K B Srinivas

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Birding at Bob Woodruff Park and Oak Point Park

After a while went back to the Bob-woodruff park to see the wintering sparrows. The Oak Point Park has been very good for sparrows. Its been a while since I visited Oak point park. I decided to get a long walk today and try covering both of them by walk.

ebird hotspot :

Bob-woodruff park - https://ebird.org/hotspot/L276308

Oak Point Park - https://ebird.org/hotspot/L381517

I reached the park by 7AM. It was very chilly. I should have checked the weather and left a little late :-) Anyways I started the walk around the pond which was very quite. The Pond had only Great Egrets, lone Great blue Heron and some Mallards. I also saw some Great tailed Grackles near the pond. There were couple of Phoebes flying near the pond.

Black Phoebe

Great Egret

Great-tailed Grackle

After this I started walking towards the Parula bridge. Near the picnic tables it was very busy. There were American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee's. As I reached the bridge saw a Carolina Wren. After crossing the bridge I saw some of the Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins and White-breasted Nuthatch.

Cedar Waxwings and Pine Siskin

White-breasted Nuthatch

Eastern Bluebird

Carolina Wren

American Robin

After crossing the next bridge into the oak point park where the habitat changes completely I started looking for the sparrows. First of the birds that I saw were a group of Eastern Bluebirds. On the trail I saw lot of small insects crawling. I guess the bluebirds were hunting/eating these. Also along the road saw some Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Near the pond I saw couple of Mourning Doves and a Song Sparrow.

Black Phoebe

Northern Mockingbird

House Finch

House Finch(Female)

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Mourning Dove

Song Sparrow

One of the reed patches near the entrance was teeming with birds. I saw Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln Sparrow, Field Sparrow and Savannah Sparrow. Also there were American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. A group of Dark Eyed Juncos visited the patch. Also close by were couple of Eastern Bluebirds hunting. This turned out to be a very productive good patch to stay and just bird. It was really good here. In the lake there Double-crested Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls. I should probably make time and just bird around the Oak Point park next time around. It was really good to see so many sparrows here. Did not get time to park the walking trails here.

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Double-crested Cormorant

Downy Woodpecker

Lincoln Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird

Dark-eyed Junco

Savannah Sparrow

Started heading back to the woodruff park towards my car. Again I had to do a quick stop near the Picnic tables since it was teeming with the same birds. Saw my first Golden-crowned Kinglet here along with Finches and other birds. After this headed towards my car where I saw a Hawk coming and sitting near the cars at the parking lot. Maybe it was trying to get away or take away the attention from the Grackles which were making lot of commotion. It was good to get a decent photograph of the Coopers Hawk for the first time. Great way to end the day.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

House Finch

Carolina Chickadee

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Tufted Titmouse

Downy Woodpecker

Bluejay

Cooper's Hawk

ebird :

Bob Woodruff Park : https://ebird.org/checklist/S77201624

Oak Point Park - https://ebird.org/checklist/S77201885

Birds seen during the day :

American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Robin
Black Vulture
Blue Jay
Canada Goose
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Cedar Waxwing
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Phoebe
Field Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Neotropic/Double-crested Cormorant
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Pine Siskin
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-throated Sparrow

Sparrows at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

I was back at my favorite bird spot in Dallas. Hagerman's National Wildlife Refuge is the best place to visit during the winter. We get to see hundreds of Snow/Ross's Goose, American White Pelican, Ducks and Sparrows here.

ebird hotspot : https://ebird.org/hotspot/L815117

It's about an hours drive from Richardson. Started at about 6 from home. I was hoping to see some owls on the way. I have been lucky to see Great Horned owls on the way couple of times. So gave myself sometime to drive a during the early dawn to scan the roads close by. This time around there was no sightings of any of the owls. I reached the park around 7 in the morning. I started with the going over the different pads of the lake looking for the ducks and the Sandpipers. I saw there were lot of Northern Shovellers, Northern Pintails, Mallards and Green-winged Ducks in the lake. I also saw lot of Dowitchers, Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers. Lot of Goose were flying around and some of them were very far from the road. I had usually seen them grazing in the fields but not today. I thought I will come back to see the goose just before I leave. I went to walk the Meadow Pond Trail.

Least Sandpiper

American Avocet

Dowitcher

Lesser Scaup

Great Blue Heron

Pied-billed Grebe

Northern Pintail

Northern Shoveller

Green-winged Teal

When I reached the gates near the trail I saw lot of cars parked here. Usually I see one or 2 cars but today it was different. There were lot of cars parked. I went in wondering the same. I should have paid more attention at the gate and read the notices. It was hunting season. I was told of the same when I returned from the trail. I should have stayed out. I usually avoid going during the hunting season but forgot about the same this visit. The walk in fact was very productive. Saw lot of sparrows during the walk. There were also Goldfinches and Pine Siskins around. There were good number of American Robins too. As I was walking the trail I saw a big bird flyover. The flight pattern looked like that of a Woodpecker. I was hearing the Pileated Woodpecker during the walk but did not expect it to see which is usually the case for me. I had seen this bird only once during my number of visits to the refuge. I always hear the bird but hardly get to see. But today it was different. I had 2 flyby's of the bird. It was great to see the bird. Such a large woodpecker. Also got my first decent photograph of the bird.

White-throated Sparrow

American Goldfinch

Chipping Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Lincoln Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

American Goldfinch

Pileated Woodpecker

Harris's Sparrow

American Robin

Song Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Pine Siskin

Fox Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Harris's Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Back in the lake I saw lot of the same ducks. Went near one of the oil wells to get a closer look at the pelicans. Saw good number of pelicans along with Forster's Terns, Franklins Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls. At a bit of distance I saw lot of the goose. As I was about to return one of the fellow birder asked if I had seen Bald Eagle. He had see it earlier but could not locate it again. I had not seen the eagle as well. As I was about to return I saw a big bird flying over the lake. And to my surprise It was the eagle. It was my first sighting of the season. It was good to see the eagle again. I usually get to see the eagle at Hagerman or once in a while at White Rock Lake. Such a majestic bird.

Bald Eagle

Red-shouldered Hawk

American White Pelican

Franklin's Gull

On the way back I saw the Goose were no where near the fields instead all of them were in the lake. Took some record pictures before returning home. There was also couple of American Pipits along the road along with lot of Meadowlarks. There was also a lone American Kestrel around.