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 May 8, 2016

A Birder’s Paradise: High Island, TX

A visit to High Island is on every birder’s dream list. People flock to this tiny town from all over the world in the springtime to witness one of the great wonders of bird migration—the return of our feathered friends from their winter homes in Central and South America to their spring nesting grounds in North America. What makes High Island so unique is the location—it’s one of the first and highest landfalls that the birds encounter after their arduous flight across the Gulf of Mexico.

Even if you’re not a bird nerd, this is an enthralling place. We knew this was a great location to see colorful spring migrants, such as orioles, tanagers, and warblers. But we had no idea that High Island also shelters an enormous rookery for egrets and spoonbills. Any other views we’ve had of spoonbills or egrets in our travels were totally blown away by our close encounters with these magnificently beautiful creatures nesting on High Island.

The High Island Rookeries

We spent hours at the rookery—appropriately named Sanctuary Ponds—watching Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Roseate Spoonbills performing their elaborate courtship rituals, building nests, and raising their young. It is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Click on any gallery for a larger image

Sanctuary Ponds
Sanctuary Ponds
Birders and photographers
Birders and photographers
Nesting spoonbills and egrets
Nesting spoonbills and egrets

Great Egret Eggs Are A Pale Blue-Green Color
Just Hatched
Mama, Mama, Mama!

Beautiful Roseate Spoonbill
Courtship Display
Crossing Bills During Courtship Ritual
Nesting Roseate Spoonbills
Snowy Egrets
Snowy Egrets
Courtship display
Courtship display
Purple Gallinule
Purple Gallinule

Beyond The Rookery

When we weren’t in the rookery, we were walking the trails in Smith Oaks and Boy Scout Woods in search of colorful migrants. Any time in April is a good time to catch the migration on High Island, although there’s no guaranteed “best” time. The birds come and go with the winds and the storms, and there’s no telling what you’ll find on the trails. But April is also the best time to visit the rookery. There’s no question that you’ll see lots of egrets and spoonbills.

At Boy Scout Woods
Birdwatching In The Swamp
On The Boardwalk
An Unexpected Visitor On The Boardwalk
Summer Tanager
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Indigo Bunting
Baltimore Oriole
Baltimore Oriole

High Island is tiny, with a population of about 500. Stock up on groceries before you arrive, and don’t plan on eating out unless you’re up for a long drive. We were happy to ensconce ourselves at the conveniently located little RV Park, where we barely moved our truck for three days. All of the birding locations are within a mile or so of the park, and we spent our time biking and birding all day, every day.

We had a delightful time, except for a brief moment in Boy Scout Woods. I’d bought an adorable shortbread cookie decorated like a Blackburnian Warbler from the local Audubon Society folks. It was really cute, and I had plans to keep it (for what reason, I’m not certain). But when I turned around, I discovered that Eric had taken a big bite out of the cookie. Me: “I can’t believe you ate the bird! You bit the head right off!” Eric: “It was a cookie, what did you expect?” (In his defense, he wasn’t aware of my long-term plans for the cookie.)

Artistic bird cookie
Artistic bird cookie
Right before he bit the head off :-(
Right before he bit the head off :-(

About The RV Park:

High Island RV Park is a peaceful little park, with 20 paved sites offering full-hookups, showers, laundry, and good Wi-Fi, $30/night. Best of all, the park is within walking distance of Boy Scout Woods, and only a mile from Smith Oaks and Sanctuary Ponds. Reservations are taken six months in advance. If you want to go mid-March through mid-May, you probably need reservations because it fills up with—you guessed it—birders.

High Island RV Park
Tucked Into Our Site At High Island RV Park

Next Up: It’s Always A Good Time: Austin, TX

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Categories : Texas, Travel
Tags : Boy Scout Woods, Great Egrets courtship display, High Island, High Island RV Park, nesting Great Egrets, nesting Roseate Spoonbills, Sanctuary Ponds, Smith Oaks
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Comments

  1. Pam Wright says:
    May 8, 2016 at 3:35 pm

    Haha!! I am still laughing:) I can just imagine your expression as you turned around and found Eric had eaten the head off the beautiful bird…too funny!! They were too pretty to eat (maybe not for some).

    While not a birder, I love the large birds and very colorful smaller birds. All of these were gorgeous. You captured some great poses. Of course, the Roseate Spoonbill is my favorite:)

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 6:14 pm

      I was mad at him for a few minutes, Pam. :-) I should have known that once he had hold of that cookie, it wasn’t long for this world. Glad you enjoyed the photos of the birds — they are truly spectacular!

