Prairie Creek

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Prairie Creek Park

Update March 2006:

Apparently the City of Richardson and residents of Prairie Creek have no idea what they are doing by constructing a "nature trail" through what has been, until recently, prime neotropical migrant habitat. One trail has already been constructed from the main pedestrian bridge to the gazebo....this area was good for spotting such spring migrants as Kentucky Warbler, Worm-Eating Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Ovenbird, and Cerulean Warbler. (The above statement reflects the opinion of webmaster and fellow birders, not necessarily the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest). Derek's 2004 Bird List for Prairie can be downloaded and printed from URL: http://nctexasbirding.com/pcp.htm

Prairie Creek is a tributary to Spring Creek located just west of 75 Central in Richardson, Texas. The forest vegetation is similar to Spring Creek Forest but the riparian corridor is much narrower and is adjacent to residential homes. Groves of pecan along with willows along Prairie Creek provide food as well as cover...attracting neotropical migrants from late April through most of May. There is also no prairie at Prairie Creek...it was probably originally converted to ranchland years ago. It is interesting in that it harbors many species of birds during spring and fall migration. Several species are on the Audubon Watch List (http://www.audubon.org/chapter/tx/tx/watch.html).

Hardwood riparian forests such as Prairie Creek Park provide critical stopover habitat for neotropical migrants during spring and fall. Migrants sometimes do not stop in coastal areas along Texas and move on favorable winds farther inland, perhaps making their first stop at Prairie Creek or large riparian corridors further south along our major rivers...the Trinity, Neches, Angelina, Sulphur, and others. Maintaining the plant species composition of stopover sites is an important management consideration, particularly with emphasis on native oaks, pecans, and streamside willows to provide food for these insect eaters.

"The Grotto" - right

Left: Searching for spring warblers, vireos, and orioles in the pecans along Prairie Creek Drive

Prairie Creek Park is the best warbler spot around Dallas. So far the warbler list is up to 31 species, including a few rare ones (Blackpoll, Cerulean, Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Kentucky, Prairie). On a good day after a night rain, 12 to 18 warbler species can be found. Mainly check the pecans, because warblers feast on caterpillars on the leaves & catkins. The creek banks have a lush understory to attract Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Canada Warbler, and Northern Waterthrush. Other species seen here include Brown Thrasher, Chuck-will's-widow (I’ve accidentally flushed them from the leafy ground along the creek), Red-breasted Nuthatch (not expected), Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Eastern Screech-Owl, Catbird, Swainson's Thrush, Blue-headed, Warbling, and Red-eyed Vireos, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Eastern Wood-Pewee. More unusual are Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Scarlet Tanager.

The best times to visit are late April to mid May for spring migration and September for fall migration. I wouldn't recommend this park during winter or summer. Prairie Creek Park is located northwest of the intersection of Collins Blvd. and Campbell Road in Richardson, just west of highway 75 (Central Expressway) near Baylor/Richardson Medical Center. You can park just about anywhere along the side of the road (Prairie Creek Drive East and West). I think the best bet is to park in the small lot at the T-intersection of Prairie Creek Drive West and Lookout Drive, which is 0.9 miles from the intersection of Campbell Road and Prairie Creek Drive. Check the pecans there around the parking lot for warblers, then walk south to the wooden bridge, cross the creek, and turn left onto the trail along the creek for thrushes and understory warblers..

Migrants of Prairie Creek Park

Richardson, Texas

8/25/02

Compiled by Derek Hill
Abundance
1 – rare

2 – uncommon

3 – fairly common

4 – common

2nd # is times sighted

FLYCATCHERS

Olive-sided Flycatcher

2 – 1

Eastern Wood-Pewee

2 – 5

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

2 – 1

Alder/Willow Flycatcher

3 – 3

Least Flycatcher

4 – 9

Great Crested Flycatcher

4 – 12

Western Kingbird

2 – 1

Eastern Kingbird

2 – 1

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

2 – 1

THRUSHES

Veery

1 – 1

Gray-cheeked Thrush

2 – 1

Swainson’s Thrush

4 – 14

Wood Thrush

2 – 1

VIREOS

White-eyed Vireo

3 – 1

Bell’s Vireo

2 – 1

Yellow-throated Vireo

1 – 1

Blue-headed Vireo

3 – 7

Warbling Vireo

3 – 11

Philadelphia Vireo

2 – 3

Red-eyed Vireo

3 – 4

WARBLERS

Blue-winged Warbler

1 – 2

Golden-winged Warbler

1 – 2

Tennessee Warbler

4 – 15

Orange-crowned Warbler

3 – 8

Nashville Warbler

4 – 18

Northern Parula

3 – 9

Yellow Warbler

4 – 18

Chestnut-sided Warbler

3 – 7

Magnolia Warbler

3 – 9

Yellow-rumped Warbler (early-mid April)

4 – 4

(Audubon’s Warbler)

1 – 2

Black-throated Green Warbler

3 – 11

Black-throated Blue Warbler

1 – 1

Blackburnian Warbler

2 – 6

Bay-breasted Warbler

2 – 6

Blackpoll Warbler

1 – 3

Cerulean Warbler

1 – 1

Black-and-white Warbler

4 – 14

American Redstart

4 – 13

Prothonotary Warbler

1 – 1

Worm-eating Warbler

1 - 1

Ovenbird

3 – 12

Louisiana Waterthrush (March-mid April)

2 – 1

Northern Waterthrush (mid April- May)

3 – 10

Kentucky Warbler

1 – 2

Mourning Warbler

3 – 3

Common Yellowthroat

3 – 7

Hooded Warbler

1 – 1

Wilson’s Warbler

4 – 12

Canada Warbler

2 – 1

Yellow-breasted Chat

2 – 1

Prairie Warbler

1 - 1

TANAGERS

Summer Tanager

3 – 5

Scarlet Tanager

1 – 1

CARDINALIDS

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

3 – 5

Indigo Bunting

2 – 3

Painted Bunting

2 – 2

Dickcissel (flyovers)

2 – 1

Blue Grosbeak

2 – 1

ICTERIDS

Orchard Oriole

2 – 2

Baltimore Oriole

3 – 6

Thanks for stopping by.