Galveston--Ghirardi Family WaterSmart Park

Galveston--Ghirardi Family WaterSmart Park

Tips for Birding

Early morning birding tends to be best due to increased human activity during the day and evening.

Birds of Interest

Red Shoulder and Coopers Hawks nest here as well as Yellow Crowned Night Heron's in the spring.  Always has woodpeckers, chickadee's and cardinals. During the fall, Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers stay here.

About this Location

This is a relatively small park that is used pretty heavily by homeschool groups and professional portrait photographers.  Even with all the activity, it can be bird rich. In the spring a pair of red shouldered hawks nest here and a pair of coopers hawks nest here on occasion. The past several years has seen up to 12 pairs of Yellow Crowned Night Herons nest in the mature live oaks in the middle of the park.  This park has many large mature live oaks as well as pecan, hackberry and evergreen varieties.  During spring migration, there is usually quite a few migrating songbirds.  For a small park, it can yield a decent number of species in a single visit, depending on how many people are there with children.

Notable Trails

The mature live oaks in the middle of the park have several mature nests. The "wooded" areas on the north and south ends of the park will yield the most songbirds.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

Content from Brian Anderson

Last updated December 6, 2023