High Island, April 4th, 2024

We begin our spring migration with a drive along the coast to a small town named High Island. It sits on a salt dome which formed an oil trap. The place besides the oil wells, is a birders paradise. The Houston Audubon Society has done an incredible job in maintaining the area and in constructing trails, blinds, benches, and platforms.

Arriving at the Boy Scout Woods we learned that only a few warblers were present. A black and white warbler had been spotted but we never saw it. Ever hopeful we walked the trails and watched the drips, but to no avail. I started to take pictures of flowers and a moth which speaks to the birding opportunities,,,

From there we decided to head to the Smiths Oaks and Rookery. Luckily the Rookery was full of nesting snowy egrets and roseate spoonbills. The platforms are so close to a small island that the yoi have an unfettered view of the birds behaviors. As you watch, the birds are fighting, repairing nests, posing and calling. It’s a constant din and I am always reminded that I am watching the descendants of dinosaurs.

The place takes me back to the Mesozoic and I imagined a large vocal herd of nesting dinosaurs. Instead of dinosaurs the egrets, rosettes, cormorants, and anhinguas are the star attractions. I concentrated on taking pictures of the bright pink and white rosettes and the displaying egrets. The egrets were nesting an several stood up to stretch and turn their eggs, The egrets eggs are a blue color similar to the blue color of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise.. We did spend several hours looking for a night hawk named a chuck-wills-widow but to no avail it’s a mix of brown and white feathers that gives it near perfect camouflage on the live oak trees.

After lunch we decided to drive to the Anahouc Wildlife Refuge. The word was the name given to Mexico by the Aztecs and the town nearby bills itself as the alligator capital of Texas. We did spot ten alligators, (we were told there were eighty-nine), in a small lake. Spotting a hwak like bird with pointed wings we realized it was a new bird for our life list. It was a Mississippi Kite. I could not stop the car and get a photo of the bird but it was unmistakable. We walked several of the boardwalks and drove most of the roads. It was a nice break abd way to end te day after the the High Island area. Clear skies