South Padre Island: A great new birding center and more
By: By Helen Anders | Friday, September 4, 2009, 11:15 AMI just finished touring South Padre Island’s new birding center, and it’s fabulous. It opens to the public on Sept. 26, at which time you’ll pay $5 to get in or walk out on the more than 4,800 linear feed of boardwalks out toward the Laguna Madre, but the director let me in for a peek this morning. (Sorry, Tagalong; I didn’t see your post until this morning).
Wow. The view from the top of the interpretive center is worth $5 in and of itself. You can see both the bay and the beach from up there. The birding center, the final one of nine affiliated with the World Birding Center (the mother ship is in Mission) is in a lovely yellow building across Padre Boulevard from La Quinta (and a rising Hilton) and next door to the Convention Center. It’s also near Sea TUrtle Rescue, another of my favorite island attractions.
It’s next to the water treatment plant, too, and offers super-salty (the bay), fresh and brackish water to fit all the birds’ tastes.
The interpretive center has bathrooms (nice ones with granite vanities), a gift shop and rooms that will soon be filled with exhibits. There will be a film to see, too. Then walk out on the boardwalks and see the birds. I ogled blue herons, roseate spoonbills, egrets and terns, terns, terns. I really need a better camera to capture the birds, but here’s a look at my morning:
And if you like birds, be sure to read Pam LeBlanc’s birding story this Sunday in the
Travel section.. (It’ll probably post sometime Saturday).
In other island action, I’ve learned that an appellate court has ruled that Cameron County can’t sell Islan Blanca Park, the public park at the south end of the island, to developers. Yay. Now, will someone please reopen Dolphin Cove Oyster Bar? Please?
So far, the island’s very quiet, but I expect an infestation of Labor Day weekenders soon. Tomorrow night I plan to catch the fireworks, followed by the Bongo Dogs at Wanna Wanna.
Original Source: [ WEB ]
