From sharp-shinned hawks to barred owls, watch these birds in and around Fort Worth
Spring is the most popular season for birding, with many rare species being reported in Texas.
Late February to early May is the most popular time of year for birding, with peak migration occurring the last two weeks of April and the first week of May, per the National Park Service.
Texas is part of the Central Flyway, a bird migration route that some 400 bird species journey through, making Fort Worth an ideal location for spotting the migrants this spring.
Not sure where to go? These are the best birdwatching hotspots in and around Fort Worth, according to Birding Locations and AllTrails.
Village Creek Drying Beds
Location: 1500 NW Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington
Bird Species: Six duck species, grebes, Nashville warbler, lark sparrow, northern flicker, savannah sparrow, yellow warbler, white-eyed vireo, sedge wren, Wilson’s warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, red-shouldered hawk, great horned owl, great blue heron, Wilson’s snipe, eastern meadowlark, American kestrel, painted bunting, indigo bunting, vesper sparrow, scissor-tailed flycatcher, dickcissel, loggerhead shrike, Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawk, vermillion flycatcher, northern harriers, white-faced ibis, least sandpipers, black-necked stilts, and lesser and greater yellowlegs. Need to know: Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance is free. Park at the J.W. Dunlop Sports Center, as the parking inside the property is closed sometimes.
Originally a water reclamation site, this is now a wetland habitat for numerous birds. It’s a heavily wooded area where birders can watch small songbirds, water birds, hawks and shorebirds.
Stop by nearby River Legacy Park, located at 701 NW Green Oaks Blvd., to see summer tanagers, song sparrows, brown thrashers, Baltimore orioles and several warbler species. Stop by Lake Viridian, a popular birding location near River Legacy East.
Benbrook Lake
Location: North Holiday Park, 400 Lakeview Dr., Benbrook. Mustang Park, 3600 Winscott Plover Rd., Fort Worth. Bird Species: Osprey, marbled godwit, Forster’s tern, Bonaparte’s and Franklin’s gull, American pipit, eastern meadowlark, merlin and peregrine falcon, sanderlings, least, pectoral and buff-breasted sandpipers, blue-winged and cinnamon teal, American white pelicans, horned grebes, painted buntings, vesper sparrow, blue-gray gnatcatcher, field sparrow and Harris’s sparrow. Need to know: Hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Entrance fee is $5.
The large lake south of Fort Worth, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has two birding areas with shorebirds, ducks, songbirds, sparrows and hawks. North of the lake, Pecan Valley Park is another birdwatching spot you may want to visit.
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
Location: 9601 Fossil Ridge Rd., Fort Worth Bird Species: Belted kingfishers, canvasback, northern pintail, American wigeon, painted and indigo buntings, northern parulas, barred owls, pine warblers, fox sparrows, white-throated sparrows, prothonotary warbler and pileated woodpecker. Need to know: Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance fee is $6 for adults and $2 for children.
North of Fort Worth on Lake Worth lies a large wildlife refuge with prairies and cross timbers savannah. It features a wide variety of songbirds, shorebirds, ducks and raptors.
Colleyville Nature Center
Location: 100 Mill Wood Dr., Colleyville Bird Species: Yellow warbler, Wilson’s warbler, Nashville warbler, Canada warbler, black-and-white warbler, bell’s vireo, common yellowthroat, great crested flycatcher, black-throated green warbler, warbling vireo, eastern screech-Owls and barred owls. Need to know: Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Entrance is free.
The wooded park northeast of Fort Worth is a great place to see colorful warblers when they stop by during their fall and spring migration. See two species of owls at “Owl Woods,” located between the Angler’s Pond and Peaceful Pond.
While in Colleyville, you may also want to visit Sparger Park at 4301 Bedford Rd., about five minutes from the nature center. The park often features rare birds including the American redstart, mourning warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, magnolia warbler, bay-breasted warbler, blackburnian warbler, orchard oriole, gray catbird, blue-headed vireo and golden-crowned kinglet.
Grapevine Lake
Location: Oak Grove Park, 2520 Oak Grove Loop S., Grapevine. Meadowmere Park, 3000 Meadowmere Ln., Grapevine. Bob Jones Nature Center, 355 E. Bob Jones Rd., Southlake. Bird Species: Belted kingfishers, Forster’s terns, least terns, willet, white-faced ibis, American avocets, herons, semipalmated, least, pectoral and Baird’s sandpipers, ruddy turnstones, red-breasted mergansers, savannah and white-throated sparrows, yellow-headed blackbirds, barn swallows, eastern bluebirds, American redstarts, common yellowthroats and Wilson’s, black-and-white, Nashville, yellow, Canada and yellow-rumped warblers, bald eagle, brown thrasher, blue-headed vireo, spotted towhee, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, red-eyed vireo, yellow-breasted chat, painted bunting, golden and ruby-crowned kinglet and hummingbirds. Need to know: Oak Grove Park hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and entrance is $5. Meadowmere Park hours are 8 a.m. to dusk and entrance is $5. Bob Jones Nature Center hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and entrance is free.
Grapevine Lake features three areas for birdwatching. There, you’ll find sandpipers, shorebirds, warblers and other interesting bird species.
Birdwatching Trails in and around Fort Worth
Eagle Mountain Northwest Loop and Eagle Mountain Lake Loop at Eagle Mountain Lake Park
Lone Wolf Loop, The Dam Drop and Thunder Road Loop at Marion Sansom Park
Greer Island, Canyon Ridge Trail, Oak Motte Trail, Forked Tail Creek Trail, Riverbottom, Caprock, Prairie and Wild Plum Trail Loop at Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
Trinity River Trail at Oakmont Park
West Loop at Gateway Park
Trinity River Trail East at Memorial Oak Park
Whites Branch Park Trail
Benbrook Lake Trail at Holiday Park
Stratford Park and Tandy Hills Extended Loop
