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A Lifeline for Migratory Birds
Community replanting efforts restore vital habitat for migrating birds in Port Aransas, Texas.
August 4, 2025
Port Aransas has long been a sanctuary for migratory birds, drawing them in by the thousands each spring and fall as they make the grueling journey along the Central and Mississippi flyways.
Rae Mooney, nature preserve manager for the City of Port Aransas, says it’s a vital stopover.
“We’re a gas station for birds,” Mooney says. “After flying hundreds or even thousands of miles, they arrive here needing food, shelter, and a safe place to rest before they continue their migration.”
For these birds — ranging from brilliant painted buntings and ruby-throated hummingbirds to delicate warblers, tanagers, orioles, and the yellow-billed cuckoo — trees are everything. The oaks, willows, and native brush provide critical cover from predators and weather, along with berries and insects needed to refuel.
“Without trees, these birds simply can’t survive the journey,” Mooney says.
When Hurricane Harvey struck Port Aransas in 2017, the destruction was immediately obvious to residents. Less visible, but just as devastating, was the storm’s impact on the avian visitors. Harvey ripped the canopy apart, uprooting mature oaks and stripping branches bare.
“We lost almost all of our habitat overnight,” Mooney says. “That first migration after the storm, birds arrived to find their refuge gone. Many just kept flying, but some didn’t make it.”
Restoring the ecosystem for migratory birds has become a community-wide mission, and it called on the Arbor Day Foundation to lead in support. Mooney and her team, with help from volunteers, have worked tirelessly to replant native trees at places like Paradise Pond and throughout the city.
Each new sapling represents hope not just for the landscape, but for the birds whose lives depend on it.
“Every tree we plant is a step toward making Port Aransas a vital lifeline again,” Mooney says.
The results are slowly taking root. With each passing year, the canopy grows thicker, and the flocks return in greater numbers. Warblers flash through the branches, buntings sing from the new growth, and the air fills with the energy of long-distance travelers pausing to rest.
For Mooney, the work is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about ensuring Port Aransas remains a haven for some of nature’s most remarkable voyagers — restoring the green corridors that make survival possible, one tree at a time.
