Mitchell Lake Audubon Center

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center Hiking and diving trails, native plant gardens, family events, and one of the best places for birding in Bexar County, TX. Please visit our website.

You may have seen our recent post with Axios San Antonio about the growing number of young people getting into birding i...
08/13/2026

You may have seen our recent post with Axios San Antonio about the growing number of young people getting into birding in San Antonio, and we LOVE seeing it happening right here at Mitchell Lake!

Birding is more accessible than ever: apps like Merlin (as seen on Jordan's phone in one of these photos) can help put a name to that bird you keep hearing, social media makes it easier to discover just how many incredible species are around us, and birding groups are creating more opportunities to get outside, learn, and meet other people who are excited about birds too.

We’re especially excited to see that community growing at Trinity University, where Trinity Birders Association was officially approved this summer as an Audubon on Campus chapter! The Trinity Birders Association is bringing students together around birds, conservation, and getting outside together, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.

Have you noticed more young people getting into birding lately? And if you’re a newer birder yourself, what got you started?

Read the full Axios story at https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2026/08/12/birding-younger-gen-z-san-antonio-audubon!

And if all this bird talk has you wanting to give it a try, join us for our FREE Beginner Bird Walk every fourth Saturday! No experience needed, just come ready to look for birds, and register at MitchellLake.audubon.org/events
🦉

Bird nests are WILD! Some grebes build their nests on floating platforms of plants right on top of the water, anchoring ...
08/11/2026

Bird nests are WILD! Some grebes build their nests on floating platforms of plants right on top of the water, anchoring them to nearby vegetation so they don’t drift away. Great Crested Flycatchers sometimes take nest decorating in a very different direction, weaving pieces of shed snakeskin right into their nests!

And those are just a couple of the incredible ways birds solve the challenge of creating a safe place for their eggs and young. Scroll through the rest of the slides for some of our favorite nest-building tricks, from carving and weaving to building with mud, spider silk, and more.

Then come put your own engineering skills to the test at Homeschool Adventures tomorrow at 9:30am! During Engineer a Bird Nest, kids ages 6-12 will explore how different birds design nests for different needs, then become bird architects themselves as they design and build a nest using natural materials.

We still have a few spots left! FREE for Family-level Members | $6 general. Register at https://tickets.audubon.org/events/01983382-1ee7-144d-5db2-4bf587a95053

TINY PREDATOR ALERT 🕷️This little jumping spider was spotted enjoying a meal 🦋🍽️Did you know jumping spiders are some of...
08/10/2026

TINY PREDATOR ALERT 🕷️

This little jumping spider was spotted enjoying a meal 🦋🍽️

Did you know jumping spiders are some of the most fascinating little predators around?

They don’t use webs to catch their prey. Instead, they actively hunt, stalking their prey before making an impressive jump to capture it.

They have incredible vision. Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes, with their large front-facing eyes giving them excellent vision to help locate and track prey. 👀

They’re surprisingly smart. Jumping spiders can learn, remember, and use visual information to make decisions while hunting 🧠

They use silk as a safety line. Before jumping, they often attach a silk dragline so they can catch themselves if they miss their target. 🪢

Despite being tiny, these spiders play an important role in the ecosystem by helping control insect populations 🌿🔎

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN! What amazing wildlife have you spotted lately? Share your photos with us in the comments. We can’t wait to see what you’re discovering! 👀📸

08/08/2026

Thanks to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Great Texas Birding Classic, Mitchell Lake Audubon Center has been awarded a $10,000 Conservation Grant! 🎉🥳

This funding will support our grassland restoration efforts, helping us restore and enhance important habitat for birds and other wildlife. Healthy grasslands provide essential resources for many species, and this project will help us continue creating a thriving landscape where nature can flourish.

We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in conservation right here at Mitchell Lake and continue our mission of connecting people to nature while protecting the habitats birds depend on. 🪶✨

A huge thank you to everyone who supports our work and helps make conservation possible!

🚨Birders, here’s your sign to set that alarm! Want to see the most birds at Mitchell Lake? Come early! The morning hours...
08/07/2026

🚨Birders, here’s your sign to set that alarm!

