North Padre Island TEXAS, October 2024

We heard about an amazing party that was taking place on a nice beach on the gulf coast of Texas, and we decided that we just had to be there! As an added bonus, it happens to be a great birding area. We packed up our swim suits and cameras and went down for a week. Fair warning: this page is mostly bird images! If that is not your thing, then you might want to skip over this one.

It was our first time ever to the Texas gulf coast, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! The food was good, the weather was good, and of course the company was fantastic! We have included some images from our various excursions here. Some are just pictures from our phones, but most are from our more serious cameras. Regardless, we hope that you enjoy sharing this photographic journey with us! Happy trails!! -Mike & Hali

Click the images below to see the larger version of the image. Also, if you just want to see the slides of the images with no other fanfare, you can use this link: www.hali.org/Texas2024 (there is a slideshow mode for those that enjoy that type of experience).

Morning Departure. Hali likes to shoot from the plane and has a silcone cone that she attaches to the front of her lens to block reflections in the glass. On this trip we were up way before sunrise and had the good luck (or planning 😊) to be on the east side of the plane and got to watch a spectacular sunrise shortly after take-off. Both photographs Canon R5 with the EF 24-105 and the EF-RF converter.

On our first afternoon at Whitecap Beach we decided to take some shots of the various birds roaming about the waterline. The Willet image on the top left is from that first afternoon, around sunset. I loved the way that only part of the water reflected the pink colors of the sky. The image of Hali on the top right was taken shortly afterwards. We were up early the next morning and back at Whitecap beach to shoot the sunrise - as shown in the two bottom images. All four images were taken with the Nikon Z8. The top two images used the 180-600mm lens, and the bottom two images used the 24-70mm lens.

We got into the condo we rented in the afternoon and spent the evening walking around on Whitecap Beach. The weather was warm and beautiful with a good breeze. The sunset was wonderful and the shorebirds plentiful. A photographer's delight. Top left - a Willet looking for a late day meal, Top Right - Mike enjoying the last of the day, Bottom - two ICM (intentional camera movement) images of the water and sky just a bit before sunrise the next day.

Upper left: Sunrise at Whitecap Beach. With the beach just a few blocks away it was relatively easy to get up at sunrise and go out to take some pictures. Canon R5 with the EF 24-105mm lens. After sunrise we went to what became one of our favorite Coffee shops - Island Joes. We had Good coffee and breakfasts there nearly every day. Both pictures of Island Joes taken with the iPhone 13pro.

We began our first day of exploration by driving North on 361 towards the Newport Pass. Along the way we stopped to shoot some birds by some of the pullouts. The image on the top (left and right) are of a little blue heron (white-morph). On the bottom left is a marbled godwit that is fluffing it's feathers (piloerection). On bottom right is a willet (Tringa semipalmata). All of these images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

Left: A white morph little Blue heron taken in a pullout on the bay side of Highway 361. Further down the road we pulled out again to photograph this American white ibis. Both images taken with the Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm lens.

The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center is a great place. It is behind a wastewater treatment plant and gets a lot of fresh water. It has some pollinator gardens that were too hot for us to sit in and wait for birds, and it also has two boardwalks over wetlands. Past the boardwalks there are extensive trails that join up with the Nature Preserve at Charlie's Pasture South Trail. We walked a little of the trails but the heat and the mid-day harsh light made us turn back.

We visited the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas a few times during our stay. These are some picture from our first visit. The image on the top left is phone picture of Hali along the path that leads down to the water. She is surrounded by a very large number of wild sunflowers. On top right is (I believe) a female common grackle. On the bottom right is the iconic roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja). On the bottom left is a pair of american white pelicans crossing swords. Except for the image of Hali, all of these images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

Right: Mike with a background of the wild sunflowers. Left: Wild Sunflower (Helianthus debilis) at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (creative edit). These sunflowers were plentiful along the paths at the birding center and on the beaches we visited. Bottom: A double-crested cormorant. There were a few of them swimming and about 10 of them sunning themselves a good distance from the boardwalk. All photos were taken with the Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm lens.

On left is a White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) at the birding center. They have the most amazingly blue eyes! On top right is a laughing gull (Larus atricilla) at whitecap beach - in winter plumage. In breeding plumage they have a red beak and a black head. On bottom right is a ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) - also at whitecap beach. All three images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

The late afternoon brought us back to whitecap beach, and had us chasing tiny shorebirds around the waterline. These three images are all of the same type of bird: the Sanderling (Calidris alba). These energetic little peepers zoom around the waterline looking for sand crabs. When the water pulls back out, the sand crab holes leave a little tiny pocket which the sanderlings use to identify the location of their prey. The image on the bottom shows that even these lively little birds sometimes take a little nap. All of these images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

Late Afternoon at Whitecap Beach. Left: A willet finding an afternoon snack. Right: A red knot enjoying a clam dinner while its friend approaches thinking to steal it. Then even later at the causeway: Lower right a boat house (not the original sky), lower left, Brown Pelican. All images taken with the Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm lens.

After roaming about the beach, we decided to take a drive out to the causeway. The marina there had a couple of birds resting in good light. On the left is a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). On the right is a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). Both of these images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

We found some cool murals in various places, as shown in these phone pictures. The image on the left is from the Island Bakery, on West Avenue G in Port Aransas. Note the fish swimming with a plastic shopping bag on it's head. The image on the right is from near the Rockport Center for the Arts. We always knew Hali had wings!

