Things slow down on Matagorda in the summertime, only 37 species of birds are known to nest on the island. Now, or any time the weather turns turbulent, scan the Gulf for Masked Boobys, Northern Gannets, Surf Scoters and other temporarily displaced pelagics. For the best birding first choose an active season, hope for reasonable weather and a benign sea, and crisscross the vegetation zones along any portion of the island that is convenient. If you have a target species, concentrate on its favored habitat and ask for tips at the Visitor's Center in the State Park. Whoopers are best seen in the tidal flats from the shuttle.
Peregrines favor the beach and dunes.
In foul winter weather, a shuttle jaunt to Paso Cavallo may turn an otherwise disappointing visit into a bonanza. This checklist of 317 documented species was compiled by Dr. Wayne H. McAlister, Victoria College, Victoria, Texas. You may contribute to our knowledge of island birdlife by reporting sightings, with details, of uncommon, rare or unusual species to area personnel. Please help us protect the natural avian communities in our parks by refraining from using playback tapes of bird songs. Frequent ue of these tapes disrupts nomrmal avian activity patterns, disrupts essential territorial behavior and may lead to nest failure.