Quick identification
Great blue heron (Ardea herodias)
The island's largest common heron: blue-gray, long-legged and long-necked, with a heavy dagger bill and a dark stripe over the eye.
Season and local range: Year-round resident and visitor.
Habitat and island setting
Lagoon edges, tidal flats, channels, docks and occasionally the Gulf beach.
Where to look
Nearly any quiet bayside edge can hold one. Boardwalks and the causeway give dependable viewing without entering feeding habitat. Birds may move as tides, wind, fronts, water levels and activity at the site change.
What the bird is doing
It often stands motionless before striking at fish or crabs. A heron that stretches upright, calls or walks away is telling you that you are too close.
Watching birds
Use binoculars or a camera zoom, stay on public paths and leave feeding, resting and nesting birds enough room to continue normal behavior. If a bird stops feeding, stands alert, calls repeatedly or moves away because of you, increase the distance. Check access information in the South Padre Island birding guide before making a special trip.