VIEWING LOCATIONS
Season: All Seasons
From SH 361 at the ferry landing, take Cut-Off Road to Ross Avenue
and follow the signs to the Leona Belle Turnbull Birding Center.
This birding facility attracts birds and birders alike. The boardwalk
stretches nearly a mile over the shallow, brackish water and allows
for close observation of many birds. From the observation platform
look for waterfowl (Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Cinnamon Teal),
grebes (Least included), heron and egrets, cormorants, shorebirds
(such as Black-necked Stilt), and flaming pink Roseate Spoonbills,
the Port Aransas city bird. The parking area and land along the
boardwalk are planted in native species, so be alert for landbirds
during migration. Keep your eyes open for the resident American
alligators Boots and Bags!
Season: Migration
From SH 361 at the ferry landing, take a right on to Cut Off Rd.
and turn right when you see the sign. Set on two acres surrounded
by giant Black Willows and native prarie, Paradise Pond is the only
permanent freshwater wetland on Mustang Island. A 'secret hot spot'
that fills with colorful songbirds each spring and fall, more than
100 species of Neartic-Neotropical migratory birds have been observed
in this little oasis. Birds seen include Swainson's, Golden-winged,
Chesnut-sided, Worm-eating and Cerulean Warblers, Northern Waterthrush,
Yellow-billed Cuckoo and so on. Don't forget to check the chalkboard
at the entrance to the boardwalk: the day's sightings are often
noted.
Season: All Seasons
The most popular place to veiw waders and shorebirds is at the South
Jetty located at the of northern tip of I.B. Magee Beach Park. The
jetty extends several hundred yards into the Gulf and furnishes
an excellent vantage point from which to look for a variety of open
water species. Gulls and terns often rest at the base of the jetty,
and shorebirds may be seen feeding along the beach. Scan the Gulf,
particularly in winter, for species such as Northern Gannet, Bonaparte's
Gull, and Jaegers, and in summer for Magnificent Frigatebird, Masked
and Brown Booby (also seen at times perched on rocks of the jetty
itself), and Sooty Tern. Brown pelicans can be seen year round.
Day use is free, with a fee for overnight camping.
Birding tours out to deep water are available, and at times (particularly
in the fall) a number of pelagic species such as boobies, shearwaters,
and jaegers may be seen. The island hosts immense numbers of nesting
herons, egrets, pelicans and spoonbills in the summer, not to mention
our always present "seagull residents."
Season: Winter, Migration
The Port Aransas Wetland Park, located on SH 361 across from the
new Post Office, is a joint project of the City of Port Aransas,
TXDOT, and TPWD. The boardwalk and observation platform overlooks
a wetland basin that may be thick with a variety of waterfowl and
shorebirds during rainy periods. Unlike the ponds at the Birding
Center, this site is ephemeral. The park itself has been landscaped
to establish a native dune community, and during migration the scrubby
vegetation and grasses may attract a number of migrant landbirds.
Season: All Seasons
When driving south along Mustang Island, cut back to the beach whenever
possible to look for gulls, terns, and shorebirds. A Lesser Black-backed
Gull returned each winter for over a decade to the beach near Port
Aransas, and Glaucous Gulls are seen here with some consistency
in early spring. At high tide, check along the beach for small flocks
of Piping and Snowy plovers, as well as Red Knots. Mustang Island
State Park is located on SH 361, approximately 14 miles south of
Port Aransas.
The state park subsumes an entire barrier island ecosystem, encompassing
dunes, coastal grasslands, marshes, and bayside tidal flats, and
sloughs. The beach may be particularly rewarding in winter for gulls,
terns, and shorebirds (scan the Gulf for seabirds), and a walk in
the coastal grasslands should uncover Sedge Wren and perhaps LeConte's
Sparrow. Look for nesting Wilson's Plover along the beach and on
the tidal flats in summer, and Horned Lark among the dunes themselves.
Camp sites with hookups are provided in the park.
