Packery Channel | Corpus Christi
On the afternoon of April 5th, I made my way out to the Packery Channel Jetties hoping to spot a Brown Noddy that had been sighted the day before and reported earlier in the day. It’s not every day one shows up in Nueces County, especially from land, so I figured it was worth a shot.
Brown Noddy in flight over Packery Channel – sleek and low, with its pale cap catching the afternoon light as it skimmed just above the waterline.
The tide was extremely high. Most of the beach was underwater and still somehow packed with people. There were families parked in the shallow water, and the jetties were lined with people fishing. It didn’t help that the sand looked soft enough to get stuck in, but I managed to find a high spot and parked next to the jetty.
Before heading out, I noticed a big group of gulls, terns, and other shorebirds gathered in a stretch of seawater on the beach. I stopped to count through them, took a few photos, and kept moving. Turns out, that’s when I accidentally photographed the Brown Noddy. I had no idea at the time – the bright light made it tough to see details on my screen – but when I looked back at those frames later, there it was, tucked right in.
After that, I walked out along the south jetty and started scanning. Once I had eyes on the noddy, I watched it for a while and noticed it had a pretty clear rhythm. It would fly from the rocks to the group of terns in the shallow water, land briefly, then head back to the beach side of the jetty and perch on the granite. After a few minutes, or if it got startled, it would take off and shoot down Packery Channel – low, fast, skimming the water and cutting into the wind. Then it would head out to the very end of the jetty and try to feed with the terns there. After a few minutes, it would start the loop over again. I saw it do this same pattern four times while I was watching.
About the Brown Noddy
Brown Noddies are tropical seabirds, usually spotted far offshore or nesting on remote islands. It’s rare to get a good look at one from land along the Texas coast. They’re sleek and clean-looking – chocolate brown all over with a pale silvery cap and a long, slightly curved black bill. They get their name from the way they bob their heads during courtship, which is more endearing than you’d expect from a bird called a "noddy."
This one seemed healthy, active, and totally at home weaving between the jetties and fishing with the terns. Watching it work the same loop over and over made it easier to anticipate, and a lot easier to photograph. Definitely one of the more interesting species I’ve seen locally in a while.
SPECIES LIST
| Willet | 3 |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 15 |
| Sanderling | 13 |
| Least Sandpiper | 2 |
| Laughing Gull | 58 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 3 |
| American Herring Gull | 2 |
| Brown Noddy | 1 |
| Least Tern | 38 |
| Caspian Tern | 3 |
| Sandwich Tern | 16 |
| Royal Tern | 1 |
| Reddish Egret | 1 |
| Brown Pelican | 9 |
| Crested Caracara | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | 1 |
| Snowy Egret | 1 |