Today we explored and birded High Island. We went for three
organized walks at Boys Scouts Sanctuary, Rollover Bay, Bolivar Flats
Sanctuary, and Smith Oaks Sanctuary. High Island has lots of different
habitats. There is a birding festival that the Houston Audubon is putting on here so we timed this perfectly. The guides know the area and lead us there and have scoped out the highlights. It is all very well organized.
We heard there was a Ruff at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and we went over to the refuge. Anahuac is huge with many different habitats and another wonderful place. It is similar to Blackwater Drive in Merritt Island or the Drive in Ding Darling. We saw a Clapper Rail cross the road in front of us from one side of the marsh to the other and Least Bittern out in the open. We saw flocks of Avocets, Dunlin, Dowitchers, etc all in breeding plumage, which is such a nice treat. The Ruff was the only lifer for me and Colleen got her first Barn Owl at Boy Scouts Camp Sanctuary. There are lots of birders around and the whole area is great. A month here just going from place to place every second day or so would be birding heaven. On a drive for miles around the marshes and fields we had a Common Nighthawk roosting right on the side of the dirt road. The whole place was great.
We did get some rain also and it has cooled off considerably today. It never got hot for me today.
Tomorrow we are going again for the three organized walks and another trip to do the drive at
Anahuac and then will head over on the ferry to Galveston and then out to Houston to spend the night at a motel near the airport as we have the usual very early morning flight back home
We plan to get a Texas bird list printed and count up our trip list.
Barb & Colleen
Photos include White-rumped Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird, Wilson's Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher, Clapper Rail, many wintering shorebirds, Tennessee Warbler and a Least Bittern
We heard there was a Ruff at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and we went over to the refuge. Anahuac is huge with many different habitats and another wonderful place. It is similar to Blackwater Drive in Merritt Island or the Drive in Ding Darling. We saw a Clapper Rail cross the road in front of us from one side of the marsh to the other and Least Bittern out in the open. We saw flocks of Avocets, Dunlin, Dowitchers, etc all in breeding plumage, which is such a nice treat. The Ruff was the only lifer for me and Colleen got her first Barn Owl at Boy Scouts Camp Sanctuary. There are lots of birders around and the whole area is great. A month here just going from place to place every second day or so would be birding heaven. On a drive for miles around the marshes and fields we had a Common Nighthawk roosting right on the side of the dirt road. The whole place was great.
We did get some rain also and it has cooled off considerably today. It never got hot for me today.
Tomorrow we are going again for the three organized walks and another trip to do the drive at
Anahuac and then will head over on the ferry to Galveston and then out to Houston to spend the night at a motel near the airport as we have the usual very early morning flight back home
We plan to get a Texas bird list printed and count up our trip list.
Barb & Colleen
Photos include White-rumped Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird, Wilson's Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher, Clapper Rail, many wintering shorebirds, Tennessee Warbler and a Least Bittern
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