Birding Granger Lake, Williamson County

Waterfowl, shorebirds & wintering Mountain Plovers northeast of Austin

Where & when: Granger Lake, in Williamson County northeast of Austin, is one of Central Texas’s best spots for waterfowl, shorebirds, and open-country winter birds. The lakeside parks and beaches draw migrating shorebirds and rafts of ducks, while the surrounding farm fields are famous for wintering Mountain Plovers, along with raptors, sparrows, and owls. Winter is the marquee season; spring and fall migration add shorebirds wherever there’s sheet water in the fields.

Best place with huge areas for waterfowl, shorebirds around the lake and fields and spring migrants.

There's a lot of places here and if you've never birded out here, here's a list of places to go.

On the lake, there's parks you can visit to get some nice birds.

1. Friendship Park - You can drive around the boat ramp area and view some of the birds there. You can then park and walk down to the beach area across the field and check for shorebirds, etc there on the beach or out on the lake. A lot of migrating shorebirds, etc utilize this beach for a nice resting and foraging area while on their way north.


2. Fox Park - South of and just across the dam from Friendship Park. This park is best to visit in the winter months as most of all the sparrow species congregate here.


3. Willis Creek Park - This is nice park that has an area where you can hike some and see species in the wooded area and along the lake shore.

Other good spots to see a lot of birds are the fields all around the lake but mostly on the north side. The main loop around these roads, which I included a map for below, is to start at 352 going north to Alligator Road, which is the furthermost north of Williamson County here. Turn right and go East to 360 (Friendship Road). Turn right and it will bend to the left and then to the right. These are the bends many refer to when finding the Mountain Plovers in the winter months. Continue on until you are back to the main road, 971. There are several roads inside that loop that hold a lot of birds as well. You just have to drive around and find them. Always look for sheet water (standing water in the fields) to find shorebirds. You will find lots of raptors, owls during the right times, and other birds.

Comanche Bluff Trail - This is a good trail that you can start on either from Taylor Park or from the end of cr 496. It is a long trail that winds around by the lake on the San Gabriel River. You can see many species here throughout the year.

North Loop Map

Granger Lake birding FAQ

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