Birding

Get In Touch With Nature

Offering a destination that is rich in nature tourism, South Padre Island is incredibly proud of the fact that millions of migratory birds visit our Island each year.

We're the Reason the Birds Fly South

The Island is rich in wildlife viewing and exploration opportunities. More than 200 species of migratory birds stop here each year during spring and fall migrations, making South Padre one of the best birding locations in the Western Hemisphere. The Island's coastal wetlands also provide refuge for an incredible diversity of resident herons, shorebirds, seabirds, and waterfowl.

Blue Heron

Birding Hotspots

The South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary is the island's premier birding site. It offers 43 acres of protected coastal wetland habitat comprised of both saltwater and freshwater marsh. The dual wetland ecosystem attracts an incredible diversity of birds as well as other animals such as fish, turtles, crabs, pollinators, dragonflies, mammals, and alligators. A three-quarter mile raised boardwalk trail loops through the wetlands with five shaded viewing blinds and a rescued nuisance alligator sanctuary along the way.

The gorgeous visitor center is surrounded by native plant gardens that attract all kinds of songbirds and pollinators. Inside the center, visitors can enjoy exhibits on birding and other natural features of the island, a five-story observation tower, and a live reptile room. For the best birding experience, the Center offers guided birding tours with experienced naturalists year-round for a small added fee.

More than 350 species have been recorded on site, putting the sanctuary among the top 5 sites in Texas in terms of recorded bird species diversity and the top 10 in the country!

To check out what species are currently being seen, click here!

Family Looking at Birds

Laguna Madre Trail
Located at the SPI Convention Centre just north of the SPI Birding Nature Center and Alligator
Sanctuary, The Laguna Madre Trail, offers a 1,500-foot boardwalk trail crossing 4 acres of marshland with
views of freshwater ponds and the Laguna Madre Bay. The lush native garden at the base of the
boardwalk is an especially popular hotspot for viewing neotropical migratory songbirds during the spring
(March-May) and fall migrations (September-November). This trail is open to the public and free of
admission fees.

SPI Bay Flats (North of the Convention Center)
These expansive tidal mudflats are an ideal habitat for getting close looks at a variety of seabirds
and migratory shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and allies). Depending on tidal conditions and time of
year, hundreds of birds can be seen feeding or roosting on the hard-packed mudflat. Keeping an eye on
the tide charts can help determine when the best time to visit is. Most of the great activity is seen
during the lower tides of the month. The best time to visit this site is during the migration months and
during the wintertime. During the winter months, large numbers of pelicans, terns, shorebirds, and
wading birds gather at this site. This is the perfect place to kick off your shoes and feel the water and
mud between your toes. The site is open to the public and free of admission fees.

Valley Land Fund Migratory Bird Lots (W. Sheepshead St.)
The Valley Land Fund, a local land trust dedicated to the preservation of native habitats,
purchased six lots on W. Sheepshead Street in 1999 to serve as an important neotropical migratory bird
stop-over site. These wooded lots are especially important to trans-gulf migratory songbird species, which can be seen
utilizing the lots during spring migration (March-May) and fall migration (September-November).
Native trees and water features make this a perfect habitat to enjoy a great diversity of migratory bird
species up close. More than 300 bird species have been recorded from these small lots since they were
established! The lots are maintained by local community members and the local RGV Texas Master Naturalists.
Chapter. This site is open to the public and is free of admission fees.

Get In Touch With Nature

We're the Reason the Birds Fly South

Birding Hotspots

Birding Almanac

Birding & Nature Center

Guided Bird Walks