Text and photos by Shannon Westveer, TMNCPC New Class co-director 2020. This article on Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is the second in a series of NWR articles being posted by Paula Dittrick, TMNCPC blogmaster.
Roughly 50 inches of annual rainfall coupled with what remains of the tall grass coastal prairie makes Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge a wildlife-viewing gem along the Upper Texas Coast. One can expect to see dozens of bird species any month. The numbers of bird species reliably surge in October and April as seasonal migrants ebb and flow with the tides. Anahuac NWR is both wintering and summering grounds for many wild species.
Hot spots include the Visitors Center (Chenier Plain, Lake Anahuac) off Hwy 563 down from I-10, followed by the Skillern Tract (a whopping number of birds for such a small place). which is just past the main entrance into the refuge. Finally, visitors double back for the drive down to the auto loop where you won’t necessarily need to exit the comfort of your car to see all you came to see.
The Willows Trail at the entrance has a convenient boardwalk for a short walk; begin or end with this to tick off flycatchers and sparrows, or maybe some butterflies and dragonflies.
In November, the arrival of waterfowl in all shapes and sizes are reliable, but the return of snow geese is what many from Houston drive the hour-plus journey to see every Thanksgiving or winter break. Usually heard high in the sky calling for groups on the ground, it is quite the spectacle and cacophony to witness firsthand a field painted white with thousands of geese.
And if you stray from the more popular vehicular trails like Shoveler Pond Loop or Yellow Rail Prairie, you are likely to discover other treasures too such as a burrowing owl at Frozen Point.
When spring arrives, the geese move north as do the neotroplcal migrants through the abundance of flowering meadows and trees. Some stay and raise their families, but many can be viewed from inside the car (safe from biting flies) foraging or resting before continuing their journey.
Be sure to look down in the ditches because Anahuac NWR is one of the few places where you could see all of the rails – Yellow, Black, Clapper, King, and Virginia – and even a small bittern in a single day.
And since you made the long drive, be sure to visit the out-of-the-way Smith Point for a most impressive birding hotspot, worth the extra drive during spring and fall migration.
Smith Point is part of Hawk Watch International. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO) is a partner in coordinating the monitoring efforts at Smith Point. Other sponsors are Texas Parks & Wildlife Department along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Hawk Watch is held daily during hawk migration at the Candy Abshier Wildlife Management Area where GCBO has a 30-foot observation tower.
With so many feathered species using this safe haven for survival, it is important never to use playback calls (from our mobile devices with bird sound apps) which disrupt birds’ behavior any time of the year. Many parks and nature areas strictly prohibits this.
Driving directions
Anahuac’s primary Visitor Center/Headquarters is east of Houston on FM 563 about 2 miles south of I-10 (exit 810). See the maps section of the Anahuac web site for additional directions. The GPS coordinates for the refuge headquarters is 29.822737, -94.663653. The address is 4017 FM 563, Anahuac, TX 77514.
To reach Smith Point from Houston, take I-10 east to the Texas Hwy 61 exit. Turn south (right) on Hwy 61. In a few miles it changes number to FM 562 and continues south to Smith Point. At the intersection of FM 1985, which branches left at a Y intersection, continue right to Smith Point. Once in Smith Point continue on 562 until you pass Hawkins Camp Road on the right. Turn left at the next intersection and proceed to the parking lot for the tower.