Updated: High Island Migration: Spring Birding on the Upper Texas Coast with Michael O'Brien

The Upper Texas Coast, particularly the High Island area, near Galveston, is legendary for its concentrations of migratory birds. Every spring, millions of songbirds migrate north from the American Tropics to forests of the eastern United States, making an epic Gulf of Mexico crossing en route. Riding southerly winds, many continue inland before putting down, but if they encounter north winds or rain, they seek immediate shelter along the coast. The result can be a staggering phenomenon, known as a “fallout.” Large numbers of shorebirds migrate through this region as well, using tidal flats, coastal pastures, and rice fields as fueling stations before continuing north. In addition to migrants, this region’s diverse coastal habitats and interior swamps and Piney Woods harbor a wide array of special nesting birds that make this area one of North America’s premier birding destinations.