The Wetlands Education Center, an educational resource for the citizens
of Texas and a "living laboratory" for students and scientists,
is a 3.5 acre salt marsh surrounded by sheltering dunes. An extensive
boardwalk system and observation platforms allow people to walk
around the marsh area without disturbing the environment. Daily
guided tours available.
Season: All Seasons
Farther south along Mustang Island toward Corpus Christi, you will
cross several hurricane wash-over sites. These inlets or passes
have been cut through the island by the scouring action of past
tropical storms, and are a relatively common phenomenon on coastal
barrier islands. Corpus Christi Pass slices across the island south
of Mustang Island State Park, and the bayside flats here are the
wintering haunts of such species as Piping Plover and Long-billed
Curlew. Search the inlet waters for waterfowl (such as Hooded Merganser),
and look for nesting Snowy Plover in late spring.
Season: All Seasons
Continuing south brings you to Packery Channel, another "boca" that
divides the island. The bayside flats at Packery Channel may retain
thousands of shorebirds at low tide, so search the flocks for Marbled
Godwit, American Oystercatcher, and Long-billed Curlew. Ruddy Turnstone,
Black-bellied Plover, and Snowy Plover often scurry along the edges
of the pass, and watch for diving ducks, loons, and grebes in the
clear waters of the channel.
Season: All Seasons
At the intersection of SH 361 S and PR 22, turn left (south) on
PR 22 to Padre Island National Seashore (to the right SH 361 / PR
22 continues west to Packery Channel Park and Corpus Christi). Untrammeled
and pristine, a visit to Padre Island National Seashore is unrivaled
among Texas barrier island experiences. Continue along PR 22 to
the entrance and visitor's center (approximately 10 miles). Ask
for a bird checklist, as well as a map of this 133,000-acre park.
The national park extends south for over 80 miles to Port Isabel,
but much of the beach is accessible only in a four-wheel-drive vehicle,
and it is impossible to drive the entire length of the island. From
the visitor's center, it is possible to drive approximately 5 miles
beyond the end of the paved road before encountering soft sand.
However, the flavor of Padre Island may be tasted near the visitor's
center and along the entrance road. Peregrine Falcons pass through
the park by the hundreds in fall, and migrant landbirds swarm the
scrubby vegetation in the spring. Gulls, terns, and shorebirds line
the beaches, and a variety of raptors (White-tailed Kite, White-tailed
Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk in winter) may be seen perched on the power
poles along PR 22. Also try Bird Basin Road, which can be reached
2.6 miles north of the visitor's center as you leave via the park
entrance road (look for the signs on your left as you depart the
park). In the marshes along this road you may find gallinules, bitterns,
and shorebirds, and nesting colonies of colonial waterbirds (herons,
egrets, terns, Black Skimmer) may be seen by scope from the end
of the road. Both primitive and developed camping facilities are
furnished in the park.
Padre Island is also a nesting ground to the endangered Kemp's
ridley sea turtle, as well as 4 other endangered or threatened species
of sea turtles. Staff and volunteers, up to 140 per year, patrol
North Padre Island repeatedly each day searching for daytime nesting
ridley's. Eggs that are found are removed from the beach for protected
incubation and the hatchlings are later released. Be aware of turtle
tracks and nests while driving on the beach here.
Season: Winter, Migration
From Port Aransas, a right at the intersection of SH 361 S and PR
22 takes you toward Corpus Christi. After a short distance turn
right into Packery Channel County Park. The park offers another
view of Packery Channel, and the birds normally associated with
the "bocas" are present here. As you enter the park, however,
notice the oak mottes to your right among the private houses. These
woods attract landbirds in migration, and birders from Corpus Christi
consider this to be one of their most fruitful spots in spring.
Walk along the public roads (do not trespass), and examine the trees
for migrants. A number of rarities have been discovered here in
the past, including Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Gray Kingbird, and
Black-whiskered Vireo.
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