EXPERIENCE ROCKPORT BIRDING

This page sponsored by Professional Nature Photographer Diane Loyd

Saltflats Photography

Visit us at 92 S. Austin St. in the 4 The Birds Retail Shop, downtown Rockport, Texas.

(All photographs are copyrighted and can only be used with express permission from owner/photographer.)

 From salt marsh to grassland to oak woodland, anytime is a great time for birding in Rockport, Texas! 

Considered by some as a sport - the watching, listening, and marveling at the colors, shapes, sounds, and antics of birds is quickly becoming a popular sport in America.  When patience and time are given, people of all ages are finding out that "birding" provides a grand reward in a scenic and natural setting. 

You cannot always identify a "birder."  Typically they have on plaid, flannel shirts, khaki walking shorts, multi-pocketed vests, hiking boots, and usually an expensive pair of binoculars hung around their neck.  In order to keep track of their bird sightings they set-out with their trusty pencils and paper in hand, devotedly determined to find new birds to add to their life lists. This "life list" takes on a whole new meaning to professional bird watchers in that they are anxiously awaiting a rare sighting, and occasionally, a rare bird spotting can be purely accidental.  Right time, right place! 

After a sighting, these well informed and focused individuals experience a sense of accomplishment in that that may be the one and only time in their lives that they will ever see that bird.  That's why it is appropriately called the" life list."  Walking through the halls of Mother Nature at a slow and observing pace, they keenly explore birds in their habitats and learn about the habits, food preferences, mating rituals, how they raise their young, and much more.  Birders exhibit their love of nature on its own terms.  They are a quieter folk and dedicated to the preservation of our land and all of the abundant resources that lie therein.  Although some choose to do their birding by car, the majority prefer to commune with nature more intimately; up close and personal!  

Bird watchers are some of the most affluent travelers in the world.

Along with the extraordinary migratory birds seen predominantly from September thru March, Rockport is host to over 500 species year round; these birds call Rockport, Texas - Home!  With the nearby Aransas National Wildlife Refuge being the exceptional birding spot of the county, don't overlook the many other great birding spots: Rockport Beach Park, the marshes at Cove Harbor, Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Copano State Park, to name only a few.  There are many more, so please see our Birding References and Resources page.  Also take a look at our "Birding Calendar" page so you can attend the many area birding events, classes, and field trips that our local groups offer.

Commercial Birding Boat Tours are available for birders, painters, and amateur/professional photographers alike, because many of the birds, especially the whooping cranes are seen much better by boat, than by land. One of the best ways to view the birds, especially whoopers, is from a boat in the intracoastal canal.  From early November through early April, bird touring boats from across the area cruise past tidal flats and salt marshes where many species may be seen. Fares vary.  In recent winter months, over 17,000 people took birding boat tours, so you may seriously want to consider hiring a "birding boat guide" for the best possible bird sightings ever!

A word about conservation: "All wild creatures must have a place to live.  As civilization creates cities, build highways, and drains marshes, it takes away, little by little, the land that is suitable for wildlife.  As wildlife's space for living dwindles, the wildlife populations themselves decline." (Rachel Carson, chief editor for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, 1939-1952.)