Why Texas as a birding destination? Due to its large size, varied topography, vegetation and climate, its Gulf coast and geographic shape that serves as a funnel for migrations to and from central America, Texas is a great place for birds. In fact, with 639 species, Texas has the most bird species of any state in the U.S. California comes in second. For our purposes, we came to see several endangered species: one that winters on the Texas gulf coast, and the other that breeds in the Texas Hill Country. Plus, we hoped for a wave of migrant birds from the south. All of these hopes and dreams came to fruition.
We were encouraged to take this trip in April 2022 when our friends, Bill and Denise invited us to go birding with them after they attended a wedding in Austin. We then assembled an itinerary that combined Gulf coast birding with time spent in the hill country near San Antonio. It included a Whooping Crane boat tour and a full-day of exploration on foot at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, with hikes in Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat outside of San Antonio. The trip came together at an ideal time of year in mid-April while the Whooping Cranes were still around and the warblers were migrating in.
Prior to meeting Bill and Denise, Lori and I visited with James, a retired dentist, avid birder/traveler, and friend from San Antonio who came on one of my birding tours in Washington State 11 years ago. James toured us through his impressive bird art collection and historic photos of music and Texas cityscapes. His entire condo is a gallery. James was also full of helpful suggestions for our journey ranging from books, to birding spots, to eateries. Although he was unable to join us for any portions of our trip, his tips made it much better. He provisioned us with a bag of cookies, a map of Texas and an original Roger Tory Peterson field guide. James also checked in with us often during our trip, so he could travel with us vicariously.
Early next morning, Lori and I birded Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, south of San Antonio. This 1200-acre restored wetland area boasts more than 300 species of birds. We were excited to be in a balmy place where no jackets or rain gear were needed, but instead, plenty of sun-block and large sun hats. Right away, we were in a place with abundant, exciting new species: Roseate Spoonbill (pictured), Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Long-billed Thrasher, Least Grebe, Neotropical Cormorant, Olive Sparrow, Great-tailed Grackle and Black-chinned Hummingbird were among our first sightings.
After a fantastic morning at Mitchell Lake, we drove south toward Corpus Christi, a 130-mile journey. On the way, we stopped at a Whataburger for a traditional Texas fast-food meal. It was above average fresh and ample burger with lots of vegies on top. Not bad at all for road food.
Onward, we pressed to one of Texas’ many large cities fueled by the oil and gas industry. Corpus Christi has acres-upon-acres devoted to oil refineries. The only place I had ever seen more was on a previous Texas trip between Houston and Galveston. At Corpus Christi, we turned left (NE) over a series of massive bridges through the city and its multiple waterways toward the Gulf Coast and Rockport.
Adjacent to Rockport is the fishing and tourist town of Fulton. Or, as James said “Fulton is a drinking town with a fishing problem.” There, we met our friends Bill and Denise at the comfortable Fulton Harbor Inn – our home for the next four nights.
Next morning, to the din of Laughing Gulls and Large-tailed Grackles, we crossed the street to Fulton Harbor where we boarded the Whooping Crane tour boat piloted by Captain Tommy. He smiled broadly as he welcomed his 30 guests on board – mostly birders, equipped with expensive binoculars and cameras with long lenses.
While Captain Tommy summarized the history of the area and the establishment of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in the late 1930s, we motored into the protected waters between Mustang Island and the Texas Gulf coast. Hundreds of Laughing Gulls screamed at us as Caspian, Forster’s, Royal, and Sandwich Terns soared by. It did not take long for most of us to experience our first Life bird – a Gull-billed Tern – perched on a nearby sand spit.
Simon, a bird guide hired by a tour group from North Carolina said ominously “There are three suspiciously large white birds at 11 o’ clock!” We focused our binoculars on the three birds that towered above the other egrets, herons and ibis. Captain Tommy confirmed that they were indeed Whooping Cranes! We were excited and relieved to see these majestic endangered species at a time when most had already migrated north.
The tallest bird in North America, Whooping Cranes almost went extinct in the 1940s when their numbers plummeted to only 20 individuals. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this trend was eventually reversed “through captive breeding, wetland management and an innovative program that teaches young cranes how to migrate” between Wisconsin and Florida.
