The Guide to
Austin-area Birding Sites

Good places to see birds in and around Austin


Golden-cheeked Warbler

A Note About Golden-cheeked Warblers

More than one of the sites mentioned in this guide are likely to have nesting Golden-cheeked Warblers. Visitors to these areas need to know some things about this bird before setting out to try to see it. Male warblers are most easily detected by song, and they mostly sing between mid-March and late May.

It is necessary to know the song if you want to have a good chance of finding the bird. Females are comparatively silent and are less obvious. After May, singing rapidly decreases and the warblers become much more difficult to locate (although their rather quiet chirps continue to reveal their presence). By the end of July, essentially all birds have left for the wintering grounds in Middle America. It is illegal to harass an endangered species like this warbler. This includes playing tapes of their songs in an attempt to lure them into view. Consult your bird song tapes indoors, but please refrain from using them in the field.

Several city parks and nature preserves are among the sites listed (they are marked with asterisks [*]). Resident birds typical of the urban and suburban areas of Central Texas – Great-tailed Grackle, White-winged Dove and House Finch, for example – are also typical of Austin’s parks. During spring and fall migration (April to early May and August to October) the parks sometimes host good numbers of migrants. As well, they often support wintering birds. Every park has some birding potential, but there is room in this leaflet to mention only a few locations. For information on all of Austin’s 170+ park areas, and on obtaining a parks map, call the Austin Parks and Recreation Department at (512) 499-6700; or write to 200 South Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas 78704. Nature preserves, in contrast to parks, are undeveloped and usually rural. Access to most of them is restricted, though the preserve staff occasionally offers guided tours; for information, call the preserve system at (512) 480-3060.


For Additional Information write to:

Austin-area Birding Sites
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744
or send a message to: nature@tpwd.texas.gov