City is haven for birding enthusiasts

Bird watching is great fun for people of all ages. 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 for birders, novice and expert alike, with several birding centers from which to choose or on the beach or the jetties.

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

There are several good places to do a little bit – or a lot – of birdwatching.

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.

A long-billed curlew wades in a shallow pond at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center located at the end of Ross Avenue. 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 an alligator who calls the place home. It appears to live in harmony with the birding population and apparently helps keep the population of nutria under control.

Nutria are rodent-like animals 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 overrun 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 available at the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce Tourist Bureau office, 403 W. Cotter Ave.