Port Aransas - a premier birding destination

A puffed up brown pelican takes a rest on a jetty rock. On any given day you’ll find people with cameras or binoculars around their necks at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center and the Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond Birding Center. They are birdwatchers, ranging from the novice to the dedicated expert.

Port Aransas has become a premier birding destination, especially during the migration seasons. In fact, Port Aransas was named the Second Birdiest City in the small cities category for 2009 The city has made it easy with the above-mentioned birdi ng centers in addition to bird watching opportunities at the Wetlands Park Birding Site off State Hwy. 361, and on the beach or at the jetties.

With construction of the new Port Aransas Nature Preserve in Charlie’s Pasture under way, there is now yet another attraction for birdwatchers on Mustang Island.

In the meantime, there are several good places to do a little bit – or a lot – of birdwatching.

A great blue heron strikes a regal pose as he strolls along near the birding center. The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center is off Ross Avenue behind the wastewater treatment plant and adjacent to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.

The Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond Birding Center is off Cut-off Road near Avenue C.

The State Hwy. 361 Wetland Overlook is on State Hwy. 361 south of Avenue G and is a tidal flat habitat for shorebirds. These locations are sites on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, a $1.5 million trail that ties together birding sites from Beaumont to Brownsville.

Weekly guided nature tours, called Birding on the Boardwalk, are held each Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Leonabelle Turnbull Center. Longtime birding expert Nan Dietert narrates the free walks. Two free viewing scopes are available – one on the tower and a second ADA-accessible scope at a viewing stand along the boardwalk.

Besides the birds that flock to the center, visitors may catch a glimpse of two alligators who call the place home. The larger of the two is named Boots. They appear to live in harmony with the birding population and apparently help keep the population of nutria under control.

The nutria are rodent-like animals that were brought to this country in the 1800s to supplement the mink industry. As it turned out, they multiplied faster than rabbits, and parts of the country were soon over-run with the critters. They’re not a real benefit for the center because they like to eat the roots of the grasses that grow out of the shallows and offer habitat for many birds.

Brochures that list the birds to see in Port Aransas are also available at the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce Tourist Bureau office, 403 W. Cotter Ave.