Birding Texas: Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

The Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas has over 3,000 acres of outstanding bird watching. Its bird watching habitats include woodlands, river bottoms, marshes, prairies, and a lake. There are 20 miles of trails for you to explore while bird watching, and a boardwalk over one of the marshes to allow bird watching from above. The Fort Worth Nature Center has trail maps, classes, guided trail walks, and more. There is also a window at the center for viewing wildlife that visit the food and water provided there. Over 25 species come to feed at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas every day, including Purple Finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, see below.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Look for this small woodpecker when bird watching during the winter at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas. Identify it from the white stripe running up its side, as well as the messy black and white barring on its back. Its throat and crown are completely red. You'll find it in the woodlands of Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, drilling shallow holes in trees to get at the sap.

Purple Finch. This beautiful finch is easy to recognize while bird watching from the raspberry wash on its body. It has brown steaks on its nape and back, with a red wash on its white sides and belly. Look for it in the winter at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, where you will find it in the forests foraging for insects, seeds, and fruit. This is one of the prettiest finches you will ever see while bird watching.

Black-chinned Hummingbird. Look for this small hummingbird when bird watching during the summer at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas. It has a green back, along with an iridescent purple stripe along its black chin. This is a slender hummingbird, with a nearly straight bill. You'll find it hovering over woodland flowers at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, and also at the hummingbird feeders the Center hangs out.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird. This small hummingbird is very aggressive, driving off competitors for food and territory. Identify it while bird watching at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas from its brilliant orange coloring and iridescent red throat. Look for them while bird watching anywhere there are flowers at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, and also at the Center's hummingbird feeders.

Wood Duck. This gorgeous duck is hard to mistake while bird watching at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas. It has a brown back, purple breast, crested green and purple head striped in white, and a white throat. It also has yellow flanks. Look for this duck while bird watching in the marshier areas of Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, where it prefers wooded areas rather than the open water of the lake.

Barred Owl. Barred owls are very large owls that you may see while bird watching at dawn or dusk at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas. One will sit in a tree, listening for prey, and then swoop down to catch it. Recognize it from its distinctive facial disk, which is almost heart-shaped, as well as its dark eyes and yellow beak. Its white underparts are heavily streaked with brown, and it lacks the ear tufts of many owls. Look for it while bird watching deep in the forests of Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas, as it prefers heavily wooded areas.

Source list:

Personal experience
http://www.allaboutbirds.org
http://identify.whatbird.com