Where to bird in Austin, Texas?? (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

I'm going to be going to Austin, TX in mid-January and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions about good places to go birding while I'm there. I should mention that it has to be in the immediate vicinity of the city as I may not have access to a car, so anywhere accessible by public transportation would be great. I'm going to be doing some real city birding but that's okay because I'm from Philadelphia so I'll still see some new birds.

I noticed Zilker Metropolitan Park on Google Maps and was wondering if anyone has been birding here.

Also, I heard there are Painted Buntings in Austin. Can anyone verify this?

Thanks a lot!

zschagrin said:

Also, I heard there are Painted Buntings in Austin. Can anyone verify this?

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Not in January, unfortunately - they're all well down in Mexico for the winter, back in maybe March or April.

Town Lake should offer some birds. Hornsby Bend (near the airport) was good for waders, but January would be bad for those. But it has a hide now.
I've not been to Zilker Park, but Barton Springs (in the park) was noted as a location in a guide I have (but I have no access to it at the moment).
McKinney Falls State Park was quiet in summer, but maybe January may be better for sparrows etc.