|
This article is incomplete. This article is missing one or more sections. You can help the BirdForum Opus by expanding it. |
|
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 2013 - the kiosk at Boy Scout Woods will be manned from March 23 to early May, this Spring. See below in External Links for links to the Houston Audubon website for Spring Migration Events. 1
Birds
Notable Species
High Island is famous for the many warblers, tanagers, vireos and other passerines, which drop into the sanctuaries during spring migration. Occasionally there may be a spectacular fallout with the right weather conditions. Fall migration is also a good time for a variety of species.
Rarities
"to do"
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
"to do"
Viewing deck at Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas, April 2008 (before Hurricane Ike)
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
The Rookery in Clay Bottom Pond, Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas, April 2008 (before Hurricane Ike)
- 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.
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 (Kentucky Warbler for 2013). Proceeds from these entrance fees help support HAS's 3000+ acre sanctuary system.
- Free daily bird walks, 3 a day, from March 29th1
- ID Workshops ($10) need a sign-up, beginning March 30th1
- 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
Information board about why High Island is high. Click on image for a larger version.
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 2013 events
- Spring 2013 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
