Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center

This place is absolutely amazing - even when it's in the 90s and the humidity is in the 70s. Way too hot and very little shade. We saw Ibis, Stilts, Coot, Laughing Gulls, Herons (the tri-color!), Gallinules, Roseate Spoonbill, Egrets, and lots of other birds. There weren't too many folks there so it was nice. It is right next to the landfill (was it built on the landfill?!), so a little stinky - but amazing. I would make it a place to go if you are a birder. If you just want to walk it has nice wooden piers and paths. A calm place in the backwaters!

Great place to see shorebirds and other migratory birds. They have made big improvements to the walking path. It’s now cement. Good place to hike as well as birdwatch. Parking is very limited but it looks like they be adding more soon.

Visiting on Sunday, we found the parking lot quite small, perhaps accommodating around ten vehicles. Overflow parking was necessary on the grassy area across from the construction site. This area was alive with the flutter and calls of numerous small birds and shorebirds. Among them, I spotted a vibrant Andean flamingo(with a black color and wing tips and beak), a striking male black-throated green warbler, and a beautiful Lincoln's sparrow, alongside an egrets and busy sandpipers. Our half-mile walk along the trail led us past a lively pond, where we enjoyed watching many fish leaping from the water's surface.

Went in mid-March; lots of birds to see! I am new to birding so all of it was exciting to me. We saw some turtles too, but the alligators were missing, most likely because of the drought. It isn’t that far to walk and has a great look out point. The standing binoculars they provide are great too. Informational signs are available on all the birds you could see. I gave it 5 stars but I personally wish it covered more area into the wetland (some of the sites are disconnected? It was unclear on the map) and the water treatment plant smell makes the initial parking and walking out to the walkways leading to the observation tower a little brutal.

We visited several in the area, and this was our favorite. So many different species of birds, including a flamingo!! Someone who works there said a group of flamingos arrived one year. Most left, but one has stayed.

Wonderful walk with beautiful scenery! One of my favorite parts of our visit to Port A! My 7 year old walked 2 miles and hardly noticed which is amazing!! 😻 We didn't take our dogs but was told this place is dog friendly. However upon entering the trail there is a sign that states no pets allowed. We didn't see any dogs out there.

I went for the free tour on Wednesday, May 7 at nine a m. Ray was our guide.. And he was awesome.. Knowledgeable, personable, and answered all of our questions. We were there for 2 hours and walked both of the boardwalks. Most importantly he handed out Nikon binoculars that made all the difference. He also had a stationary binocular that he would zoom in and talk about certain birds. Ray also brought books and pamphlets to reference when questions were asked and he was giving descriptive answers. Highly recommended.. it's FREE. Thank you Ray for volunteering!! Check out the one and only Flamingo

This place, even on a slow day, never disappoints. Always something new o fun to look at. The only downside is the smell from the water treatment plant. No restrooms on premises.

Serene spot for bird lovers. We enjoyed wandering the docks late in the day and saw lots of different birds! Looks like it's part of a larger complex of trails and overlooks. Definitely will explore more next time!

We were in Port Aransas for 2 days in mid-April to look for migrating birds. The one place we went to several times was the Leonabelle Turnbull birding center. We visited both morning and afternoon, and found that the selection of birds was somewhat different each time. It also made sense, for photography purposes, to visit at different times because we found quite a few beautiful migrating birds in the mulberry and willow trees, and the lighting was best there in the afternoon. There are multiple areas for birding. The entry walk has some willow and mulberry trees where birds congregate. In spring, the mulberry provides fruit for the birds and is a favorite for migrating species. Past the entry there are boardwalk to view (mostly) water birds. There are a couple of covered observation decks as well, and these provide the only shade in the boardwalk area. If you're prone to getting bitten by mosquitoes, do use repellent before visiting. The parking area nearest the entry was being enlarged during our visits, so we ended up in the overflow parking area on the other side of the water treatment facility. This is a great place to see resident and migrating shore birds, as well as inland species during migration. We saw buntings, videos, tanagers, warblers, orioles, and other migrating species during our most recent visit... a feast for the eyes!

one of my fav birding places. They have really improved the pier out over the water. You are up high with the birds down low, so not really disturbing the birds and you get great looks. We got to see the Pink Flamingo last week. One of the best places to see shore/water birds. Away from the water nearer the parking lot, a water feature and trees for the migrants in fall and spring. even if you aren't into birds, it is still a beautiful place to visit. There is a resident alligator that is around sometimes. Bigger parking area coming soon.

