Anahuac Wildlife Refuge

We had one of those “wowser” days again today. We visited the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. We started our tour near Winnie, Texas and stopped at all of the bird viewing areas on the way to the main entrance. The refuge is set up into two distinct viewing areas, one is full of wading type birds like herons etc. The other one is absolutely loaded with every kind of duck I have ever seen. That will be part two of this update. I am still looking birds up in my books to identify them, but I know I have at least five new birds for my birding list, the tiny Ruby-crowned-Kinglet, the Common Gallinule, the purple one is in the area too, I am still looking for that one. I also saw a White Ibis for the first time and more. We also saw a ton of alligators, they are all over this area. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story. I am pasting more info below about the refuge.

Paste of Info: The more than 34,000-acre Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 to provide habitat for wintering waterfowl along the Central Flyway. Between October and March, 32 species of waterfowl utilize the refuge; concentrations of Snow Geese sometimes exceed 80,000. The refuge ponds and prairie habitats are readily accessible by a series of graveled roads with occasional pullouts; trails are at a minimum. Key birds: Least Grebe, Brown Pelican, White and White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Wood and Mottled Ducks, Clapper and King Rails, Seaside Sparrow, and Boat-tailed Grackle are present year-round. Neotropic Cormorant, Least Bittern, Wood Stork, Purple Gallinule, Least Tern, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Painted Bunting, and Dickcissel occur in summer. American White Pelican; Greater White-fronted, Snow, and Ross’s Geese; Osprey; White-tailed Kite; Yellow, Black, and Virginia Rails; Short-eared Owl; Sedge Wren; American and Sprague’s Pipits; and LeConte’s Sparrow can usually be found in winter. This eTrail provides detailed information on birding strategies for this specific location, the specialty birds and other key birds you might see, directions to each birding spot, a detailed map, and helpful general information.

Mar 9, 2013

Show all 26 photos