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Padre Island Ghost Crab
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Padre Island National Seashore is one of three large National Park assets in Texas. The other two are in the deserts of west Texas (see Focalplane's West Texas 2002). Padre Island is very different! It is the largest single undeveloped barrier island coastal feature in the Nation. It is very special. The National Park Service manages the park and in doing so strikes an excellent balance between leaving the place undisturbed and yet providing basic amenities for all to enjoy. The amenities vary from basic to none at all, making this a potential wilderness experience for those looking to get far away from "civilization". |
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Padre Island National Seashore should not be confused with South Padre Island. They are two distinct and very different destinations. South Padre is developed and caters to Spring Break fever as well as pleasure seeking condo renters and, in the winter season, "snow birds" from up north. The National Seashore covers an area of 130,454 acres as a long narrow strip extending north to south about 80 miles. The lower 60 miles is completely undeveloped.
North Padre (the National Park) is separated from South Padre by a man-made waterway, the Mansfield Channel. This channel marks the southern boundary of the Park and prevents access from South Padre. Which is probably a good thing! |
| Texas beaches do not usually score high on the 10 best lists, for a variety of reasons. Padre Island offers the best beaches in Texas but there are some drawbacks when comparisons are made with Florida or the Carolinas. The most obvious is the trash. The prevailing currents insure that any trash in the Gulf of Mexico will end up on Padre Island. Very little trash seen on the beaches is actually left by visitors. Flotsam can be anything from medical syringes to driftwood and lumber and on up to huge buoys stranded on the beach by a storm.
And the storms can be spectacular! |
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| Most of the time the beach is aggrading or building. Sand is transported onto the shore face where it may move along or up onto the exposed beach. Prevailing onshore winds move the sand off the beach and into the coastal dunes where vegetation acts as an effective baffle. The area behind the dunes becomes a marshy area with salt tolerant vegetation. Sand often blows across the marshes and additional sand dunes start to build on the inland side of the barrier, adjacent to the shallow lagoon that separates island from mainland. |  |
| But when a major storm threatens, the process of aggrading can end abruptly. Storm surges account for the major impact on barrier islands though the shear power of a hurricane also has devastating effects even without the raised sea level of a surge. The coastal dunes act as the first line of defense and without them there would be much more damage to the areas inland. If the storm breaks through the coastal dunes, the results can be catastrophic. In 1998 Hurricane Bret did just that at several locations along Padre Island, effectively dividing the island into numerous segments. At points of weakness the dunes are eroded away and the ocean surges through, forming a deep washover channel. Later, as the surge recedes, the ponded water in the lagoon pours back out to sea through the same channels. The washover channels soon heal over as longshore currents transport sand across their mouths but the rest of the features remain visible for many years. [Note that the Bureau of Economic Geology's official map of the island does not reflect any of Hurricane Bret's activity]. |
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These processes are visible on a small scale almost any day of the year. Due to the heating effect of the sun the onshore breezes become stronger during the day and by mid afternoon sand is being blown across the beach and into the coastal dunes. Shells and other objects help to point the direction of the wind - always helpful when pitching a tent or tarp!
First hand experience of the truly catastrophic events are best avoided! |
| Padre Island has been preserved as an "undeveloped" beach. The main effect of this is that the barrier island has not been negatively impacted by man and the system is very much working as Nature intended. As a result there is plenty of wildlife and this is one of the main reasons to visit.
Padre Island is located on the main north-south bird migration route across the Americas. In addition the resident bird population makes this an interesting birding spot almost any time of the year. And within easy reach of Padre Island there are several other world famous birding locations, such as Rockport, Aransas and Laguna Atascosa. |
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| Brown Pelicans are one of the best sights on Padre Island. Once on the Endangered Species List due to DDT entering their food chain, the pelicans have made a remarkable comeback. Pelicans have very definite habits and once understood they are relatively easy to photograph. Those that live "down island" tend to be more wary of humans, however. Often flying in single-line or v-shaped formations, brown pelicans follow the coast for miles, seeking out the best fishing grounds or simply taking advantage of the thermals over the coastal dunes. |  |
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The brown pelican on the left is a mature adult in non-breeding plumage. The one on the right is a juvenile. The major difference is the color of the feathers on the underside of the bird's body. Adults usually lead birds flying in formation. |  |
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Pelicans dive for their fish, entering the water in a twisting plunge from a height of up to two hundred feet. Fish are caught in the huge pouch under the bill (not very obvious when the birds are in flight). The bird floats on the ocean for a while and then takes off, often to catch up and re-join the formation.
