The birding sites featured here are courtesy of CBAS member Jamie Ritter. Her book, Birding Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, contains information on and directions to 78 different birding sites in our area. The sites featured are four fruitful sites for birding in the winter.

POLLYWOG POND

Habitats: freshwater ponds, transitional riparian forest

Specialty birds:
Residents - Resident- Least Grebe, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, White-tipped Dove, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Green Jay
Spring/Summer- Cave Swallow Fall/Winter- Vermilion Flycatcher
Migrating - Neotropic Migrant Trap

Best times to bird: year round especially spring

Directions: From Corpus Christi go north IH 37, take the Callicoate Road exit (Exit 13B). Travel down the access road for .7 miles and turn right before you reach Sharpsburg Road. You will be turning onto a caliche road that is unmarked. The road is about one block long, and you should be able to see the park entrance from the access road. There is a yellow gate at the entrance. You will have to park there and walk around the gate. If you are coming from north of Corpus Christi take the same exit and cross the interstate on an overpass.

The birding: This area contains a collection of lakes and pools used to settle the sediment from raw drinking water. You can also walk to the Nueces River here. There is an east and a west lagoon area. You can enter and exit from either side. However, to get back to your car, you must return the same way, or plan to walk around the ditch that separates the two areas. Be aware that the area is very rugged and quite wild except for the mown trails. These trails are not mowed often and even when they are, they are still difficult to travel because the cut grasses may hide fallen limbs or holes. Expect to do a lot of walking, and be certain that you understand that this not handicapped-accessible.
The ponds are lined with willow and mulberry trees, which are known to attract migrants and songbirds. You should be able to find Common Yellow-throated Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Wilson’s Warblers, and other migrating warblers. Both Great Kiskadees and Vermilion Flycatchers are common here, as are Couch’s Kingbirds. All species of swallows, except the Blue-green have been listed here. In the trees leading up to the ponds, look for Titmouse, Red-shouldered Hawk, White-winged and White-tipped Doves, and the Groove-billed Ani. Watch in the grasses for LeConte’s, Lincoln’s, Swamp, Field, and Savannah sparrows.
At one point along the trail there is a nice bridge that takes you across a canal. A Green Kingfisher has used this canal from time to time. Look under the bridge for this very secretive bird. A Barred Owl is also known to inhabit this area. Not too far from the bridge is a photo blind looking out over one of the ponds.
In the ponds you can find a number of water-related birds. I have seen an American Bittern doing his “reed dance” at the edge of one pond. You should also find Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. On one of the dikes, Sedge Wrens have been spotted. There are several ponds and each usually contains a different group of birds. So take your time and carefully examine each location.
There is a sign at the east entrance explaining the habitat and which birds you might expect to find as well as several interpretive signs along the trails. There are no restroom facilities.

For more information: City of Corpus Christi-1202 Leopard, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 (361)880-3211.

BLUCHER PARK,CORPUS CHRISTI

Habitats: urban park, riparian

Specialty birds:
Resident - Resident- Common Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Couch’s Kingbird
Spring/Summer- Brown-crested Flycatcher, Cave Swallow
Migrating - Neotropic Migrant Trap

Best times to bird: March through November

Directions: When coming into Corpus Christi on Interstate 37, take the Buffalo Street exit (Exit 1A). Stay on the access for three blocks. It will quickly turn into Buffalo. At the corner of Buffalo and Tancahua, turn right and travel for .3 miles. Turn right onto Comanche and travel for 2 blocks. Turn left onto Artesian for one block. Turn left onto Blucher Street for ½ block and right at Carrizo. Blucher Audubon Nature Center will be on the right side of the street, and Blucher Park will be on the left side.
If you are on Shoreline Drive in Corpus Christi, you can take any of the parallel side streets such as Leopard or Williams/Lipan to get up onto the bluff and to Tancahua Street. Then follow the directions above. Blucher is behind the main Corpus Christi Public Library. This park is open from sunrise until 10 p.m.

