Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory

"Beautiful ponds. Ducks and wildlife look happy. There are tons of turtles and birds here. We went for a quick hike along the trail and ended up with caterpillars on our jackets. They were cute. We also saw some leaf cutter ants that were taking leaves back and forth on the path."

"Wonderful spot for bird watching. Saw about a dozen different types of birds. It’s not super clear upon entering where to go or park. Pull in past the entry station, turn left to the area open to the public, and you’ll see that the path forks right next to the pond. Turn left and drive down a bit — you’ll see that there’s a small area to pull over and park at, and you’ll find the trails start there. For such a short trail, we spent almost 2 hours there enjoying the birds."

"A nice area to hike and enjoy the wildlife. When we went it was overcast and kind of gloomy but the ducks were in full force across all the ponds. We hiked the trails but didn't find much wildlife today. I will come back when the weather is nicer and more birds are migrating. We came across an old building which I was told was an Aquatic Greenhouse and it was scheduled to be torn down. The UrbEx in me told me I had to explore it and take some pics (posted). Our hike was a 2 mile loop and was easily accomplished."

"Pros: peaceful, lots of deer, birds and even an armadillo, easy to get to. Cons: occasional jet noise and if the wind is blowing east you get a not so nice fragrance from the wastewater plant. Overall a great place to hike! My wife and I only saw 1 other person on Thanksgiving morning."

"Real nice place! Lots of water birds, especially in December and January! It's pretty quiet too, which is nice compared to a lot of other Austin parks that can get really busy. I say quiet, but actually the sound of airplanes overhead and highway traffic isn't quite "quiet." Anyway, it's lovely."