birding

The Texas Hill Country where birding is great all year, is in the overlap zone of ranges of eastern and western bird species as well as some north and south species. In the summer months you can find both the eastern Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the western Black-chinned Hummingbirds visiting feeders and wildflowers. Western Common Ravens and eastern American Crows, Eastern and Western meadowlarks, western Golden-fronted and eastern Downy woodpeckers are other examples of this overlap. Southern birds found here include Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, White-winged and Common Ground doves, and Crested Caracara. In the winter months birders can find northern species like Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, Harris Sparrows, and Golden-crown Kinglets. These are but a few of the birds whose range edges extend into the Hill Country.

An excellent place to find birds in Fredericksburg is the new Live Oak Wilderness nature trail in Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park located three miles south on Texas Highway 16. The three-quarter mile long trail occurs near the lake dam just after entry into the park and is marked by signs. The trail will be part of the South Texas Nature Trail sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Transportation. The trail which is easy to moderate in difficulty to hike, features a diversity of habitats found in the Hill Country. More than one half of the birds occurring in Gillespie County have been seen in Lady Bird Johnson Park, so it is an excellent place to start your birding adventure. Rarities seen in the park include Zone-tailed Hawk, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, MacGillvray's Warbler, Sora Rail and Gray Catbird. Depending on the time of the year, any number of rare birds could be seen here along with the wide variety of summer and winter residents and migrants..

In addition to the 132 birds on the current checklist, more than 150 native wildflowers, 30 native trees, 30 butterflies, and 25 dragonflies and damselflies have been found along the nature trail. Checklists of the birds, plants and insects can be found in the park headquarters office. Visit our new nature trail and enjoy a refreshing walk in a beautiful natural setting of creek, lake, prairie, and forest habitats.

A number of beautiful state parks are located within approximately one hour's drive of Kothmann Creek Inn. Lost Maples and Enchanted Rock state natural areas, Pedernales Falls, South Llano, Inks Lake, LBJ, and Kerrville-Schreiner state parks offer a variety of outdoor activities including birding, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing and scenic viewing. Look for Texas Hill County endangered Black-capped Vireos, Golden-cheeked Warblers and Green Kingfishers among the approximately 300 species of birds occurring in the Hill Country area.