Galveston’s West End has drawn birders from all over the world for nearly 100 years. In addition to estuarial saltwater marsh, it contains freshwater ponds, pockets of scrubland, mudflats, and sandy beach habitat. This combination attracts a wide variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, and more.
We will begin the trip by viewing tidal pools on the Gulf of Mexico side and work our way to the estuaries on the edge of West Bay, stopping at freshwater ponds along the way. This area is sure to be highly productive with a lot of water bird activity and the potential of migrant songbirds, so we will take our time on this portion of the trip. Highlights here include the potential of American Oystercatcher, Clapper Rail, Common Loon, Reddish Egret, and Northern Crested Caracara.
Our journey westward continues with a stop at the Oppenheimer Bird Observatory, which provides access to coastal prairie habitat via a short boardwalk and hiking trail, as well as an elevated deck overlooking a small freshwater pond. We will look for resident White-tailed Kite and lingering Northern Harrier and may discover an early Purple Gallinule. We should also see a nice variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, sparrows, and songbirds. This stop will also provide a portable restroom break.
We will continue birding as we head towards the end of the Island, checking for Long-billed Curlew in grassland habitat, watching for raptors over the coastal prairie, and scanning for waterfowl in the freshwater ponds. Our final stop will be at San Luis Pass, where critical sandy beach habitat attracts thousands of migrating shorebirds. Here we hope to see American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Black Skimmer, and a variety of plovers, sandpipers, gulls, and terns. This area may only be partially accessible due to rain levels, so we have selected spots in the area to capture the best views.
Bring: water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray
