I ended my visit to South Padre Island on Sunday. I used the day to tour the SPI Birding and Nature Center, and it yielded a few close encounters with the local herons. I noticed very little action with warblers during the morning’s visit, but that was no surprise. Recent warbler movement has been pretty … Read more
I spent the day soloing at the SPI Birding and Nature Center (BNC), and had a lovely time with the birds, and with the people there with me, enjoying the same. Javi Gonzalez is the resident biologist, or naturalist here and is always a joy to hang out with. The first bird that greeted me … Read more
After leaving High Island, and exploring Anahuac NWR, I continued south and spent some time at Brazoria NWR and San Bernard NWR. My next targeted destination was the Blackjack Peninsula, the winter home of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock of Whooping Cranes. Though the cranes aren’t expected to return here from Canada for another month, I … Read more
I broke camp at High Island early and drove to the nearby Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge to explore. I’d visited the refuge previously in March 2021. I began my tour at the Skillern Tract, several miles east of the main refuge. At the terminus of the road is a parking area and trails to explore. … Read more
Since my last entry in this month’s journal, I’ve had two really amazing stops in Point Reyes and in Bodega Bay. As I pen these words, this morning I’m finishing up my third day and second night in Fort Bragg. I used my time here to finish weaving my Bodega Bay Yarn. I’ve been feeling … Read more
I last visited Resaca de la Palma State Park just before leaving Texas on my first visit in spring of 2020. It was closed during most of my stay because of the pandemic. However, just prior to my planned departure, they opened up the park, and I took advantage of my opportunity, twice visiting here … Read more
I broke camp at High Island early Monday and set a course for nearby Anahuac National Wildlife Reserve. I planned a quick visit before heading east on my clock-wise journey around the gulf. Everyone I spoke with about must see places on the upper Texas Gulf coast spoke well of this 53 square mile reserve. … Read more
I left Galveston on Thursday (2021-03-04) and crossed the bay by ferry on a 2½ mile passage to the Bolivar Peninsula. Back on Terra Firma, I drove 28 miles to High Island. Rising 25 feet above the flat coastal prairie on the peninsula, the force of a large salt dome doom deep below the surface, … Read more
Last spring I came to south Texas for the first time, hoping to visit the many legendary birding venues I’d heard about in the Rio Grande Valley. Unfortunately for me and the rest of the planet, the global pandemic reared its ugly head and forced us to alter the course of our lives. The Santa … Read more
South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center is part of a network of birding meccas in south Texas, collectively called the “World Birding Center”. It sits next door to the Convention Centre, which I love, and so I’ve not bothered to pay my fees to enter its grounds. On Monday, with my time in Brownsville … Read more
