Birding Texas: Tyler State Park

Tyler State Park, located in Tyler, Texas, is almost 1,000 acres of outstanding bird watching territory. Bird watching habitats here include a 64-acre spring fed lake, forests of pines and oaks, and marshy swamps. It is also a popular recreational area in Texas - in addition to bird watching, you can enjoy fishing, swimming, hiking and boating here. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at Tyler State Park in Texas, see below.

Wood Duck. Look for this lovely tree duck while bird watching along the lake and swamps of Tyler State Park in Texas. It is very easy to recognize when bird watching from its beautiful coloring - it has a green and purple head with white stripes, a purplish-brown breast, yellow flanks, a brown back, and a white throat. Wood ducks feed on insects, acorns, seeds and fruit.

Pileated Woodpecker. This large woodpecker is the size of a crow, and is easy to identify when bird watching from its black body, bright red crest and white neck stripe. Look for it digging holes in the trees of Tyler State Park in Texas, looking for ants and other insects to eat. These woodpeckers are year-round residents at Tyler State Park.

Brown-headed Nuthatch. Look for this small nuthatch in the pine trees of Tyler State Park in Texas, where you will see it creeping head first down trunks and branches. Identify it while bird watching from its bluish-gray back, nape, wings and rump, as well as its white underparts. It also has a brown crown. Look for it probing under bark and in cracks for insects and pine seeds.

Wood Thrush. This large thrush (slightly smaller than the American Robin) can be found when bird watching in the summer at Tyler State Park in Texas. It has a brown back, and its white chest is heavily spotted. Look for it when bird watching deep in the forests of Tyler State Park, where you will find it foraging on the ground for insects, caterpillars, ants and fruit.

Indigo Bunting. You'll find this small finch in the summer when bird watching at Tyler State Park in Texas. Look for it in the woodland clearings and forest edges of Tyler State Park, where you can identify it while bird watching from its iridescent blue body, slightly darker crown, and black wings and tail, edged in blue. It feeds on insects, grain, seeds and berries. Indigo Buntings migrate at night, using the stars to find their way.

Painted Bunting. This summer resident of Tyler State Park in Texas can be found in the forest edges and swamps, looking for seeds, insects and caterpillars. It is easy to recognize from its beautiful coloring, with a bronze-green back, bright red rump and underparts, and blue head and nape. It also has a red eye-ring, and its wings have green shoulder patches.

Fox Sparrow. Look for this winter resident of Tyler State Park in Texas in the forests, scratching in the ground litter for insects. Identify it from its boldly striped feathering and heavily streaked chest, along with its rust colored tail. This is one of the larger American sparrows, although it is still small for a songbird.

Source list:

Personal experience

http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx

http://www.allaboutbirds.org

http://identify.whatbird.com