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The grandstand overlooking Purkey's Pond, Boy Scout Woods, High Island, Texas, April 2009 (7 months after Hurricane Ike)
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 (photo right) and Smith Oaks. The area was impacted quite dramatically by 3 hurricanes in 4 years, most recently Hurricane Ike (Sept. 2008), but has recovered with the help of the Houston Audubon Society and many dedicated volunteers.
High Island is on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, site nos. UTC 51-55.
- Spring Migration 2012 - the kiosk at Boy Scout Woods will be manned from March 23 to May 6, this Spring. See below in External Links for links to the Houston Audubon website for Spring Migration Events. 1
Birds
Viewing deck at Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas, April 2008 (before Hurricane Ike)
The Rookery in Clay Bottom Pond, Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas, April 2008 (before Hurricane Ike)
Notable Species
"to do"
Rarities
"to do"
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
"to do"
Other Wildlife
"to do"
Site Information
History and Use
High Island is not an "island" as such, but got its 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 exhausted birds which have just flown the 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico, on their return from their wintering grounds in the Tropics.
Areas of Interest
- Boy Scout Woods, the headquarters for Spring Migration, consists of 60 acres of woods, coastal prairie and wetlands.
- Smith Oaks, the largest sanctuary, is 177 acres of field, woods, wetlands and ponds.
- The Rookery at Smith Oaks, a nesting and roosting site for colonial waterbirds on the island in Claybottom Pond.
- Eubank Woods, a 9.5-acre sanctuary of woods and wetlands.
- S.E. Gast Red Bay Sanctuary, 8.8 acres of woods and former pasture, which are being turned back into woods.
Information board about why High Island is high. Click on image for a larger version.
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 $7 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 (Tennessee Warbler for 2012). Proceeds from these entrance fees help support HAS's 3000+ acre sanctuary system.
- Free daily bird walks, 3 a day, from March 31st - May 6th, 2012 1
- Free Noon Birding talks, weekends in April (except for April 14-15) 1
- ID Workshops ($10) need a sign-up, weekends in April (except for April 14-15) and May 5-6 1
- Photo blind (hide) at Boy Scout Woods
- Viewing decks at Clay Bottom Pond
- No dogs or other domestic animals are allowed in the sanctuaries
- Also prohibited: the use of bird calls on tapes or mp3 players, and laser pointers
- No smoking except in the parking lots and on the porch of the Boy Scout Woods bathrooms
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.
Contact Details
Houston Audubon Society
440 Wilchester Blvd.
Houston, TX 77079
Tel: 713-932-1639
Email: [email protected]
External Links
- Spring 2012 events
- Spring 2012 Workshops, Walks and Talks courtesy of Tropical Birding guides
- Houston Audubon's High Island Sanctuaries
- High Island on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail
Content and images posted by HelenB
