Rockport Birding Circuit

1429 S Church St, Rockport, TX 78382

1429 S. Church St. Start here — 6.25 acres of oak motte and native grasses. In spring migration, every oak can be dripping with warblers. Connie Hagar documented over 500 species from Rockport; this sanctuary bears her name. Wheelchair accessible.

319 Broadway St, Rockport, TX 78382

319 Broadway St. Entry fee required. Drive all the way to the back of the park to reach the protected area overlooking Bird Island — Reddish Egrets, Black Skimmers, and Tricolored Herons nest here in spring and summer. Don't stop at the front beach — the best birds are at the far end.

1401 Broadway St, Rockport, TX 78382

1902 E. Maple St. The massive live oaks overlooking Little Bay hold an active Great Blue Heron and Great Egret rookery, federally protected. 14-space parking lot. The noise and activity at active nests is remarkable.

320 Veterans Memorial Dr, Rockport, TX 78382

320 Veterans Memorial Dr. Walk the harbor perimeter — best in winter for Common Loon, Redhead, Bufflehead, and occasionally Pacific Loon. Brown Pelicans year-round. The working shrimp docks attract gulls and terns.

2402 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX 78382

2002 Tule Park Dr. A native plant demonstration garden with a constructed wetland pond — quick stop between the harbor and Fulton. Good for hummingbirds at the feeders and wading birds at the pond edge.

250 Deforest Loop, Fulton, TX 78358

250 Deforest Loop, Fulton. The commercial fishing harbor — Brown Pelicans year-round, Magnificent Frigatebird in summer soaring over the docks, Common Loon and American White Pelican in winter.

4041 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX 78382

Continue north on Hwy 35 to the Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary. An oak motte habitat that acts as a migrant trap in spring and fall — the same sheltered woodland structure that makes Connie Hagar so productive.

E Main Ave access, Lamar, TX 78382

203 Seaside Loop S, Lamar. 105 acres of donated conservation wetlands. From November through March, Whooping Cranes use these shallows as part of their Aransas winter range. ADA-accessible parking. Scan carefully — the cranes are large but the vegetation is dense.

1622 12th St, Rockport, TX 78382

End at The Big Tree — the 1,000+ year old coastal live oak at Goose Island State Park. Warblers and buntings move through the canopy in spring migration; Neotropical migrants rest here after crossing the Gulf. A fitting end to the circuit Connie Hagar loved.