Birding Texas: Buffalo Springs Lake

Buffalo Springs Lake is a recreational area in Texas that offers some incredible bird watching opportunities. It has bird watching habitats that include ponds, marshes, thickets, and canyons, as well as over 200 acres of lake surface area and seven miles of shoreline. In addition to bird watching, you can camp, fish, picnic and hike here. Looking for Ferruginous Hawks, Mountain Bluebirds, Hooded Mergansers and other birds? Find them all here and many more. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas, see below.

Sora. Look for this small rail in the swamps and marshes of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas. Recognize it while bird watching from its black face, chin, and throat, as well as its gray head and dark crown. It also has a yellow bill with a dark tip. This is one of the most common rails in North America, but still fun to catch a glimpse of while you are at the lake.

Virginia Rail. You can identify this rail while bird watching from its mottled upperparts, white throat, and rust colored breast. It has a black crown, white eyebrows and a long, reddish, downward curved bill. Look for it in the marshes of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas. This is a reclusive bird, but you can find it skulking in the cattails, reeds and deep grasses by the marshes.

Marsh Wren. This is a small wren that you will recognize while bird watching from its brown upperparts and the black and white triangular patch on its back. It also has white eyebrows and a long, black bill. Look for it in the marshes and swamps of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas, where it likes to spend the winters.

Winter Wren. Look for this tiny wren in the thickets and mixed forests of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas. You can identify it while bird watching from its dark brown bill, pale eyebrows, and heavily barred flanks and belly. It also has brown legs and feet. These little wrens are winter residents of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas, so look for them in December and January.

Fox Sparrow. Identify this large sparrow from its heavily streaked upperparts and rust colored tail, as well as its yellow lower bill. They can be found while bird watching in the thickets and forest edges of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas. Look for them foraging on the ground for insects and seeds.

Swamp Sparrow. This small sparrow can be found in the marshes and ponds of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas; you may even see it wading in the shallow water, foraging for insects and invertebrates. Recognize it from its rust colored cap, brown upperparts with heavy streaking, and pink legs and feet. These birds have much longer legs than other sparrows.

Canyon Towhee. Another large sparrow you can find at Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas, identify it from its gray upperparts, rust colored crown, and pinkish brown legs. Look for it while bird watching in the drier areas of Buffalo Springs Lake in Texas, especially the canyon area. If you drive to this bird watching hot spot, don't be surprised to find this bird feeding off the insects on your grill!

Source list:

Personal experience
http://local.yahoo.con/info-19472523-buffalo-springs-lake-lubbock
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx
http://identify.whatbird.com
http://www.allaboutbirds.org