THE CLEAR LAKE LOOP
League City is part of the Clear Lake Loop portion of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail and is made up of 18 official Upper Texas Coast birding sites spread across Bay Area Houston. The loop offers several different habitats for birders to explore, including marshes, woods, coastal wetlands, and high-grass prairies. These varied habitats provide a refuge for birds during spring and fall migrations, while other birds are present year-round. Along with the official Clear Lake Loop sites, League City has several other “unofficial” locations that make prime birding habitats
Official League City Birding Sites
UTC = Upper Texas Coast
Dr. Ned and Fay Dudney Clear Creek Nature Center
UTC 083A
Don’t miss this 148-acre site where you may spot sandhill cranes, herons, ibises, egrets, and even the endangered whooping crane from time to time. Paved trails and several bird blinds provide an ideal birdwatching environment.
Challenger 7 Memorial Park
UTC 084
Meandering trails take you through wooded areas and hug the shores of Clear Creek where you’ll have opportunities to view eastern woodland birds and white-tailed hawks, among many others.
Walter Hall Park
UTC 085
This creek-side park has several athletics fields, along with kayak/canoe launches. Birdwatch from the shore or hop in a kayak and paddle down Clear Creek for access to areas you can’t reach from land.
Unofficial League City Birding Sites
Not part of the official Clear Lake Loop
Lynn Gripon Park at Countryside
Whether you walk the wooded trails or kayak down the paddle trail, you’re sure to see plenty of birds. Carolina chickadee, red-bellied woodpecker, and eastern bluebird can be found here year-round, and during spring migration look for painted and indigo buntings, and Baltimore and orchard orioles.
Rustic Oaks Park
A small, secluded pond in a densely wooded area makes this park a fantastic bird habitat. Migrants like the yellow-throated warbler and indigo bunting can be seen in springtime, and orange-crowned warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and ruby-crowned kinglet are common in fall.
Heritage Park
Nestled along Clear Creek, more than 50 bird species—including bald eagles, anhingas, and osprey—were observed at this scenic park in one day during a May 2021 Big Sit competition. A pond, paved trails, and plenty of green space make this a wonderful spot to enjoy birding and nature. A kayak launch is also available for those who want to paddle and search for birds along Clear Creek.
Other Official Sites on the Clear Lake Loop
McHale Park | UTC 077
Excellent views of Galveston Bay’s western shores make it an ideal spot to view American white pelicans, brown pelicans, herons, and egrets.
Hester Garden Park | UTC 078
A trail and butterfly garden make this former nursery a scenic and serene oasis for birdwatching. Evergreen trees and shrubs attract lingering insectivores for late fall and winter birding.
Pine Gully Park | UTC 079
Sweeping views of Galveston Bay and a long pier are paired with wooded trails that offer habitats for seabirds, wading birds, migrant land birds, and resident rails.
Robinson Park | UTC 080
Twenty acres of sprawling oaks intersected with woodland trails connect this park with Pine Gully Park, Hester Garden Park, and the Seabrook Wildlife Refuge. Plenty of edge habitat and coastal proximity.
Seabrook Wildlife Refuge & Park | UTC 080A
A 40-acre undeveloped wildlife refuge with a perimeter trail, this park offers sightings of egrets, herons, woodland birds, and other wildlife like alligators, deer, and turtles.
Little Cedar Bayou Park | UTC 080B
Stroll along the nature trail at Little Cedar Bayou to two birdwatching platforms, where you can search for wading birds and waterbirds.
Colonel James Morgan New Washington Prairie | UTC 080C
A new 52-acre park featuring a five-acre stocked pond and paved walking trails. Search for migratory birds such as whistling wood ducks, mottled ducks, killdeer, roseate spoonbills, white herons, brown pelicans, and crested caracaras.
Armand Bayou Nature Center | UTC 081
Recognized as one of the nation’s top birding destinations, this 2,500-acre urban wilderness preserve is one of the largest in the U.S. Explore wetlands, forests, prairies, and marsh habitats that are home to hundreds of animal species.
Bay Area Park | UTC 082
Situated along Armand Bayou, this park offers unobstructed views of Clear Lake, and is an ideal location for osprey sightings during migration and in winter.
Nassau Bay Park | UTC 083
Multiple spots throughout the park and on toward the adjacent Wildlife Park peninsula provide habitats for a variety of waterfowl, seabirds, wading birds, and more. Space Center Houston is just minutes away.
Paul Hopkins Community Park | UTC 086
Scenic, with an abundance of trees, nature trails take you along the bayou where you can search for migrant land birds in the spring, along with eastern woodland birds—including the red-shouldered hawk—that nest in this area.
Resoft County Park | UTC 086A
Considered a prime rookery location, this eighty-acre park has playgrounds, fields, stocked ponds, pavilions, and trails. Great egrets, roseate spoonbills, cormorants, mallards, Muscovy ducks, and Egyptian geese nest early in the year on the three islands in the lake. The rookery also hosts little blue herons, snowy egrets, and cattle egrets.
Mustang Bayou Trail | UTC 087
Find the trailhead, located at a historic railroad depot, and explore this woodland area, rich with a variety of bird species.
John Hargrove Environmental Complex | UTC 087A
Enjoy year-round birding at this environmental complex, situated on a 108-acre retention pond. Birds nest in the area, and you’re likely to find wading birds, songbirds, pelicans, and at times even bald eagles.
Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Park | UTC 087B
This beautiful park, situated along the western portion of Clear Creek, includes nearly 30 acres of land to explore, with paved hike and bike trails that include interpretive signage. Raptors, herons, egrets, spoonbills, and songbirds can all be found here.