The Birds of the East End Lagoon - Galveston Unscripted Audio Tour

Explore the East End Lagoon! 

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Notable Resources for the Nature Trail!
Audubon Society : https://www.audubon.org/#

Donate to the East End Lagoon Nature Park and Preserve : http://www.eastendlagoon.org/support

The Birds of the East End Lagoon
Ah, my dear friend, would that you were here just now to see the Snipes innumerable, the Blackbirds, the Gallinules, and the Curlews that surround us; that you could listen as I do not, to the delightful notes of the Mockingbird, pouring forth his soul in melody as the glorious orb of day is fast descending towards the western horizon; after spreading their broad wings, croak aloud as if doubtful regarding the purpose of our visit to these shores!

- James Audubon, in a letter to Reverend John Bachman, on visiting Galveston in April 1837

John James Audubon waded ashore on Galveston Island near the East End Lagoon in April 1837. In the ensuing years, Galveston has become a major port along the Gulf Coast, and a destination that attracts over 7 million tourists annually. Yet, the Lagoon still attracts the "Snipes innumerable," and early morning visitors can still hear the "delightful notes of the Mockingbird."

The birds of the East End Lagoon are stitched together by a common thread- water. The Lagoon's birds are those of open water, shore, and wet coastal Prairie. During storms and high tides, there is no land in or around the Lagoon that remains dry. Birds of the lagoon have adapted to these wetlands, and prosper in conditions that elude most land and forest birds.

Shore Birds
A number of bird species are limited to feeding along the shore or on the beach. These sore birds include sandpipers, plovers, herons, and egrets.

Water Birds
Birds of the open water are usually seen in the Lagoon itself, rather than feeding along its shore. Waterfowl (ducks and geese), grebes, loons, cormorants, and pelicans are examples of birds that are frequently seen out in the open water.

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