Trip to High Island Day One -- Anahuac NWR

We left home a little after 9 am on April 10.  The traffic was not too bad except for some slow spots near downtown Dallas.  We were pleasantly surprised by the much larger percentage of I-45 between Dallas and Houston that is now three lanes both directions compared to twenty years ago when we were driving that route much more frequently.

Our destination for the day was Winnie, Texas, a small town on I-10 which is 19 miles due north of High Island.  High Island has only one small, very aging motel.  Apparently no motels have been rebuilt on Bolivar Peninsula since everything was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008.  However, there are multiple motels, including several new ones, in Winnie so Winnie it was.

We had debated about the best route around Houston.  After checking the traffic during our lunch stop, we decided to take Beltway 8 around to I-10.  I am not sure why Google Maps thought 610 was better, but this could not have been easier.

Before going to Winnie we stopped at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Vistor's Center which is just off I-10. 

The Visitor's Center is just off I-10.  The actual refuge is the green area off FM 1985.  Although it looks like it on the map, there is no access from SH 87 or SH 124.

We spent quite a bit of time checking out their informative displays.  We also each got some cool souvenirs, a hat for the Frog and a t-shirt for the Turkey.

Souvenirs from Anahuac NWR

Fortunately we got detailed instructions on how to get to the refuge from the Visitor's Center, which is many miles (and multiple turns) closer to the coast.

We did not know what to expect at Anahuac.  Although there were several trails, to get the feel for the place we spent the entire time in the car.  We did both the long drive (~6 miles one way from the information kiosk) down to the water (East Bay).  We also did the shorter (2.64 mile) one way auto loop around Shoveler Pond.

Map of Anahuac NWR, although the scale of miles seems wrong.  The distance from the Visitor's Kiosk (? on the map) to the southern most point on Frozen Point Road was about 6 miles one way.

We saw many interesting things.  Some were of things that are familiar to us at home, such as egrets and herons. 

Snowy egret

We were particularly intrigued by so many common gallinules, otherwise known as moorhens.  They were new to us.  Their bright red "noses" really made them stand out.

Common gallinule or moorhen.  Note the feet under the water.  They were not what I would have expected for a bird that spends so much time in the water.

There were also lots of ibises.  (Is that the plural of ibis?)

White-faced Ibis

Of particular interest to us was a totally new bird, the many very beautiful black-necked stilts.

Black-necked stilt

We also found the caracara nest on the water tower as described by the worker in the Visitor's Center.  Without trees the birds have to use what they can find.  Unfortunately there were no birds, at least when we were there.

The pile of sticks on the platform is reportedly a Crested Caracara nest, but there were no birds today.  The water tank was for cattle that were grazing in this field.

We then made our way to High Island and found the kiosk at Boy Scout Woods, the location of the tour in the morning.  It was too late to do anything, but at least we knew where to go the following morning.

Then it was back to Winnie and the motel.  I am not sure it was true, but the person at the front desk made it sound as if Al-T's Steakhouse and Seafood was the only restaurant in town so we ate the first of several dinners there.  It may not be the only place in town, but it was certainly busy, both with locals and lots of obvious out-of-town birder types.