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High Island Adventure, Part 2

© Kris McNew

Bright and early the next morning, we gathered to begin our trek to High Island. All decked out in our finest feathers, we loaded into the caravan, and took off into the foggy morning. All along the route, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Great-tailed Grackles, Eastern Kingbirds, and assorted birds dotted the wires and fences. Cattle Egrets, all gussied up in their breeding finery, grazed with the cows. Wildflowers were very abundant, and painted the highway with a rainbow of colors. The woods and fields had that wonderful spring green about them.

Lake Livingston Dam, breaking through the fog, was a sight to behold. The four spillways were going strong, and the water below the dam was churning for quite a distance. Fishermen in their boats were rocked in the strong currents, but not the birds. White Pelican by the score and Double-crested Cormorants either bravely dived into the fray, or lounged on the rocky shore. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets came away from the water with fish after fish. A Bonaparte's Gull was a surprise sighting among the Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.

I think the biggest treat of all that morning was the pair of Barn Swallows lining their nest with white egret feathers. In spite of our presence, each was delivered to the observation platform with precision flying and only casual protests. With fresh breakfast burritos and succulent melon, the day had gotten off to a good start.

As we made our way to High Island, I'm sure that every car in the caravan was as alive with conservation, and observation, as our's was. The fog began to lift, and the clouds began to break up enough to let a little sunshine in. The rolling hills began to give way to more grassland, and eventually marsh. Loggerhead Shrikes, Eastern Kingbirds, and Red-winged Blackbirds were out in considerable numbers. After going over a large causeway/bridge, you see nothing but marsh for miles. In the distance, a clump of trees lies on the horizon. Our destination: High Island. We had arrived.

First stop, Boy Scout Woods. Run and maintained by the Houston Audubon Society, this place caters to birders. There is a small parking lot next to the entrance, an Inca Dove calling from the roof across the street, and lots of birds. For a $5 donation, you can spend the day there. Birders sit in the bleachers and watch as a steady parade of warblers, buntings, orioles, thrashers, vireos and so many others it made my head spin, enjoying the drippers set up in a small clearing. There is a nice little visitor's center, and good restrooms. We took a stroll down the plank walkways that run through the woods, where there is a blind where you can sit with your camera and snap pictures like the pros (of course I was more interested in looking). In the middle of the woods there is a large deck, lined with benches, called the Cathedral. The show there was just as good. Grosbeaks, warblers, vireos, orioles, tanagers......just keep passing through. One nice sighting was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

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