We now have a new sign for Purkey's Pond at Boy Scout Woods. The old sign was falling apart. It looked like an alligator had chomped on it, and after 3 hurricanes and 30+ years of weathering, it was ready to be retired. The new sign was made for us by volunteer Ray Dillahunty and should last many years too. It is great to have volunteers who use their specific talents to meet the needs of our organization -- thanks, Ray!

On May 9 Bryan Tarbox found a BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO* (TX Review Species) at Houston Audubon's Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary at High Island. It was seen in the back (NE) section of the sanctuary at 6:30pm. (Photo by Bryan Tarbox)

Check eBird for the full list. The High Island and Bolivar sanctuaries are eBird hotspots.

Reported birds: Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Swainson's Hawk, Purple Gallinule, Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Forster's Tern, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Swainson's Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Canada Warbler, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole, and Baltimore Oriole.

Bird numbers are steadily climbing at the Smith Oaks Rookery. Houston Audubon sanctuary steward Gordon Ross counted adults and nests on May 4. There are lots of Great Egret chicks now and there should be cormorant chicks also. On May 4 the numbers were: Neotropical Cormorants -- 328 adults & 131 nests; Great Egrets –- 210 adults & 158 nests; Snowy Egrets –- 161 adults & 54 nests; Tricolored Heron –- 14 adults & 6 nests; Cattle Egrets –- 33 adults & 6 nests; Roseate Spoonbills – 210 adults & 81 nests.

Each year Houston Audubon protects a Least Tern colony on Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary on the Bolivar Peninsula. The colony is protected by erecting signs and cordoning off the nesting area to prevent visitors from disturbing the nesting birds. Last week the first nesting pairs of Least Terns were found which means we need help posting the area.

If you are interested in volunteering at Bolivar Flats next Saturday, May 12, at 9:00 AM please email Gordon Ross, Coastal Sanctuaries Steward, at john.gordon.ross@gmail.com. The work will include constructing signs, digging post holes, stretching string and placing ribbons on the string. Gordon is responsible for the monitoring and protection of the Least Tern colony and a Black Skimmer colony at the Texas City Dike. His position is funded through a grant from the American Bird Conservancy which supports beach nesting bird stewardship.

Please join Gordon in protecting these colonies and pass the word along to others.

There was only a fair showing of migrants at High Island on May 4. Fewer birds then the day before. Who knows why? The drips in Smith Oaks and Boy Scout Woods were the easy places to bird but those intrepid birders who looked through the woods were not disappointed. Black-throated Blues and Cape Mays are hanging around along with the Bay-breasts and Blackpolls. There were probably between 15 and 18 species of warblers seen. The noon shorebird trip went to Pear Orchard Road where 1000+ White-rumped Sandpipers were being harassed by a Peregrine. The High Island spring season is winding down. The final Tropical Birding/Houston Audubon bird walks will be onMay 6. Just remember migration is still in full swing at least until mid May and the High Island sanctuaries are open year round.

Find more High Island sighting information on Winnie Burkett's facebook page.

April 9: Birding was fine on High Island over the weekend. A good variety of warblers were found at least 20 species. Swainson's at the Boy Scout Woods drip was a surprise. Ceruleans were found in Smith Oaks and in Hook's. Orioles, Tanagers and grosbeaks have come in and it is a good thing because there are lots of ripe mulberries. Nesting activity is picking up in the Rookery. Sunday count was Neotropic Cormorant -- 485 adults (201 nests), Great Egret -- 269 adults (148 nests), Snowy Egret -- 46 adults (only 1 nest so far), Spoonbill -- 207 adults (7 nests). Tricolored Herons have arrived -- 9 adults were looking around to see what nest sites were still available. Shorebirds are everywhere. Mowed fields in Crystal Beach hosted Upland Sandpipers and Golden Plovers. Bolivar Flats and Rollover Pass have variety and numbers. It is a great time of year to be on the coast. .-- Winnie Burkett

April 2: Heavy rain this morning slowed down some migrants and mixed species foraging flocks were found through out the day in Smith Oaks.-- Winnie Burkett

