The High Island Birding Center, April 2017

Approaching the crest of the levee, we were assailed by the sounds of thousands of nesting birds. As soon as we reached the first opening in the trees, a rosette spoonbill flew across the opening just yards away from us! The beautiful sight of the bright pink bird, it was the reason we had returned to the High Island Rookery.

The wind had finally died down at Matagorda. It was the first day where the Gulf was finally fishable but we had reservations at High island. It was a relatively short pull, only one hundred and forty miles, but it still took almost four hours as the ferry crossing adds to the time, (but allows us to avoid pulling through Houston).

Setting up our fifth wheel we rested up and planned for the next day’s birding. The next morning, we took loaded our cameras and binoculars and drove to The Boy Scout Woods. It’s one of the five birding center tracts, purchased and maintained by the Houston Audubon Society.

A large group of about fifty birders had gathered for the morning tour, but knowing the narrow confines of the wooded area we decided to forgo the large group and headed out on our own. After paying the daily fee we were told that the migrants had just started to arrive.

Walking to the first opening, we saw several cardinals. A local volunteer birder near us said she heard the song of a summer tanager, a bird heard is a bird seen, but while Renita heard it I didn’t, (I really need to purchase hearing aids).

A few turkey vultures circled high overhead, and a catbird flitted in the trees. At the treatment ponds, we didn’t spot the listed indigo bunting or scissor-tailed kite, but at least the mosquitoes left us alone. Wandering along the birding trails we didn’t spot much of anything.

Returning to our fifth wheel camper, we ate lunch and rested a bit for the afternoon at Smiths Oak Woods and The Rookery. There were quite a few birders cars and we noted some new construction as the local society had built a new elevated walkway and a large leased private gazebo, There are plenty of other viewing areas, and so we didn’t have any difficulty finding a place to watch the bustle of the Rookery.

The island, only one hundred feet away, resembled a three-layer cake! The top layer of the tree canopy, was covered with black double crested cormorants.

Their chicks had hatched some time ago and the greedy chicks clamored for their parent’s attention and feeding. I laughed as it reminded me of raising our children, there has always been a similar demand for food and money!

The middle layer was composed of the white nesting great egrets, showy in their breeding plumage with wedding veils of white graceful feathers.

Most of their chicks had also hatched, although some parents still rotated the large bright blue unhatched eggs.  The male and female still took pause for additional breeding behavior as the chicks temporarily left them alone during this “date night”. Occasionally the males would pause to display their wedding veils.

The bottom layer of trees was almost covered in the bright pink color of the rosette’s interspersed with a few patches of snowy egrets.

On the bare ground. frantic unsuccessful juvenile rosy’s fought over branches as they attempted to dominate a small area, fighting over every loose stick.

While all this was going on tri-colored herons flew past headed for their own nests on another island.

Alligators waited in the surrounding water hoping for a fallen chick or an oblivious spoonbill. The other birders told us that one large gator had caught and eaten a careless rosy!

Another told us of how an unattended nest had had the chicks attacked by a male egret, who threw the young birds to the ground and then claimed the nest for its own.

Walking along the levee we descended the steps and circled Smith’s Pond. While several large gators rested on the banks we didn’t see the usual birds, but it was a nice walk nonetheless. Nearing a footbridge, I never noticed the resting alligator until it splashed in to the pond. I really need to move with more awareness of my surroundings!

The day ended and we returned to our home, talking of the beauty we had seen, and the joy we experienced from visiting the High Island Birding center. The Houston Audubon Society is to be commended for its outstanding birding center! Clear skies