What a treat! Boy Scout Woods, Smith Oaks, The Rookery, and more…with birding expert Jon Dunn! Jon is a leading expert on the identification and distribution of North American birds. He co-authored the sixth and seventh editions of National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America. He was the Chief Consultant/Editor for the first five editions. He is the co-writer and host of the two-video set Large and Small Gulls of North America, as well as co-author (with Kimball Garrett) of Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution and the Peterson Field Guide to Warblers. Jon is a member of the Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of the American Ornithologists’ Society and has served some 30 years on the California Bird Records Committee. He has also been on the Board of Directors for Western Field Ornithologists for over a decade.
From under an ancient sea, a salt dome emerged. After a few thousand years the dome reached 38-feet above a pancake-flat coastal plain; the highest point-of-land on the immediate coast from Mobile Bay to the Yucatan Peninsula. This is High Island, which is now a wooded beacon amongst the coastal marshland providing food, water, and places to rest for weary Gulf migrants. The daily afternoon arrival of neotropic migrants often includes dozens of species, along with local and resident waterfowl, raptors, seabirds, shorebirds, and passerines. Weather fronts in April and May can easily produce over 100 species (including 30+ species of warblers) in a single day!
A community of Texas birders of the Houston Audubon Society (HAS) created two large sanctuaries in the area – Boy Scout Woods and Smith Oaks. In time, High Island’s beacon also pulled in birders from around the world for a few weeks each year. One of High Island’s best features is a man-made reservoir: Clay Bottom Pond. Colonial waterbirds- who prefer islands for nesting to deter mammalian predators- found the U-shaped Island in the middle the pond perfect for a rookery. Nine species of heron, egret, spoonbill, ibis, cormorant, and Anhinga nest within inches of each other, offering birders a close view of the annual dramedy of waterbird nesting activity including vibrant breeding plumage, mating hustle and nestlings.
Several observation platforms are located alongside the rookery to facilitate viewing the annual dramedy of waterbird nesting activity including vibrant breeding plumage, mating hustle and nestlings. In addition, a new canopy walkway was recently opened. This allows eye level views of bird activity amongst the many stately oaks withing the sanctuary. Read more about High Island on the Houston Audubon website.
Expect the annual arrival of dozens of neotropic migrants along with local and resident waterfowl, raptors, seabirds, shorebirds, and passerines. April weather fronts can produce 30 or more species of songbirds in a single day!
Bring: water, lunch, sunscreen, insect repellant
