The Salt Flats & Port "A"

You've often read that Bud and I traverse the trail at Charlie's Pasture North on Mustang Island just outside the fishing village called Port Aransas. There IS a Charlie's Pasture South on the other side of town, but it's been closed to the public off and on the past year because of highway construction. I've been told eventually this area to the south will connect to the north pasture, making it about a 4-5 mile biking/hiking/birding trail. Eventually in dry seasons, the salt flats are nothing but desolate drylands. By the name, it is FLAT for as far as you can see. During the rainy seasons, the area can be filled with water pools and very lively with waterfowl. Recently, this is what we see...

The trail is mixed with boardwalks when water is on both sides or through the grassland the trail is gravel. Bird life, along with other wildlife like snakes, skunks, deer, rabbits, and raccoons can be seen. Oftentimes, when we're walking along, in the muddied flats we've seen tell-tale signs [footprints] of bobcats. The birdlife goes with the weather patterns; from grassland/prairie species to waterfowl. Near the beginning of our walk a week or so back, we spotted this beauty:

...and just as I began to zoom in even closer, it flew off!!

AMERICAN KESTREL
photos taken: Charlie's Pasture North
habitat map: American Kestrel

Besides abundance of sandpipers, egrets, herons, pelicans, stilts, ibis, osprey, frigatebirds, larks, sparrows, mockingbirds, hawks, shrikes, spoonbills, dowitchers, curlews, dunlins and knots...to name a few, many different species of plovers can be spotted. Such as this:

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER
photo taken: Charlie's Pasture North
habitat map: Semipalmated Plover

In this area of the Coastal Bend of Texas there are five other 'hot spots'...the beach and jetty of course, the community park, the Marine Institute [there is also a rehabilitation facility here], Paradise Pond, and Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Sanctuary. Lately the Sanctuary is by far the 2nd best area for birding. With the Sanctuary, there is an open tree-lined walkway for birds such as migrating hummingbirds, warblers, kingbirds, sparrows, etc. Farther on the pathway, it opens to a huge lake where waterfowl can be seen yearly. Shovelers, ducks of all kinds, frigatebirds, hawks, wrens, ibis, spoonbills, bitterns, grebes, blackbirds, grackles, coots, pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets. Often, in one outing, a birder can see ALL the above mentioned...and even two resident alligators are often seen. On this particular day I'll share these few:

MARSH WREN & BLUE WINGED TEAL
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center
habitat maps: Marsh Wren - Blue Winged Teal



LEAST BITTERN
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center
habitat map: Least Bittern


* * *

Along the tree lined walkway and near the run-off creek, these were spotted:



BLUE GRAY GNATCATCHER
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center
habitat map: Blue Gray Gnatcatcher




WILSON'S SNIPE
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center
habitat map: Wilson's Snipe



Now, share your birding experiences:









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