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  2. Jodee says:
    May 8, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    I knew when I saw the title I was in for a real treat – and indeed what amazing pics!! The egrets and spoonbills are beyond beautiful. The blue bird in the bottlebrush is stunning, and probably my favorite. Eric looks like such a nice guy. You’d not think he was a cookie killer in these photos :-)

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 6:15 pm

      Jodee, I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos! This is a place that you guys would enjoy — put it on your list for your trip east. Haha, yeah, Eric is still a nice guy — he just can’t be trusted around cookies.

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  3. Sheila says:
    May 8, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    I love the baby egret Mohawk hairdos, and the kissing Spoonbills. Maybe that’s what Eric was trying to do with the cookie,a Spoonbill courtship ritual, gone awry.

    The bird photos are fabulous, and it was interesting to see what a Mulberry looks like. Did you dance around it and sing, “Here we go ’round the Mulberry Bush…?”

    Thanks for keeping us all on track with you.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 6:18 pm

      Aren’t those baby egrets adorable?? Like you said — mohawk hairdos. They remind me of something out of a Dr. Seuss book. I was thinking that given your artistic talent, maybe we can make and decorate some bird cookies this summer. So glad you’re traveling along with us, Sheila. :-)

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  4. Debbie says:
    May 8, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Now those are what you call a camera with serious birders attached. Love the babies and spooning spoonbills. It is crazy that the ladies back in the 1920s would use those birds as hat decor. So glad we are past that.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 6:23 pm

      Debbie, it seemed that just about everyone (except us) had cameras with huge lenses. But we didn’t have camera envy because we don’t want to tote that kind of equipment around. :-) You probably know that the egrets were almost hunted to extinction for the millinery trade — it was the formation of the Audubon Society that saved them.

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  5. Sue says:
    May 8, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    On My List!!!!! We’re heading east next spring (via I-10) and a stop at High Island will take the sting out of it! I assume that you didn’t encounter any spring breakers there?

    Thanks for showing this wonderful birding area.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 6:25 pm

      Oh yay, you’re going to absolutely love High Island, Sue! I hope you’ll be going in April. No spring breakers there — actually, we’ve not encountered spring breakers anywhere in our travels. Make your reservations early. :-)

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  6. Sherry says:
    May 8, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    That’s it, I’m just going to quit blogging after reading yet another perfect post from you. Your pictures are STUNNING! I love the hilarious story about the bird cookie. I can’t believe you saw all these birds and your pictures are so incredible. I think I just want to be you. Eating my heart out for sure over this post.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 6:27 pm

      Sherry, you are so funny!! But thank you, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed the post. We had such a great time hanging out with the birds and photographing them. You would love High Island. (I bet you couldn’t trust David with that cookie, either.:-))

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  7. Janet Larmore says:
    May 8, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    Married all these years and he STILL can’t read your mind? What’s up with that?? What a treat these photos are!!! Oh my goodness – so amazing. I love them all, though #12 (Feed Me) with the baby egret on the far left with the crazy look in his eye is quite a shot! The courtship photos are wonderful – and so cool to be able to see all that pink underneath those spoonbills. Wow, oh wow.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 8, 2016 at 8:46 pm

      Ha ha, you’re right — he SHOULD be able to read my mind by now! I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos, Janet. We had such a great time just hanging out with the birds and observing their behavior. Those baby egrets are definitely crazy looking! And they’re ruthless when it comes to competing for food.

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  8. LuAnn says:
    May 8, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    You two must have been in heaven with so many beautiful birds to photograph. And the images you captured are nothing short of spectacular. I had never heard of this sanctuary until reading your post and now it is on my list of must-sees. I had to laugh when you mentioned Eric eating your cookie. When I bring food into the house meant for a special recipe I have to immediately let Terry know or it will be gone.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 9, 2016 at 7:07 am

      LuAnn, we were in heaven! I’ve wanted to see courting and nesting egrets and spoonbills forever — but I had no idea that the rookery was on High Island. You will love it, and you’ll have so much fun photographing the birds! Terry and Eric are kindred spirits — that cookie was half gone before I had finished paying for it. :-(

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  9. Fred Wishnie says:
    May 8, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    Isn’t High Island a treat?

