Birding Hornsby Bend-an Unlikely Bird Mecca

Birding and Biosolids: Discovering Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory (HBBO)

Birding Trip: 11/14/2025 1.5 hours driving, .25 hours walking

Weather: 70s Partly Sunny

Bird Species seen: 20

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler * Green-winged Teal * Ring-necked Duck * Bufflehead * Ruddy Duck * Pied-billed Grebe * Mourning Dove * Black-necked Stilt * Killdeer * Solitary Sandpiper * Turkey Vulture * Black Vulture * Cooper’s Hawk * Red-Tailed Hawk * American Kestrel * Merlin * American Crow * Savannah Sparrow * Common Grackle * Great-Tailed Grackle

Merlin

Bufflehead

If you’ve spent any time in Austin’s birding community, you’ve probably heard someone cheerfully announce they’re “going to the sewage plant this weekend.” They’re talking about Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory, one of Central Texas’s most productive and beloved birding hotspots—located squarely inside a working wastewater treatment and biosolids facility along the Colorado River.

It might sound like an odd pairing, but HBBO is a perfect example of how unlikely landscapes can become essential wildlife habitat. Birders come for the ducks, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds. The facility provides the ponds, open fields, and river corridor that make such diversity possible.

What Is Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory?

Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory (HBBO) is a program of Austin Water’s Center for Environmental Research at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. The 1,200-acre site sits in southeast Austin along the Colorado River, not far from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport and south of the intersection of FM 973 and FM 969.

The property includes:

• A chain of large wastewater ponds

• Riparian habitat along the Colorado River

• Agricultural and fallow fields

• Woods and bottomlands

It’s open to the public seven days a week from roughly dawn to dusk, and because it’s an active wastewater facility, visitors check in at the main gate with an ID. Dogs are allowed but must be leashed.

Why a Wastewater Facility Attracts So Many Birds

While the “sewage plant” label might put off non-birders, the habitat it provides is exactly what many species need. As water moves through the treatment process, it enters the large stabilization ponds. By the time birders see it, the water is quiet, open, and full of life—ideal for diving ducks, dabbling ducks, grebes, and waders.

Shallow areas and exposed mudflats appear as water levels shift, attracting sandpipers and plovers. Raptors cruise overhead, drawn by open skies and abundant prey. The river corridor and adjacent woodlands provide stopover habitat for migrating warblers and other songbirds. They feed on the gnats, “skeeters” and other flying insects that can inhabit the ponds and woods. They’re not in overwhelming numbers but hikers may need repellant.

Birders sometimes joke about the site’s “aroma,” but most days the smell is mild—and quickly becomes background compared to the spectacle of birds on the ponds. Late July through August is the most fragrant time of year and the least active for birds with the exception of shorebirds. Temperatures can be well over 100 degrees so go early and take water.

Trails, Dikes, and Birding Routes

One of the joys of Hornsby Bend is how easy it is to explore. The paved entrance gives way to gravel lanes that loop around the ponds. This loop can be walked, biked or driven, giving you close views of ducks, shorebirds, and waders without too much effort. Walking trails continue down into the bottomlands near the river - excellent areas for songbirds and owls.

Key features for visiting birders include:

• The River Trail – About three miles long, running along the Colorado River with side trails threading through woods and fields. It’s excellent for migrants, warblers, and wintering passerines.

• Pond dikes and roads – Prime spots for scanning rafts of ducks, teal, and diving birds, as well as mudflats when water levels are low.

• Hawkwatch area – Located between Pond 1 East and Pond 1 West, this open vantage point is used for scanning raptors overhead. Mid-September through October is the peak timeframe.

• Bird blind at Pond 2 – A quieter space to sit and let the birds come to you, especially useful for photographers.

Hornsby Bend is also a stop on the Heart of Texas East Wildlife Trail, which highlights some of the region’s most productive wildlife viewing sites.

Conservation and Citizen Science at Work

Hornsby Bend isn’t just a convenient place to rack up species on your year list—it’s also an active hub for conservation and long-term monitoring.

The Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory supports research include:

• Monthly bird surveys

• Guided field trips

• Education and outreach

In many ways, Hornsby Bend is a case study in how a working urban facility can double as critical wildlife habitat. As development pushes outward, these 1,200 acres of ponds, fields, and riparian woods provide an essential refuge for both migratory and resident birds.

Planning Your Visit

If you’re thinking of visiting Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory, here are a few quick tips:

• Timing: Arrive early for the best songbird activity, or later in the day for raptors and soaring vultures. Winter mornings can be spectacular for ducks and geese.

• Gear: Binoculars are a must; a spotting scope is very helpful for distant shorebirds and ducks on the larger ponds. Bring water, sun protection, insect repellant and a camp stool if you like to sit and scan.

• Footwear: Trails are mostly flat but can be muddy after rain. Watch for uneven ground and be alert for snakes in warmer months.

• Access: Check current hours and any gate requirements on the official Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory or City of Austin websites before you go. Remember to bring an ID for entry.

A Unique Austin Birding Experience

Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory is a place that surprises nearly everyone who visits for the first time. What begins as an industrial landscape quickly transforms into a vibrant birding haven filled with life, movement, and seasonal variety.

It’s a reminder that conservation opportunities don’t always appear in pristine wilderness—they sometimes flourish where nature and human infrastructure meet. For Austin birders, Hornsby Bend is more than a wastewater facility: it’s a vital refuge, a research hub, and one of the most rewarding places to watch birds in Central Texas.