Birding Texas: Sea Rim State Park

Located in Jefferson County, Texas, Sea Rim State Park is a great place to go for Texas bird watching. It has habitats that include marshlands and ponds, forests of cedar and willow, mulberry trees, and the Gulf shoreline. In addition to bird watching, you can go boating, fishing, swimming and camping here. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at Sea Rim State Park in Texas, see below.

Purple Martin. You’ll find this large swallow (the largest in North America) when bird watching near the ponds of Sea Rim State Park in Texas, swooping down to catch insects in midair. It will also fly over the surface of the ponds and scoop up water. Recognize it while bird watching from its entirely blue-back body, as well as its large head, thick chest, and broad, pointed wings.

Painted Bunting. Look for this gorgeous little bird when bird watching in the marshy areas of Sea Rim State Park in Texas, especially where there are brushy areas or thickets. You’ll find it foraging for insects, caterpillars and seeds on the ground and in the bushes. Identify it while bird watching at Sea Rim State Park in Texas from its bright blue head, red chest, and green back. It also has a red eyering and dark wings with green shoulder patches.

Indigo Bunting. This small finch is easy to identify when bird watching from its iridescent blue body, with a slightly darker crown and a black tail and wings. Its tail and wings are also both edged in blue. Look for it in the scrubby forest edges of Sea Rim State Park in Texas, where you will see it foraging for insects, seeds, and berries.

Dickcissel. Identify the stocky, sparrow-like Dickcissel while bird watching at Sea Rim State Park in Texas from its dark gray back and head. It has a gray face with a yellow eyestripe, as well as a yellow breast, and its bib is black. Look for it foraging for seeds, insects and grains in the open areas of the forests of Sea Rim State Park in Texas.

Marsh Wren. Look for this wren in the marshes of Sea Rim State Park in Texas, foraging for insects and spiders among the plants and even slightly below the surface of the water. You’ll recognize it while bird watching from its dark cap, white eyeline, and the bold black and white streaks on its back. It also has a brown back and a whitish chest. You can identify it from the way it usually holds it tail upright as it hops about.

Tree Swallow. You’ll find this pretty swallow in the open areas near the water at Sea Rim State Park in Texas, and also in its wooded swamps. Identify it while bird watching from its shiny, blue-green upperparts and white underparts. It also has a small bill and long wings. You will see it catching insects in midflight while bird watching at Sea Rim State Park in Texas, although it occasionally eats berries, too. At night Tree Swallows will sometimes roost in flocks that number in the hundreds of thousands.

Source list:

Personal experience
http://www.allaboutbirds.org
http://identify.whatbird.com
http://www.portarthurtexas.com/virDirEditorAssets/PortArthurTX/chamberAccess/docs/birding_book.pdf
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/sea_rim/