Places We Love to Bird - Baskett Slough NWR

Rich Guadagno Observation Platform

We are so fortunate that one of the places we love to bird, is also very close. Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is literally only minutes away from our home in the Dallas Retirement Village. It is a huge refuge of 2,500 acres, containing a reservoir and 7 different marshes. Miles of roads and trails provide access from all four directions. It was developed to provide wintering habitat for Canada geese, but they have done an outstanding job of maintaining and encouraging all kinds of native trees, shrubs, and flowers. It is possible to get in a lot of birding from the seat of your car, but there are trails enough to involve a good amount of hiking in your search for birds.  Readers will, of course, guess our preference.

The idea of a good hike popped into my mind Thursday morning. It was a little over two weeks from my shoulder surgery, and I felt like I was up to a good quick morning work-out, specifically up to the top of Mt Baldy. Most people refer to it as Baskett Butte, but if you look closely at an official USGS topo map, you will see it is "Mt Baldy". From the central parking lot, we took the 3/4-mile trail to the Rich Guadagno Observation Platform.

My arm was tucked into a sling to protect my shoulder, and Jeanette packed in our birding gear. Singing Western Meadowlarks pricked up or ears immediately, great swaths of yellow and purple flowers entertained our eyes, and up the trail we went. This is the shortest trail with the biggest workout payout. On most birding experiences we prefer the longer trails, and there are many to choose from including trails to Morgan Reservoir, and Moffitti Marsh, to name just a couple.  And then of course the option of combinations. 

We have hiked, photographed, and birded Baskett Slough NWR for many years. I'm not sure of my very first trip, but looking in Cascade Ramblings at the Trip Journals, I found this link to the oldest one: Cascade Ramblings - Ramblings: Mount Baldy Hike: Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge has been a place we have loved to go for over two decades now, it is in reality a place where we seek refuge for ourselves.