Unique Places in Texas

A walk through the 172- acre Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary is like a step back in time.
You will marvel at the green jays, chachalaca, and the buff-bellied hummingbirds among the foliage of this well preserved piece of Sabal Palm Forest remaining in the US.

Laguna Atascosa Nationall Wildlife Refuge is for the birds, all 393 to be exact.
Layuna Atascosa holds the record for bird sightings in the US.
The refuge also contains the largest block of protected native habitat in So. Texas. This is crucial to the survival of the endangered ocelot and the jaguarundi.
One of my favorite birds here is the painted bunting. I have seen them in my yard eating mulberries from the mulberry tree early in May.

There are boats out of Rockport that offer tours to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
These tours are usually done from November to March, when the Whooping Cranes are there.
The refuge is the wintering ground for the wild flocks of Whooping Cranes that total about 130 birds.
Rockport is a must stop for birders and not just for the cranes.
It is located 32 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

One morning I heard the sound of parrots coming from my backyard. I looked out to see
what it really was out there. Sure enough it was a pair of small parrots, one green and one yellow. They were peeking down from a wire avove my birdfeeder.
They both came by morning and evening all summer long. I didn't see them during the winter so thought they had migrated south.
In the spring I saw the green a couple of times, then never again.
I often wonder what happened to them and where they came from. I suspect they escaped from a cage at the pet shop nearby.

A few years ago I hear about some parrots that lived on the west side of our city.
I thought this could not be true. Parrots like it where it is warm year around.
We drove over to where they were supposed to be living and sure enough there was a bunch of birds there with a big condo looking nest.
The birds are Monk Parakeets that started out as someones pet. Now there are several in the area.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,080-acre sanctuary that has trees dripping in Spanish moss. There have been 384 species of birds recorded here.
There are walking trails and a seasonal tram.
I have also seen several snakes out in the ponds from the bird blinds.

As you leave the city of Port Isabel, you go over Texas' longest bridge, South Padre rises in front of you.
It has been rated by some as one of the top ten beaches in the world. I don't know that I would say that but it is a nice beach.
Thousands of people flock her every summer to play on the island.

Goose Island State Recreation Area, 307 acres, is 12 miles northeast of Rockport.
The park has a shell beach, marshes, meadows, and live oak groves.
The birding at this small park is outstanding.
There are several year around residents.
The bird that I love to see is the Roseate Spoonbill