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Today, I set off on another adventure with my little adventure buddy, Morgan, to check out this place I had heard about in various articles showing up in some of my bird emails called Trinity River Audubon Center.  I wasn’t quite sure what we were getting ourselves into, but we were both up for a new adventure.

I had seen on the Trinity River Audubon Center Website, that they were hosting an event called “Celebrate Birds.”  Since it is located south of Dallas, I thought it would be good to check it out for the first time when I was sure there would be lots of people around.  I wasn’t very familiar with the area south of Dallas, so this would be a good opportunity to see what this area had to offer.

And boy, I made the right call.  It was a great day to explore down in that part of town and feel perfectly safe.  There were lots of people around.  In fact, too many people!!  The event at Trinity River Audubon Center was from 10:00 – 2:00 PM, so Morgan and I arrived about 9:15.

I wanted time to check the place out before the actual event began.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only person who had that great idea.  But fortunately, it turns out that the place is enormous, so there was room for everyone!

One of the cool water birds that we saw hunting for a snack while we were hiking!

As we pulled in to the parking lot, Morgan and I were both amazed and excited about all the wildflowers we were seeing along the roadside.  If we were this excited about the road leading up to the place, what must the place be like?  Well let me tell you – – it is amazing!  Not only was it a beautiful building, but the area surrounding the building was also beautiful!  I couldn’t wait to get started exploring this place.

The event had not yet started, so Morgan and I set off on one of the many trails they have marked.  We chose to begin our adventure just outside the building on a short trail around the Great Blue Heron Pond.

Morgan and I had both brought our cameras so we could take pictures, so we strolled along at a leisurely pace, stopping to take pictures of every flower, every bug, and all the birds that flew by!  It was so cute to see her so intrigued by all the beautiful flowers and critters that she was suddenly surrounded by.

Loved watching my little hiking buddy stop every 3 feet to take pictures! Another little photographer/adventurer in the making…

At this point, it was not terribly crowded, so we were able to just hang out and take pictures when we wanted to.  There was no hurry, and we chose not to do a guided tour, so we were completely on our own. Just the way I like it!  It was so nice and quiet (except for all the birds singing).

After about 45 minutes of this, we were ready to head back to the building for the bird demonstration that was being put on by the nice folks from Window to the Wild.  We found a spot in the picnic area and became completely fascinated by the bird demonstration that we watched.

If you have not witnessed a bird demonstration by Window to the Wild, I recommend finding out where they will be having their next demonstration and making time to check it out.  It was amazing!

Here is one of the many birds that Window to the Wild brings to their demonstrations! Cool, huh?

The Trinity River Audubon Center is located about 10 miles south of downtown Dallas.  It is a wonderful forested area, and it supports a very diverse population of plant and animal species.  Within the area, you will find bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, and some grasslands.

The area used to be the home of an illegal dump site, but it has now been reclaimed and has become the home to many birds and other wildlife.  It has 5 miles of trails that take you through all sorts of ponds, wetlands, forests, and prairies right along the Trinity River.

Trinity River Audubon Center opened in 2008, and has been welcoming visitors and various educational programs since then.  As one who loves to find new places to hike while my kids are at school, I was asking one of the workers what it was like during the week.

They open at 9:00 on weekdays, and the nice lady at the counter said “If you come at 9:00, you will probably have the place mostly to yourself, at least for the first hour.

One of the many song birds hanging out along the trail. This is a Common Yellowthroat! Fun to watch!

After 10:00, we have many school groups that come here to enjoy some hiking and some activities in our classrooms.”  What fun!  There were several classroom areas in the building, and when we were there, they were all filled with happy, smiling children!

So…here’s hoping that my kids will agree to join me on a morning hike one day while they are out of school for summer break.  If not, guess I’ll see the Trinity River Audubon Center again in the Fall when school starts up again!

Here’s to finding new, exciting places to hike and take pictures of wildlife!  Let me know what you think if you make it out there.  Until next time…

Here are a few more pictures from our adventure I thought you might enjoy!