Richard Fleming Park at Cross Lake

Richard Fleming Park is a convenient, amenity-rich getaway for birders visiting Shreveport. The combination of forest diversity and an 8000-acre open body of shallow water guarantees good birding at any time of the year. In all, 238 species have been spotted at this small park. 

This site is located on a hardwood bluff overlooking the outfall of Fordney Bayou at Cross Lake, which is known for attracting state-uncommon waterbird species such as Surf, White-winged, and Black Scoters, Common Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Red-necked and Western Grebes, Sabine’s Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, and Ringed Kingfisher. Waterfowl watching is at its best during the winter, when at least a dozen species may be observed, along with other specialties such as American White Pelican, Osprey, and Bald Eagle. Wintering ducks run the gamut and include the entire Anas spectrum, Canvasback, Redhead, scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Ruddy Duck. 

During spring migration, the woodlands are alive with neotropical songbird migrants; even in winter, odd warbler species can appear here. A male Cape May Warbler spent a recent winter along the lakeshore, and a year later, a male Tropical Parula did so as well. 

A public boat launch operated by Shreveport Parks and Recreation is on the right, just past the parking lot entrance. It’s one of the few places around Cross Lake where a spotting scope gives you a good look across an expanse of open water. Visible from here is an island rookery used by Double-crested Cormorants, herons, egrets, and perhaps even a Bald Eagle. 

Among park amenities are handicapped-accessible bathrooms and a 60-foot fishing/observation pier. A walking path traverses mixed pine-hardwood and bottomland hardwood forests between the bayou and the cypress-studded edge of Cross Lake.