A Trip to Mustang Island, 1/25/2018

Located just north of Padre Island is Mustang Island and we decided to visit Mustang Island State Park there. Five miles of beach along the Gulf of Mexico provide great opportunities to see coastal marine life including green sea turtles and waterfowl at the park.

When we arrived the park was (and has been) closed due to Hurricane Harvey (that did extensive damage here, Port Aransas, Rockport, Corpus Christi, and, of course, Houston). We saw construction underway to rebuild park buildings.

For additional information about the state park, go to tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/mustang-island.

These beautiful great blue heron ware near the entrance, so we still got to see ONE cool bird here...

Even though it was an overcast day, we took a beach access road on Mustang Island to check out the beach. There were only a few other people there.

Since we were not too far from Padre Island National Seashore, we decided to drive to  Malaquite Visitor Center (since it had been closed when we visited on Monday due to the government shutdown). 

All five sea turtle species (all endangered or threatened) in the Gulf of Mexico (Kemp’s Ridley, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Hawksbill sea turtles, Green sea turtles) are found at Padre Island National Seashore. Some live here year round (green sea turtles) and others pass through the area, stopping to rest and feed. Below is a display of a Kemp’s Ridley turtle at the visitor center. Nesting season is from April to September. Nests are found, monitored and protected by the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Discovery. Hatchling releases occur in the summer and the dates can be found on the website (www.nps.gov/pais).

You can purchase an “adopt a turtle” packet to support the conservation work for Kemp’s ridley turtles here (as they are the most endangered sea turtle species in the world). 

Other displays showcase recreational activities, marine life, and photographs of the park.

Because it was an overcast day, there were not many people at Malaquite Beach.

South of the Visitor Center, we spent some time walking on the beach with our sweet doggie, Sadie. Railroad vines help hold the sand dunes in place here.

On the way back to the RV park where we are staying, we stopped to snap some pictures of these ibis and roseate spoonbills in Laguna Madre.

While our visit to Mustang Island State Park was a bust, we still enjoyed spending time outdoors. We will need to find some other places to hike in the area.