Twice we paddled in bays -- Galveston Bay off the state park, and Christmas Bay at the western end of the island. We saw sea grass beds which were being restored through massive ecological efforts and observed many water birds and other wildlife that depend on the bay for habitat, including the migratory wildfowl that stop here on their flights to and from their Mexico wintering grounds. In the photo below, we paddled Armand Bayou before spending time at the nature center where we heard a talk by its head naturalist and hiked through the nature center's grounds.
Most alligators slid under the water as we approached, but this brave fellow held his ground and gave us a long look at him before sliding below.
A visit to the Houston Audubon Society's Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary offered close views of a bird rookery, populated by nesting Roseate Spoonbills and Great White Herons, seen here, as well as Cormorants, White Ibis, and others.
The entire group:
Back row (l to r): Carol, Elizabeth, John, Anastasia, Alan, Pete, Gary, Tony, and Chuck
Middle row: Deirdre, Renate, Katherine, Jane, Beverly (our driver), Sherry, and Bob
Seated: Lynn (our host), Karla (our guide), Val, and Phyllis
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