BIRD WATCHING
In the Highland Lakes Area
of Central Texas

Painted Bunting

If you are a Bird Watcher or love birds, you will love the Highland Lakes Area in the Texas Hill Country.  Out of 900 bird species found in the United States, 600 can be found in the state of Texas.  Many interesting birds migrate through the Highland Lakes Area and others spend the winter here.

Members of the Highland Lakes Birding and Wildflower Society recently took part in the Annual Christmas Bird Count and identified 105 species on December 30, 1996.  It was part of the National Audubon Society's 97th Christmas Bird Count .  A total of 7,626 birds were counted and 105 species were identified in the 24 hour period.  Each year the totals are about the same.

One visiting bird watching couple, who spent the weekend on the west side of Lake Buchanan, spotted 27 species of birds in an outing one morning and spotted over 40 species during their weekend stay.

The American Bald Eagle winters at Lake Buchanan.  Boat tours go up the lake to spot the nesting birds along the shore.  The eagles arrive in the area in November and leave for the north in March.  In January the annual Eagle count is taken in the area.

Seven very rare Painted Buntings were spotted eating seeds off of grass at a residents home in Floyd Acres on the west side of Lake Buchanan.   A few of these beautiful birds made their home there and are now regularly seen feeding at the bird feeder in the back yard.

Maybe you read about the Bluefooted Boobie that spent the summer a few years ago on Lake LBJ.  Bird Watchers came from all over the country to view this bird. He stayed for several months on the lake.  It was assumed that he had gotten lost and just made the lake his home for the summer.  He was probably from the Gallapogos Islands.

Whooping Cranes, Canadian Snow Geese, Canadian Geese, Pelicans, Storks, Herons, Ducks and many other birds migrate through the area in the fall and the spring.

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