The South Padre Island Convention Centre sits on Orca Circle just south of the Nature Center, and the two are physically joined by boardwalk. TPWD's trail entry gives the clearest short account of what the marsh here holds: clapper rail is resident, Virginia rail and sora winter in the marsh, marsh wren is present year-round, swamp sparrow winters, and least bittern is a summer breeder. The Convention Centre grounds, planted with native trees and shrubs and dotted with water drips, are the island's most famous fallout site; it was here that hundreds of birders converged in April 2021, and volunteers from the local Texas Master Naturalist chapter maintain the drips and hang oranges that hold tanagers, orioles, and buntings in view. Unlike the Nature Center, the grounds and the public boardwalk are free.
Bird gently
Stay on public paths, give resting and nesting birds room, keep voices low around blinds, and avoid crowding a bird for a photograph. Sightings are never guaranteed.