Birding at the Hatchery

The Center is located within the central flyway and although the facility is not specifically managed for birds many migratory species and grasslands birds visit the Center. Birders are welcome. Please check in at the main office and be prepared to brave the grasslands without groomed trails.

Flora & Fauna

The Center is located along edge of Texas Blackland Prairie that boarders the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. The Blackland Prairie is named for its deep fertile black soils that characterize the area. The area historically supported a tall grass prairie dominated by tall growing grasses such as big bluestem, little blue stem, Indian grass, eastern gamagrass, and switchgrass. The Blackland Prairie was a disturbance maintained system. Prior to European settlement (pre-1825) fire and periodic grazing by large herbivores maintained the prairie plant species and suppressed the woody species. The Blackland Prairie is habitat for more than 500 native faunal taxa including 327 species of bird, 7 reptile and 15 bird species many of which are considered imperiled (ranging from state "species of concern" to federally threatened and endangered). Most officially listed mammals have been extirpated from the Blackland Prairie. Much of the Blackland Prairie region including that at the Center are small islands of native diversity in a mosaic of primarily urban development, oldfield, and tame pasture.