Anahuac Loop

From I-10: Take exit 812 for TX-61 South. Go south on TX 61 a very short distance, and turn right/west into White Memorial Park. Follow the road past the arena and community buildings to enter the main park area.

White Memorial Park, located on Turtle Bayou, hosts an impressive selection of eastern woodland birds. This is an excellent place to find Red-headed and other woodpeckers, the Pine Warbler, and the Eastern Bluebird.  The park has a boat ramp, picnic tables, and a fishing pier. The boat ramp area is a good kayak put-in point to paddle Turtle Bayou.

(409) 267-2718

www.co.chambers.tx.us/page/parks.whites_park

Eastbound on I-10: Take exit 807 from I-10 and follow the eastbound service road until you reach the sign identifying the entrance to the recreation area.

Westbound on I-10: Take exit 807 from I-10 and follow the westbound service road until you U-turn before the Trinity River. Follow the eastbound service road until you reach the sign identifying the entrance to the recreation area.

Located 2.5 miles south of I-10 along the east bank of the Trinity River, this recreation area and center is also the location of the administrative office for the Wallisville Lake Project. This site has numerous facilities including picnic areas, an observation tower, boat ramps, a fishing pier, and restrooms. The area is an ideal location to see gulls, terns, swallows, wading birds and Brown Pelicans. Latest bird sightings are available at the visitor center.

(409) 389-2285

www.swg.usace.army.mil/Locations/WallisvilleLakeProjectOffice.aspx

www.swg.usace.army.mil/Locations/Wallisville-Lake-Project-Office/Recreation/

Eastbound on I-10: Take exit 805. Watch for site entrance sign on your right.

Westbound on I-10: Take exit 803/FM 565. U-turn at FM 565 and take the entrance ramp onto I-10 eastbound. Take exit 805 and watch for the site entrance sign on your right.

A four mile driving and walking nature trail complex located along the west bank of the Trinity River, this site meanders through the brackish marshes and riparian habitats of the Wallisville Lake Project. The Trace offers a variety of ways to view the wildlife of the area. The large grove of oak trees near the entrance should be explored for migratory songbirds. The driving trail along the top of a levee allows you to look down on the marsh, the two boardwalks place you at eye level with the marsh allowing for observation of large numbers of wading birds, while the trail along the Trinity River in the riparian habitat allows you to be in proximity with a large variety of songbirds. During winter, many ducks can be found in the marsh. Picnic facilities, observation platforms, and restrooms are available.

(409) 389-2285

www.swg.usace.army.mil/Locations/WallisvilleLakeProjectOffice.aspx

Eastbound on I-10: Take exit 807 and U-turn at Wallisville-Liberty Rd. Follow the service road and U-turn under the Trinity River bridge. The parking lot will be on your right.

Westbound on I-10: Take exit 807, follow the service road past Wallisville-Liberty Rd, and continue until you U-turn under the Trinity River bridge. The parking lot will be on your right.

Located just east of the Trinity River and south of I-10, as many as 12 species of colonial waterbirds nest and raise their young at the rookery. In addition to the colonial waterbirds, the rookery is a great location to observe seasonal waterfowl and alligators. In order to protect the wildlife of the area, fishing is prohibited, and we ask that you do not feed the alligators.

(409) 389-2285

www.swg.usace.army.mil/Locations/WallisvilleLakeProjectOffice.aspx

www.swg.usace.army.mil/Locations/Wallisville-Lake-Project-Office/Recreation/

From I-10:  Take exit 803 and go south on FM 565 for approximately 1 mile to Gou Hole Rd. Turn left and travel approximately 1.7 miles to the entrance of Hugo Point Park on the left.

The boat ramps located in the park are a great jumping off point for boat trips into the marsh where a large variety of raptors and shorebirds can be viewed. In addition to the trails and an observation tower overlooking brackish marshes and Old River Lake, the park also contains picnic facilities and restrooms.

(409)-267-2718

https://www.co.chambers.tx.us/page/parks.hugo_point

From I-10: Take exit 810/FM 563, go south. Follow FM 563 about 6.2 miles, turn right/west on TX 61/Miller St. Next, turn right/north on S. Main St., continue until it dead-ends at Main St. Turn left/west and continue into the boat ramp parking area. After parking, follow the trail that traverses the canal to reach the levee.

The Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District has developed a nature trail along the levee that impounds Lake Anahuac. The trail is bordered by woodlands, fresh and brackish marshes, and the open waters of Trinity Bay and Lake Anahuac.

