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| Sculpture in Downtown Rockport |
We spent the last week in Rockport, Texas, but I have been
coming to Rockport since the 1960’s. Back then, my Mom would rent several motel rooms, and the
family would spend a few days enjoying the Rockport Vibe. If you are from
Texas, you likely are familiar with the Vibe. It's a unique blend of a relaxed
lifestyle, abundant sunshine, sandy beaches, fresh seafood, and, for some, a
hint of alcohol. The Vibe is also about the local artists, the quaint shell
shops, the hidden gem seafood restaurants, and the beautifully wind-sculpted
live oaks. Some people come for the fishing while others come to see the winter
birds. What is missing in the Vibe is the hustle and bustle of a city like Port
Aransas. Instead, it's about locals and tourists enjoying some quiet time in a
couple of villages along the bay. BTW, these visitors include the most famous
Winter Texans, the Whooping Cranes. An excellent example of the Rockport Vibe
is the shop “4 the Birds” on Main Street. We started going there over 24 years
ago when it was on the bayside of the street. The 94-year-old owner and her
daughter, a well-known wildlife photographer, run the shop with the same
friendly charm we have known since our first visit. Yep, the Rockport Vibe
called us down for the week.
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| Whoopers at Big Tree |
Our first stop upon arrival was 8th Street, next
to the Big Tree, to visit our old friends, the Whooping Cranes. These
magnificent Creatures, standing 4-6 feet tall, exude a stately grace that
befits their status as the royalty of the Aransas Peninsula. The field across
the street from the Big Tree, a champion Live Oak, is a reliable place to visit
these creatures and other assorted waterfowl. We were fortunate to encounter a
family with one chick, preparing for their annual flight back to Canada in a
few weeks. Here are a few photos from our awe-inspiring encounter.
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| Even Royalty Has to Scratch |
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| Turkey Vultures High Overhed |
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| A Mighty Handsome Couple |
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| Stretching Feels SOOO Goood! |
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| An Osprey Watching over their Domain |
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| A Family Takes Flight |
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| Warming Up for their Long Trip North |
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| A Pile of Roseates and Friends |
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| A Favorite Photo Spot on Fulton Beach |
We spent several hours driving Fulton Beach Road and Water
Street in Rockport the next day. These roads follow the bayshore and generally
offer glimpses of ducks and shorebirds. The stop at Fulton Harbor yielded very
amenable Reddish and Snowy Egrets plus a number of gulls. A stop at the Bent
Oak Rookery offered 45 minutes of delight as we watched White Egrets and Great
Bule Herons building their nests and in varying stages of courtship as the
nesting season was underway. The last part of the day included our traditional
drive down Water Street in Rockport, which yielded interesting sightings and
memories of past trips along this narrow road by the bay. Here are a few shots
from the day.
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Snowy Egret |
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| Just Missed! |
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| On the Prowl |
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| Sitting on the dock of the bay... |
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| Ring Billed Gull in Flight |
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| Great Blue Heron Lurking |
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| Firewheel |
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| Great Blue Nest Being Built |
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| White Egret Hauling Nesting Sticks |
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| Great Blue Heron on Return Flight |
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| Eurasian Collared Dove |
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| Kestrel Looking for a bite. |
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| Another Flight, Another Stick |
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| Gliding Home |
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| Great Blue Heron in Flight |
The next day, we headed to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
This is most well-known as the winter home of the Whooping Cranes, but their
numbers have increased and spread out all along the coast. However, the alligators
and their fellow resident herons, egrets, Caracara, Turkey Vultures, Black
Vultures, hawks, and cormorants are
still here. Several trails are closed from recent storm damage, and the drought
has left many inland ponds nearly dry. But, once again, driving these roads and
walking the trails brings back a treasure trove of memories from the last 50
years of visiting this magical place. Here are a few of the photos.
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| Monarch Migration in Full Swing |
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| A Curious Javelina |
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| Eastern Pondhawk, also known as a Dragonfly. |
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| Alligator in Jones Lake |
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| The Other Gator in the Lake |
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| A Very Dry Jones Lake |
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| On the Shore of Aransas Bay |
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| The Boardwalk and Viewing Platforms |
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| This View Always Fills My Soul |
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| Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center |
An essential part of any trip to Rockport is a trip across
the Aransas Pass Causeway to Port Aransas, or Port A, as it is known. The trip
includes a short ferry ride across the Intracoastal waterway into a Spring
Breaker's Mecca. 40 years ago, Port A was a sleepy fishing village, but since
the 1980s, it has catered to hordes of High School kids and College students
during the first two weeks of March. We braved the possible crowds and found
the trip much calmer than I had anticipated. Our main reason for the trip this
year was to visit the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. This beautiful set of
boardwalks and tall platforms is designed to view many wintering species in the
marsh. We made our first trip here 20 years ago when it was called the Sewer
Plant. The birds are the same. The smell is the same. But the boardwalks have
made the stop a photographer's paradise. We met a couple from England who had
come to Port Aransas, mainly to visit the Birding Center. Today, despite the
wind, the marsh did not disappoint. Here are a few of the shots from our
morning.
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| Blue Wing Teal |
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| White Ibis |
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| White Ibis as chasing off a couple of Blue Wing Teals |
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| White Morph of the Reddish Egret |
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| Blue Wing Teal coming in for a water landing. |
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| Teal Bath Time |
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| Gull Bath Time |
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| Hovering |
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| Blue Wing Teal Drying his Wings |
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| Ring Bill Gull Taking Off |
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| Tricolor Heron on the Prowl |
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| Two Love Birds, er Ducks! |
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| Green Wing Teal |
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| Marbled Godwit Looking for a Snack |
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| Long-tailed Skipper |
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| A Ferry at Port Aransas |
On the way back to Rockport, we did a little birding along
the Aransas Pass Causeway and then drove down Texas 35 to Indian Point Park on
a causeway to Corpus Christi. Once again, memories abound in these old stomping
grounds. My high school band used to march in the Buccaneer Days Night Parade
each year in Corpus, and we always stayed at the Tally Ho Motel on old Highway
9, which, in those days, looked much like Texas 35 does now. This area is rich
in memories that feed my soul, reminding me of cherished people and places.
Here are a few pictures from our last birding adventure in Rockport for 2025.
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| Harrier in Flight |
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| Reddish Egret Chasing a Fish |
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| Dowwitcher |
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| Great-tailed Grackle |
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| Two more Love Birds, err Gulls |
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| Long-billed Curlew |
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| Check out that head position! |
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| Female Grackle |
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| Ruddy Turnstone |
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| Willet |
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| Least Sandpiper |
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| And so our day with the birds comes to close. |
Our next pilgrimage to Rockport must wait another year. But
I plan to carry a good part of that Vibe with me as we begin preparations for
our 2025 adventure to Colorado. While the memories are nourishing, I have many
more memories to make in the sands that surround San Antonio, Aransas, and
Copano bays. And I am already planning our return in 2026. That, too, is part
of the Vibe!
See you Next Year, Rockport!
Travel well, my friends.
Bob
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| Our site at the new Rockport KOA. We will be back! |