The combined effects of these efforts have resulted in today’s population of 600 Whooping Cranes. We were in what Cornell Lab regards as “the best place to find Whooping Cranes during winter…” Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. In the summer, the Whoopers breed in remote Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada’s Northwest Territories via a diagonal 2,300-mile migratory journey to the NW from Aransas NWR. We watched the three cranes – two adults and one chick about 300 yards distant in the salt marsh wetlands. It was an incredible sight and a life bird for most of us.
Whooping Cranes, however charismatic, were only part of our attraction to Texas. Another major trip highlight occurred when the boat pulled up next to a small, low lying two-acre island that was packed with nesting birds of multiple species. Among the colorful array of birds on the island were: Great, Snowy, Reddish and Cattle Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Roseate Spoonbill and American Oystercatcher.
Two Great Blue Herons faced off for 20 minutes over perching rights on a nesting structure. At all times they glared at one-another with feathers and plumes flared out. Sometimes their bills made contact. This intense confrontation finally led to the departure of one heron. By the end of this remarkable boat tour, we had seen 50 species of birds including two Life Birds: Whooping Cranes and Gull-billed Terns.
How to follow this wonderful experience? By further exploring the Aransas NWR by car and by foot. That is what we did the next day and it was once again highly-rewarding. Our first walk in the refuge was on two interconnected trails: the Rail and Heron trails. The first trail was aptly named because we saw and heard three species of rails withing the first 50 yards: King, Virginia and a Sora. Not to be outdone by the noisy rails, a giant Bullfrog croaked in the same marsh, louder and deeper than any frog I have every heard before.
As we crossed over the marsh, a loud jungle-like roar alarmed us. It sounded like the roar of a lion, prompting Denise to ask: “Is it safe to walk here?” We heard a number of these roars until we finally found the culprits: American Alligators bellowing in the marsh. None of us had ever heard them make these intimidating sounds before, which happen during breeding season.
As we hiked onward through this biologically-diverse marsh, we came across one, then two Yellow-crowned Night Herons with their heads bowed down as they stalked prey in the marsh. We had seen these herons before in central and South American, but never this well.
At the intersection of the Rail and Heron Flats trails, we heard a persistent warbler song. We tracked it for some time without catching a glimpse. Finally, it perched in a tiny opening in deep brush: a Swainson’s Warbler! This species looks like a chunky version of Bewick’s Wren with a shorter tail but a similar eye line. This warbler is hard to spot, because Swainson’s Warblers walk on the ground slowly in dense, brushy areas.
A day in Aransas NWR passes by quickly because the entire refuge teems with birds and wildlife. One of the refuge’s many short and rewarding trails took us to Jones Pond where we saw several Least Grebes, an Orchard Oriole and two Wilson’s Snipe. Another short trail brought us to a lookout tower with panoramic views of Aransas Wildlife Refuge, consisting of green fingers of low-lying vegetation surrounded by the powdery blue inland waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
While driving the eight-mile loop road through the refuge, we encountered a lone coyote calmly strolling down the middle of the road. He/she sauntered toward us, then walked off to the side of the road 20 yards away, totally unconcerned by our presence.
An Indigo Bunting provided another roadside attraction, alternately foraging alongside the road, then flushing when we got too close and flying farther down-road in the same direction we were going. Eventually it perched close enough to take a decent photo.
Following two awe-inspiring days in Aransas NWR, we decided to switch things up by visiting sites that attract migrating warblers. The Port Aransas area had several known warbler hot spots, so we rode the ferry across to Mustang Island and the schlocky tourist town of Port Aransas. Between and betwixt the seashell, t-shirt, salt-water taffy, and shops with over-sized fake shark jaws outside, were several small but outstanding bird refuges. One of these was Holt Paradise Pond, a 5-acre oasis where we immediately found two warblers: Black and White, and Yellow, along with a Crested Caracara.
