Grand Texas Coast & Big Thicket: Birds, Butterflies & Dragonflies
April 21-29, 2012
The Upper Texas Coast has long been recognized as one of the best places to be during spring migration. Each year, twenty-five or more species of warblers pass through the area's coastal woodlands, as well as many species of vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, and other passerines. Although the presence of songbirds is strongly weather related, other birds are numerous and more predictable. Thirty-six species of shorebirds including seven plovers, seven kinds of terns, most of the country's herons and egrets, pelicans, Black Skimmers, and several species of gulls may be found on the region's rice fields, beaches, and mudflats.
During the first part of the tour, we investigate forested areas of the Big Thicket northeast of Houston. There, we will look for southeastern specialties such as Red cockaded Woodpeckers, Bachman's Sparrows, Fish Crows, and Brown-headed Nuthatches.
Several nesting warblers should be on territory, including Prothonotary, Hooded, Kentucky, Pine, and, hopefully, Swainson's. The Big Thicket area is also known for its diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (about 100 species) and butterflies (seven species of swallowtails may be encountered in a single spot!) and we won't ignore these insects as they appear. For the balance of the time, we will alternate between the coastal woodlands at High Island, other nearby migrant hotspots such as Sabine Pass, and the surrounding rice fields, beaches, and wetlands around Galveston Bay.
Each day's schedule will be somewhat weather-dependent: North winds, rain or cold fronts put down migrating birds and we will search for them in woodlands behind the Gulf's shores. If rice fields are being flooded, we stand a good chance of seeing freshwater shorebirds such as American Golden-Plovers, Stilts, Semipalmated, and Buff-breasted sandpipers, Hudsonian Godwits, as well as Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, and both White-faced and Glossy Ibises. Along the coast, we'll look for Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egrets, American Oystercatchers, and the endangered Piping Plovers. In the process, we'll have a chance to study a variety of shorebirds, terns, and other waterbirds.
This tour will be led by Bob Behrstock, who lived on the Upper Texas Coast for 22 years. He has co-authored Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast, and Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail: Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast, as well as a number of scientific notes and newspaper articles concerning the area's butterflies and dragonflies. See Bob's website at: www.naturewideimages.com
ITINERARY
Sat., April 21 Arrivals in Houston
After gathering at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) by 2 PM, we head to our lodging. We'll enjoy our welcome dinner and get a preview of our days ahead from Bob. As time permits we'll check a few bird areas near our hotel, which is located close to W. Goodrich Jones State Forest north of the airport.
Accommodations at Best Western the Woodlands (D)
Sun., April 22 W. Goodrich Jones State Forest / Big Creek Scenic Area
After an early breakfast, we'll depart for W. Goodrich Jones State Forest-about 50 minutes north of the airport. The forest hosts several clusters of Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, as well as 
Red-headed, and Pileated woodpeckers, Pine Warblers, and other species characteristic of the region's pine forests. Driving east, we'll stop at the Big Creek Scenic Area. Occasionally, Louisiana Waterthrushes can be found near the parking area, as well as Gray Petaltails-one of the Southeast's special dragonflies. This area can be productive for butterflies and a sunny morning may yield a variety of swallowtails. Continuing eastward, we'll check the boat ramp at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park for Prothonotary and Yellow-throated warblers, Yellow-throated Vireos, and other woodland species such as Eastern Wood Pewees, and Great Crested Flycatchers. A short drive further east takes us to Jasper, our home for the next two nights.
Accommodations at the Best Western, Jasper (B,L,D)
Mon., April 23 Piney Woods / Angeles National Forest
After breakfast, we'll investigate several sites in the Angeles National Forest including the vicinity of Bouton Lake. Bachman's Sparrows have become very local in East Texas but this area supports several territories. Brown-headed Nuthatches, Wild Turkeys, Indigo and Painted buntings, and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers may be seen along the roadsides. Lunch will be at a local café. During the afternoon, we'll work our way back to Jasper-perhaps by way of the fish hatchery outside town.
