Empty Nest: SPI Birding Nature Center's construction progesses

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - As details emerge about the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, there's still no answer to the biggest question of all - when will it open?

For Cate Ball, who will manage the center, it's a question she's frequently asked.

"We don't know," she said. "We will open when everything is in place."

Terry Ray Construction out of SPI has finished the building and officials only await a certificate of occupancy that will come when landscaping is finished.

But then comes the process of furnishing the building with everything from computers to vending machines.

Ball said installation of exhibits could begin later this month along with signage for the boardwalk, which has more than doubled in size.

Ball said there is no firm timetable for opening the center, which will be the ninth and final edition to the World Birding Center.

"There is no deadline," Ball said. "We want to make sure we're ready and we're not going to set an arbitrary deadline just to set a deadline."

Ball did say there have been no significant setbacks, except for Hurricane Dolly, which resulted in a construction delay as possible damage was assessed.

The center will be open daily and there will be an entry fee - $5 for adults, $4 for seniors 65 and older and $2 for children 4 to 12. Ball also expects to sell annual and three-month passes.

Staffing will depend mainly on volunteers and Ball said anyone interested in volunteering should contact her at 956-761-8303.

Volunteers who have knowledge about birds and plants are needed, along with volunteers who are computer savvy, have retail experience and a positive attitude.

The 10,000-square-foot building facing Padre Boulevard features a five-story tower with views of the Laguna Madre, Gulf Coast and wetlands area west of the building.

Ball said once the WBC site opens, visitors will no longer be able to enter the boardwalk from the nearby SPI Convention Centre.

She does expect there to be an after-hours turnstile or gate for visitors who wish to traverse the boardwalk early in the morning or late in the evening.

The SPI Birding and Nature Center specializes in wetlands birds. The combination of fresh, salt and brackish water attracts numerous species, including rails, herons, egrets, ducks, common moorhens, black-necked stilts, roseate spoonbills, purple gallinules, least bitterns (the smallest of the herons), sandpipers, marbled godwits, dowitchers and other birds.

The 3,000-foot boardwalk gives visitors an excellent chance to see many species in a marsh habitat. The boardwalk will include several blinds.

"We're unique in the World Birding Center because we're the only coastal habitat," Ball said.

Besides the observation tower, the building will also have a meeting room, theater/auditorium, exhibits, refreshment area and office.

Eventually, the area outside the building will be landscaped, which should attract smaller birds, including spring and fall migratory species.

Other sites of the World Birding Center include Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park (Mission), Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, Estero-Llano Grande State Park (Weslaco), Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, Quinta Mazatlan (McAllen), Harlingen Arroyo Colorado, Resaca de la Palma State Park (Brownsville) and Roma Bluffs.