SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) - Bird watchers from around the globe have another reason to head to South Texas.

The $6.5 million South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center will hold a grand opening on Saturday as part of the World Birding Center.

The attractions include a boardwalk, seven bird blinds and a five-story tower with views of the Laguna Madre and the Gulf of Mexico.

Manager Cate Ball says the center includes fresh water, brackish water and salt water habitats. Ball says the wetlands attract numerous kinds of wading and shore birds.

The center is south of the South Padre Island Convention Center.