Fort Worth District
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Bird Watching

Birdwatching is a favorite pastime of many visitors to Joe Pool Lake. All kinds of songbirds, hawks, and even an occasional bald eagle visit the area. Great blue herons, ducks and geese in the winter, and various other shorebirds frequent the area and give the birdwatching public something to see year-round.

Visit the Fort Worth Audubon Society for more birdwatching information.

Birds That have been found at Joe Pool Lake:

Commom Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tri-colored Heron, Cattle Egret, Green-backed Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shined Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falsom, Northern Bobwhite, American Coot, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher, Common Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope, Franklin's Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Ting-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern, Forster's Tern, Black Tern, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greater Roadrunner, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Nighthawk, Chuck-will's-widow, Chimmey Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, Common Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Bewick's Wren, House Wren, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, American Pipit, Cedar Waxwing, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, White-eyed Vireo, Black-capped Vireo, Solitary Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Dickcissel, Rufous-sided Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Harris Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Lapland Longspur, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Western Meadowlark, Rusty Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Native Prairie Restoration

For Information on Native Prairie Restoration Projects contact the Lake Manager at:

Joe Pool Lake Office
PO Box 872
Cedar Hill, TX 75106-0872
Phone: (972) 299-2227
Fax: (972) 299-2228

Wildlife

Joe Pool Lake offers a wide range of wildlife and fisheries for a urban lake experience. Wildlife ranges from waterfowl, to small game and non-game animals and some large game animals. Joe Pool Lake is a reserve for animals since there are no hunting practices in place and there are no plans for future hunting to be allowed.

Wildlife food plots are planted by volunteers throughout the year in order to enhance the bird and animal population. Mourning doves and bobwhite quail benefit greatly from these practices. Other species that benefit include: cottontail rabbits, raccoons, opossums, songbirds and other small game.

Visitors have seen many different species of animals and reptiles around Joe Pool Lake. Common sightings include: Coyotes, bobcats, fox squirrels, cottontail rabbits, red-tail hawk, turkeys, and diamond back rattlesnakes. Whitetail deer have been released around Joe Pool Lake, but do not seem to do very well in the area due to the high volume of traffic around the lake. However, occasionally one can been seen around Cedar Hill State Park or in the far south of the lake property located in Ellis County.

Fisheries at Joe Pool Lake provide an opportunity for a fun day at the lake. Sport fish found at Joe Pool Lake include the Florida strain of the large-mouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, and white-bass. Many fisherman around the lake also enjoy catching the carp. Although not many people eat the fish, they are a lot of fun to catch and release. For more information on fishing visit our fishing page .

Wear your life jacket