Field Trip to Port A

I took my first trip to the Texas Gulf Coast and what a birders’ paradise it is! So many birds. It’s hard to pick a favorite but if hard pressed, it would have to be the brown pelicans. The synchronized flying, lovely colors, and crazy big pouches are cool but the real draw for me was their fearless acrobatics. We walked far into the waters on the south jetty in Port Aransas—roughly a mile long—watching the crazy brown pelicans riding the waves, diving into the water, and generally wilding in the wind and sea.

Look at this guy. What a badass.

I feel like they’d be extreme sports athletes in human form. Surfing, skydiving, skateboarding, etc.

Then there was the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center and the larger Port Aransas Nature Preserve. Both incredible. Even though we’re in a drought right now, the birding center area was full of ducks, wading birds, white pelicans, and other critters.

American White Pelican buddy.

There were American White Pelicans at the birding center every time I walked through. This was one of three that seemed to be bathing, splashing water around, and flapping their wings on the water (which seems to be a method for parasite removal). They were adorably goofy.

Like their brown pelican brethren, the white pelicans were super social, hanging out in small groups and napping together in larger ones (usually called a “pod.”). Fun fact: When pelicans fly in formation, they’re called a “squadron.” Ha!

I’d love to go back and walk the miles of trails through the wetlands when they’re more wet. They were mostly dry sands and silt for this visit but still lovely. There were plenty of ponds, larger pools of water, and, of course, the bay.

I believe this is a Green Heron. I’ve seen them at home in Kerr County. I initially thought tricolored but lean toward green.

Port A’s resident American Flamingo hanging out at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center.

This American Flamingo was first spotted around April 2024 and must like the place because it has stuck around and has been seen periodically at the center and along the coast.

American flamingos were seen in a few unusual locations after Hurricane Idalia hit North Florida in late August of 2023. At first there was a trio in Port A, but they left after a short stay. It’s unknown whether this one is one of the three that may have returned alone. A Greater Flamingo escaped from a zoo in Kansas in 2005 and used to visit Port A but since it was tagged, it’s last visit was definitively reported in 2019. That one would have looked noticeably different as well, since Greater Flamingos tend to be paler, more white-pink in color.

The American White Ibis—My favorite combination of weird and cool.

The American White Ibis is common along the gulf coast and the coastal prairies. They’re very social so there were flocks of them poking around the shallow wetland areas, hunting for crustaceans and insects. Egrets and other birds like them because they stir up prey, so they were usually in the thick of it with other water birds.

The Port Aransas Nature Preserve, which includes Charlie’s Pasture (1,280 acres of upland prairies, tidal flats, and marshland), the Wetland Park, Paradise Pond, and the birding center (1,200-foot boardwalk trail), has more than 300 bird species recorded by eBird. The preserve is part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, which has more than 450 documented bird species, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

My spirit animal: The Red-Winged Blackbird. He’s yelling at me in half the pictures I took.

The smooth moves of the Reddish Egret.

Also adorably goofy—The Reddish Egret. The fish jump out of the inland waters for some reason. These guys are constantly on the run trying to keep up. They’re known for their “dancing” hunting style. I love it.

Even not perfectly in focus, this is one of my favorite pics. Hilarious.

We spent some time in Rockport as well and Goose Island State Park is another site I’d love to return to. We spotted a flock of Roseate Spoonbills but they were too far and too low—lying in the grass on private property—to get a clear shot. Next time. I’m already planning the next trip.