Tag Archives: Goose Island State Park

Aransas National Wildlife Area

During our stays at Goose Island State Park outside Rockport, TX, we always try to make a visit to Aransas National Wildlife Area which is about a 35 mile drive. Aransas NWA is famous as the winter home of Whooping Cranes (although we have had much better luck near Goose Island State Park, on 8th avenue near the Big Tree where there are feeders in several pastures).  Aransas is  just a wonderful place to visit for birds and wildlife.

I remember our first visit: it was tension-filled because I had headed out with probably a half-tank of gas in the truck and you know how that goes – the second half seems to go a lot faster than the first. It is a Texas-flat drive. I don’t think we changed elevation more than ten feet the whole way – that to cross streams – and most of it was straight as an arrow.  Massive black dirt field lie in wait of spring planting — and way across them, you could see cars and trucks moving like mirages.  We cut that trip a bit short due to the gas situation — there’s nothing out there.

The roads in from Highway 35 are narrow farm roads and the signage is a little weak, at least the first time you drive it.   It’s a lot further in than an Easterner might expect – it seems to go on forever — like much of Texas driving.  As mentioned, there are very few gas stations or places to eat nearby, so plan accordingly. The Visitor Center (pay here for admission to the park–$5/car) is very nice with exhibits, a short film, gift shop and restrooms.  We found the volunteers really friendly and helpful –  like many federal parks and areas, the volunteer help makes the operations run.

Ringed by tidal marshes and broken by long, narrow sloughs, this 59,000-acres refuge sprawls mostly across the Blackjack peninsula.

Ringed by tidal marshes and broken by long, narrow sloughs, this 59,000-acres refuge sprawls mostly across the Blackjack peninsula.

Mild winters, plentiful water, and an abundant food supply attract more than 400 species of birds throughout the year. While the Whooping Crane is undoubtedly the highlight of the winter months, other water birds including Reddish Egret, White and White-faced Ibis, Mottled Duck, and Purple Gallinule also feed in the rich bay and the fresh-water lagoons further inland. In migration, the oak woods provide critical habitat for neotropical migrants traveling the Central Flyway. The sandy prairies and scrublands are hunting grounds for White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Aplomado Falcon, and other raptors. Rare treats like Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Masked Duck, Painted Redstart, and other surprise visitors from southern climes are always a possibility.

Whooping Cranes are one of the attractions but they are often far out and require a spotting scope. Many birders take boat tours out of Rockport for better looks.

Whooping Cranes are one of the attractions but they are often far out and require a spotting scope. Many birders take boat tours out of Rockport for better looks.

Take the 16 mile driving loop, stop at overlooks and observation towers, plan several hours at least, and you will likely see deer, javelinas, raccoons, even alligators.

There is a alligator-viewing pool just outside the visitor center. There are several, just partially surfaced, here in this shot I took during a visit.

There is a alligator-viewing pool just outside the visitor center. There are several, just partially surfaced, here in this shot I took during a visit.

Unfortunately, the drought of the last several years has really affected the wildlife.  Changing salinity levels have dropped the population of blue crabs, a primary food source for Whoopers, and some special feed has had to be trucked in during difficult periods.   So you never know what you’ll see — but our visits in the last few years have been disappointing.

Most birders don’t make the NWA a destination per se — they are in the area for many of the other rich birding sites all along the coast and weave a trip here into their itinerary.  Check locally — last time we were there, their was a reliable Burrowing Owl not far from the turn of the main highway and also several Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on fences just to the north of the area.  Give it a shot — take your bike for some nice level riding with little traffic — just make sure you can out-pedal a javelina.

How to get there

From the south: Follow Hwy. 35N to the FM 774 exit. Turn right on FM 774 and go approx. 6 miles, winding through the farm fields. Turn right again on FM 2040. Go another 6 miles to the Refuge gate. Go to the Visitor Center to register.

From the north: Travel south on Hwy. 35 to Tivoli. Continue past Tivoli for approx. 1 mile to the FM 239 exit (on your left). Follow FM 239 to Austwell. Upon entering Austwell, FM 239 turns into FM 774 at the curve. Continue on FM 774. Follow 774 & take a right at the stop sign. Go down the end of the street. Take a right again. As you exit Austwell, drive ½ mile to the FM 2040 intersection. Go left on FM 2040 for about 6 miles to the Refuge gate. Go to the Visitor Center to register.

Planning Our Return to the Donut Shop

Well, even though migrating birds are starting to show up, it is time to think about our return home. We’ve had a couple of objectives: celebrating Easter with our Mississippi friends and seeing Rich, Lydda, and grandson Bronson in Ohio. I want to take our time and check out the birds that are migrating with us.
So we will say goodbye to Goose Island this weekend. I like to go through Houston on a weekend so we’ll do that Sunday stopping at Viilage Creek SP north of Beaumont. It’s a small park with some nice trails and a river where we may be able to kayak. ( It was too high on the way through in January.)
Then to another park we’ve enjoyed, Natchez, for a few days. We stay at Clarko in Quitman, MS while visiting our friends in Laurel.
Two years ago, we stumbled on a coffee/donut shop outside Alexandria, LA while heading home. It was a beautiful morning and we ate outside in the springtime air just enjoying the moment. It was one of those “remember that place we had donuts?” that we mentioned when recalling our first trip.
Then last year, on a different route home, things suddenly looked familiar and I said to Mary, “I think our donut place is up ahead.” Well, we drove and drove and I was starting to think I was wrong ( for the first time all trip) when sure enough, up ahead was the place. The tables were gone and a new building next door but the people were friendly and the coffee and goodies as we remembered. And it was another nice day to sit outside a while.
Well, in planning this trip, I realized that the shop, if still in business, is right on the route from Natchez to Clarko.
We’ll head north the Monday after Easter, probably stopping in Alabama and Kentucky for a few days, arriving in Xenia on Thursday. We’ll park beside the house for a few days and then, Monday the 16th head east toward Vermont, arriving Tuesday night if all goes well.
So, I roughed out the segments and made the mistake of adding up the mileage, saying to Mary, “Do you know that it’s 2216 miles home the way we’ve planned?” it’s a good thing we want to see friends and family -otherwise she’d be tempted to fly to Dayton, then Albany.
But then, she’d miss the donut stop.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Latest Interest: Geocaching

