Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory

— I first heard about the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory while watching a weekly TV show from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. I would probably call the observatory an odd combination generating a world of good. Hornsby Bend is a program by the City of Austin Water Utility’s Center for Environmental Research. It is located in southeast Austin at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant, not too far from Austin’s international airport. Since this is a biosolid treatment plant, depending on when you visit the place, on some days you may smell the treatment plant odors. I’ve never found that to be pungent. It’s just there. The flip side of that is the beauty that surrounds the place. The observatory has monthly events covering everything from bird surveys, birding field trips, and ecological literacy days. Ducks, hawks, and migratory birds use the treatment lagoons while en route to and from their wintering grounds. The two photos here were taken just about five minutes apart while looking at different directions on a small road in the observatory. To capture all the light and shadow in the place on that day, I did three bracketed images for each shot.