Recognized by the American Bird Conservancy as an Important Birding Area, Buckhorn Wildlife Management Area is visited by many neotropical songbird species annually. It’s also home to large numbers of year-round songbirds.
Expected birds of passage and overwintering species include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, White-throated, Swamp and Song Sparrows, along with Black-and-white, Orange-crowned, Palm, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Nesting warblers include Prothonotary, Swainson's, and American Redstart.
Six small bayous flow through the area, providing approximately 13 miles of waterways. There are also six small lakes on site. Perhaps the best bet for birding visitors is the 1.5-mile Brushy Lake Nature Trail adjacent to Clydesdale Road. It provides a unique opportunity for users to enjoy bottomland hardwood forests, cypress swamps, and bayou habitats.
Portions of the area are managed for waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds, and together with the sloughs, bayous, lakes and other waterways, offers excellent birding opportunities. Recorded waterbirds include Pectoral Sandpiper, Great Blue, Little Blue, and Green Herons, Great, Snowy, and Cattle Egrets, White Ibis, and Belted Kingfisher. Northern Rough-winged, Tree, Barn, and Cliff Swallows commonly cruise the waterways and perch on the power lines on a seasonal basis.
Amenities are limited to identification signage, undesignated parking, and ATV/hiking trails. Primary outdoor recreational uses include hunting, fishing, hiking, birding, and horseback riding. Generally not handicapped-accessible, though a special hunting season for physically-challenged visitors is available. The entire area is subject to backwater flooding from the Tensas River, so access is often problematic.