Want to see the most birds at Mitchell Lake? Come early! The morning hours are when the refuge really comes alive.🦆👀

So grab your coffee and binoculars, and head out early to explore the trails. You never know what you might spot! ☕🪶

And even better news: The road between East Polder and Basin 2, as well as the road around Basin 3, are OPEN for walking again! 🎉🚶🏽‍♀️

Come enjoy the morning, explore the refuge, and see what’s out there waiting for you.

📸 Photo by Nancy Otto

And don’t forget to check out our Birds of Mitchell Lake page on Facebook to see more of Nancy’s amazing bird photography! 🐦📸

Center Hours: 7am to 3pm

***

🚨 ¡Observadores de aves, esta es tu señal para poner tu alarma!

¿Quieres ver la mayor cantidad de aves en Mitchell Lake? ¡Ven temprano! Las horas de la mañana son cuando el refugio está lleno de vida 🦆👀

Así que toma tu café y tus binoculares, y sal temprano a explorar los senderos.
¡Nunca sabes qué podrías encontrar!

¡Y aún mejores noticias!🎉🚶🏽‍♀️La carretera entre East Polder y Basin 2, y la carretera alrededor de Basin 3, ya están ABIERTAS nuevamente para caminar.

📸 Foto por Nancy Otto

Y no olvides visitar nuestra página de Facebook, Birds of Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, para ver más fotos increíbles de Nancy 🐦📸

🕖 Horario del Centro: 7:00 a.m. a 3:00 p.m.

A huge shoutout to the USAF RGNCOA for volunteering at Mitchell Lake Audubon Center! 🙌💙Thank you for helping us move all...
08/01/2026

A huge shoutout to the USAF RGNCOA for volunteering at Mitchell Lake Audubon Center! 🙌💙

Thank you for helping us move all of our office furniture and assemble our new wood chipper. Your hard work, teamwork, and willingness to serve made a huge difference, and we truly appreciate your support. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Is your summer starting to look a little like this? 😂Common Terns are known to steal fish from one another, so these two...
07/31/2026

Is your summer starting to look a little like this? 😂

Common Terns are known to steal fish from one another, so these two chicks are getting an early start on sibling snack disputes!

Are you looking for something free to do tomorrow (preferably outdoors so you can tire out your own kids, or yourself)? Celebrate National Play Outside Day with free entry to Mitchell Lake Audubon Center from 7am - 3pm (front gate closes at 2pm)!

Stop by the Visitor Center to pick up a self-led Nature Scavenger Hunt, then head out to see what you can find around our gardens and trails. We’ll also have information you can take home about native plants that can help lower your water bill while adding beauty to your space and supporting birds and pollinators!
~
¿Tu verano ya se está empezando a ver un poquito así? 😂

Los charranes comunes suelen robarse peces entre ellos, ¡así que estos dos polluelos están empezando temprano con las peleas entre hermanos por la comida!

¿Buscas algo gratis para hacer mañana (preferiblemente al aire libre para que tus hijos, o tú, terminen bien cansados)? Celebra el Día Nacional de Jugar al Aire Libre con entrada gratis a Mitchell Lake Audubon Center de 7am-3pm (el portón principal cierra a las 2pm)!

Pasa por el Centro de Visitantes para recoger una búsqueda del tesoro autoguiada y luego sal a descubrir qué puedes encontrar en nuestros jardines y senderos. También tendremos información para llevar a casa sobre plantas nativas que pueden ayudarte a ahorrar en tu recibo de agua mientras embellecen tu espacio y apoyan a las aves y los polinizadores.

📹Video of Common Terns by Steven Chu/Audubon Photography Awards
📷Photo of Mallard chicks by Tom Warren/Audubon Photography Awards

It’s International Friendship Day, which means it’s the perfect excuse to talk about one of my personal favorite intersp...
07/30/2026

It’s International Friendship Day, which means it’s the perfect excuse to talk about one of my personal favorite interspecies friendships: Black Vultures and Crested Caracaras!

These two scavengers are often seen feeding and spending time together, and have even been documented preening one another for more than 40 years. During these interactions, the caracara may lower its head as an invitation for the Black Vulture to preen around its head and neck, and the photos and videos are the absolute cutest (scientific fact).