I was out looking for a bald eagle’s nest at Fountainebleau State Park when a Texas auto pulled up. The driver asked if I’d found it and having been there before, helped me locate it through my scope. When I asked if they were birders, he replied, “No, we are geocachers from Biloxi.”

Well, I knew what geocaching was since our grandson, Mac, had just gone on a Cub Scout geo outing. When my new friend asked, “Want to see one?” I followed him up to a little path into the underbrush. He reached down and lifted up a root, showing me the drilled hole in the underside, with a small cylinder inserted. He showed me the rolled up log sheet inside – and I was hooked. I went to his website (Gulf Coast Geocachers)read up a bit, downloaded an iPhone app, and was off and running.

Here’s a little of what I learned (from Wikipedia):
Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, anywhere in the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name.

Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value.


Geocaching is often described as a “game of high-tech hide and seek”, sharing many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking.

Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. After 10 years of activity there are over 1,532,000 active geocaches published on various websites. There are over 5 million geocachers worldwide.

So, I’ve done some geocaching at Fountainebleau and Lake Fausse Pointe in Louisiana and at Village Creek annd Goose Island state parks in Texas. I find that it goes well with dog walking, biking, and birding and like the fact that it gets you outside. I also like the geeky aspect of gps and online record-keeping and tracking objects around the country and the world. I also like the inter-generational potential of it; kids love it.

So for now, it’s a “give it a try” activity to check out. When the birds are resting, it is a chance to get out the iPhone and see where the closest geocache might be. And perhaps, there’s a new bird waiting there as well.

Farewell to Goose Island

We leave in the morning for Falcon State Park after eight days here at Goose Island. It’s finally shorts and T-shirt weather and we’ve enjoyed getting out to walk, bike, and run. Penny has become pretty well-known with her running alongside the bike. Lots of little yappy dogs here which tend to drive her (and me) a bit nuts.

The first morning we were here, the roar of airboats awoke us about 4:30 A.M. It was the last day of duck season and all the good old boys were out. It calmed down considerably after that although guides take out anglers about every morning — with the resulting racket.

The birding has been wonderful — and we’ve met several interesting folks. Last night we went on an owl prowl — which turned out to be a walk along an oyster shell filled trail through the puckerbrush with Mary and fifteen others — but no owls. The night sky through the trees was quite something — these Texas nights can be quite spectacular.

This morning, after coffee, scones, and wifi downtown, we went to say goodbye to the whooping cranes. Three flew over as we approached and later, as we watched, a male from the group of three that reside there drove the newcomers off.

We met a guy today with a Bates sweatshirt so we had to query him — and learned that he and his wife moved down here from New England about five years ago. He’s a photographer — shooting birds and and scenery — and loving living in Texas. I’ve seen the temperatures for this area in the summer. Mary and I, while enjoying the area a lot, have too much Yankee blood in our veins to move south. However, getting down here for part (or most) of the winter is enticing.

Falcon Lake got some bad press six months ago when the guy was killed by “pirates” on the Mexican side of the lake. That story always has had a phony ring to it — no debris, no body — so it will be interesting to hear the local version of the story. We hope to erect and launch the kayak but will be staying close to the U.S. shore for many reasons. I think it’s likely safer than it was when we were there last year.

Temperatures down there are forecast in the low 80’s just as the rest of the country is getting ready for another big storm. One side of me feels guilty — but I suspect as soon as I see a Green Jay and three types of orioles, I’ll get over it.

Seriously, we will be thinking of our friends/family dealing with this tough winter.

Take a look at my latest post on the birds of Goose Island.

Settled In at Goose Island

The trip down on Saturday was uneventful and traversing Houston on a Saturday morning was relatively easy – although the Houston drivers must have trained in Boston. We did go by hundreds of school kids working along one of the Interstate exits and Mary remarked, “They are planting stuff.” Sure enough, sort of a Green Up day in January in Texas.

Once we got south of Victoria, the traffic was very light and the road Texas straight. The trip by Aransas refuge to Goose Island was familiar and it was good to have an easy 270 mile trip done.

Goose Island is very busy so we were smart to have reservations. Texas parks don’t reserve specific sites — just a slot — so it is take what you find when you get there. We were bummed that our favorite site from last year was taken but we found a spot nestled under some trees on Bayberry that will do fine. We have other campers a little too close with too many dogs but it is quiet — I can hear Cardinals singing loudly as I type — and we’ve already seen some nice birds.
Yesterday was laundry morning so Mary logged some time feeding quarters and I went looking for birds and coffee. We have a couple of little repairs to the Airstream for which I got some bolts and parts. We are settling in for some good birding — there’s a raptor expert here this week. Penny has had some good runs with the bike setup and yesterday we saw three Whooping Cranes a few miles from here. Since we’ll be here for a week or so, I’ll likely be mostly blogging about birds I see. I’m including a Brown Pelican shot that I took yesterday as a teaser. Visit vtbirder.