Coastal Bend Hotspots


The Coastal Bend is the middle stretch of the Texas coast, centered on Port Aransas and Rockport, where Gulf beaches, tidal flats, and island oak mottes pack an incredible amount of birdlife into a small area. The boardwalks at Port Aransas put wading birds and waterfowl at arm's length, spring migration fills the oaks, and offshore trips add true seabirds to the mix. In recent years the flats here have even hosted American Flamingos - about as photogenic as Texas birding gets.

Birds to look for: American Flamingo (recent years), Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret, terns and shorebirds, spring migrants, and wintering Whooping Cranes nearby at Aransas.

Best time to visit: Spring migration (April to May) and winter for waterbirds; something happening year-round.

Birds I’ve Photographed in Coastal Bend 50 species · see them in the gallery →

American Flamingo photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter American Flamingo American Oystercatcher photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter American Oystercatcher American White Pelican photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter American White Pelican Aplomado Falcon photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Aplomado Falcon Band-rumped Storm-Petrel photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Bay-breasted Warbler photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Bay-breasted Warbler Black Noddy photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black Noddy Black Skimmer photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black Skimmer Black Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black Tern Black-necked Stilt photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-necked Stilt Bridled Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Bridled Tern Brown Booby photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Brown Booby Brown Noddy photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Brown Noddy Brown Pelican photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Brown Pelican Cape May Warbler photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Cape May Warbler Cattle Tyrant photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Cattle Tyrant Common Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Common Tern Forster's Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Forster's Tern Gray Catbird photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Gray Catbird Great Egret photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Great Egret Great-tailed Grackle photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Great-tailed Grackle Greater Scaup photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Greater Scaup Green-winged Teal photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Green-winged Teal Horned Lark photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Horned Lark Kelp Gull photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Kelp Gull Laughing Gull photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Laughing Gull Least Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Least Tern Long-billed Curlew photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Long-billed Curlew Magnificent Frigatebird photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Magnificent Frigatebird Northern Parula photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern Parula Northern Yellow Warbler photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern Yellow Warbler Orchard Oriole photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Orchard Oriole Parasitic Jaeger photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Parasitic Jaeger Philadelphia Vireo photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Philadelphia Vireo Piping Plover photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Piping Plover Reddish Egret photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Reddish Egret Ring-billed Gull photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Ring-billed Gull Roseate Spoonbill photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Roseate Spoonbill Royal Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Royal Tern Ruddy Turnstone photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Sanderling Sandwich Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Savannah Sparrow Sooty Tern photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Sooty Tern Tennessee Warbler photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Tennessee Warbler Thayer's Gull photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Thayer's Gull Tricolored Heron photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Tricolored Heron White Ibis photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White Ibis White-tailed Tropicbird photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White-tailed Tropicbird Whooping Crane photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Whooping Crane

Other Wildlife in Coastal Bend 3 species

Beach Tiger Beetle photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Beach Tiger Beetle Bottlenose Dolphin photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Bottlenose Dolphin Spotted Ground Squirrel photographed in the Coastal Bend region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Spotted Ground Squirrel

Birding Locations in Coastal Bend See all birds photographed here →

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Winter home of the wild Whooping Crane flock, plus marsh and brushland birds along the tour loop.


Bird Species Found Here

Goose Island State Park

Live-oak mottes and bay shoreline near Rockport - migrants in the oaks, waterbirds on the flats.


Bird Species Found Here

Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center

Port Aransas boardwalk over freshwater wetlands - point-blank herons, ducks, shorebirds, and in recent years the famous American Flamingo.


Bird Species Found Here

Mustang Island State Park

Gulf beach and dunes - plovers, terns, gulls, and Sanderlings working the surf line.


Bird Species Found Here

Port Aransas Nature Preserve

Charlie's Pasture - tidal flats and boardwalks for shorebirds, wading birds, and wintering sparrows.


Bird Species Found Here

Port Aransas Pelagics

Offshore boat trips into the Gulf - shearwaters, storm-petrels, boobies, and other deepwater birds.


Bird Species Found Here






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