Austin Area Hotspots
The Austin area sits where the Texas Hill Country meets the Blackland Prairie, and that meeting of habitats makes for wonderfully varied birding. Spring-fed creeks, oak-juniper canyons, and a chain of Colorado River lakes draw everything from tiny songbirds to wading birds and wintering waterfowl, often within a short drive of downtown. It's home turf for me, and the mix of scenery and species keeps a camera busy in every season.
Birds to look for: Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, Painted Bunting, Vermilion Flycatcher, Canyon Wren, herons and egrets, and wintering ducks.
Best time to visit: Spring (April to May) for breeding warblers and vireos; winter for waterfowl and sparrows.
Birding Locations in Austin Area See all birds photographed here →
Bob Wentz Windy Point
A great area and very important for migrating birds. There's always a chance at rare birds here as well. If you hang out here long enough, you'll see some nice species like a Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcons, Loons, and maybe a rare duck or two.
Commons Ford
This wonderful place holds a lot of bird species that live and forage in fields and pastures. It's along Lake Austin as well so there are more opportunities there.
Hornsby Bend
Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory is the top spot for waterfowl in the Austin area. There are plenty of other species as well as a huge population of the different swallows and shorebirds.
Platt Lane
This is a grat area with a min trail that stretches all the way to Hornsby Bend. Lots of wooded area and open fields here with views of the river that winds on by.
Reimer's Ranch
This is a great place in the Austin area to get a variety of great species of birds including most of the western birds that can be found in west Travis County.
Roy G. Guerrero
There are great views of the river here near downtown Austin. Many raptors nest here as well and in the colder months, many species of waterfowl congregate here.
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