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 9, 2016 at 6:56 am

      It really is, Fred. Had I realized just how amazing that rookery is, we would have made it a point to go there years ago.

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  10. Beth says:
    May 9, 2016 at 3:50 am

    I love this post! Your photos are all amazing but the egret photos are my favorites. We drove close to High Island last March on our way from Louisiana to Galveston. If I had known about the birding there we would have stopped for a few days.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 9, 2016 at 7:01 am

      Thanks, Beth! Knowing how much you enjoy birds, you would love High Island. We were there mid-April and it was perfect timing for the rookery to see everything from courting behavior to fledglings.

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  11. Sue Malone says:
    May 9, 2016 at 6:36 am

    When we were visiting Judy at Anahuac, she told us about High Island. We were just a bit early for the big migration. I am so looking forward to seeing this place someday, and glad to know there is a place to camp. Thanks so much Laurel for the truly fabulous photos of my favorites.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 9, 2016 at 7:12 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos, Sue. High Island is well worth a visit, and the RV Park is in a perfect location. This is another good incentive to head east again one of these days, on your way to kayaking in Louisiana and Florida. :-)

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  12. Metamorphosis Lisa says:
    May 9, 2016 at 6:44 am

    WOW, now that is some fine birding! Wonderful photos, I can only imagine how much fun this was!

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 9, 2016 at 7:14 am

      It was a thrill for us, Lisa. And even better that we could walk and bike everywhere we wanted to go.

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  13. Jo Wishnie says:
    May 9, 2016 at 9:18 am

    One of the great birding highlights of our time on the road. I was thrilled to get to experience it. Got lots of lifers and even met Sandy Komito! Fred was in love with the rookery. So easy to take pictures. Glad you had the opportunity to go there. And the RV Park was so convenient.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 9, 2016 at 10:52 am

      Jo, I can understand how High Island would be one of your top birding experiences. So interesting that you met one of the most famous birders in the world on the trail! We found it a bit of a challenge to get good photos, simply because the birds are so close together in the rookery. But it was a fun challenge!

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  14. Jane says:
    May 10, 2016 at 5:11 am

    Great photos, my favourites are #9 & of course #13 who can resist chicks

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 10, 2016 at 6:26 pm

      Thanks, Jane. Those egret chicks are definitely appealing. We would love to return when the spoonbill chicks have hatched.

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  15. Diana says:
    May 11, 2016 at 2:57 am

    Wow oh wow oh wowie! Love the photos…crossed spoonbills, sibling rivalry of the chicks and the strut of egrets! Doesn’t get much better than that…even with a headless cookie! Love to you both!

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 12, 2016 at 5:51 pm

      The rookery was soooo entertaining, Diana. And I’ve almost recovered from the shock of Eric eating that adorable warbler cookie. :-) Love you, too — hope you’re still planning on Lopez this summer.

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  16. Beth and Perry says:
    May 11, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    Hello
    Will it still be as awesome and full of birds the third week of May ? We will be close at that time?

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 12, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      I would think that would be just about the time that the spoonbills should have chicks (which we would love to see sometime). Perhaps you could call Houston Audubon and ask them — they’re very helpful and knowledgeable. Take lots of photos if you go. :-)

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  17. MonaLiza says:
    May 13, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    OMG, I have to be here! When I see you I’ll get more personalized tips.
    Great captures, all are my favorites including the photos of the photographers.

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 13, 2016 at 10:10 pm

      ML, you definitely have to visit High Island. You will absolutely love it! It would be so much fun to bird here with you if we can get you to come east again. :-)

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  18. Bettina Arrigoni says:
    May 15, 2016 at 11:19 am

    Fabulous photos! You really captured special photos of the parents & their young. Sounds like you 2 were really able to slow down and enjoy:-)

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 15, 2016 at 6:30 pm

      So glad you liked the photos, Bettina. As you know, High Island is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the birds. :-)

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  19. Diana Sull says:
    May 17, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    Beautiful pictures! We missed you at Magee Marsh, Ohio for the migration. Next year!
    High Island is on our list for sure.
    Diana

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    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 18, 2016 at 2:17 pm

      We were wishing you guys were with us — you would have loved it! And yes, next year we’re coming with you to Magee Marsh!

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  20. Nancy says:
    August 15, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    What amazing captures of such beautiful birds! The spoonbills are my favorite! I have never seen one in person so I enjoy seeing yours here!
    I found you from Ingrid’s Wandering Wednesday

    ~Nancy

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