Binoculars in hand, they migrate to Rockport in pursuit of several hummingbird species, hoping to add another name to their life-list of identified birds. The Rockport-Fulton area has long been known as a birders paradise. Ever since, birders have flocked to Rockport for a look at everything from whooping cranes to painted buntings. The Coastal Bend Audubon Society together with the neighboring communities of Rockport and Fulton have come together to host the celebration. To help with bird identification and to provide some background on the migrating species, videotape presentations run nonstop at the center.
Booths sell everything from hummingbird feeders to T-shirts featuring the tiny guests.
But the high points of the festival are the Audubon-guided bus tours with stops at private homes and fishing camps in Bayside and surrounding communities, some sites with 10 or more feeders. Buzzing like huge bees, the hummers congregate in swarms of as many as 100 to 200 birds. Because they are concentrating on feeding, you are able to walk very near. The hungry hummers are not afraid of a quiet, slow-moving audience. The bus tours also stop at other birding sites on the coastal grasslands for a look at other migratory species.