Caddo Lake Dam and Horace M. Downs Park

Horace M. Downs Park is a small park (8.5 acres) providing access to Twelve Mile Bayou. It’s an area almost always busy with wading birds, waterfowl, other waterbirds, as well as raptors, including Bald Eagle, in the fall, winter, and spring months. In all, 145 species have been observed here. 

Birding habitats include mixed pine-hardwood forest and open grasslands, as well as the tree-lined lake itself. Shrub and vine thickets fill the understory in some places–all great for a wide assortment of woodland and thicket-dwelling songbirds. Winter provides the best birding opportunities for waterfowl such as American Wigeon, Wood and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Canada Goose, and other species. Numerous sparrow species, including the White-throated, Swamp, and Chipping Sparrow, are plentiful in the brushy areas along the dam and spillway. Spring can also be a great time to visit this area for neotropical songbird migrants (various warblers, thrushes, tanagers and vireos) passing through. 

The road over the dam provides access to birds on Caddo Lake and ends at a parking area adjacent to the spillway. The area below the spillway is popular with local fishermen. Other recreational opportunities include boating/kayaking, hiking, biking, and nature photography. Open daily from 6 AM to 9 PM. Adjoining the park is another 15 to 20 acres managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adjacent to the Caddo Lake Dam.