(409)-267-3541

http://www.clcnd.org/

From the intersection of FM 563 and TX 61, go west on TX 61, turning left/south on S. Main St. Follow S. Main St. to the entrance of Fort Anahuac Park on the right.

The trees in this city park, bordering Lake Anahuac, should be checked during migration for songbirds. Follow the park road down past the boat ramps and fishing pier to a trail and boardwalk leading to an elevated observation deck. Further down the road are several fishing piers and a covered picnic area. The marsh hosts songbirds, wading birds, and waterfowl of many varieties.

(409) 267-2718

www.co.chambers.tx.us/page/parks.fort_anahuac_park

Double Bayou Park can be accessed from the Anahuac area via either FM 563/S Ross Sterling/Eagle Rd turning left/east onto Eagle Ferry Rd., or from FM 562, turning right/west onto Eagle Ferry Rd.

During migrations (particularly during the spring), this park may reward a search for migrant songbirds. This park has an excellent kayak put-in ramp to explore Double Bayou. Restrooms and a covered picnic area are also available.

(409) 267-2718

www.co.chambers.tx.us/page/parks.double_bayou_park

Continue east on Eagle Ferry Rd. to FM 562. Go south on FM 562 to its intersection with FM 1985, then veer right/west to continue on FM 562 to Smith Point Rd. Smith Point is one of the most isolated and undeveloped coastal peninsulas left along the Texas coast. The marshes and open grasslands along FM 562 are productive throughout the year. Travel west on Smith Point Rd. to Hawkins Camp Rd., then go north on Hawkins Camp to James H. Robbins Memorial Park.

Robbins Park offers an unobstructed view of Trinity Bay. Look for Magnificent Frigatebirds in summer and fall, both species of pelican, and an assortment of gulls and terns. Many species of shorebirds can be seen in the grassy fields, especially after a rain. The oak mottes along Hawkins Camp Rd. attract migrant landbirds in spring and fall.

Return on Hawkins Camp Rd. to Smith Point Rd., then head west to Plummer Camp Rd. and turn right toward the WMA.

This WMA is famous for the daily hawk watches that are conducted here from August 15 to November 15. These watches are sponsored by the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and Hawk Watch International (contact GCBO at 979-480-0999 for information). No autumn trip to the Texas coast is complete without joining one of these coastal hawk watches for a day. In addition to the tens of thousands of Mississippi Kites, Broad-winged Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, falcons, and accipiters that are seen annually, species such as Swallow-tailed Kite are seen in small numbers. In addition the Smith Point Hawk Watch has tallied many unusual species including Hook-billed Kite, Harris's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Golden Eagle. The oaks here attract many migrant landbirds after a fall cold front. The numbers of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers can be staggering. It is an excellent place to see fall migration in action.

Return east on Smith Point Rd./FM 562 to the intersection of FM 562 and FM 1985. Continue east on FM 1985 to Anahuac NWR (Main Entrance).

Anahuac NWR is one of the premier waterfowl refuges on the Texas coast. Greater White-fronted and Snow goose flocks (with a few Ross' mixed in) crowd the marshes and wet fields throughout the winter. After entering the refuge, travel the first road to the west toward Shoveler Pond Auto-Tour Loop. Least Bitterns (in summer), American Bitterns (in winter and migration), and Marsh Wrens (in summer) are common in these cattail marshes. Check the open waters of Shoveler Pond for Canvasbacks and Redheads (Masked Ducks have bred here in the past). Common and Purple gallinules are abundant breeders in the marshes that border the tour loop. American alligators and an occasional river otter can also be found here, swimming and sunbathing. After returning to the main entrance road, continue south toward East Bay. Short-eared Owls patrol these coastal prairies in the winter and spring (look around sunset). Sprague's Pipits winter along the road east of Crossover Rd. Finally, the seemingly endless marshes in Anahuac are home to all of the regular rails in the U.S.—Clappers, Kings, Virginias, and Soras are all regularly seen here in spring.

Continue east on FM 1985 to TX 124. The rice fields along FM 1985 and on Anahuac NWR's Skillern Tract often teem with shorebirds during spring migration. A late spring morning spent in this area (to see the freshwater shorebirds), combined with an afternoon at Bolivar Flats (to see the saltwater species), should yield between 30 and 35 different shorebird species.

www.fws.gov/refuge/anahuac