Friday March 22

Up to enjoy beautiful sunrise. After breakfast we head out on a birding expedition to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and High Island. At Anahuac NWR we observed a plethora of birds including Crested Caracaras, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, White Ibis, Mockingbirds, and many more. Many of the birds are new to our life lists. There was a viewing of a baby bobcat but we did not see it. It’s an outstanding location for birding.

Next, we are on to High Island, a small town with tree groves that are great for seeing migrating birds. We are a bit ahead of the migration but we did observe a Prothentary Wabler. A beautiful wabler. Next we visit the High Island Rookery where we see Roseate Spoonbills, Neotropical Cormorants and Great Egrets. All we can say is WOW. The trail to the rookery makes the rookery so viewable. There are four observation towers are within 100 to 200 feet of the nests. From the observation towers it was possible to see eggs with the naked eye.

One additional thing about High Island. If you have seen the birding movie, The Big Year, one of the early scenes where the birders are witnessing a “fallout” is at High Island. A “fallout” is where migrating birds coming north over the Gulf of Mexico get caught in a storm and are exhausted when they reach land. They come to the first trees and land to recover. If the weather is favorable with a assisting tail wind the birds will continue flying northward and may not stop at High Island.

Tomorrow we are off to the Galveston area for more birding.