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Field Trip to Bolivar Flats
Saturday March 22, 2008
Important Note: Galveston County operates a parking permit program on the Bolivar Peninsula. Any one can drive on the beach for free. But if you park on the beach you must have a parking permit on your windshield. The fee for the permit is $10.00 a year obtainable from most merchants on the Bolivar Peninsula.
This trip occurs as shorebird migration is in full swing. Bolivar Flats is an hemispherically important shore-bird location. We know that a lot of birders are intimidated by shorebirds. This trip offers an opportunity to compare many of the "true" shorebirds with lots of help in identifying them.
Meet at the vehicle barrier at 8:30 a.m. From Winnie, take TX 124 south to High Island. At the shoreline, turn right (west) on TX 87 and proceed through Gilchrist and Crystal Beach until you reach the intersection where Loop 108 turns right (north). Turn left (the opposite way to Loop 108) along Rettilon Road. At the beach, if conditions permit, turn right (west) about 1/2 mile to the vehicle barrier. It takes at least one and a half hours to drive from the Golden Triangle; more if you bird on the way! We will leave the vehicle barrier at about 8:45 a.m., although the group will be visually obvious on the flats should you be a few minutes later than that. The opportunity will exist to visit High Island on the way back. Some walking is necessary on this field trip. How much depends on how much mud flat is exposed, and this depends on both the tide and the winds that have prevailed over the previous day or so.
