It's dubbed The Longest Stretch of Undeveloped Barrier Island in The World...
To conclude our day at Padre Island National Seashore, the park itself is 70 miles of coastline [Padre Island is the largest in the barrier chain totaling 113 miles, but only averaging 1.5 miles in width!]... we made our last stop around the loop at the Malaquite Visitor Center, seen HERE and HERE. At the center you'll find a gift shop, a snack shop, a book store, a small museum of sorts to show a visitor what is expected for the surrounding area. And auditorium and shower house. The pavilion is covered and several picnic tables are on the main deck. There is an observation deck and a boarded walkway to the beach access. Also, this is a famous area for the annual release of the endangered Kemp Ridley Turtles. As the adult turtles return year after year to their 'home land', they nest and the Parks Department collect the eggs and incubates them in a special facility just for the hatchings!! And each year, there are several release dates for the baby turtles...Bud and I have attended a few times and quite a while ago, I shared our experience. Trust me, this is one event that is bittersweet...the babies so adorable, yet mother nature will take its course and a very small percentage will survive to return a year later. I have posted about their release several times, but my one experience I will share is entitled "To Know Know Know Them is to Love Love Love 'em!!!" And I do.
To conclude our day at Padre Island National Seashore, the park itself is 70 miles of coastline [Padre Island is the largest in the barrier chain totaling 113 miles, but only averaging 1.5 miles in width!]... we made our last stop around the loop at the Malaquite Visitor Center, seen HERE and HERE. At the center you'll find a gift shop, a snack shop, a book store, a small museum of sorts to show a visitor what is expected for the surrounding area. And auditorium and shower house. The pavilion is covered and several picnic tables are on the main deck. There is an observation deck and a boarded walkway to the beach access. Also, this is a famous area for the annual release of the endangered Kemp Ridley Turtles. As the adult turtles return year after year to their 'home land', they nest and the Parks Department collect the eggs and incubates them in a special facility just for the hatchings!! And each year, there are several release dates for the baby turtles...Bud and I have attended a few times and quite a while ago, I shared our experience. Trust me, this is one event that is bittersweet...the babies so adorable, yet mother nature will take its course and a very small percentage will survive to return a year later. I have posted about their release several times, but my one experience I will share is entitled "To Know Know Know Them is to Love Love Love 'em!!!" And I do.
The view from the observation deck is breathtaking no matter what time of year. It can be a birding center, a nature center, a surfing hub, a fishing paradise, a spot for treasure hunting, or just a place for a beach picnic or para-sailing, dolphin watching, sharks & sting rays we've spotted occasionally. You name it. Oh, and a discovery and salvaging of an 'ancient' shipwreck along the shores!! Relics are seen in Rockport Texas Maritime Museum AND Corpus Christi Science Museum...
BIRDS
NATURE ON THE DUNES
DECK VIEWS
Vehicles are allowed on the beach for certain areas. But to keep cars/trucks OFF the center's beach there are steel fence barriers to barricade any traffic to enter and disrupt the visitors...
One more thing, if you do ever get a chance to travel the park road and enter the federal land....notice along the highway from Corpus Christi, through the residential area beyond the 'burb, there are power poles strung along the highway...up and to the park's entrance. From then on, along the interior of the park not a power pole is seen. They are now all under ground! Which I like. But...leaving the park boundary back to our city limits, the power lines are again visible...and a different kind of visitor is seen...this time, an American Kestrel! The sun was playing havoc for me to get a good, clear photo, but the ID'ing marks are the white and black patches around the eye/cheeks:
NATURE ON THE DUNES
DECK VIEWS
Vehicles are allowed on the beach for certain areas. But to keep cars/trucks OFF the center's beach there are steel fence barriers to barricade any traffic to enter and disrupt the visitors...
One more thing, if you do ever get a chance to travel the park road and enter the federal land....notice along the highway from Corpus Christi, through the residential area beyond the 'burb, there are power poles strung along the highway...up and to the park's entrance. From then on, along the interior of the park not a power pole is seen. They are now all under ground! Which I like. But...leaving the park boundary back to our city limits, the power lines are again visible...and a different kind of visitor is seen...this time, an American Kestrel! The sun was playing havoc for me to get a good, clear photo, but the ID'ing marks are the white and black patches around the eye/cheeks:
More reading:
Padre Island National Seashore Government Site
LaSalle's Shipwreck Discovery "La Belle" circa 1686
Island Namesake: Padre Nicholas Balli circa 1768
Hi Anni, Padre Island looks like a great place to visit..Especially for the birders.. I love the Terns and the Kestrel.. The flowers are pretty too. Wonderful post and photos. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteYou caught so many great wildlife shots. Love the birds!
ReplyDeleteMersad
Mersad Donko Photography
I do like seeing those flowers at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting and informative post. You are so fortunate to visit the area and experience nature's bounty directly!
ReplyDeleteHi, Anni...we spent some time on South Padre last year with some friends, and we did get to go see the sea turtles. It is a beautiful area, for sure.
ReplyDeletethe terns are such cool birds! would love to see some sometime!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing another very interesting location plus the wildlife and flora.
ReplyDeleteI do love your birds and such a great beach!! Lots of memories again!! Thanks for sharing, Anni, as always! Hope your week is going well!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful place. I wish we had something like this for birds and other wildlife, near the water. But we have nothing.
ReplyDeleteWe have been to Padre Island numerous times and it is always such a pleasure. We generally go in winter and enjoy the solitude with the sounds of the wind and sea and the cries of the gulls.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place for watching and photographing birds.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place. As much as I like seeing your bird photos I'm really enjoying the flowers today. I can't wait to start seeing them growing here again
ReplyDeleteAnother great adventure, Anni!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post for sure and I especially liked the turtle info.
ReplyDeleteLove the flowers, sea birds and that strong fence barrier shot.
ReplyDeleteHi Anni, Enjoying your wildlife photography. Nice work! John
ReplyDeleteThat's a great kestrel shot, Anni. And I recognized a tern among that first batch. One good tern deserves another. :-)
ReplyDeleteohhhhh SO PRETTY AND SUNNY. CAN YOU SEND A LITTLE UP OUR WAY?
ReplyDeletehUGS MADI AND MOM
enjoying sun, surf and, sand.....yeh...lots of nice sand.........
ReplyDeleteOh goodness I've got some catch-up to do. Monday and Tuesday was all too consumed and left no real time for blogging. I also enjoy your photos, and if the title is anything that spells out beaches, or sun or water.... well you know what I mean!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty place!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a good place to visit. You bagged some super photos there too.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day.
Wonderful beach shots Anni!
ReplyDeleteHave a fine day
【ツ】Knipsa
You should be head of tourism for Padre Island. You make it sound SO inviting and interesting! I'd love to visit.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, I was by here yesterday, and I'm saying hello again this morning. Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeletelooks like a cool place to visit. have a great day! ( :
ReplyDeleteWhat a rich and wonderful wildlife area! I wish we had gone there when we lived in Texas.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place you visited. Some great bird shots and pretty flowers. I must say one surely wouldn't want to hit that fencing. I love the ocean so I would enjoy visiting.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like that barrier is there to stay!
ReplyDelete