Day 4, Royal Tern / Thalasseus maximus, Mustang Island State Park

Oh, boy, after tomorrow, we have four days of snow, according to the weather forecast, with around 15 cm of the white stuff. Not a welcome thought, after the brutal winter of 2018/2019.

Day 4, 22 March, of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019, was a day of birding and also driving from Rockport, where we had stayed for three nights, to Kingsville. The 9 photos I have just posted tonight were all taken on the beach at Mustang Island State Park. We had driven there from the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Centre/the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. We loved the Birding Centre, getting great views of the various bird species, looking down from the new boardwalk that has been built after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the previous one in 2017. Lots of birds; even a huge Alligator.

We spent some time on the beach at Mustang Island State Park, watching and listening to the Laughing Gulls. They are such fun to watch and to photograph. The Royal Terns are so beautiful, always looking quite regal in their posture.

At one point, a man started feeding the Gulls down the beach, and they swarmed over and around him. Managed to get a couple of distant shots.

"Mustang Island State Park is a state park located south of the city of Port Aransas, Texas, United States on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico that covers 3,954 acres (1,600 ha) and has a 5-mile (8.0 km) beachfront. The land was acquired from private owners in 1972 and opened to the public in 1979. The island takes its name from wild mustangs that roamed the island which eventually succumbed to ranching in the late 1800s." From Wikipedia.

After our short walk along this beach, we continued our drive towards Kingville, where we were going to spend two nights at the Hampton Inn. We had time to stop at the Bishop City Park before we continued on to Kingsville. I still have more photos from Mustang Island State Park to finish, and then will add a few from Bishop City Park.