Researchers aren’t completely sure why they do it, but it may help remove parasites and reinforce the social relationship between the two species. After all, if you’re already eating together, you may as well help each other clean up afterward.

Mitchell Lake member Nancy Otto captured this photo right here at the center of a Black Vulture preening a Crested Caracara in the middle of a flock of Black Vultures. Have you ever been lucky enough to spot this behavior?

~

¡Hoy es el Día Internacional de la Amistad, lo que significa que tenemos la excusa perfecta para hablar de una de mis amistades favoritas entre especies: los zopilotes negros y los caracaras crestados!

A menudo se ve a estos dos carroñeros alimentándose y pasando tiempo juntos, y desde hace más de 40 años también se les ha documentado acicalándose mutuamente. Durante estas interacciones, el caracara puede bajar la cabeza para invitar al zopilote negro a acicalarle la cabeza y el cuello, y las fotos y los videos son de lo más tiernos (hecho científico).

Los investigadores aún no saben con certeza por qué lo hacen, pero puede ayudarles a eliminar parásitos y fortalecer la relación social entre las dos especies. Después de todo, si ya comparten la comida, también pueden ayudarse a quedar presentables después.

Nuestra socia Nancy Otto captó esta foto aquí mismo en Mitchell Lake: un zopilote negro acicalando a un caracara crestado en medio de una bandada de zopilotes negros. ¿Alguna vez has tenido la suerte de observar este comportamiento?

📸Nancy Otto

We offer a photo of a Spotted Sandpiper to break the news that our nature store will be closed on Sunday, August 2nd, an...
07/30/2026

We offer a photo of a Spotted Sandpiper to break the news that our nature store will be closed on Sunday, August 2nd, and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center will be closed on Tuesday, August 4th while the Welcome Center floors are being sanded (like what we did there?).

If you're planning to visit on Sunday, you're still more than welcome to use the Welcome Center to cool down and use the restroom.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and can't wait for us all to see the new floors!

~

Les compartimos una foto de un playero alzacolita para suavizar la noticia de que nuestra Tienda de Naturaleza estará cerrada el domingo 2 de agosto. Mitchell Lake Audubon Center también estará cerrado el martes 4 de agosto mientras se lijan los pisos del Centro de Bienvenida. (¿Vieron lo que hicimos ahí? El juego de palabras funciona un poquito mejor en inglés 😅).

Si planean visitarnos el domingo, pueden pasar con toda confianza al Centro de Bienvenida para refrescarse y usar los baños.

Lamentamos cualquier inconveniente que esto pueda causar, ¡y ya queremos que todos veamos cómo quedaron los pisos renovados!

Seeing double? Our porch spider had a growth spurt!The spider at the bottom is our porch resident, a yellow garden spide...
07/25/2026

Seeing double? Our porch spider had a growth spurt!

The spider at the bottom is our porch resident, a yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia), a type of orb-weaver. The “spider” hanging above her is actually the exoskeleton she just shed!

Because a spider’s rigid exoskeleton cannot stretch as she grows, she must crawl out of it and wait for her new one to expand and harden. Yellow garden spiders are beneficial predators that catch insects in their large circular webs, which often feature the distinctive zigzag “writing” you can see beside her.

We’ll be keeping an eye on her as she settles back into her web!

•••

¿Ves doble? ¡Nuestra araña del porche dio un estirón!

La araña de abajo es nuestra residente del porche, una araña de jardín amarilla (Argiope aurantia), un tipo de araña tejedora de orbe. ¡La “araña” que cuelga arriba de ella es en realidad el exoesqueleto que acaba de mudar!

Como el exoesqueleto rígido de una araña no puede estirarse a medida que crece, tiene que salir de él y esperar a que el nuevo se expanda y se endurezca. Estas arañas son depredadoras beneficiosas que atrapan insectos en sus grandes telarañas circulares, las cuales suelen incluir el distintivo zigzag que se puede ver junto a ella.

¡Estaremos al pendiente mientras vuelve a acomodarse en su telaraña!

Address

10750 Pleasanton Road
San Antonio, TX
78221

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm
Saturday 8am - 4pm
Sunday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+12106281639

Website

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