Pack the binoculars and wing it to one of these seven perches, from the Big Thicket to Weslaco

World travelers migrate to the Texas coast for the astounding variety of birds that congregate here. Yet birding remains a mystery to many Americans.

It shouldn’t be. You don’t have to spend a fortune or years of training to enjoy the parallel universe unfolding outside your window. You just have to pay attention. A good place to start is the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, which marks its 10th anniversary next year. This network of more than 300 birding sites was such a good idea that other states are copying it.

Here are several of the trail’s best bird-watching sites. A team of experts has selected a single bird to represent each one.

Upper Coast

Great egret
Location: High Island

Formed from a salt dome that rises 32 feet above the surrounding marshes, High Island’s altitude has attracted migrating birds for centuries. The place was hit hard by Hurricane Ike but is still rated one of the top birding sites in the nation. Four sanctuaries and a visitor center are run by the Houston Audubon Society.

Look for: Pure white feathers, long black legs, long yellow beak.
Size: 37-41 inches, wingspan up to 4 1/2 feet
When to look: Year-round.

Did you know? Hunted nearly to extinction for its fine white feathers, the great egret is the symbol for the National Audubon Society.

More High Island birds: Ruby-throated hummingbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, white ibis, anhinga, roseate spoonbill.

For more info:www.houstonaudubon.org

Pileated woodpecker
Location: Big Thicket National Preserve

This vast wilderness of 97,000 acres includes a variety of habitats: arid uplands, boggy lowlands and eastern forest.

Look for: Red crest, black and white stripes on face, black body.
Size: 16-19 inches, wingspan up to 2 1/2 feet
When to look: Year-round.

Did you know? These woodpeckers dig huge rectangular holes in trees in their search for ants. Sometimes the holes are so big that they break a small tree in half.

More Big Thicket birds: Red-cockaded woodpecker, Bachman’s sparrow, Eastern bluebird, brown-headed nuthatch.

For more info:www.nps.gov/bith

Central Coast

Black skimmer
Location: Matagorda Bay Nature Park

The park features miles of pristine coastline and river and hundreds of acres of wetlands at the mouth of the Colorado River. Managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority, it has facilities for campers, anglers, bird-watchers and outdoor lovers of all kinds, plus an RV park.

Look for: Bright red bill with a lower mandible that’s much longer than the top one, black on top, white underneath, with short red legs.
Size: 16-20 inches, wingspan of 42 to 50 inchesWhen to look: Year-round

Did you know? The skimmer drags its lower bill through the water as it flies, catching small fish as it goes.

More Matagorda Bay birds: Black-bellied whistling duck, blue- and green-winged teals, gadwall, ibis, sandhill crane.

For more info:www.lcra.org/parks, click on "Developed parks"

Whooping crane
Location: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

The largest and most accessible wild flock of whooping cranes in North America can be found here, with a wealth of other species, including alligator, javelina, white-tailed deer and armadillo.

Look for: Very tall white bird with black wingtips and red forehead and cheeks.
Size: Almost 5 feet tall, wingspan of nearly 8 feet
When to look: November through March.

Did you know? Only 16 whooping cranes — the tallest bird in North America — were left in 1941. Intensive management has brought the population back to 230, but the bird remains highly endangered.

More Aransas refuge birds: White and brown pelicans, ibises and spoonbills, six kinds of herons, four kinds of egrets.

For more info:www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges, click on "Texas"

Lower Coast

Crested caracara
Location: Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

At 45,000 acres, it’s the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. If you’re lucky, you may spy an ocelot.

Look for: A large falconlike bird with a white head and neck and a black cap and crest.
Size: 19-23 inches, wingspan of nearly 4 feet
When to look: Year-round

Did you know? This striking raptor is the subject of legends and folklore throughout Latin America. Some sources identify it as the bird depicted on the Mexican flag.

More Laguna Atascosa birds: Pied-billed grebe, northern shoveler, mottled duck, chachalaca, aplomado falcon.

For more info:www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/laguna.html

Great blue heron
Location: South Padre Island

The island is a crucial first-landfall site for birds making the long migration across the Gulf of Mexico. The South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, a part of the World Birding Center network, is at the southern tip of the island.

Look for: Tall, gray bird with long legs and a long, S-shaped neck, a white stripe on the top of the head and a black streak below that.
Size: 3 to 4 1/2 feet, wingspan of up to 6 1/2 feet
When to look: Year-round

Did you know? A white version of the great blue heron, the great white heron, lives in Florida and the Caribbean. In parts of Florida where both birds are found, there’s a blend with a blue-gray body and a white head and neck.

More South Padre birds: Piping plover, peregrine falcon, brown pelican, various warblers, tanagers, orioles and thrushes.

For more info: visit www.worldbirdingcenter.org/sites/spi

Great kiskadee
Location: Weslaco

This town has been called a model for the coexistence of nature and urban areas. Estero Llano Grande State Park is a part of the World Birding Center network, but there’s also the Valley Nature Center and Frontera Audubon Thicket.

Look for: Large black-and-white striped head, brown wings and tail, bright-yellow underparts.
Size: 9 inches, wingspan up to 16 inches
When to look: Year-round

Did you know? This bird’s range extends from South Texas through most of Latin America. Its common name in Spanish (bien te veo) sounds much like the bird’s call.

More Weslaco birds: Chachalaca, green jay, olive sparrow, lesser goldfinch, red-crowned parrot, Altamira oriole and buff-bellied hummingbird.

For more info:www.weslaco.com/Visitors/Nature

Sources: Cecilia Riley, executive director, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory; Gary Clark, Nature columnist for the Houston Chronicle; Shelly Plante, nature tourism coordinator, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Cornell University Bird Lab, www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds

BY TRACY BARNETT The Houston Chronicle

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