They appear to be sociable birds, often congregating on the beach in the company of terns and gulls. |
| The Great Blue Heron is another favorite on Padre Island. They seem to be more common in the north and are not too shy, particularly if you don't get out of your vehicle. The largest of the North American herons, the Great Blue is a magnificent bird whether at rest, while fishing or in flight. |
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Both these birds were photographed near the northern end of the beach, close to people. The heron uses its sharp beak as a spear, stabbing the unfortunate fish that will become its dinner. |  |
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The Willet is a very common resident. Big brother and sister to the numerous sanderlings, willets work the shallow surf. While on the ground their plumage is non-descript. When they take off, however, the black and white banding on their wings, coupled with their distinctive "pill-will-willet" cry, gives them a real identity. |
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The American Avocet is a beautiful bird that is often seen in the abandoned washover channels on the southern end of the island. The avocet's bill is upturned, long and elegant. Its plumage is most distinctive with the brownish areas on head and chest becoming most pronounced during breeding. |
| The Long-billed Curlew is a large bird, larger than the willet (above) and more distinctive with its long down-curved bill. Curlews are often seen walking along the upper beach. When disturbed they take off over the ocean with their distinctive "curlee" call to return to land back on the beach a few hundred yards away. |  |
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The yellow beaks and black legs of these egrets says they must be Great Egrets though they looked too small at the time and were originally thought to be Snowy Egrets (which have black beaks and yellow legs!) Unusual to be seen as a flock, the Great Egret is often seen as a lone fisher, like its cousin the Great Blue Heron. |
| The Goat's Foot Morning Glory is Padre Island's most colorful flowering plant. It is also an important part of the ecosystem as it sends out long shoots across virgin sand, puts down deep roots and in the process starts the sand dune binding process. These shoots almost seem to grow as you watch! |  |
Sea Oats are one of the signature plants of Padre Island. They are everywhere and form a splendid sight swaying in the coastal breezes. They are a major contributor to fixing the coastal dunes, their roots acting as an efficient sand trap. |  |
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Early morning mist across Padre Island
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| Traveling Down Island needs careful preparation. With no facilities you basically take in everything you need or think you might need. The principal priorities are potable water and shelter. Most other items are "luxuries" by comparison for without drinking water and shelter the hot summer sun can be very dangerous. Camping is the obvious and only choice when it comes to accommodation but the choice of site is limitless - you can camp anywhere on the beach (not in the dunes). But be aware that high spring tides can squeeze the amount of dry beach to a minimum. Tide tables are available here. A map is not essential as there are marker posts every 5 miles down the beach. GPS would be a useful luxury to pinpoint a favorite campsite or fishing spot but is far from essential equipment. |
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Given that only 4 wheel drive high clearance vehicles can go beyond the first 5 miles south of Malaquite Beach, it follows that you can probably load up a fair amount of camping gear to take with you! For more than one night it is worth doing so. We take a tent, a screen shelter and a tarp though we may not use all three, depending on the weather. The tent is for sleeping in - it is too hot to use during the day. The screen shelter is great for calm early mornings and evenings when mosquitoes are likely to be around. We usually erect the tarp down by the surf for shelter during the day. The photo at left shows the tarp over the tent, a cool arrangement for high summer! |
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Fires are allowed on the beach and we often use the abundant driftwood for a cozy fire and additional camp stove. Dragging all that lumber across the beach is good exercise and burning it rids the beach of some of the trash! |
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The following links are recommended for those planning to visit Padre Island National Seashore
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