K B Srinivas: Birding at Breckinridge Park, Richardson

Today visited one of the parks that was the first park I visited after coming to Dallas. Breckinridge park has been a good place to visit. I saw my first Merlin here.

ebird hotspot : https://ebird.org/hotspot/L385293

Started the day at 7:30AM. I started at the lake near Moroney drive and started walking the Breckinridge Trail. The lake was very quite. I saw a lone Great Blue Heron, few Mallards, a Pied-billed Grebe and some Cormorants here. Along side the lake in the reeds I saw some White-throated Sparrows, Cardinal, Chickadee and other birds. As I kept walking I saw Cooper's Hawk. It sat for a very brief moment before flying away. I started walking back on the trail. Near the first bridge over the Rowlett Creek I saw my Hermit Thrush for the first time this season. There was also a Ruby-crowned Kinglet here along with a bunch of White-throated Sparrows.

Cooper's Hawk

Great Blue Heron

White-throated Sparrow

Hermit Thrush

Northern Cardinal

There used to be a loopy trail here which was less developed few years back. Now I see the trail road is big. This loop used to be very good for birding but today I saw less of them. I felt that widening of this road seems to have some kind of impact with the birds here. Also here I used to see a roosting Barred Owl. I tried to find the same but could not find it today. I saw couple of White-breasted Nuthatches here.

Downy Woodpecker

Carolina Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

Dark-eyed Junco

After this along the trail I kept seeing lot of White-throated Sparrows. But hardly any other sparrows except of Lincoln Sparrow. Some of the other birds that we saw during the day are Dark-eyed Junco, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Phoebes and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Eastern Bluebird

Cedar Waxwing

Eastern Phoebe

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Lincoln Sparrow

Near the next small creek crossing I saw lot of American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Lincoln Sparrow and White-throated Sparrows. There were couple of Cardinals as well. At the end of the trail where there are lot of big trees I saw my first of the season Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.