Home of Boots the local celebrity alligator. Apparently he is the only gator in this area as he is territorial and tries to run any others off. Don't recommend bringing your pets for this reason, they're not allowed anyway (it's posted). We've been here a few times but today we arrived earlier in the day (around 9:30AM on a Wednesday) and we got lucky and finally got to see him! It made our day as he was always MIA our previous visits. If you're on the boardwalk and lucky you can stand right over him (got several awesome photos), so much different (better) than seeing an alligator in captivity, truly an awesome experience. There's also tons of birds everywhere to observe (it is a birding center after all, although many who come visit are focused on Boots haha). In our recent May visit there were butterflies EVERYWHERE over the fields (hard to see from photo), it was surreal and magical like a fairytale (I got a video that did the incredible sight more justice). A must-see spot if you are in Port Aransas, definitely recommend coming during the warm seasons as it is rather cold and windy on the boardwalk otherwise. We'll be back, see ya later Boots! PS regarding the smell - yes it is a bit smelly being right next door to a water treatment plant but once you get away from the entrance and go further out on the boardwalk the smell goes away. Go take a few minutes to experience and enjoy the wildlife!

Beautiful Place. Exotic coastal birds. Be weather wise and bring water. I visit here 3 times a year. Always leave happy. Birder's paradise.

I think you need to be a birder to really enjoy this place. It's nice for a non-birder but won't take a ton of time. Beware of rats by the entrance path. That wasn't my idea of wonderful but at least they moved out of the way. We also saw the alligator which was cool.

I always see an alligator, flamingos, and rosette spoon bills here! This is a great place for birders of any experience.

Great place to enjoy the outdoors and see birds. Nice decking areas to walk on above the grass and bird look out areas too

It was cool The birds there were nice, and there is also very good equipment. The environment is nice, but it is next to a water treatment plant, so it smells quite bad

If you're a bird watcher, photographer, or just like being in nature, you have to visit here when in Port A. Hundreds of different types of birds hang out here in this beautiful wetland. A long, wooden walkway takes you out to a tower where you can see the bay system and Charlie's Pasture. Some of the stuff we saw: blue crabs, hermit crabs, mullet, gaftop, redfish, alligator, turtles, about 7 types of ducks, white and brown pelicans, seagulls, night heron, rosette spoonbill, terns, ibis, crested caracara, 3 types of hawks. There is a lot to see.

We almost missed the entrance due to the incorrect gps location but luckily we drove a bit further and found it. Free to enter so that's great. There were quite a few serious birders and they block the pathways. I enjoy nature but also wanted to explore. Should have brought my good camera and probably tennis shoes instead of flip flops for the uneven flooring. The main negative thing is that there are garbage dumps surrounding this place and the smell is awful. I wore a mask and it didn't help block these disgusting smells. It is pretty sad how poorly kept the island is. Looks like they are in process of expanding the pier which would be great if they can keep it away from the garbage dumps. We saw some beautiful birds, there were informative signs showing some of the bird types however the signs were also blocked by the birders.

I'll admit it makes it easy to appreciate a place like this if you are from Texas and have spent a lifetime here. I have been in and around the gulf coast estuaries my entire life. The good and bad. My earliest memories are of a Coast in pristine untouched condition. As the decades have marched on the encroachment of man leaves his marks, large and small. For example, only a few miles from here Exon is building the largest refinery constructed in the USA for decades. When fully operational, what effect will it have on this place? In the winter, this is a major migratory thoroughfare for migrating birds. I've seen 10 to 20 different species just standing here for ten minutes. Several, I have no idea what they are. I'm glad man has the forethought to set aside places like this. It's nice and yes, there are gators here!

So this could have been nice if there was not a "no pets" allowed sign. Our fur-baby is well behaved/trained and if she had an accident we clean up after her. So we were not able to fully explore this area do to this silly sign posting. The website has no information that would lead you to believe you could not have a pet with you in an outdoor setting. If you are traveling or have a fur-baby I would pass this one up. Also this is literally by the waste water plant so you are in for a smell of a lifetime.

