Want to go birding in Texas? Don't know where or when to go? Check out this great website from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and take all the pain out of planning that trip.

The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trails offer birding enthusiasts the best of all "fowl worlds" at 308 wildlife-viewing sites, mapped in three areas from one end of the Texas coast to the other. The Upper Texas Coast map covers the area from the Louisiana border down to Brazosport. The Central Texas map of trails begins at Matagorda Bay and runs through Kingsville. The Lower Texas Coast birding trail area covers the tip of the state along the Mexican border, from South Padre Island, Brownsville, Harlingen and west toward Laredo. Now that's covering a big area and it's filled with birds, both resident and migratory.

To give an example, South Padre Loop is just one of the Lower Texas Coast Birding Trails. This loop begins from Port Isabel and across the Queen Isabella Causeway to South Padre Island (SPI), turning left to the end of the developed part of the island, then back to the SPI Convention Center and the Laguna Madre Nature Trail. Then on to the base of the Causeway and finally to Isla Blanca County Park. Almost all these areas would be very good to visit in the spring when migrations are taking place. If you want to see waterfowl, herons and egrets, Laguna Madre is the place to go. This is one of my favorite day trips.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has done all the work for you. The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trails website gives detailed maps, marked with the all the birding loops and the stops on each loop. In addition, you'll get detailed directions and the sightings you can expect at each stop, as well as the best time of year to go. Birding doesn't get any easier than this. Just print the maps and text (they're printer friendly) or buy the full-color versions online, pack your favorite Texas bird guide and your binoculars and head out.

South Texas and the coastal areas have worldwide acclaim for great birding. This website gives you the opportunity to choose a location and know before you go what to expect when you get there. What a great service Parks and Wildlife is providing for Texas residents and birding visitors.