We took a stroll this afternoon through the marina in Corpus Christi, Texas. On the gulf coast of Mexico, the city is near many great birding hot spots such as Suter Wildlife Refuge, Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve, and Blucher Park.
We parked next to the Selena Quintanilla memorial and walked south toward the beaches and jetty.
With a bag full of goodies, my husband insisted on feeding the Laughing Gulls. They called out in delight as they swooped down to catch the morsels of food.
I watched as Brown Pelicans caught drifts and gazed downward until they sharply turned to plunge headfirst into the water. One bird did this several times in a row within a few minutes. I’m unsure if it was unsuccessful or if it was getting something each time.
Peering off the boardwalk, down the steps next to the water, you’ll see various birds: Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, and Great Blue Herons.
The setting sun made for nice lighting conditions as the birds went about their business.
Across the street from the shore, my husband spotted a medium brown bird with a thin downward-curving bill. Unmistakably a Long-billed Curlew. It was walking around in the grass plunging its beak into the ground searching for food. I’ve never seen Curlews do this so we were entertained for a few minutes by the act.
We continued down the boardwalk until we reached the beaches and walkway out onto the jetty. The walkway took us along a part of the shore protected from the tides. In these calm waters, Sanderlings could barely be seen among the stones on the ground. Their little legs moved quickly as they scurried around foraging
Behind the Sanderlings, further down the protected shore, Royal Terns relaxed with bathing Laughing Gulls.
This casual walk in Corpus Christi surprised me with the nice birds we saw in a short period of time. I plan to stay a weekend sometime and experience some morning birding at a few hot spots.
UPDATE 11/6/22:
We visited the Corpus Christi marina and jetty again this weekend and saw a bunch of cool bird activity.
Snowy and Great Egrets were busy hunting for food in the shallow waters off the jetty.
Next to the hunting egret was a flock of Laughing Gulls bathing in the water. Since it’s the off-season they don’t have their black heads and are much quieter than usual.
We continued along the jetty and my friend spotted some tiny birds scurrying along the wet sand. I went over to get a closer look and found four cute Sanderlings.
