Nature Viewing
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Birding and Wildlife Watching
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is the headquarters of the World Birding Center, a complex of unique sites located in the lower Rio Grande Valley. This region, where two major flyways converge, is one of the top birding destinations in the country. It’s the northernmost range for many tropical birds, as well as the southernmost range for many northern species. Estero Llano Grande and Resaca de la Palma State Parks are also part of the World Birding Center.
The new Elm Lake Wildlife Viewing Platform at Brazos Bend State Park provides spectaculor views of birds, 10-foot alligators in the wild, and other wildlife. On the weekends, park staff offer a variety of nature-related activities and interpretive talks.
Goose Island gets lively in the spring and fall with so many migrating birds that they appear like feathered waves ruffling the sky, in concert with the waters of Aransas Bay lapping the shores.
Birders flock to Davis Mountains State Park to catch a glimpse of the resident Montezuma Quail and the nearby Black Hawks, as well as the migrating birds that fill the skies in spring and fall. The park has plenty of interesting critters as well, including javelinas and an occasional mountain lion.
The Captivating Dome
There are few places more aptly named than Enchanted Rock, which always seems to cast a spell. The closer you get to this massive, billion-year-old pink granite dome, which the Native Americans regarded as a gateway to the spirit world, the stranger and more magical it appears. As you hike up to the spectacular view from its gently curved summit, you’ll make a startling discovery. Blessed with vernal pools, where water and sediment collect, this seemingly bald and lifeless rock hosts an astonishing variety of wildflowers, blooming cacti and even some microscopic fairy shrimp that dart about after a rain.
Going Batty
Bat watching has become one of the most popular and unusual outdoor pursuits in the state. It’s hard not to love these eerie creatures as we learn more and more about their beneficial nature. Watching them swirl out from their habitats at dusk on warm evenings is a thrill you can enjoy at several state parks from spring to fall. Peer into Devil’s Sinkhole during the day, then watch the bats take flight from its depths just after sunset. At Kickapoo Cavern, you can watch half a million bats spiral out of Stuart Bat Cave, and you can see even more of the creatures swarming out of Clarity Tunnel at Caprock Canyons.
Hoofbeats from the Past
No animals signify the Old West better than bison. Destined to become forgotten relics of a bygone time, now they play a starring role at Caprock Canyons. Several dozen bison from the official herd, the only genetically pure descendants of the original indigenous Southern Plains strain culled by legendary rancher Charles Goodnight, bring back the days when these majestic animals roamed the rugged Western plains and sustained the lives of Native Americans.
