Exploring The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail

This birding guide profiles more than 80 of the best sites and attractions along this approximately 2,110-mile trail which covers more over 41 counties along Texas's Gulf Coast, and hosts half of the 600 species found in the state.

The Texas coast offers rich avian treasures for expert birders and beginners alike, if only they know where to look. For those familiar with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s maps to the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, this book on the Upper Texas Coast offers more—more information, more convenient and detailed maps, more pictures, more finding tips, and more birding advice from one of the trail’s creators, Ted Lee Eubanks Jr., and trail experts Robert A. Behrstock and Seth Davidson. For those new to the trail, the book is the perfect companion for learning where to find and how to bird the very best venues on this part of the Texas coast. In an opening tutorial on habitat and seasonal strategies for birding the Upper Texas Coast, the authors include tips on how to take advantage of the famous (but elusive) fallouts of birds that happen here. They then briefly discuss the basics of birding by ear and the rewards of passive birding before turning to the trail itself and each of more than 120 birding sites from the Louisiana-Texas border, through Galveston and Houston, to just south of Freeport. Advice oninding bird groups While not intended as a field identification guide, the book contains more than 175 color photographs of birds and their coastal habitat, giving readers an excellent feel for the trail’s diversity and abundance. Whether you are making your annual spring pilgrimage to Texas, leisurely traveling with the family along the coast, or wondering what to do during a layover in Houston, using this book as your guide to the trail will greatly enhance your birding experience.

This birding guide profiles more than 80 of the best sites and attractions along this approximately 2,110-mile trail which covers more over 41 counties along Texas's Gulf Coast, and hosts half of the 600 species found in the state.

The Texas Gulf Coast is one of the most outstanding birding locations in North America. From whooping cranes to sandhill cranes, ducks, geese, raptors and the hundreds of song birds that migrate every year to the Texas Gulf make this a birder's paradise. There are numerous public sites that make for easy birding. Each year, during the last week of February, there is a Whooping Crane Festival in Port Aransas and Mustang Island that attracts thousands of birders. It features workshops, demonstrations, speakers, and many guided birding trips to local birding locations. Jim Foster is a noted birder. He describes each birding trail with a list of key birds, the best time of year to visit each trail, the type of terrain, size, and complete directions to each area, many with maps of each trail. Texas is one of the four best birding states in the U.S. with over 2.5 million resident birders and thousands of non-resident birders who visit the state each year. Currently there are over 51 million birders in the United States and over 20 million travel out of their state each year to view birds. Birding Trails Texas: Gulf Coast is a must book for all birders.

If you are interested in birdwatching, wildlife viewing, or stargazing; flowers, geology, or water; nature centers, festivals, or photography, a destination in Texas awaits you. From the desert gardens of Big Bend to hawk watching on the Gulf Coast to caving and bat watching in the Hill Country, nature-oriented travel in Texas also includes lesser known getaways. Organized by the seven official state travel regions, Explore Texas features descriptions of almost one hundred nature-oriented sites, including information about the best time to visit and why it’s worth going; location, and other logistics; and a “learn” section on the observations and natural phenomena a visitor might expect to experience. Photographs by professional photographer Jeff Parker accompany the accounts, and handy color-coded icons help guide readers to the activities of their choice. Perfect for planning the family’s next outing or vacation, this book also contains a message of how nature tourism helps to protect biodiversity, promote conservation, and sustain the state’s tourism economy.

This book takes readers on a literary ride across the Lone Star State. J. Frank Dobie tells true stories of rattlesnakes and buried treasure, Jodi Thomas finds romance in the oilfields.

Combining fascinating stories of Texas history with travel adventures around the state, Exploring Texas History: Weekend Adventures suggests where to go and what to see by tracking historical characters and events. The travel destinations echo the settlement of Texas, the battle for independence, the Alamo, cowboys, vacqueros, Buffalo Soldiers, shipwrecks, and cattle drives. Each chapter includes history, travel routes, best sights, best times to visit, lodging, dining, and sources for additional information. Families, visitors, travelers with a love of history, and teachers and students studying the required curriculum of the fourth grade in Texas schools will find this guide practical and user friendly.

More bird species have been recorded in the Lone Star State than in any other state.