Howard Murph Memorial Park
Loop 1781, Rockport, TX 78382 28°05’44.0″N 97°03’05.2″W (see map) Species – Greater Roadrunner, American Oystercatcher, Spotted Sandpipers, Caspian, Royal, and Forster’s Terns, assorted Sparrows in winter, Osprey, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Reddish Egret Left in its natural state the shoreline of the park is covered with oyster shell fragments and the shallow water has sandy and seagrass beds great for fishing and wading into the shallow water. The spot also makes for a great kayak launch site. The Park also has BBQ pits and covered seating for you to enjoy. Alligator Warning – We will warn you though that there have been spotting of coastal alligators in the area. Please keep an eye out if you decide to walk out. Howard Murph Memorial Park Site is also known as the Airport Park. Directions: FM 1781, directly behind the Aransas County Airport. This is a small park with access to Copano Bay. There are picnic facilities at this site. Howard Murph Park is an excellent location for enjoying sunsets, birdwatching, kayaking, fishing, and unwinding in a peaceful environment with picnic tables and benches.
Lamar Burton Wetlands Sanctuary
28.149858 -97.001094 (see map) partially Through a generous donation Aransas First is preserving and creating public access to 105 acres of wetlands in the critical Lamar Peninsula, the winter home of the endangered whooping cranes. It will have dirt or grass trails or open ground to walk on for visitors but parking area is ADA and is a great birding site We will formally open it with kiosks and signage after kiosks are built in May. We are waiting for whooping cranes to leave.
Bent Oaks Rookery Park
1902 E. Maple St, Rockport, TX 78382 or 1401 Broadway St, Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Bent Oaks Rookery Park is a 8.856-acre piece of land located across from Little Bay, bordered by Broadway, Business Highway 35, and Maple Street, was purchased by the city in January 2016 for $2.995 million using tax and revenue certificates of obligation. A 14-space parking lot was installed about one month before Hurricane Harvey. The nearly nine-acre piece of property includes large windswept oaks and an active, federally protected Great Blue Heron and Great Egret rookery. The city bought the property to preserve the trees and rookery.
Goose Island State Park
202 S. Palmetto, Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Spring Species – Grosbeaks, Warblers, Flycatchers, Painted and Indigo Bunting Winter Species – Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Eared Grebes, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American White Pelican, Cassin’s Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow.
The Big Tree
1622 Twelfth St., Rockport (Lamar), TX 78382 (see map) Species – In spring and fall migration, warblers and buntings can be found near the tree. In winter, sparrows and thrashers can be found in the edges of the woods and in the grasses behind the tree.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
6907 Hwy 35 N., Austwell, TX 77950 (see map) Aransas National Wildlife Refuge From Rockport, go north on Hwy 35. After crossing the Copano Bay Bridge, drive north for about 14 miles. Turn right on FM 774 and drive approximately 6 miles winding through the farm fields. Turn right again on FM 2040 and follow this road to the entrance. Winter home of endangered Whooping Crane Spring and Summer Species – Abundant spring migrants including warblers, vireos, grosbeaks and bunting. Swainson’s Warbler, Purple Gallinule, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Fall and Winter Species – Whooping Crane, Sandhill Crane, Couch’s Kingbird, White-tailed Kite, Redhead Resident Species – Clapper Rail, Seaside Sparrow, Black-crested Titmouse, White-tailed Hawk, Caracara, Pauraque.
Rockport Harbor
320 Veterans Memorial Dr, Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Winter Species – Common Loon, Redhead, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser Rockport Harbor is in downtown Rockport south of the beach park. This is a deep water harbor. The best birding is in winter. Occasionally, Pacific Loons have been found here.
Memorial Park
1601 FM 2165, Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Resident Species – Cardinal, Black-crested Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Inca Dove Spring and Summer Species – Large variety of warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Couch’s Kingbird, Indigo Bunting Memorial Park Directions – Memorial Park is located at the intersection of Pearl and Enterprise. The park has several ball fields. The hike and bike trail loops around a large pond.
Rockport Beach Park
319 Broadway St, Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Common Species – This is a nesting area for many birds. Some of the nesting birds include Black Skimmer, TriColored Heron, Reddish Egret, Great Blue Heron, Least Tern, Laughing Gull, Killdeer, and Clapper Rail Spring and Summer Species – Black Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird Winter Species – American White Pelican, Merlin, large flocks of Avocets Residents – Caspian, Royal, and Forster’s Tern, Roseate Spoonbill, Brown Pelican, Black Skimmer, Reddish Egret Rockport Beach Park Directions – Seabreeze Drive. This is a pay area with Little Bay to the left and Aransas Bay to the right. At the end of the park there is an observation platform overlooking Bird Island, which is spectacular in the spring with numerous nesting birds. This is an important nesting site of the Black Skimmer.
Fulton Harbor
250 Deforest Loop, Fulton, TX 78358 (see map) Resident Birds – Brown Pelican, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Laughing Gull, Tricolored Heron Summer Species – Magnificent Frigatebird, Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern Winter Species – American White Pelican, Common Loon, Lesser Scaup, Redhead Fulton Harbor is located in downtown Fulton. It is a commercial fishing boat harbor