Accommodations at the Best Western, Jasper (B,L)
Tues., April 24 Big Thicket National Preserve / Winnie
Today, we'll bird our way from Jasper to the town of Winnie. En route, we'll visit several sites in the Big Thicket National Preserve where we'll look for Swainson's, Kentucky, Hooded, and Prairie warblers, and more widespread species such as Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadees. Butterflies in the area include Palamedes and Zebra swallowtails, Southern and the scarce Creole pearly-eyes, and several interesting skippers such as Lace-winged Roadside-Skippers and Hayhurst's Scallopwings. Dragonflies can be numerous. If we haven't yet encountered Fish Crows (decidedly local in East Texas), we'll look for it as we pass through Beaumont. We should arrive in Winnie with a little time to relax before dinner.
Accommodations at the Days Inn & Suites, Winnie (B,L,D)
Wed., April 25 High Island / Boy Scout Woods / Smith Oaks / Rollover Pass
We don't have to travel far today to explore some excellent preserves managed by the Houston Audubon Society. These woodland oases or "coastal mottes" as they are called, provide refuge for thousands of Neotropical migrant songbirds. Having just crossed the Gulf of Mexico, a 600-mile non-stop journey, tired birds often pause in these woodlands for food and shelter.
Boardwalk trails allow for amazing and consistently close viewing without undue disturbance to the birds. Walking the trails, we'll search for warblers, tanagers, vireos, buntings and more. Warblers passing through the woodlands include Blue-winged, Blackburnian, Kentucky, Hooded, and the now rare Cerulean. The mix of vireos presents a greater challenge; it's a great time to practice identification skills to locate White-eyed, Red-eyed, Warbling, Philadelphia, and Yellow-throated. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Scarlet Tanagers are attracted to fruiting mulberry trees.
After an afternoon break, we drive down the peninsula, checking several areas for terns, gulls and wading birds. From Rollover Pass we hope to see Gull-billed, Royal, Sandwich, Forster's, and possibly Least terns, as well as the closely related Black Skimmers. This is also a great hangout for loafing American Avocets, often joined by Marbled Godwits. Or, if weather is right for migrants, we leave this for another day and continue to explore the wooded migrant hotspots.
Accommodations at the Days Inn & Suites, Winnie (B,L)
Thurs., April 26 Bolivar Flats Shorebird Preserve / High Island - Smith
Oaks
We devote part of one day to Bolivar Flats, one of the country's most important way stations formigrant shorebirds. Recent hurricanes have reshaped the beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula and we will probably cross over to Galveston Island (via a short ferry ride) for a better look at the flats. The incoming tide directs the birdstowards us and makes for better viewing, so we'll study the tide chart to plan our day. Habitats at Bolivar and 
around East Beach on Galveston island include beach, mudflats, and salt marsh, all of which provide a nutrient-rich smorgasbord for shorebirds. This is one of the best places to slow down and really study these far- ranging migrants.
Using high-powered spotting scopes, we'll carefully scan the flocks for Marbled Godwits, Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, Western Sandpipers, Dunlins, and both Long-billed and Short-billed dowitchers. Here we're likely to be able to compare similar species such as Semipalmated, Piping (a wintering species), and Snowy plovers, often in groups with the larger Wilson's Plovers. American Oystercatchers may be present here, feeding among the smaller shorebirds, and Brown Pelicans often fly in long lines above. There will be hundreds of Laughing Gulls; with patience we may find Herring Gull or a rarity such as Lesser Black-backed, Franklin's, or California Gulls. Ospreys may be flying through, and we'll also watch overhead for Black and Turkey Vultures. If a Peregrine Falcon should come by, we'll get some spectacular flight displays!
In the afternoon, we'll return to our lodgings for a little siesta before heading out to the rookery portion of Smith Oaks. A viewing platform there affords outstanding views of colonial wading birds. At sunset, enjoy the spectacle of Snowy and Cattle Egrets coming to roost, joined by Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Neotropical Cormorants, and Little Blue and Tricolored Herons.
