TEXAS TRIP REPORT: PAGE 4
March 17 to April 2, 2006
Text and images copyright Heather Forcier, all rights reserved

High Island, Texas Gulf Coast
The last leg of my Texas trip was at High Island on the coast. This area near the Louisiana border was affected by last year’s storms, most evident at the bird rookery at Smith Oaks. While perhaps not good for the birds, the vegetation had been thinned out making photography of isolated birds and nests a bit easier. One of my priorities at High Island was to work with Roseate Spoonbills, which I did. I also saw and photographed Neotropic Cormorant for the first time. Other species included Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Snowy Egret. I also had the pleasure of meeting NatureScapes.Net member Steve Baranoff here.
I usually see Roseate Spoonbills in the distance and haven't had much luck photographing
them, but at the Smith Oaks rookery I caught this one as it took flight.

Although overall I spent less than two hours at Smith Oaks, the activity was incredible. In certain conditions during migration, the bushes at Smith Oaks can be filled with a variety of migrants. Last year I visited several weeks later and saw various buntings, tanagers, grossbeaks, and more.

My accommodations were at the Gulfway Motel at High Island, a family-owned establishment with warm hospitality. I highly recommend their restaurant for breakfast; if you do stop by, be sure to tell Millie and Becky that Heather says "hi." The biscuits and gravy are divine.

Bolivar Flats, Texas Gulf Coast
I photographed at Bolivar with my friends Kristi Graham and Wayne Nicholas, where we went "mud crawling" on the shoreline for birds. Upon our arrival I announced that my priority was American Avocets, and I was thrilled to see a group of five of these birds feeding near the shoreline. Imagine my surprise and delight when we found a much larger flock further down the shore.
Large group of American Avocets in flight at Bolivar Flats, Texas.

 

There were plenty of other shorebirds there as well. I tried to concentrate on species I was particularly interested in, which included Long-billed Curlew (at one point I had four in front of me at the same time), a Reddish Egret doing its feeding "dance," and a Ruddy Turnstone that boldly walked right up to me. There was a good variety of terns, including Least Tern, Sandwich Tern, and Caspian Tern.

This Ruddy Turnstone seemed to be begging to have its photograph taken - it walked up to me curiously, posing often in the nice morning light.

 
Anyone who has tried photographing the feeding behavior of Reddish Egrets knows how hard
it can be to capture a flattering shot - I have tried for years. I was quite pleased with this result.

 

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