2024 RVG High Res - Magazine - Page 42
BIRDING
WHERE
WINGS
TAKE
Flight
S
outheast Texas is located on two of
the four migratory flyways in the U.S.,
the Central and Mississippi. Thanks to its
unique position near the Gulf of Mexico,
there are 28 Great Texas Coastal Birding
Trails within a 40-mile radius of the city.
The American Birding Association called
it one of the "most interesting avifaunal
confluences in the country." For beginning
birders, it's a fantastic place to practice
identifying wading birds and ducks. For
advanced birders, this eastern Texas coastal
region presents a number of unique and
intriguing ID challenges due to range
overlaps not present elsewhere. And for
photographers, Southeast Texas is as good
as it gets.
Southeast Texas offers a desirable
environment with protection from major
predators with many designated wildlife
conservation areas and preserves, making
it a well-known fallout spot to see rare
species. With four distinct habitats: woods,
wetlands, marsh, and shore, it is a place
of contrast where you can experience
everything from piney forest to coastal
plains, and home to a variety of endemic
species from shorebirds to tree-dwellers.
CATTAIL MARSH
BIRDING
Hotspots
CATTAIL MARSH SCENIC
WETLANDS AND BOARDWALK
30.02489° N, 94.14867° W
With over 900-acres of scenic wetlands, Cattail
Marsh boasts over 283 species of fowl, 8 miles
of levees, a boardwalk, and the Cattail Marsh
Wetlands Education Center.
SEA RIM STATE PARK
29.67672° N, 94.04399° W
Where the sea meets the marsh, Sea Rim skirts
the Texas state line, providing premiere birding
year-round with access to salt marsh, sand
dunes, and an open Gulf habitat.
SABINE WOODS
GLOSSY IBIS
42
29.73361° N, 93.89447° W
Boasting over over 326 speciess, this lightly
elevated beach ridge with many winding trails,
allows oak trees to grow along the coast,
attracting migrants in droves.
