June 2019. 

Wildlife in the city faces an array of hazards, yet in Joe’s Creek and Northaven Park, we are reminded of their persistence, adaptability, and ultimately their ability to thrive. The sighting of a Mallard and her brand new brood in March, numbering 14 tiny creatures, compared with a recent sighting of a Mallard with 5  growing juveniles, which she continued to keep close, illustrates both the challenges and the enduring successes.

Let’s do our part to keep their environment as favorable as possible – use minimal fertilizers and avoid chemical pesticides to preserve water quality; keep dogs under your close supervision when around the creek and its greenbelt. 

Above all, enjoy the natural environment that we are fortunate to have just a short walk from our own yards.

Vince Punaro, for the Creek leaders

May 2019. 

When a glimpse of bright white in the creek bed catches the eye, one hopes its not just more plastic or paper trash. Hopes were rewarded on a recent morning, when the sighting proved to be an elegant bird with wispy feathers on the back of the neck, an impressive black dagger-like beak, black legs, and yellow feet hunting in the clear shallow waters. Alert to the small sounds of leaves crunching or a camera beep, this bird exhibited both quick and deliberate motions. Its presence good evidence for the remaining natural qualities of the creek and for the need to preserve water quality so that wildlife will continue to find a habitat there, or just a rewarding place to visit.

A check with Cornell University’s bird ID app, Merlin, quickly yielded its identity: a Snowy Egret. While this bird spends most of its time in coastal areas, shallows or wetlands, it appears that the Dallas area is on the line between its breeding and migratory range.

For more information, we recommend Cornell’s All About Birds site (link below). Their apt physical description of the bird, however, is worth noting here:

“Among the most elegant of the herons, the slender Snowy Egret sets off immaculate white plumage with black legs and brilliant yellow feet.”

See all the Cool Facts about this bird >>

Vince Punaro