NO TRIP TO THE HOUSTON AREA would be complete without a visit to Sabine Woods Audubon Sanctuary—at least for birders like us. Yes, we know we’re here too soon for the Spring migration but we’re hoping to see a few of those famous Early Birds. And there are always the turtles, ‘gators . . . and rattlesnakes!
Christina's AirBnB, Groves TX
Only in Texas—Oil Refineries and Wildlife Refuges side-by-side
There isn’t much “there” here in Groves TX but it’s only 30 minutes from Sabine Woods. Christina’s AirBnB where we stayed three years ago, like us, is showing its age, but it suits our needs and was both available and affordable. With the Port Arthur refineries puffing smutch into the sky, it seems like an unfriendly place for birds but after flying more than 600 miles from the Yucatan it’s a “any port in a storm” situation for the birds.
Downy Woodpecker
White-Throated Sparrow
Black-Throated Green Warbler
Most of the birders we ran into were probably locals—the guided tours, and hopefully the birds, start arriving in the next few weeks. We were hoping for a repeat of our first visit in 2011 when severe weather over the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a “fallout” of thousands of birds of perhaps 100 different species migrating back to the States. A heavy spray of OFF!® kept Sabine’s mosquitos at bay but we still had to work for each of the forty-two species we saw this morning.
Least Bittern
Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks
Blue-Winged Teal take to the wing
Nearby McFadden National Wildlife Refuge provided another dozen species including several Least Bitterns, Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks and a pair of lovely Blue-Winged Teal.
