Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge for Texas Birding

This list, containing 301 species, is in accordance with the 6th edition (1983) A.O.U. check-list. The refuge complex provides habitat for numerous Central Flyway waterfowl which spend the winter months on the Texas coast. This combined with a varied habitat and warm climate provides for excellent birding year round. Birding on the refuge is most interesting during the winter months. Large concentrations of 100,000 geese and 80,000 ducks (24 species) can be a great spectacle. Thirteen species of sparrows winter on the refuge and fifteen species of wading birds nest here. Birdwatchers are treated to a spectacular variety of more than 50 migrants including 30 warbler species during the spring and fall migration. During a "fallout" which typically occurs after a rainy cold front, lucky birders may view literally dozens of species of neotropical migrants within a few hours. The refuge is a good place to view most kinds of rails. The Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge is in the Freeport Christmas Bird Count circle which consistently produces over 210 species and is usually number one or two in the nation in number of species sighted.

The Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge Complex has been designated as an internationally significant shorebird site by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. This designation indicates that the combined complex hosted over 100,000 shorebirds during spring migration. Dowitchers, dunlins, lesser yellowlegs, semipalmated and western sandpipers can best be observed in the spring between mid-March and mid-May and in the fall between July and September.

If you should find an unlisted or rare species during your visit, please contact the Refuge staff and provide a description. The refuge birds do not recognize traditional calendar seasons, therefore, season designations for species are intended as general guidelines.
More Info Here
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No date. Birds of Brazoria/San Bernard/Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Unpaginated. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.govbrazoria.htm (Version 22MAY98).