The birding: TThis is a small urban park about a block square, but it really packs a big punch for its little size. First, it is a densely wooded park, and the Audubon Outdoor Club has added other native plantings. Many of these native plants are labeled. Secondly, there is a small creek flowing through its center. Thirdly, it is close to the coast. This combination attracts migrating passerines, especially during the spring migration.
There is no real strategy for attacking this park. There are paths that you can follow, but the park is small and you can just wander around in the open areas. You will be surprised when you start to check every bush and tree carefully. During bird walks in 2004, the AOC listed 88 species in the month of April. At least 13 additional species have been listed in previous years. Gulls and wading birds can be seen flying over the park. Hawks, such as Sharp-shinned and Broad-winged, have been known to stop over. They’re tricky to find, but nightjars such as Chuck-will’s-widow and Whip-poor-will have been seen here. Flycatchers can be numerous, from the Brown-crested to the Scissor-tailed. All of the swallows, except the Cave and Violet-green, have been seen at Blucher. Want to see buntings, or tanagers, cuckoos, grosbeaks, or orioles? Try Blucher. During the fall, look in the treetops for Cedar Waxwings. But be sure to keep your eyes open for the migrating warblers. Twenty-five plus warblers have been listed in the park, including the rare for South Texas Prairie Warbler.
Before you leave the area, go across the street to the Blucher Audubon Nature Center. The Richard Blucher house was acquired for Audubon Texas in 2003. The center focuses on local ecology and features hands-on, science-based programs designed to educate visitors of all ages about coastal ecology and bird conservation. The house contains some beautiful exhibits along with meeting rooms. There is a bulletin board on the front porch listing current sightings. The backyard, which has been enhanced with native plantings, a patio, and a fountain, is another good place to find birds such as Inca Doves. In the spring and summer, you will see hummingbirds without fail. The center keeps feeders supplied to draw in Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Buff-bellied Hummingbirds, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

General Information: This park is owned by the City of Corpus Christi and managed by the Audubon Outdoor Club. The AOC leads free, guided bird walks every Saturday and Sunday during the month of April (except Easter) beginning at 7:30 a.m.

PACKERY CHANNEL

Habitats: a pass between the Gulf of Mexico and bays, oak woodland

Specialty birds:
Resident- Brown Pelican, Reddish Egret, White-faced Ibis, Groove-billed Ani, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Couch’s Kingbird Spring/Summer-Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cave Swallow Fall/Winter- Peregrine Falcon, Piping Plover,
Migrating - Neotropic migrant trap
Best times to bird: fall and spring

Directions: Take South Padre Island Drive (SPID)/TX358 towards the island. Continue on Park Road 22 and cross the J.F.K. Causeway and the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge. After the bridge, take the second left (about 1 mile). If this street has a name, no one seems to know what it its. A sign will lead you to the turn. A bright blue Padre Island Visitor Center is on the right after you turn. The center has restrooms and tourist information including maps. A parking lot is on the right as well.

