After a hiatus last year, largely down to our boiler packing up and the subsequent expense, the trip is back on for this Easter.
31st March - 10th April.
Any hints and tips? We will be spending three or four days with friends in Magnolia and then heading off, possibly down the coast but am up for suggestions.
Magnolia is about 30 minutes from where we live. If you still want to go to Padre Island, know that it will be about a four hour drive to Padre Island National Seashore, which is just outside of Corpus Christi. If you want to go to the town of South Padre Island, which is at the southern tip of TX, it is about eight hours drive, allowing a short time to stop for gas. South TX has some excellent birding areas, but keep in mind that if you are inland, that the afternoon temps can vary greatly at that time of year, and in fact can occasionally be quite warm.
Before you head down the coast, you might consider heading up the coast (east, from Magnolia) for a few days. Consider Anahuac NWR, the Houston Audubon Society's sites at High Island, Sabine Pass/Sabine Woods, Sea Rim State Park, and a whole host of other places in between. There is a very good book entitled "Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail" that you might consider buying. It covers the upper half of the TX coast, and has enough places in it to keep you occupied for months. I would lend you my copy, but I will be using it at that time of year.
If you do end up going to the northern part of Padre Island, you will have to either drive through Corpus Christi, or stay along the coast and come in from Port Aransas. Time your arrival in the general area during mid-day, as the work traffic in C.C. can be bad, and the lines that form for the ferry crossing in Port A. can be extremely long. Personally, I would skip Padre Island National Seashore, as you can see the same shorebirds in the upper half of the TX coast, a lot closer to Magnolia.
If you are going to the southern part of Padre Island, you will go through Port Isabel and then into the town of South Padre Island. If you are going there, let me know and I can tell you a bit more about that area. Keep in mind that going to S. TX from Magnolia means that you will spend two days of your vacation in the car.