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Overview
Brazos Bend State Park is located about 28 miles southwest of Houston, in Fort Bend County, Texas. It is about 5000 acres in size and has a variety of habitats, such as lakes, swamp, woodland and prairie, almost all accessible by a great trail system. It's eastern boundary lies along the Brazos River.
This birding hotspot is site no. UTC 117 on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.
Birds
Notable Species
Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Anhinga, Bald Eagle, Cinnamon Teal, Vermilion Flycatcher (winter), Prothonotary Warbler (summer).
Rarities
Rusty Blackbird, Tropical Parula in mid Jan, 2009 (no recent reports). Least Grebe seen Mar.16th, 2009. Streak-backed Oriole in March and April 2005, and Masked Duck in January of 1996 and 1997.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Swallow-tailed Kite (rare), White-tailed Kite, Mississippi Kite, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, King Rail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Purple Gallinule, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, American Golden-Plover, Killdeer,Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe,
40-Acre Lake, looking southwest from the Observation Tower. Photo taken Oct 24th, 2008, six weeks after Hurricane Ike did quite a lot of damage in the Park. Click on photo to see a larger image.
Other Wildlife
38 species of reptiles, amphibians and mammals, including:
American Alligator, a variety of snakes, turtles, frogs and lizards, Fox Squirrel, Nine-banded Armadillo, Raccoon, Virginia Opossum, Nutria, River Otter, White-tailed Deer, Bobcat and Coyote. Good for butterflies and dragonflies, too.
Site Information
History and Use
The land was purchased by the state of Texas in 1976-77 and was opened to the public in 1984.
Areas of Interest
- About 35 miles of hiking and biking trails, and one equestrian trail with primitive campsite.
- 3 picnic areas with barbeque pits, 2 of them with group pavilions.
- Creekfield Lake Nature Trail has interpretive signs and is wheelchair accessible.
- Elm Lake, 40-Acre Lake, Old and New Horseshoe Lakes, Hale Lake - all have walking trails around them.
- Observation Tower overlooking Pilant and 40-Acre Lakes.
- The George Observatory (operated by the Houston Museum of Natural Science) is located in the Park.
Access and Facilities
- The park is open 7 days a week, all year.
- Check the website in External Links, for emergency or scheduled closures.
- Gate Hours: Fri-Sun: 7am-10pm; Mon-Thurs: 8am-10pm.
- Fees: $7 per day, 13 and older; Seniors (65 and older) 50% off with a Texas Parklands Passport; free with the Texas State Parks Pass ($70 per year).
- Nature Center - open Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm, major holidays (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) 9am-5pm.
- Headquarters (at entrance) has gift shop, open daily.
- Camping facilities and cabins available in the Park.
- See below for links to park maps and bird checklists.
Directions: The Park is about 1 hour drive from the center of Houston. Take the 59 Freeway south and exit at Crabb River Road, follow the brown signs south, onto FM 762. The park entrance will be on the left. Directions map
Contact Details
Brazos Bend State Park
21901 FM 762
Needville TX 77461
Tel: 979-553-5102
External Links
- Bird Check list - revised 2006
- eBird bar chart of bird observations for BBSP
- Park Map - printable
- Trail Map - printable
- Texas Parks and Wildlife official website for Brazos Bend State Park
- BBSP Volunteers Website for details of park activities
- Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail - Brazoria Loop
Content and images originally posted by HelenB
