2025 Southeast Texas Gulf Coast

In late February 2025, armed with our new Canon 200-800mm telephoto zoom lenses—and the added power of a 2X extender giving us up to a staggering 1600mm of reach—we set out on a thrilling photographic safari along the Southeastern Texas Gulf Coast. Our mission: to “hunt” birds through the lens, capturing the intricate dance of wings, feathers, and flight in stunning detail.

Our first stop was Crystal Beach, where shorebirds darted across the sand, their reflections shimmering in the surf. At High Island, both the Boy Scout Woods and Smith Oaks Sanctuary gave us front-row seats to nature’s drama. Smith Oaks, with its rookery buzzing with life, quickly became a favorite. Egrets, spoonbills, and herons nested in tangled branches just yards away, offering up intimate shots of nesting behavior, midair landings, and fish-flinging feeding frenzies.

From Galveston Island State Park to the windswept trails of the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory at Smith Point HawkWatch, our lenses picked out distant raptors circling on thermals and tiny warblers flitting like sparks in the underbrush. The silence of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge was broken only by the flapping of wings and the occasional splash of an alligator slipping into the marsh.

At Sea Rim State Park, one of our top highlights, we stood at the edge of the Gulf as a wide variety of sea birds skimmed the waves in golden light. The raw, remote beauty of this coastal gem gave us close-ups shots of birds in motion. Just down the road, the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge offered hauntingly beautiful marshlands where ibis, ducks, and egrets moved like ghosts through the fog.

Each stop revealed a different face of the Gulf Coast, and our cameras captured it all—feathers in flight, wildflowers blooming in salty air, and endless horizons where land and sky blurred together. It was a birder’s dream, a photographer’s paradise, and an adventure we’ll never forget.

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Rising above the Crystal Beach morning fog Crystal Beach, TX — **Rising above the Crystal Beach morning fog**
Crystal Beach, TX

Don Kerns Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Don Kerns**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Val Kerns Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Val Kerns**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Alligator on Patrol Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Alligator on Patrol**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Foggy Rookery Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Foggy Rookery**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Spiderweb Dew Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Spiderweb Dew**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Nesting Great Egret with Eggs Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Nesting Great Egret with Eggs**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Roseate Spoonbills Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Roseate Spoonbills**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Common Gallinule in a Sea of Green Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Common Gallinule in a Sea of Green**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Alligator Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Alligator**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Crested Caracara Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **Crested Caracara**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

White-faced Ibis Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **White-faced Ibis**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

White Ibis Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **White Ibis**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

White Ibis (juvenile) (with White-faced Ibis in the background) Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **White Ibis (juvenile) (with White-faced Ibis in the background)**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

Great Egret Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX — **Great Egret**
Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX

Various Shore Birds Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Various Shore Birds**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Long-billed Dowitchers Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Long-billed Dowitchers**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Long-billed Dowitchers & American Avocet Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Long-billed Dowitchers & American Avocet**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

American Avocets Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **American Avocets**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

American Avocets & Long-billed Dowitchers Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **American Avocets & Long-billed Dowitchers**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

American Avocet & Long-billed Dowitchers Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **American Avocet & Long-billed Dowitchers**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Long-billed Dowitcher Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Long-billed Dowitcher**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Calidris Sandpiper Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Calidris Sandpiper**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Hooded Gull Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Hooded Gull**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Willets Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Willets**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Willet Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Willet**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Sandpiper Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Sandpiper**
Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk, Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Red-winged Blackbird (female) Gulf Coast Bird Observatory - Smith Point HawkWatch, Lake Jackson, TX — **Red-winged Blackbird (female)**
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory - Smith Point HawkWatch, Lake Jackson, TX

Blue Heron McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine Pass, TX — **Blue Heron**
McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine Pass, TX

Common Gallinule McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine Pass, TX — **Common Gallinule**
McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine Pass, TX

Painted Turtle Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Painted Turtle**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Northern Mockingbird Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Northern Mockingbird**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Roseate Spoonbill Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Roseate Spoonbill**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Great Egret Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Great Egret**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Great Egret maintaining its nest Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Great Egret maintaining its nest**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Nesting Great Egret Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX — **Nesting Great Egret**
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, TX

Northern Cardinal (male) Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **Northern Cardinal (male)**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

A "Happy" Painted Turtle Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **A "Happy" Painted Turtle**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

American Kestral Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX — **American Kestral**
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, TX

American Avocet Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **American Avocet**
Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

American Avocets Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **American Avocets**
Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Red-winged Blackbird (female) Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX — **Red-winged Blackbird (female)**
Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, TX

Alligator McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine Pass, TX — **Alligator**
McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine Pass, TX

Beach Sunrise Crystal Beach, TX — **Beach Sunrise**
Crystal Beach, TX

Val Kerns with Eskimo Curlew sculpture Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX — **Val Kerns with Eskimo Curlew sculpture**
Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX