Highlights:

  • Year-round water source
  • Paved walking trails and multiple parking areas

Trail Length:
2.9 mile loop

eBird Link

View from atop the Dam

The Location

Lake Pflugerville is a 175 acre lake with a gravel walking trail that loops around the perimeter. It tends to attract more species in the cooler months of the year when ducks, gulls, and blackbirds are around. This can be a good spot for Eared Grebe, Wilson’s Snipe, and Brewer’s Blackbird.

The primary parking lot is at the northeast corner along Weiss Lane, but there’s parking on the south side along E Pflugerville Parkway as well.

View from the Main Parking Lot

Birding Recommendations

First decide how much time and effort to put into this location. Walking the full loop around the lake will can easily take an hour and a half. If you like to stop and carefully scan, or pick through grassy, marshy, and brushy spots then give yourself at least 2 hours.

A shorter option is starting at the main parking lot on Weiss Lane and following the gravel trail parallel to the subdivision (away from the rocky dam and Weiss Lane). When the path hooks left, check out the marshy area and few trees in that corner of the lake, and then double back the way you came. This gets you a total of about 1.2 miles walked.

Fishing Pier not far from Main Parking Lot

As you walk along the open areas with short grass, watch for sparrows, meadowlarks, pipits, and blackbirds. Spotted Sandpipers can be found along the rocky shoreline, along with occasional Least Sandpipers. Wilson’s Snipes are regulars here. Check any spots with vegetation right along the shore.

Even sparse vegetation can hide Wilson’s Snipes.

Winter months will likely get you a good mix of ducks. Expect 5-8 species, plus Eared Grebe as a possibility. A scope will certainly be useful to scan the water and cut down on the amount of walking require to see everything, but isn’t totally necessary.

View of Open Water from atop the Dam

Marsh Wrens and Common Yellowthroats are always present in the cooler months.

Expect flyover activity as well, with cormorants, hawks, Osprey, blackbirds, and incoming ducks.

A number of interesting species are occasionally seen during migration periods. Sightings include Peregrine Falcon, American Golden-Plover, Cinnamon Teal, Bald Eagle, Sprague’s Pipit, Zone-tailed Hawk, Red-breasted Merganser, and Black Tern. None of the species should be expected, but know that this is as good a place as any to find interesting birds during migration.