Fort Phantom Hill is a deserted ruin that happens to be rather beloved by birds. Of course, being a deserted ruin situated by a lake does help. A couple of other lakes, state parks, and zoological gardens provide Abilene with plenty of bird habitat. If you look hard and close, you might see rare feathered creatures like the Red knot and the Peregrine Falcon, but even on a normal day, you can catch a glimpse of the Mountain Bluebird (and sometimes the Eastern and Western), the Black-bellied Whistling Duck, the Osprey, the Cactus Wren, and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.

Summer species include the Mississippi Kite, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, the Summer Tanager, and the Blue Grosbeak. Winter species include the Hooded Merganser, the Pyrrhuloxia, and the Clay-colored Sparrow. Migrant species include massive flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, the Snowy Plover, Franklin's Gull, Swainson's Hawk, and the Great Blue Heron.

Birding Sites