Salt Grass Flats - Celebrating Gulf Coast Birds
Tips & Trips
Field
Guides
Scenic Trips
Birds
American Bittern
American Coot
Belted Kingfisher
Black-necked Stilt
Black Vulture
Caracara
Common Moorhen
Cormorants
Double-crested
Neotropical (Olivaceous)
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Great Egret
Great Horned Owl
Killdeer
Little Blue Heron
Loggerhead Shrike
Pelicans
Cooperative Fishing
Roseate Spoonbill
Tricolor Heron
Turkey Vulture
Snowy Egret
White-fronted Goose
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Wildlife
Reptiles
Alligators
Green Anole
Red-Eared Slider
Snakes
Mammals
Armadillo
Bobcat
River Otter
Wildlife Rehab
Field Notes
Where have you been?
What wildlife have you seen?
What behavior did you observe?
Share your experiences here!
Ask questions of experts.
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observations here!
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The Sibley Guide to Birds contains marvelous illustrations originally drawn by the author using watercolors. This is a great identification guide, not only for adult birds, but juveniles, also. |
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SaltGrassFlats.com
presents
The Rookery
Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary
High Island, Texas
These beautiful Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage were photographed at Smith Oaks rookery by Rodger Whatley. |
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Great
Egret - Displaying
Rookery at Smith Oaks Sanctuary
High Island, Texas |
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Roseate Spoonbills
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Roseate Spoonbills
on top of
Roseate Spoonbills!
Nesting
at Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary near High Island, Texas, on a small,
horse-shoe shaped island are vast numbers of Roseate
Spoonbills, Great Egrets,
Snowy Egrets, Tri-colored
Herons, Cormorants
- IT'S ONE CROWDED PLACE!
Your
eyes will feast on all of these magnificant birds while your
ears enjoy a symphony of gurgles, grunts and squawks like you've
never heard before! YOU WILL STARE IN AWE!!!
Overhead
you might see a Swallow-tail Kite; look down to watch the alligators;
check out the viewing platforms for green anoles - the wildlife
is everywhere!
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The action is NON-STOP at Smith Oaks!
Nest-building, "partnering" (as well as disputing
partnerships), feeding, bathing, displaying - constant
action is the norm. You will find that you don't have
enough time or senses to enjoy all this action and beauty
of nature.
You
can hear and/or see bobcats, butterflies, armadillos,
snakes, lizards, turtles,
owls, hawks, warblers, hummingbirds, ducks, and swamp
rabbits. Amazingly enough, these creatures thrive in
an environment that we humans find quite challenging.
And, yes, there are the mosquitoes.
Red-eared
Sliders
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Tri-colored Heron - On Nest
Walk
softly. Listen. Look carefully. Not all animals are
anxious to be viewed.
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9-Banded Armadillo
Have
fun and send us your experiences/photos and we'll feature them on
an upcoming edition of SaltGrassFlats.com! |
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Smith
Oaks Bird Sanctuary is located in High Island, Texas. Click
here for a map and driving directions.
Take
plenty of water and insect repellant, and wear a hat. Wear shoes
that are made to take you comfortably through mud and briars,
and always wear appropriate clothing to protect your exposed
skin.
Watch
your step, which sounds simple, but there is so much activity
overhead, this isn't always easy. You will find "some"
boardwalks, but the rookery and other marshes and ponds are
along grassy trails. Almost all of the poisinous snakes of Texas
can be found here, so high-top hiking boots are a wise choice.
Viceroy
Butterfly
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