High Island Madness!

What a week! 

Sorry for being so MIA - a five day trip turned quickly into a nine day trip and I became an exhausted slave to birding! 

April 11

I arrived to High Island, Texas. I'd be working for Swarovski Optik the next four days - showing binoculars and spotting scopes on the overlook to the rookery, and roving the trails with extra binoculars and pointing out birds to people. A quick stroll around Smith Oaks provided new for the year Blue-winged Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Eastern Kingbird, and Western Kingbird. 

Birding at High Island with the new NL Pures in tow! 

April 12

There were lots of birds when I  woke! Another run through Smith Oaks Sanctuary and I came up with Magnolia Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, and Warbling Vireo. I  headed up to a rice field being flooded towards the direction of Winnie, Texas, where hundreds of Buff-breasted Sandpipers had been reported the previous day. I was only able to pick out two distant ones, but I'll take it! I'll try later in the week for better looks down towards Bolivar Flats. The turnover rate at these sites is remarkable - it seems sometimes every bird is replaced with a new bird, and many times of varying species. It's really neat to note the day-to-day changes. 

What I wasn't prepared for was for the birds to pile up over the coming days! Day by day, more birds migrated through, but by Friday, there were complete fallout conditions. The south winds from the evening changed to north winds overnight, forcing the birds migrating over the ocean to continue to fly against a headwind or drown in the ocean.  Several days of winds from the north kept birds grounded, and there must have been a south wind in Central America, because new birds continued to show up over the next few days, adding to the ones already present! By Friday, I had changed my birding technique from finding a bird naked eye and lifting my binoculars, to simply scanning the trees full of birds. There was rarely a time when a bird was not in view. 

April 13

I lucked upon a very secretive Black-billed Cuckoo, eye level at Smith Oaks; an Acadian Flycatcher was not so discreet, calling near the entrance as I arrived to Boy Scout Woods. Later, back at Smith Oaks, a Golden-winged Warbler was in a mixed flock right near the parking lot. The birding was really starting to get amazingly good! 

Black-billed Cuckoo

Golden-winged Warbler 

April 14

A Blackburnian Warbler was the find for the day. Just a few had been reported the day before. I  was feeling good about my pace in finding new birds - keeping steady with finding new birds as they were arriving, without the fear of missing anything that might have already moved through. 

Blackburnian Warbler 

April 15

A few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were near Grackle Pond at Smith Oaks. A Swainson's Warbler was in a quiet corner at Hook's Woods, and a man named Dave, whom I had met the day before alerted to an early American Redstart nearby as well. A bit later, a Field Guides birding tour group was birding down the road for me. I   wasn't paying much attention, but one of the guides shined their laser pointed on the ground in front of me to get my attention (a genius move if I do say so!) and leader John got me into a Gray-cheeked Thrush across the street from Hook's Woods. I had just spent the majority of the last hour in approximately the same location, noticing Swainson's and Wood Thrushes dropping in from the sky around 2:30 pm. It was an incredible thing to witness; the birds exhaustedly feeding after flying all night and most of the next day, and finally making it to shore. 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

American Redstart 

Gray-cheeked Thrush 

April 16

Checking out some flooded fields in the direction of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge I  found a few Wilson's Phalaropes and one lone Hudsonian Godwit. Back at Smith Oaks, I found one of the very first returning Chestnut-sided Warblers of the year. The later batch of migrants has officially begun! 

Male Wilson’s Phalarope 

Hudsonian Godwit 

April 17

FALLOUT! I had started running out of birds to find, and was waiting for new birds to arrive - and arrive they did! The incredible quantity of birds around caused me to switch from the standard birding tactic - finding a bird naked eye and putting it in the bins - to simply scanning through the trees, identifying and enjoying whatever bird happened into view. It was an emotional day and one in which only a few Cape May days in my 3 year stint there, rivals. 

A Blackpoll Warbler was a new find for the day at Smith Oaks Sanctuary, and later in the day my friend Ian alerted me to a Veery at the other end of the property. I headed straight on over and was able to refind the thrush. 

April 18

We conducted a Big Sit on the Smith Oaks canopy walk rookery overlook! A fantastic day, we broke 100 species by noon. Stay tuned for the final number after the competition is finished! 

I was supposed to be leaving for home in the afternoon, but my car wouldn't start! I'm incredibly thankful that of all the remote places my car battery could have died this year, it happened in a populated area where I was surrounded by people I knew who could help me. Since it was Sunday, none of the area auto parts stores were open. Dang, looks like I'll have to stay and enjoy fantastic birding for the rest of the day! I jumped in the car with some friends and a stop to Bolivar Flats included great views of a Baird's Sandpiper as well as a better look at Buff-breasted Sandpiper. 

Buff-breasted Sandpiper 

I gifted several Birdie alarms during my week here and had some really great conversations with women about safety in the outdoors. Watch for a post about those conversations in the near future! 

Year List: 539