Birding Texas: Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area

The Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area is a bird sanctuary located in Dallas, Texas. It is owned by the Dallas Water Utilities Department, and this abandoned hatchery is an outstanding place for bird watching. Bird watching spots at the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas include acres of heavy woods, ponds, open areas, and many more. The hatchery is adjacent to the White Rock Spillway, which is a terrific bird watching spot for sandpipers, terns, gulls, cormorants, and other birds. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas, see below.

Mallard. Look for this medium sized duck in the ponds at Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas. You'll easily recognize this beautiful duck while bird watching from the male's green head, ringed in white. It also has orange legs and feet, as well as white wings bordered in metallic blue. The Mallard is the ancestor of all domestic duck breeds, except the Muscovy Duck.

Wood Duck. This small tree duck is one of the most beautiful you will ever see while bird watching. It has a purple breast, yellow flanks, and a green and purple head with white stripes. Look for it while bird watching at the ponds of the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas. Wood Ducks were once hunted to near extinction but the population is now well over a million in North America.

Downy Woodpecker. The smallest of the woodpeckers in North America, identify it while bird watching from its white back, black nape, and white underparts. It also has a white face with black stripes, and a short black bill. Look for this small woodpecker when bird watching in the woodlands of the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. Look for this woodpecker in the more open, swampy areas of the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas. It is easy to recognize from its black and white barred upperparts and bright red crown and nape. It also has a pale brown face and a white rump. This medium-sized woodpecker is a permanent resident at the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas.

Baltimore Oriole. This is a small Oriole that you can identify while bird watching from its bright orange body and black hood and back. It also has black wings with orange shoulder patches. Look for it in the open woodlands of the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas, where you will see it hunting for insects, spiders, caterpillars and nectar.

Orchard Oriole. The smallest Oriole in North America, recognize it while bird watching from its chestnut-orange underparts and rump. It has a black head, back and tail, as well as black wings. Look for it in the open forests at Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas, where you will see it hunting for insects, fruits, flowers and berries.

Black-crowned Night Heron. Look for this stocky, short-necked heron on the edges of the ponds at the Old Fish Hatchery Nature Area in Texas, where you will see it hunting for prey, including frogs, plants, and the eggs and young of other birds. Identify it while bird watching from its short neck and legs, black upperparts, red eyes and yellow legs.

Source list:

Personal experience

http://identify.whatbird.com

http://www.allaboutbirds.org