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

February 2019.

In Northaven Park, we don’t need the groundhog to make a prediction. Early signs of spring, though subtle and small, are easily visible on a walk along the greenbelt. 

The American Elm, one of the first trees to flower here, produces an abundance of small white flowers that provide food for migratory birds, such as the American Goldfinch. Neighbors with feeders in their yards may have noticed a drop in numbers of the finches in attendance; possibly explained by the emergence of flowers like those of the elm. These flowers can be seen on the lower branches of Elms that have sprung up along the banks of the creek.

Also look for small clumps of Grape Hyacinth, a small tubular plant. Its not a native, but seems to have naturalized in places along the creek. The flowers are said to resemble small urns. 

Also starting to naturalize are the shoots of bulb flowers planted near the Alta Vista Bridge and in Cox Lane Park by NPNA’s Park Beautification Team.  

Perhaps one of the most subtle flowers, or pollen cones, is that of the Eastern Red Cedar, which at first glance appears to be just new growth of the foliage.  

We know that it may yet snow or freeze in February or March, but we also know that surely Spring will come.

Below: 1. Daffodils. 2. Grape Hyacinth. 3. Eastern Red Cedar

Vince Punarov, Creek Leader