Mallard Lake, situated within the expansive Creve Coeur Park, is a highlight of every trip I take to St. Louis. It has much more than mallards to enjoy! Serene waters and surrounding trees provide abundant habitat for a wide variety of birds. This is always a peaceful place to stop and take a walk, especially early in the morning when the birds are waking up!

The lake itself is an easy-to-scan area to look for birds. The real hub of activity is in the trees and tall grass around the lake! In the right season, Purple Martins are buzzing all around, Grackles can be singing loudly in the trees, or a Robin might be building a nest up in a tree!

The lakeside vegetation surrounding Mallard Lake provides an ideal habitat for nesting birds. Look closely among the branches and foliage at the edge of the water, and you may spot the woven nests of Red-winged Blackbirds or the Purple Martins gathering food for their kids!

While exploring the trails that wander around Mallard Lake and through Creve Coeur Park, keep an eye out for raptors soaring high above. Red-tailed Hawks, Mississippi Kites, American Kestrels and even Bald Eagles can be spotted scanning the surroundings for their next meal. They soar high above, but also perch in trees around the lake.

There are Purple Martin nesting boxes on one side of the lake and it is a hot spot of activity when they are nesting. Hundreds of these birds soar overhead, dive for bugs, feed their young, and visit the nest boxes. I spent one evening just sitting on a nearby bench watching the Purple Martin show, truly entertaining.

Indigo Buntings perch high on vegetation and sing their hearts out, especially nearing sunset. They are just a beautiful blue bird, with such an enchanting song!

I met many lifers in this area of Creve Coeur Park. A singing Wood Thrush, Red-headed Woodpeckers carrying food to trees, Carolina Wrens singing all over the place, a shy Acadian Flycatcher, and even a Brown Thrasher that popped out of nowhere and stopped to look at me for just one second (and one photo). Here are some photos from my time here in June 2023: