What's around ? (1 Viewer)

[iraqbabbler]

Hi folks
I'll be in Texas around mid to late August and I have Aransas national wildlife refuge on my dream list o

Can anyone whet my appetite and give me an idea of what I can expect to see there at this time of the year ?

Thank you in advance :t:

 

[howielupus]

Where abouts in Texas are you going to be? Aransas is beautiful, a must see if you can make it!

 

[iraqbabbler]

Thanks howielupus,
I'll be arriving in Dallas and I'm planning on flying to Corpus Christi to get to Aransas. I assume that the nearest accommodation to the refuge is in Rockport .. right ?

I also assume that this is the wrong of year for the Whooping Cranes .. ? ..

But .. what should I expect to see in August ?? .. Help please

 

[lulubelle]

Very much the wrong time of year for Whoopers. They are in the area in the winter months, like Dec to Feb. There are boats that come out of Port Aransas and do the Whooping Crane Tours. They actually have a Whooping Crane Festival in Port Aransas in Feb.

What you are going to get are shorebirds and migrants flying back through. Very hot time of the year any where in Texas!

In Corpus Christi, you could bird Blucher Park, Packery Channel County Park, Port Aransas, Pollywog Ponds, Hazel Bazemore (hawk watch may or may not be started by then), Hans A. Suter Wildlife Area. On Port Aransas proper, you can bird the beaches, Paradise Pond, Leona Turnbull Birding Center, Charley's Pasture (kind of behind the birding center) & Mustang Island. The Padre Island National Seashore is an option too.

If you are game and had the time, you could zip down to the valley (2 hrs approx, depending on where you decide to go) and pick up some valley summer specialties.

There is also Rockport - they have a Sept hummingbird festival - not sure what can be found in August. Choke Canyon is about an 1 1/2 away, heading towards San Antonio, if you had the time. Calliham Unit would be good there.

If you are on Ebird, you could check the areas you are interested in to see what others are reporting & what was seen in the area in August of last year.

 

[iraqbabbler]

Thanks for the detailed response lulubelle o

So where is the best place to base myself .. Rockport, or Corpus Christi ?

I just want to spend 3 or 4 days all up, and would like to bird Aransas Wildlife Refuge and now that you mention it, perhaps the "summer specialties" :smoke:

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I will not be hiring a car !

 

[lulubelle]

Personally, I would stay in Corpus and then branch out from there.

I guess I assumed you would be renting a car or know someone down there whose car you could use. To get around the area - to Rockport or to the valley or just around Corpus - you will need a vehicle. I have been to Corpus many times, but I never noticed if Corpus has a public bus system. Port Aransas does not. Taxi's would be very expensive.

As far as the refuge, I know that certain portions are accessible, but I don't know what you would get there during the summer, as opposed to just birding the Corpus/Aransas/Rockport area. My experiences with the refuge involve going on a boat to view the Whoopers! I am not much help in that direction! Perhaps someone else will chime in with info on the refuge & summer birding.

 

[iraqbabbler]

Thanks lulubelle,
Geeeeez .. no buses at all ?. How do the local people there manage ? ..mmmm :-C

So am I absolutely limited to renting a car ?? .. I DREAD this option

Surely there must be some other way, .. even bike hire or something :cat:

 

[lulubelle]

Google Corpus Christi & see if they list public transport anywhere. I don't ever remember seeing buses on the streets as I drove around - got lost several times so I had lots of opportunity to see one! No bus from Corpus to Rockport, the valley, Port A or any where else. Most people own cars and those that fly in usually rent, if you don't have a friend or relative living there that can loan you use of theirs. If you are referring to a bicycle, that would not be an option for transportation in Corpus or any of the cities around. Don't think you would find one to rent even, unless you get one that is made for riding along the beach front - not workable for what you want to do. I don't know how you would bird without a car, even if you stayed only in Rockport or Corpus & went no where else.

 

[iraqbabbler]

Google Corpus Christi & see if they list public transport anywhere. I don't ever remember seeing buses on the streets as I drove around - got lost several times so I had lots of opportunity to see one! No bus from Corpus to Rockport, the valley, Port A or any where else. Most people own cars and those that fly in usually rent, if you don't have a friend or relative living there that can loan you use of theirs. If you are referring to a bicycle, that would not be an option for transportation in Corpus or any of the cities around. Don't think you would find one to rent even, unless you get one that is made for riding along the beach front - not workable for what you want to do. I don't know how you would bird without a car, even if you stayed only in Rockport or Corpus & went no where else.

:brains:
How about taxis ???
So perhaps I'm actually better off forgetting about the refuge and basing myself in Corpus Christi itself ?? .. If I can get to see birds such as Painted Bunting and Roseate Spoonbill nearer Corpus Christie, that would be ok too !

 

[cassowary]

Car rental is often the cheapest option in the US (as a foreigner generally you must have a major Credit Card and I think be over 25).

I keep on promoting e-bird on this forum but generally it is your best resource for seeing what is around in the US.

see links:

http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?repo...=states&continue.x=35&continue.y=8&continue=t

http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step...&continue.x=45&continue.y=8&continue=Continue

 

[Mysticete]

I was in the Corpus Christi area in March and I can also chime in that you are going to have a rather difficult time birding without a car rental (and Taxi service will only moderately increase your birding abilities. You could try birdingpal and see if someone local could help you, but for 4 days you really are better off renting a vehicle. The US (with the exception of a few major scattered cities and and northeastern seaboard) has probably the worst public transit system of any 1st world nation.

 

[lulubelle]

You will need a car. Hate to say it, but I have yet to see a Texas city that is bike friendly. Bike dangerous is more like it - not joking. The birding sites in and around Corpus aren't positioned such that you could do what you are envisioning - they are spread apart. A taxi would be expensive, a pain in the tush and I would think a bit frustrating. If you aren't getting good birds in one spot, you could drive where ever you want or have the option to go to Rockport or the valley.
You are coming a long way and while I hate renting a car - would rather have the money to use on other things - you do want to make the most of your time here. I prefer Enterprise Rentals and you will need a credit card. Corpus is fairly easy to navigate and the best birding areas are relatively easily found. When it gets closer to the time you are coming, I can tell you how to get to Paradise Pond & Charley's pasture. Any one us can help get you where you want to go.

 

[BeesWing]

If it is any help, driving in Corpus is calm and sedate compared with driving in some other parts of Texas. South Texas is pretty rural and spread out.

 

[lulubelle]

Amen Beeswing! You are so right!

If you are going to be in the Dallas area for any length of time before you go to Corpus, you will see the difference in the traffic immediately!! I would rather drive any where in Corpus any time. I live in Arlington, which is about 25 minutes away from Dallas - it is a traffic zoo compared with Corpus or any where in South Texas! The only reason I got lost was because I was trying to bird and drive - not paying attention!

While you are there in Corpus, I would recommend eating at Kiko's - great mexican food!!

Oh as far as hotels, if you do beach front you will either get very expensive or ratty - depends on the area you pick. There is a La Quinta off I-37 that I can recommend - very clean and decent price. There are other places that are clean & reasonable as well. Any hotel that is very close to the aquarium & the U.S.S Lexington (I think that is the name of the boat) is going to be in the ratty domain probably.

 

[BeesWing]

South Texas is (justifiably) huge in the birding world. You will see more species there than almost anywhere in North America, in the right time of year, I'm not sure about August. But the valley is the poorest part of the state. Google says that Corpus has a bus system, but for birding, a car is your only option. My intro to driving on the "wrong" side of the road was in rural Ireland. It was easier than I feared. Use lots of bug spray and you will have a blast!

 

[iraqbabbler]

Thanks guys, at this stage it looks like hiring a car is an inevitable reality, so I'll have to do it !
I am definitely not a beach person, so I'll stay away from the beach hotels !, so any reasonable and quiet hotels to recommend away from the beach ?


Also, I was looking at
http://www.ccbirding.com/aoc/where-go.htm

which lists about 30 sites for the Corpus Christi area !!!. Which ones should I focus on given that I'll only have 3 or 4 days birding ?. I'm not really into seabirds, but I do like waterbirds and landbirds

 

[lulubelle]

I would suggest posting on Texbirds again, asking this same question. There are quite a few people who live in that area and can tell how best to utilize your time & maximize your birding. I usually try to combine my Port Aransas location together for a day and then I combine close locations in Corpus, so that I can maximize my birding & minimize driving. Tule Lake, Hans Suter, Packery Channel park, Blucher Park (may or may not be good), Rose Hill Cemetary & Pollywog Ponds (most people have better luck at either spot than I ever have)...there are other spots, but I am at work and I can't come up with the names of any more at the moment! There are several locations on Port Aransas that you could combine.

I you chose to drive to the valley, keep in mind that is a 2 hr drive and I would also ask on Texbirds, what places you could go to get target birds, so that you don't drive all over & not get what you are looking for.

As far as hotels, try the La Quinta Inns & Red Roof Inns. Clean & reasonable.