Port Aransas birdiest little city

P ort Aransas has become a premier birding destination, especially

A group of laughing gulls face forward as the wind blows in Port Aransas. during the migration

seasons. In fact, Port Aransas was named the Birdiest City in the small cities category for 2010.

Several locations around town, for the novice and the expert alike, make good places to do a little bit – or a lot – of birdwatching. Besides birding while on the beach or from the jetties, the city has made it easy for birders with several birding centers from which to choose.

The Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond Birding Center is off Cut-off Road near Avenue C. It is the only natural permanent fresh water habit on Mustang Island. The 1-acre park is recognized as an important stopover site for migratory landbirds along the central Texas coast.

Birders enjoy watching from one of the many birding centers the city has to offer. The State Hwy. 361 Wetland Overlook is on State Hwy. 361, south of Avenue G and is a large shallow wetland habitat for shorebirds.

The new Port Aransas Nature Preserve in Charlie’s Pasture features more than 2 miles of hike and bike trails. A boardwalk leads visitors over algal flats and granite trails take visitors along the uplands from a pavilion to a tower overlooking wetland areas around Salt Island. Covered seating sites provide birders a place from which to watch.

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.

The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center is off Ross Avenue behind the wastewater treatment plant and adjacent to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. A 500-foot boardwalk traverses the mostly freshwater marsh and an observation tower allows visitors to view the 10-acre marshland. A colorful display of perennials, vines and wild flowers can be viewed along the walkway to the entrance. Guided birding tours are held every Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Leonabelle Turnbull Center. Longtime birding expert Nan Dietert narrates the free walks, called Birding on the Boardwalk. 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.