Contrary to what Yelp might indicate, this location is not closed. It may have been for a while due to Harvey, but it is definitely repopened. I went here on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 for the weekly 9:00AM guided birding tour. It was amazing. The walk from the parking lot to the actual boardwalk tow the wetlands viewing areas is simply gorgeous. They have landscaped it with all of my favorite Texas natives. It was in full bloom and teaming with butterflies, various bee species, and humming birds. There were also several yellow warblers in that area. I am not sure what particular species. I am only saying they were yellow colored. I got there early and followed the guide out to the viewing area as he scoped out the scene before going back to the picnic table to meet other visitors. He gave me a little rundown on the history of the place, which he had to repeat for the others a few minutes later. We saw lots of beautiful birds. I got tons of photos of blue herons, gulls, snowy, great, and tri-colored egrets, roseate spoonbills, and many other water fowl too numerous to mention. I also got a photo of the only alligator I have ever seen in the wild. It was HUGE! This was the perfect place for me to do a little birding in Port Aransas. I am a novice birder and appreciate having knowledgeable guides there to help me identify them.

Really great place for bird spotting and other wild life such as a couple of alligators if you are lucky, water snakes, and turtles. It is FREE to visit and mostly consists of a decent boardwalk type peer that walks you out over the water and the marsh. There is also a three story tower at the end of the pier with telescopes in the top. On certain days early in the mornings, they have guided tours - but I have never attended one. I have just done the freestyle tour.

Great little area where you can walk on a pier and look at the nature around you. And it's different at different times of the day. We went before dinner one day and in the morning after breakfast on a foggy day and really enjoyed seeing how different everything looked. There will definitely be some serious birdwatchers around you here! Heads up: it's very easy to pass - the entrance is next to some kind of water treatment plant (I know - gross), but you park there, so don't get lost! Really peaceful break from the rest of Port A - check it out!

Ooooooookay. 1) It's re-opened since Harvey. 2) There are birds! Spoonbills, pelicans, cormorants, grackles, sandpipers. And unlike at the beach, you don't have to worry about getting sand in your camera or binoculars. Definitely bring a microfiber cloth to clear all the condensation off your lenses. 3) When we were there, there was also a giant alligator catching shade under the viewing platform. 4) There's a sewage treatment plant RIGHT THERE. You get intermittent surges of disgusting air. It's like you walked into an outhouse, and the outhouse was a portal to another dimension, and the other dimension had a lot of birds everywhere, but you were still standing in an outhouse.

This is a great location to view wildlife and especially birds. There are easy paths to walk out to the boardwalk. There is also a great observation deck that allows a panoramic view of the whole area. There are birds in the summer when we went but, not the numbers there are in migration season. If you go in the summer bring sunscreen, a hat and bug spray. There is usually always a breeze so the bugs are not that bad. You are next to a sewage treatment plant so there will be orders around. If the wind blows the right way you will not notice them.

This Birding Center is a MUST for families with young kids, or even for older kids who can really appreciate viewing wildlife. When our kids were young, we would bring them here on each and every trip to 'look for the alligator'....and we were frequently successful! But aside from excitement of giant peole eating lizards, this place has it all: - ample parking, - easy, level walk, - clean, meticulously maintained (despite some visitors), - awesomely loooong boardwalk with tower and benches, - free telescopes for wildlife viewing, - all sorts of critters (variety of birds/ ducks (even babies!), redfish, crabs, turtles, and more, - great gator cut out! As you can tell, I REALLY love this little oasis on the island - and I think you and your kids will too.

THE DOCK IS CLOSED !! I don't know why no one else has mentioned this, but the dock and watch tower were completely demolished by Hurricane Harvey! In fact, there really is no dock; just the alligator sign you can take a photo with. Don't waste your time!

A nicely done modest wetlands bird sanctuary. You walk past a little path lined with carefully planted local flora, and then out onto a boardwalk viewing area. I recommend going to the top of the lookout for a great view of the overall park and a good photo op. We spied heron, other bird species diving for fish, pelicans, and coypu (a cute name for aquatic rats). Yes, an unpleasant odor permeates the air, but you probably won't be here for more than 20 minutes. Fun fact learned at the park: coypu have nipples on their back so they can feed their young while swimming.

Great place. I love taking photos here and walking here with my daughter. Not just for tourists this is a very well visited place for locals.