A few miles down the road, we came to a larger refuge that abuts the town sewage plant along with a large saltwater bay: Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. This place was loaded with warblers, shorebirds, waterfowl and waders. We found a total of 45 species of birds here including seven species of warblers: Louisiana Waterthrush, Black and White, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Shorebirds were abundant too, including: Stilt Sandpiper, Dunlin, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Willett, and Lesser Yellowlegs. Last, but definitely not least, were several calling and clearly visible Clapper Rails by the board walk.
By lunch time, we had seen 60+ species and soon saw our 61st from our picnic table at Roberts Park: a Loggerhead Shrike. All three of the refuge/park areas were within a ten-mile radius in Port Aransas. This proved to be another outstanding day and a warbler bonanza!
On our return trip to San Antonio, we stopped at Hazel Bazemore Park just north of Corpus Christi, a haven for migrating hawks. In one morning, we found 37 species there including a Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Couch’s Kingbird, Warbling Vireo and a Nashville Warbler.
We then left the Gulf portion of our trip and headed northwest for the Texas
Hill Country near San Antonio, pausing briefly at dry, windy Choke Canyon State Park where we saw large numbers of Cliff Swallows. Closer to San Antonio, we took a historical stroll at Mission Espada, the oldest mission in Texas. Thanks to a well-informed staffer, we learned about the abuse and conversion of Indians to Catholicism at this and other missions. Good karma did not exactly permeate the atmosphere after hearing this account of the mission, which was beautiful in terms of its architecture and surrounding landscape, but seeing a Summer Tanager on the mission grounds did.
For the next two days, we combined birding outings with cultural explorations in San Antonio. On the first day, we hiked in Eisenhower Park, north of San Antonio, where we had a close encounter with a Black-crested Titmouse, thanks to a field researcher who banded one.
A mile further up the trail we heard the tell-tale song of the Golden-cheeked Warbler. Denise came up with a fabulous, memorable mnemonic: “La Cu-ca-ra-CHA!” after hearing a recorded version of the song. Her mnemonic is even more fitting when you realize that this warbler winters in Mexico. We ended up seeing a total of ten of these endangered warblers in two parks around San Antonio. In each case, we heard “La Cucaracha” first.
Between birding outings, we visited tourist attractions in downtown San Antonio like the Alamo and the famous Riverwalk. We even took a boat ride on a one-mile loop of the San Antonio River and its inter-connecting canals to more fully appreciate this stroke of civic genius that was conceived in 1941. It makes for a very relaxing outing – especially when you get a glass of wine or a beer to sip on the way down river while listening to a guided tour of the city as the sights literally flow by.
Thanks to our local expert, James, we were referred to Beto’s Alt-Mexican Restaurant, a place so good that we ate there for lunch on two consecutive days. Its charming courtyard, mouth-watering empanadas and pleasant, engaging staff made at least one of us (me) which we could eat there for three consecutive days!
On our final morning before returning to Seattle and Chicago, we returned to Eisenhower Park in hopes of photographing the Golden-cheeked Warblers we had seen there several days prior. My camera battery died the day we arrived in San Antonio, so I went two days without being able to take photos. Of course, we had seen ten Golden-cheeked Warblers on these two days, along with lots of other interesting birds and wildlife. But thanks to Amazon, I had a new battery, was charged-up and ready to go.
On our return trip, it was difficult to find these endangered warblers, and there were far more people and dogs on the trails. I began to resign myself to the possibility of not having a photo and tried to enjoy the ambience of the park and its many other bird species instead, like Hutton’s Vireo, Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay and Ash-throated Flycatcher. It was shortly after finding the latter species that I heard the telltale “La Cucaracha!” Song. I watched, waited and pished. A male Golden-cheeked Warbler flew over to investigate, but I was so excited that I took a blurry photo. Fortunately it returned, perched ten feet above in a spectacular display of song and beauty.
Photographing a final close-encounter with a Golden-cheeked Warbler was a fitting way to end this fabulous eight-day birding adventure in Texas with our good friends Bill and Denise. In total, our trip yielded 145 species of birds, including four Life Birds for me and more for the rest of our crew. We enjoyed warm, sunny weather throughout, good seafood and Mexican food, and the cultural attributes of San Antonio. We also appreciated the foresight and the good management of the 14 different parks, refuges and wildlife areas that we visited.
