Calhoun County Wildlife
Calhoun County is blessed with a abundance of wildlife. Greatest among these is the number of birds that can be found here. Birding is one of the premier recreational activities along the Texas Gulf Coast. For several years the county has held the record for the most birds spotted in the nation.
You can find egrets, including the reddish egret, and herons. You turn your head and see a splash of pink and find you are looking at the roseate spoonbill. Both the white pelican and the endangered brown pelican can be seen here. Sandhills cranes and the occasional whooping crane make their winter homes in Calhoun County. Ibises, wood storks, geese, ducks, osprey, shorebirds, hawks, owls, and sandpipers are to be found. It is impossible to give the entire list but the area is surrounded by wildlife areas.
Although the Myrtle Foester-Whitmire Division of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is not open to the public, it attracts all of the listed birds and more to the area. On Matagorda Island you might find the endangered Northern Aplomado Falcon along with cranes, ducks, geese and more. The least tern and the piping plover are also found on the island. Matagorda Island also has coyote, white-tailed deer, jackrabbit, badger, raccoon, wild hog, and the javelina. Endangered species include the Texas diamondback terrapin, the Ridley sea turtle, and the horned lizard. Found on the island and the wildlife refuges and places like Indianola, you can find the American Alligator.
