Southeast
Texas Tour
Nov
8-12, 2003
- narrated
by Henry Detwiler
Suzanne, Adriana, Gaby, and I spent several days visiting forests,
beaches, and parks on a short vacation in southeast Texas.
119
species total
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
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Suzanne, Adriana, & Gaby
Gulf Coast Fritillary
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We started on a cool, misty Saturday afternoon and battled the traffic north of Houston. W.G. Jones State Forest was pretty quiet, and we added only a few species to Suzanne's list: Eastern Phoebe, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Pine Warbler, and
Northern Cardinal. At Sam Houston National Forest we encountered a few more birds,
the best being a flying Red-cockaded Woodpecker, giving it's raspy peeck call--it was the only one we would find.
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On Sunday morning we drove back to Sam Houston N.F. and spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker
and a singing Cardinal. At W.G. Jones forest we found House Wrens, Cardinals, and a mixed flock of Brown-headed Nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
and a calling Pileated Woodpecker were nice finds.
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Around 10:30am we drove to Herman Park in Houston, where we rode a paddle
boat & a mini-train, and visited the Children's Museum. Birds in the park included
Redhead, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Laughing Gull, and Blue Jay. Later in the afternoon we headed south towards Galveston, stopping along the way at Kemah to get our first combined lifer of the trip, a Monk Parakeet. These imported parakeets were quite raucous--we saw them close to their large communal stick nests that they constructed in the high-tension transmission towers. |
Long-billed Curlews
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Piping Plover on the Gulf
Coast
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We did a little birding on the east side of Galveston Island as the sun was setting, adding Piping Plover & other shorebirds while the girls played in the surf.
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On Monday morning we explored east Galveston Island, and added many fine waders: Tri-colored, Yellow-crowned, & Little Blue Herons; Reddish Egret; Roseate Spoonbill; and both White & White-faced Ibis.
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Little Blue Heron
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Tricolored Heron
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Royal Terns
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| In the early afternoon we took the ferry to Bolivar peninsula (a Houston Audubon Society shorebird sanctuary), where we picnicked & played in the water, and chased birds! The tide was fairly low, so we added Black Skimmers and more shorebirds, and another first for both of us: Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Suzanne and I saw quite a few of these handsome sparrows as they flew about and perched in the marsh grasses. |
Black Skimmers, Brown
Pelicans, Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, & Snowy Egret!
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American alligators at Anahuac NWR
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Later, we drove on to that famous spring birding mecca, High Island, where we walked around in total peace & quiet (aside from the buzzing of mosquitoes). We quickly tired of the silence (OK, one Blue Jay called from the distance), and drove on to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge as the sun was
going down. Here the birds were vocal & plentiful! We spotted an American Bittern in a ditch, and heard King Rails in a couple of spots. We also found our first alligator for the trip. Our motel that night was in Winnie, twenty miles to the north.
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Tuesday morning we went back to Anahuac, and weren't disappointed. We picked up Sedge Wren and Swamp Sparrow, and my final lifer of the trip, a Seaside Sparrow--we both saw a pair of them. No luck with the Yellow Rails, but we again heard King & Virginia Rails. And we saw seven more alligators, including one magnificent specimen that walked over the levee road in front of our car, just about spanning it!
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Sedge Wren
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Boat-tailed Grackle & cat(fish)
Royal Terns
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During the afternoon we drove over to Taylor Bayou and scored on an Anhinga for Suzanne, and then southeast to Sabine Woods & Sea Rim State Park.
Here we got some excellent looks at White-tailed Kites and Boat-tailed Grackles,
along with more fine looks at shorebirds, waders, terns and our
first Herring Gulls. The girls enjoyed playing in the surf for one last time.
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American Oystercatchers
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A large flock of Laughing Gulls with a few Royal Terns
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On Wednesday morning we visited Duessen Park on the way to the airport, and saw a nice selection of woodland birds including a beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk, Downy & Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Eastern Bluebirds, many Carolina Chickadees, and a Pine Warbler.
Roseate Spoonbills
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