The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center is a nice stopover while in Port Aransas. It's good for about a 30-60 minute pit stop. It's also great for all ages. Here's the scoop: -There is a nice wooden raised walkway through the marshlands. It's easy to navigate and accessible to people on foot. It's also big enough if you have a stroller, wheelchair, or scooter as well. If you go all the way to the end, I would say the walk is about 1/4 to 1/3 mile long. -Lots of wildlife can be seen. We saw at least a dozen different bird species, as well as alligators, neutria, fish, and even lizards. The animals will also come right up to the walkway. -If you are into photography, this is a must stop. There's really a lot to see. -There are benches along the way, so you can go out and just sit and watch nature all around you. -The parking lot is small, so don't get frustrated if it is full. People are always coming and going and a spot will open up soon. -Go to the bathroom ahead of time. There is only a port-a-potty in the parking lot for the facilities. I would recommend the Turnbull Birding Center to anyone and everyone. I know we will visit on our next trip out to Port Aransas.

I'm really hoping to visit again someday and this place be back to its full potential - Hurricane harvey surely took its toll on this small birding center. that being said it was a nice stroll with plenty of birds to see.

Great stop when in Port A. Saw an alligator and lots of beautiful birds. Boardwalks well maintained, nice views. Highly recommend!

After a fun ride on the free vehicle carrying ferry which brought us into Port Aransas, we made our way to Leonabelle Birding Center before continuing south to the Mustang Island State Park area. It was a worthwhile thirty minute stop as the boardwalk was well maintained and allows nice opportunities to observe the birds and other Texas wildlife in a comfortable environment. You'll encounter a variety of interesting vegetation on the right side of the boardwalk which is along the shore. Making your way up to the observation tower about halfway down the boardwalk presents some even more premium bird watching opportunities. We didn't see any alligators the day we went in late October, but I'm sure those would be a treat to see during the appropriate gator sighting times of the year. There are free weekly Wednesday morning birding tours led by a guide at 9am; this would have been nice if we were able to fit into our schedule but our availability only allowed us to stop by on a weekend.

What a great facility. Easy to get to and lots to see without much of a walk. Definitely worth spending some extra time here.

Great area for bird watching, taking photos & learning about the area & it's wildlife. Sometimes you can even catch the alligators hanging out! A real gem in Port Aransas.

You will drive past this place the first time, it looks like where the dumpsters should go. But follow the chain-link fence through the little park to the boardwalk. Alligators are only out in warm weather, but the rodents and birds are out quite often. They have plaques to describe what you are looking at as well, which is nice.

fun worth the visit, huge alligators there. You cant take your dog there so the wife and i had to take turns walking through but it was still fun.

A great little place to see shore birds up close. And Nutria, which are cute, even if they are invasive. Saw a nice variety of ducks (the Ruddy Ducks, Northern Shovelers, and Green-winged Teal were my favorites), Ibises, a Green Heron (very close!), Pelicans, Cormorants, Terns, Roseate Spoonbill, lots of Coots, Galanule, and more. Worth the visit for sure. It was too cool for the gators while I was there, but there are two residents. The smell from the waste treatment facility was most noticeable in the parking lot, but shouldn't stop you from visiting.

This was a nice enough birding spot, where we saw American White Pelicans, Neotropic Cormorants, an American Avocet, a Yellow Warbler, and a pair of American Coots. The problem with it was the smell..it is located next to a waste treatment plant and the place is rank like a gas station bathroom.

We have visited this sanctuary in the winter and didn't have a problem with the odor. We did see lots of cool birds up close and personal, ducks especially. This past winter (2015), we saw a flock of roseate spoonbills and got great photos. If you go during the Port Aransas Whooping Crane Festival, volunteer birders are posted here and are very helpful in pointing out the birds, both common and uncommon. Great photo ops.

Outstanding time at this very accessible, free bird watching area. Excellent variety in birds and 2 huge alligators just chilling right by the walkway. Very accessible for all ages and wheelchairs. Free viewers if you don't have binoculars. One is handicap accessible great for wheelchairs and kids.

This is a great place to look at all kinds of amazing birds. Some birds even follow you. You walk on this old wood bridge almost the whole way around and you're over the water. It's really cool because their are some alligators that are pets of the tour guide and they follow you in the water!

Great wildlife viewing! The public boardwalk and observation decks are really nice. My wife and I went around 10:00 am. There were so many active birds; plus we saw an alligator and a couple of nutrias (a.k.a. river rats). We probably stayed for about 90 minutes enjoying all the wildlife activity.

happy to see charlies pasture used for the birds...and was made accesable to everyone...