06/05/2026
🦅 Icons of the Texas Coast — and Christmas Bay is Their Home
Two Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) stand proudly along the shoreline of Christmas Bay, and honestly? They belong here. This is exactly what a thriving, protected coastal ecosystem looks like.
Once driven to the edge of extinction by pesticide use, the Brown Pelican's return is one of the greatest conservation comebacks in American history — and Christmas Bay has played its part in that story. Our rich, productive waters teem with the fish and shelter these magnificent birds need to survive and raise their young. From resident pelicans and wading birds to thousands of migratory species passing through each season, Christmas Bay is a sanctuary unlike anywhere else on the Texas Gulf Coast.
And here's something that should make every Texan stand up straight with pride: Christmas Bay is recognized as the cleanest water on the upper Texas coast — despite being surrounded by oil refineries and chemical plants. Let that sink in. This bay, against all odds, has held on to its purity and its wildness. That is not luck. That is the result of relentless, passionate conservation work by people who love this place deeply and refuse to let it go.
This is YOUR bay. These are YOUR birds. And together, we are fiercely committed to keeping it that way.
For birders, photographers, and anyone who feels that pull toward wild, open water and sky — Christmas Bay will take your breath away. There is simply no place like it on the Texas coast, and that's not an accident. It's the result of years of dedicated conservation work by people who refuse to give up on this place.
Every healthy bay sustains healthy bird populations. Every volunteer hour, every cleanup, every voice raised in protection of this estuary means more mornings like this one — two pelicans resting easy, right where they belong.
🐦 Discover birding at Christmas Bay: https://christmasbayfoundation.org/birding/
🙌 Get involved: https://christmasbayfoundation.org/be-a-volunteer/
📷 Photo by Jim Olive©
