Montgomery County’s lakes, streams, creeks and forested areas plus its central location migration patterns make the area a prime spot for bird watching, a local birding expert says.
The county features an array of native birds and twice a year during spring and fall migrations, the birding landscape changes as feathered friends make their way south for the winter and back north for warmer months.
The bird that really brings birding enthusiasts to Montgomery County is the red-cockaded woodpecker found in the W.G. Jones State Forest off FM 1488.
Here are several reasons why birding enthusiasts flock to Montgomery County:
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The red-cockaded woodpecker
JoJo Bradbury, a Texas Master Naturalist and Bird Survey Leader for Houston Audubon and the Bayou Land Conservancy, said the red-cockaded woodpecker is a very important bird here.
The birds that make their home in the Jones State Forest are on the federal endangered species list and the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s state endangered list.
They need large, mature pine trees that are 60 years and older in which to build cavities for roosting and nesting. The Jones State Forest has the perfect “island” of large pine trees.
To help the population thrive, in 2023, the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution partnered with the Texas A&M Forest Service which manages the forest to set up a 100-acre conservation district within the forest.
“If people want to see the red-cockaded woodpecker, they’ve got to come here to the Jones State Forest,” she said.
A central flyway
Montgomery County has a prime location in the north/south central migration flyway.
“This central flyway is really important and a strategic location. The migratory birds, for both the spring and fall migrations, this is a really critical area for them. There is a variety of habitats that offer ideal resting and feeding places for the birds. When they’re making that migration, they have to find food and shelter.”
She notes right now the birds are fueling up here for their migration across the Gulf of Mexico. In the spring, coming north, they rest here and refuel after their long trek back across the gulf.
She said spring and fall are the most rewarding times for local bird watchers and those visiting. She said watch outside right now and you’ll notice more hummingbirds as they start their migration.
“We have lakes, rivers, wetlands and open meadows. Each type of habitat brings a different type of bird,” she said. “For Lake Conroe you’re going to have the ducks, geese, eagles, whooping cranes and the water fowl. In the forest we have the woodpeckers, songbirds, raptors and warblers. The sparrows and ground-nesting birds love open grassy areas.”
She lists Lake Conroe, Lake Woodlands, the Spring Creek Greenway area, the Montgomery County Preserve, Jones State Forest and the Sam Houston National Forest as prime birding spots in the county.
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A change in climate
The black-bellied whistling ducks now breed here where they did not previously, she said.
“They never used to years and years ago. They are originally from Mexico, now like a lot of birds and with the changing of the climate maybe they’re breeding earlier and they have to go where the food is,” Bradbury said. “Certain berries and seeds were available and now they’re not. They have to change and go with the flow of the food source.”
She said she never saw a black-bellied whistling until she moved to Texas because they don’t typically come this far north.
When viewing her new home here in The Woodlands/Magnolia area the black-bellied whistling ducks were in her backyard welcoming she and her husband to Montgomery County.
How to experience local birds
Through the Bayou Land Conservancy, Bradbury leads bird walks/surveys every Monday and the first Saturday of each month. The walk begins at 7:30 a.m. from the George Mitchell Nature Preserve Trailhead, the parking area located at the end of Anne Snyder Drive, and participants walk approximately 2.5 miles until around 10:30 a.m.
”It’s a mixed habitat with ponds and woods. We see about 40 to 50 species on our walks. In the migration periods we see more,” she said. “You can really see a lot of birds here and it’s changing all the time. You never know what you’re going to see because everyday is different.”
Register for a bird walk on the Bayou Land Conservancy website. See the data website BirdCast for a look at the current bird migration which the site lists as high for Montgomery County.
The website and database eBird also offers information about bird viewings in Montgomery County.
Other groups to check out include the Houston Audubon Society and the website BirdNote. A Visit Conroe birding brochure also tells more about Montgomery County birds.
Additionally, The Great Texas Birding Classic is an annual competition held across Texas to determine which team can identify and count the most birds during a specific window of time. The Woodlands date for the event is typically in the spring.
The Spring Creek Christmas Bird Count begins in mid-December and early January. The Audubon Society’s goal is to capture a snapshot of bird populations during the early winter.
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