052220 Visitors to University Beach are Advised to Take Caution as Shorebirds Nesting Season Continues

While thousands of local residents have decided to forgo Corpus Christi beaches to minimize their interactions with others due to the COVID-19 health crisis, shorebirds need not take similar precautions, and are flocking to area beaches as they do each spring. Early April marks the beginning of shorebird nesting season and birds have begun laying their eggs on University Beach, located across Ocean Drive from the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and along Corpus Christi Bay. The nesting season runs through early August, and scientists at the Island University’s Conrad Blucher Institute (CBI) are asking beach goers to be careful during this time while walking in the sand.

A newly hatched Wilson's Plover chick next to a camoflauged egg that has yet to hatch.
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David Newstead finds tern egg shells, with evidence showing that the birds did hatch.
David Newstead comes back to a site where a tern nest was, only to find the nest missing.

Ward Island Shorebird Nests 2020
A sign warning beach guests to watch for shore birds nesting in the area.