Accommodations at the Days Inn & Suites, Winnie (B,L)
Fri., April 27 Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
We leave early this morning for the 34,000-acre Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, located on the eastern end of Galveston Bay. En route we inspect groups of feeding shorebirds in the agricultural fields, looking for such species as American Golden-Plovers, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs and Stilt sandpipers. We'll circumnavigate Shoveler Pond on the auto route, stopping many times to get out with the scopes and view the abundant wading birds.
Some 280 species have been recorded here, attracted to prairies, patchy woodland habitat, and the marshes. Seaside Sparrows are fairly common in grasses near the bay edge. Roseate Spoonbills always attract a lot of attention; here they feed alongside White, and sometimes White-faced Ibises. Marsh Wrens provide a background chorus, broken by the raucous calls of Boat-tailed Grackles. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and both Least and American Bitterns often put on a good display; Least Bitterns nest here and may be numerous.
American Alligators are particularly plentiful in the extensive ponds and wet prairies, while Northern Harriers hunt from above. While we are here, butterfly enthusiasts will want to look for Salt Marsh Skippers. For those new to butterfly watching, the garden at refuge headquarters will make learning and comparing species much easier! Mammals we may encounter include Coyotes, Raccoons, Minks, Muskrats, and Swamp Rabbits. On short trails near headquarters we can stretch our legs and scan for songbirds before our drive back to High Island. Enjoy a free evening tonight with a choice of restaurants. Birding die-hards may want to check out what has turned up at nearby Boy Scout Woods.
Accommodations at the Days Inn & Suites, Winnie (B,L)
Sat., April 28 High Island / Bolivar Flats / Bolivar Ferry to Galveston Island
Today we are ideally positioned to make the most of where birds are plentiful, and to search for species we may have not yet encountered. We head first to Boy Scout Woods at High Island to check for warblers and other migrant songbirds and from there craft our plans. This and other Important Bird Areas all hold potential. Toward afternoon we head down the coast, visiting ponds and shorelines and then crossing by Ferry on to Galveston. Our final night is a real treat, with dinner and lodgings at a grand, historic hotel.
Accommodations at the Hotel Galvez, an historic Wyndham Hotel, Galveston (B,L,D)
Sun., April 29 Final Birding & Departures
We keep our binoculars handy as we travel back to Houston, and may check a few Galveston spots early, but in general its time to head for the airport. We plan to arrive at the airport by NOON, for flights out after 1:00PM, so please plan your return travel accordingly.
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PLAN AHEAD!
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COST OF THE JOURNEY
Cost of the main journey is $1995.00 per person, based on double occupancy, from Houston, TX (IAH). This cost includes: accommodations for 8 nights, most meals as specified in the itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner), airport welcome and transfer or hotel shuttle, land transportation during the journey, professional guide services, park and other entrance fees, and miscellaneous program expenses. Single supplement is $395.00.
Cost does not include: round-trip airfare to and from Houston, items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone, drinks from the bar, gratuities for luggage handling or personal services. With fewer than 6 participants, a small-group surcharge (typically $100-200 per participant) may apply, or we may request that you pick up the cost of a few additional dinners in lieu of this surcharge.
Group Size: This is a birding and wildlife trip, maximum of 8 and minimum of 4 participants.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
A good number of airlines service Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) including American, Delta, United and Continental. Plan to arrive Houston no later than 2:00 p.m. on April 21, and plan to depart after 1:00PM on April 29. If you arrive early or stay on after the trip in Houston, there are dozens of motels close to the airport; The Hampton Inn Suites and the Clarion Inn are just two with reasonable rates and free airport shuttle.
Naturalist Journeys, LLC is an equal opportunity service provider and committed to the goal of ensuring equal opportunity for all in employment and program delivery.
Photo Credits:
Giant Swallowtail, Widow Skimmer and Roseate Skimmer, Bob Behrstock; all other photos, Peg Abbott. |
