By Andy and Ellen Filtness

There’s a new birding spot to visit in Llano County: Horseshoe Bay Nature Park. Sitting atop the rolling slopes of the Hill Country, the 11 acre park offers some varied bird habit and an easy walking half mile loop trail. The park was formally opened on December 20th, 2021.

In early 2020, the Horseshoe Bay (HSB) Nature Park committee contacted Travis Audubon about the prairie restoration at Commons Ford after a referral from Native American Seed in Junction, TX. As part of the Commons Ford Committee, we volunteered our time to provide input during the early planning stages of the park. The HSB Nature Park team were keen to make the park bird friendly, and we provided advice on bird blinds, water features, nesting boxes, and habitat. An eBird hotspot was created and several surveys performed to record what was going on in the park before any restoration or construction began.

Nest box at the park. Photo by BorjaVisuals.

The park is somewhat unique in that it was conceived and designed around observing nature. Bird friendly features were a key part of the layout, and careful attention was paid to the location of the bird blind and nest boxes. Five Bluebird boxes and two Screech Owl boxes have been installed, and just prior to opening day, Paul & Georgean Kyle installed a Chimney Swift tower. In addition to the bird boxes and tower, two bee hives were installed.

For the birders, the central portion of the park offers good habitat for both summer and winter sparrows. Eight species of sparrows have been seen to date, including LeConte’s on one of the surveys. During the summer, Bell’s Vireos, Painted Buntings, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and Summer Tanagers are frequently seen. Orchard Orioles were also observed nesting last year. Adjacent to the park on a neighbor’s land is a small pond which attracts ducks, herons, and a few shorebirds. The bird blind was positioned to give good views of the pond, and will also have its own water feature using a rainwater collection system.

Similar to Commons Ford, the park was seeded with a variety of native flowers and grasses which should really explode into color this spring.

One of the paths at the park. Photo by BorjaVisuals.

The location of the park is less than a mile off Highway 71 in Horseshoe Bay. The park is a good 1-hour drive if you are traveling from Austin. Allow 1-1.5 hours to complete the loop of the park and the bird blind area. The viewing platform near the parking area also provides a great overview of the park.

Should all that birding give you an appetite, try out the BBQ at Opie’s in Spicewood on the way home!

Learn more about the park at hsbpark.org. Check out the park’s page on eBird here.

Featured Photo: Red-tailed Hawk at HSB Nature Park, taken by Birds by Jason