I know, I know, this is not a vintage find. But, there is another type of quest that I am equally obsessed with – birding.  I am still a newbie with only a little over a year’s experience.  But, I love it.

This week Nathan convinced me to go ahead and step away from the staple gun to take on spring migration in High Island, Texas.

Excitedly, I packed my car and headed out.  I got there on Wednesday afternoon around 4 pm when the birds who had been flying from the Yucatan Peninsula for the last 16 hours were arriving spent and hungry.  Around 6 pm the forest was a twitter with colorful birds moving from berry to bug gorging after a long and exhausting flight.

Day 2 was amazing.  Luckily, I had managed to arrive at High Island in the middle of a cold front creating unfavorable conditions for the birds who had landed the prior evening to fly out. As the cherry on top, free guided tours were provided by The Houston Audubon and Tropical Birding  resulted in 100+ species sighted and 33 new birds to add to my life list.  May not sound like much, but that is a great, great day!

Why birding?  Well, let me count the ways…

• It’s always a new adventure and you never know what you are going to find
• It helps if you know something about what you are looking for, but it’s just as fun to go out with no expectations at all
• There is an immediate thrill when you find your subject of desire
• And, if you don’t find it the first time it’s always good to keep an open mind and circle back around just in case
• Some days are busts, but that’s okay ’cause the hunting is almost as fun as the gathering.

Any of this sounding familiar thrifters?  All I am saying is before you make fun of that weird birder in your life, you might want to try it because you just might like it!

Boy Scout Woods at High Island, TX: Where fashion goes to die

High Island: It’s neither high, nor an island. But it’s famous for its birds. Every year, bird enthusiasts flock to the quiet town near Galveston to observe hoards of birds. Migrating birds desperate for refuge stop at the first sight of dry land with tree cover: High Island. It is said that at times during the spring migration, High Island is “dripping” with exhausted–and therefore relatively tame–birds from all over the world.

Prior to visiting High Island, I expected a scene similar to the animatronic performance put on at Chuck E. Cheese. The birds would be colorful to the point of looking fake. Exhausted, they would be more like robots than wild animals. In reality, the birds were wild of course. And although I saw some cool birds, the real spectacle was their human audience (featured photo).

A scarlet tanager in all its glory

The scarlet tanager was on display at Boy Scout Woods last spring. This might be my very favorite bird. Besides the obvious appeal of its colors, it also has a really pretty-sounding name.

A painted bunting steals the spotlight, while a drab female cardinal glares in jealousy.

The indigo bunting is a multicolored wonder. It looks like it got caught in the crossfire at a paintball match. A custodian discovered a dead indigo bunting in the library at my school in Houston. Even in death its colors were remarkable. I kind of feel sorry for the female cardinal in the lower left of the photo. She’s already way more boring looking than her male counterpart; and the colors of the indigo bunting put him to shame.

Look closely. There are at least 5 cool birds in the photo: Painted bunting, indigo bunting, and blue grosbeak.

Birds like to hang out at the water drip at Boy Scout Woods. A water drip is exactly what it sounds like: a man made device that continually drips water onto the ground. At one point I witnessed at least 5 charismatic birds together at the drip: painted buntings, an indigo bunting, and a blue grosbeak.

I can’t wait to get back to High Island this spring to check out the bird feathers and the birder fashions.

What about you?

• Have you visited High Island?
• Is that you in the featured photo?