Balmorhea Lake and Balmorhea State Park

The state park and lake are near San Solomon Springs, a group of artesian and gravity springs that produce 80 million gallons of water daily; they are known as the Oasis of West Texas. The area has been an important camping area for Indians, pioneers, and ranchers for hundreds of years. The springs were once known as Mescalero Springs, after the Mescalero Apaches who utilized them. The restored San Solomon Cienega provides habitat for two endangered fish—Comanche Springs pupfish and Pecos gambusia—and numerous wetland bird species. Balmorhea Lake (approximately 600 acres), dammed on the southwestern edge, serves as a reservoir for the surrounding agricultural lands. The dam is a containment dike. The state park contains a huge (1.75-acre) swimming pool that is fed by springs at the rate of 22 to 26 million gallons daily. Key Birds: “Mexican Duck” (Mallard); Wild Turkey; Scaled Quail; Greater Roadrunner; Burrowing Owl; Black and Say’s Phoebes; Vermilion Flycatcher; Common Raven; Verdin; Cactus Wren; Curvebilled Thrasher; Pyrrhuloxia; Canyon Towhee; Rufous-crowned, Cassin’s, and Black-throated Sparrows; and Lesser Goldfinch are present year-round. King and Virginia Rails, Sora, Common Ground-Dove, Common Poorwill, Lesser and Common Nighthawks, Scissortailed Flycatcher, Chihuahuan Raven, Bell’s Vireo, and Painted Bunting occur in summer. Common and Red-throated Loons; American White Pelican; Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks; Bald Eagle; Sandhill Crane; Eastern, Mountain, and Western Bluebirds; American and Sprague’s Pipits; Green-tailed and Spotted Towhees; Brewer’s, Grasshopper, Baird’s, and Sage Sparrows; and McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs can usually be found in winter. This eTrail provides detailed information on birding strategies for this specific location, the specialty birds and other key birds you might see, directions to each birding spot, a detailed map, and helpful general information.