling quite distressed now.
Perhaps my resistance is getting lower as I get older. The savoury sharpness of a lifer was now tempered with the desire to feel my fingers again and my determination had faltered.
Back at Singing bridge, a low wall gave a respite from the wind and allowed me a few moments to warm in the weak sun. Some life had returned to my fingers, but I couldn’t stop swearing. I still had to cross the windswept bridge.
A patch of woodland beyond the bridge was alive with birds; White-winged Doves, Yellow-rumped warblers, Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, Song Sparrows and to my delight Eastern Bluebirds. I managed to get a picture of the bluebirds for my blogger-floggers who insist on “more pictures!”
At Bent Bridge the tangles and rank vegetation either side of it were busy too. At last I found a Mockingbird and a Northern Cardinal, both of which would have been a grave omission. I had seen very few duck today although I had been assured that they were there.
Just before reaching the junction of Lawther and Northwest I noticed high above, a Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by American Crows.
On the return train journey, I headed towards Ledbetter to get into town. The frequency of bus and train is less during the day and the drive back to the hotel for pick-up took just over one and a half hours.
Our bus ride back to the airport produced as many as 20 redtails, perched on roadside snags and lamp posts.

Mammal species; 1

Fox Squirrel 6

Bird species; 35

Pied-billed Grebe 7, American White Pelican, 100, Double-crested Cormorant 400, Great Egret 2, Great Blue Heron 4, Mallard 25, Ruddy Duck 4, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 4, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Coot 40, Ring-billed Gull 250, Forster’s Tern 6, White-winged Dove 20, Belted Kingfisher 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker 3, Downy Woodpecker 6, Blue Jay 8, American Crow 25, Carolina Chickadee 15, Carolina Wren 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3, Eastern Bluebird 5, Northern Mockingbird 2, Common Starling 60, Cedar Waxwing 60, Yellow-rumped Warbler 20, Northern Cardinal 1, Song Sparrow 16, Brown Cowbird 15, Common Grackle 60, Great-tailed Grackle 150, Red-shouldered Blackbird 12, American Goldfinch 12, House Sparrow 5.