The birding: As you will see, there isn’t much of a park here, however this often turns out to be one of the best Corpus Christi birding spots. Drive straight past the Visitor’s Center and on for several blocks; you will see Packary Channel. This pass connects Corpus Christi Bay with the Gulf of Mexico. At the channel you see shorebirds and waterfowl. This is a good place to use a spotting scope. Pelicans, cormorants, wading birds, gulls, and terns are usually here. In the winter look for loons, grebes, and ducks.
Opposite the parking lot for the Visitor’s Center, a large live oak motte is surrounded by a fence. Such mottes were once the norm. Walk around this one to look for migrants, especially in the spring. Here you are likely to see warblers such as Bay-breasted, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Nashville, Tennesse, Mourning, and Pine.
When you leave the motte sanctuary walk down to the corner of residential roads Maria Isabela and Sand Dollar. Notice a boardwalk that leads out to a viewing platform. This is part of the sanctuary owned by the Audubon Outdoor Club. This section of the sanctuary is known as Sandy’s Pond. The Audubon Outdoor Club owns 18 undeveloped lots in the subdivision. These lots are not all connected to each other. Future enhancements are planned for the sanctuary. It is permissible to walk through the rest of the sanctuary, but it is very wild without planned trails. At Sandy’s Pond and back at the motte, Ruby-throated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds are attracted to Coral Bean bushes. Eastern Kingbirds, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and Tree or Barn Swallows are often seen on the utility lines or whizzing overhead. If the “drip” is working at the pond, passerines like Painted Buntings can stop by for a drink.
Now walk through this neighborhood making a loop using Playa del Rey, Verdemar, Ave San Nico, and Sand Dollar streets. I’m not sure the residents like this invasion of bird watchers, but they are surely used to it. In spring, the area may have as many bird watchers as birds. Please be considerate of private property. This is the only area with Bay Laurels and Scrub Oaks on the island and the last stand of trees for 130 miles down the island. This migrant trap is especially productive in March, April, and May right after the passage of a norther or cold front. Bad weather and heavy winds can cause dramatic “fallouts” in this little community. Even without these forced groundings of birds, you could see Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, Blue and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo and Painted Buntings, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Groove-billed Anis, Veery, Hermit and Swainson’s Thrush, and many species of warblers. At the corner of Maria Isabela and Playa del Rey there is a lot with large trees against a small bluff. Search here during the day for Yellow-crowned Night Herons.
There are still large prairie areas between the neighborhood and the main highway. Be on the lookout for Mississippi Kites and Northern Harrier.

General Information:General Information: The Padre Island Visitor’s Center is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Packary Channel or Packer’s Channel was named for the beef processing plant that was built at the mouth of the pass a few years after the Civil War. When the beef processing business slumped, the packing house was converted into a place to process feathers for ladies’ hats and to stuff birds such as Roseate Spoonbills for ornamentation or wildlife displays. Sandy’s Pond was built and donated by AOC member Tom Schall in memory of his daughter.

Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond (formerly Paradise Pond)

Habitats: freshwater pond

Specialty birds:
Resident - Resident- Least Grebe, Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Migrating - Neotropic Migrant Trap

Best times to bird: spring

Directions: When coming into Port Aransas from the free ferry you will leave the landing on Cotter Ave. At the first stop light turn right onto Cut-Off Road. After 3 blocks look for the sign for Paradise Pond. This is a congested area and the signs are not easily seen. The turn off is more of a one-lane alley way than a road. The parking lot is behind a restaurant and the Shark Reef Resort.

The birding: TThe Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond site is a jewel of a birding location. It is only 2 ½ acres in size, but don’t be fooled. During spring migration, the birder could easily be tempted to spend hours there.
At the entrance to the park is a garden designed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Signs and labels in the garden give information about the flowers and birds. The sidewalk through this garden hugs the fence on the right. Follow it around the corner to a boardwalk and three observation decks over this unique freshwater pond. These walks and decks are in the willows, so to speak - Black Willows. You will be very close to the birds. There is room on the decks for scopes, but for the most part you won’t need them. This is also an ideal spot to photograph birds.
You will see Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night Herons as well as Green Herons. Ducks show up here. This is a migrant trap, and most birders come in the spring for the warblers and other songbirds. Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Black-billed Cuckoos, and Summer Tanagers utilize this as a migrating stopover. But it is the vireos and warblers just above your head that will be most enchanting. I once saw a sign posted on the bulletin board by the boardwalk that said, “Seventeen species of warblers today.” At Paradise Pond, I have seen Black and White Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Bay-breasted Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Cerulean Warblers, Hooded Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, Nashville Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Worm-eating Warblers, MacGillivray’s Warblers, Yellow Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, Blue-headed Vireos, Yellow-throated Vireos, and Philadelphia Vireos. Prepare to have your breath taken away when you first spot a Prothonotary Warbler perched on a reed right above the water. On a sunny day it is difficult to tell which is the bird and which is the reflection. Don’t miss this spot.

General Information: Joan and Scott Holt, for whom the park is named, are biologists working at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas. They are long time birding enthusiasts. This site was first developed as a result of a donation made by winners of the Great Texas Birding Classic. The money was used to purchase the land. Eventually other donations and grants led to the completion of this wonderful site. For more information: City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department- 710 W. Ave. A, Port Aransas, TX 78373 (361)749-4158.