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Photo by HelenB
The Rookery in Clay Bottom Pond, Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas, April 2008

[edit] Overview

High Island is a small community on the Gulf Coast of SE Texas, which is famous as a migrant trap for birds returning to the USA in the Spring. There are 4 sanctuaries, owned and maintained by the Houston Audubon Society, the most well-known being Boy Scout Woods and Smith Oaks. The area has been impacted quite dramatically by 3 hurricanes in 4 years, most recently Hurricane Ike (Sept. 2008), but recovered sufficiently to be open as usual in Spring 2009.

High Island is on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, site nos. UTC 51-55.

[edit] Birds

Photo by HelenB
Viewing deck at Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas, April 2008

[edit] Notable Species

"to do"

[edit] Rarities

"to do"

[edit] Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

"to do"

Photo by HelenB
Information board about why High Island is high. Click on image for a larger version.

[edit] Other Wildlife

"to do"

[edit] Site Information

[edit] History and Use

High Island is not an "island" as such, but got it's name because the area rises 32 feet above the surrounding marshes, due to the salt dome below. Trees were able to grow in the improved soil on this hill, and so it became a very important first landfall for the birds which fly 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico on the Spring migration from their wintering grounds in the Tropics.

[edit] Areas of Interest

• Boy Scout Woods
• Smith Oaks
• The Rookery at Smith Oaks
• Eubank Woods
• S.E. Gast Red Bay Sanctuary

[edit] Access and Facilities

• Open daily from dawn to dusk, all year
• During Spring migration (mid-March to mid-May) there are volunteers on hand and there is an entrance fee of $5 per day, unless you want to buy a season pass for $25, in the form of the High Island patch, which is nice to keep as a souvenir, as a different bird is featured each year (Louisiana Waterthrush for 2009). Proceeds from these entrance fees help support HAS's 3000+ acre sanctuary system.
• Free daily bird walks from March 28 to May 3.
• Half day field trips (for info see Spring 2009 update in External Links below)
• Photo blind (hide) at Boy Scout Woods
• Viewing decks at Clay Bottom Pond

Directions
High Island is on the coast to the east of Galveston Bay. From Houston, take I-10 east, exit for Winnie and go south on Hwy. 124. Another way is to go through Galveston and cross to Bolivar on the free ferry, then follow Hwy. 87 along Bolivar Peninsula.

[edit] Contact Details

Houston Audubon Society
440 Wilchester Blvd.
Houston, TX 77079
Tel: 713-932-1639

Email: info@houstonaudubon.org

[edit] External Links

• Spring 2009 update from Houston Audubon
• Houston Audubon's High Island Sanctuaries
• High Island on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail

Content and images posted by HelenB