On top left is an American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus). I think that was taken on Mustang Island. On the top right is a Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) - an endangered species. On the bottom left is a Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens), taken near the previous images. On bottom right is a Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), taken near whitecap beach on North Padre Island. The afternoon light there was great for catching birds at the waterline. All four images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

Morning birding. Top Left: American oystercatcher running along the beach at the causeway. Top Middle: Staredown with a piping plover, also on the beach at the causeway. Top Right: American white pelican taking a bath in the marsh at the Birding Center. Bottom Right: Great Egret doing a bit of grooming. Bottom Left: Roseate spoonbill showing off it's beautiful wings. All images photographed with the Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm lens.

Murals in downtown Rockport, Tx We took a little drive one afternoon to explore more of the south eastern coastline. The ferry from Port Aransas was amazing (free and efficient!) and it was a pleasant drive. Both images from the iPhone 13Pro

Left: We drove out to Sunset Lake Park the next morning and caught this Marbled Godwit in beautiful light. Right: On the way back we stopped to see what could be seen at the causeway and found this Great Blue Heron staking its claim to an old pail. Both images taken with the Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm lens.

On top is a tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor). On the bottom left is a great egret (Ardea alba). On the middle bottom is a great blue heron (Ardea herodias). On the bottom right is a pair of resting black skimmers (Rynchops niger). The black skimmers are the only bird with a lower mandible longer than the upper mandible - even though that fact is hidden in this image. All four images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

These are two shots that we took next to the causeway. A great blue heron on the left. On the right is a brown pelican that was "hunting" by watching for fish from one of the bridge supports. Both images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens.

Later that day we went to Charlies Pasture where Hali attempted to take a hike. The trail she wanted to walk was blocked off and it was getting hot so we retreated and went back to the causeway and then to the beach. Left: Beach Grass ICM at Charlies Pasture. Middle: Sunset hues on the sand. Left: ICM of the sunset on the water at Whitecap Beach. All 3 images taken with the Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm lens.

Mike enjoying the sunrise at Whitecap Beach. Canon R5 with the EF 24-105mm lens.

This morning we were driving out to Port Aransas after an early morning shower. We spotted a double rainbow and frantically searched for a place to pull over. By the time we found a spot, it was faded and mostly just a single rainbow. On top-left is a phone image of Hali running out to capture it. On the top-right is a tricolored heron that is enjoying the rainbow view from its perch upon a piling (Nikon Z8 and the 180-600mm lens). Lower Right: Rainbow over the distant John F. Kennedy Bridge. Lower Left: Hali's take on the tricolor heron and the rainbow. Bottom two images Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm lens.

This is two phone pictures from our travels around Port Aransas. The image on the left is a shot of Hali near a surfboard with a particularly cool paint job (the BoardHouse surf shop). On right is a shot of the mural outside the surf shop.

Upper Left: Fisherman watching the stormy seas at Whitecap Beach. Upper Right: Net fisherman on the causeway. Lower Right: Great Blue Heron "dropping" the fish he just caught to reposition it for easier gulping. Lower left: Pelican in flight against the cloudy sky.

The top left image is a great blue heron and the top right image is a tricolored heron (both taken with the Nikon). On the bottom left is a phone picture of Hali out at Sunset Island, where we were... you guessed it - trying to catch a sunset (was a bust). On bottom right is the sunrise on the following morning (Nikon).

Left: Net fisherman trying his luck against strong winds and a heavy sea just past dawn (iPhone 13pro). Right: A more moody impression of that sunrise (Canon R5 with the EF24-105 lens). It wasn't the best one we saw (more on that later) but it was still pretty spectacular for Hali.

The sunset crew on sunset island! Becky, Kathy, and Hali volunteered to pose for a shot while we were waiting to see what the sunset was going to be like (Nikon). The sunset was meh, but the company was outstanding!

Afternoon at the Jetty. Kathy and Becky were kind enough to chauffer us around to spots we hadn't been to like to the South Packery Channel Jetty. They kindly posed for us (Left image) and we watched this kiteboarder do some uninspiring kiteboarding despite the kicking wind. (Middle Image) Both images taken with the Canon R5 and the RF100-500mm lens. As the sun began to set we made our way to Sunset Island and took in the sunset. Right: Sunset on a cloudless day. Left: Kathy and Becky watching the sun go down. The company was fabulous even if the sunset wasn't. Both images with the Canon R5 and the EF 24-105.

After chatting with a coyote in the parking lot of the condo, we went down to the beach to see if there would be a nice sunrise for our last morning. The left image was a pre-dawn phone pic. The other two images were taken with the Nikon Z8 and 24-70 lens. The middle image is a regular exposure and Mike played some games with the image on the right (which was created from 3 different images).

Our last morning in Corpus Christi gave us a beautiful send off. Left was about a half an hour before sunrise (Canon R5 with the EF24-105 lens), the middle picture was about 10 minutes later (iPhone 13pro) and the picture on the right was less than 5 minutes after the sun broke the horizon bathing everything in a beautiful orange glow. (Canon R5 with the EF 24-240 lens).

We didn't know what to expect from the gulf coast experience, but it was wonderful! It really has a very beachy vibe to the town, and we can see why so many people enjoy going there!

Created By

Hali Sowle and JM Sowle

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