Birds seeking sanctuary

This March, plan a family trip to High Island to witness a spectacle you’ll never forget.

A place called The Rookery in Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary on High Island may well be one of the most amazing birding spots in Texas.

Every March to April, during breeding season, a few trees inside a lake become a magnet for roseate spoonbills, herons and egrets. Because this small spot offers the only sheltered cluster of trees in a wide area, fights for perfect nesting spots are fierce.

From viewing platforms you can watch hundreds of birds trying to attract a mate with amazing displays of plumage. You also can witness their nesting and, after three to four weeks, the hatching of eggs and the raising of chicks.

The cacophony of different bird calls will stay with you long after you’ve left the sanctuary. But with the chicks gone by the end of May, The Rookery will once more become fairly peaceful.

There are two entries to Smith Oaks. Follow the signs off state Highway 124 to Old Mexico Road. This is the entrance closest to the viewing platforms. The second entry is to the west of the sanctuary, at the end of Winnie, and allows you to walk through a forest frequented by singing birds and past a lake where alligators like to sun themselves before climbing the stairs to The Rookery.

There are three viewing platforms available, two of which allow for tripods. The best time to visit may well be dawn or dusk. For the photographer, the twilight transforms the scene into a wonderland. But any moment will give you its own special advantage.

The difficult part is to focus on a specific bird long enough to capture a finished image. The amount of birds and their behavior can be quite distracting.

Dogs are not allowed in the sanctuary. Neither are birdcall imitators. Also, remember to bring bug spray as the mosquitoes can be quite fierce.

The Rookery at Smith Oaks is the most famous of five sanctuaries on High Island. The Houston Audubon Society oversees all of them.