April 1: About 12 different warbler species. At the Rookery I counted birds & nests: Neotropic Cormorants: 327 (198 nests); Great Egret adults: 189 (142 nests); Roseate Spoonbills: 170 (1 nest); Snowy Egrets: 6 (0 nests).
-- Winnie Burkett

March 26: The Smith Oaks Levee Trail reopens on March 27.
-- Marc Reid

March 23: Golden Plovers, Marbled Godwits and Dowitchers were in Port Bolivar's wet fields yesterday. A Peregrine Falcon was sitting on the Port Bolivar Coast Guard tower watching the thousands of shorebirds that were feeding there. A pair of Great-horned Owls in Boy Scout Woods serenaded us all night. They should have a nest now shouldn't they? There is still a nice assortment of early warblers and vireos in Boy Scout Woods this morning, but numbers have declined with the favorable winds.
-- Winnie Burkett

March 21: Volunteers reported nice numbers of early warblers and vireos at High Island.
-- Winnie Burkett

March 19: White Ibis are on the move. I have seen several flocks the last couple of days. I have been surprised that I haven't seen more herons and egrets moving. With all the wind they are probably making great time. There are still flocks of ducks off shore and lots of shorebirds at Bolivar Flats. High tides had birds on the beach last night -- I could only find one Piping Plover and one Knot. Wilson's Plovers are returning; 7 were along the beach. Nice numbers of sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones were working the sargassum which seems to be early. A peregrine is still working the shorebirds. Not too many migrating passerines on the Bolivar Peninsula. Yellow-rumped Warblers are on the move and Harris Sparrows were with White-crowned and White-throated in a yard in Port Bolivar on Saturday. There are a lot of flowers at High Island but no hummingbirds -- they are probably in Kansas already.
--Winnie Burkett

March 17 Smith Oaks Levee Trail Update: Some birds seem to be moving to the front of the island, but the trail will remain closed until significant nesting activity begins.
--Marc Reid

March 11: Over the weekend, Northern Parulas and Yellow-throated Warblers joined the Yellow-rumped Warblers at High Island. High tides and high winds have shorebirds in fields and high spots in the marsh. No place to feed makes unnecessary disturbance dangerous to the birds. Bonaparte's Gulls were all over. A Swallow-tailed Kite was over Rettilon Rd midday.
--Winnie Burkett

March 10: Smith Oaks Levee Trail Update: The birds in the Smith Oaks Rookery are easily disturbed by people on the levee trail, so the portion of the trail close to the island has been closed in order to give the birds an opportunity to get "comfortable." This usually happens when they start to build nests. The rookery can be observed from the #1 observation platform or the far end of the pond. The birds thank you for your cooperation.
--Marc Reid

March 8: At High Island on Thursday, March 8 there were 265 spoonbills, 58 Black-crowned Night-Herons, 17 Little Blue Herons, 30 Snowy Egrets, 18 Great Egrets, 175 Neotropical Cormorants and 15 alligators. Birds were nervous and stayed as far away from the trail as possible.
--Winnie Burkett

Hard working volunteers planted 61 trees and shrubs in Houston Audubon's Dos Vacas Bird Sanctuary on Galveston Island. What a difference they make. The birds will be happy to find some habitat there. Thanks to the volunteers and Alice Anne O'Donell who planned the event.

Saturday, February 4th, the Apache Foundation provided 2000 trees for Houston Audubon to distribute to Bolivar Peninsula residents. This was the third year the Apache Foundation funded the event offering Bolivar residents an opportunity to replant the hurricane devastated peninsula at no cost. Tree recipients were delighted to receive the trees and have an opportunity to replant their land and restore wildlife habitat. Thank you Apache Foundation and Houston Audubon volunteers who made the event so successful!

Restoration efforts are underway in our Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary on West Galveston Island. Past storms and recent drought conditions have caused most of the live oak canopy to die. As a result we are removing dead trees that pose a safety risk to visitors. Currently, we are developing a plan on how to restore this important site. A contractor has been hired to begin cleaning up the hurricane debris on the bayvside of the property. Please stay tuned to our website for more information regarding funding opportunities and upcoming volunteer work days at Dos Vacas.