An Audubon Bird Sanctuary
Port O'Connor, Texas

© 2000-08 Sundown Island

Spring Workday Scheduled for Saturday, February 27th

In January Houston Zoo employees helped with pre-workday activities on Sundown Island. From left to right: Kendrick Mickens,Paul Zuma, Henry Solis, Kevin Castorena and on the tractor, Warden Chester Smith. Not pictured, Jeremy Cecil, photographer.

Update on pre-workday activities:

Grandson Jeremy Cecil brought five of his co-workers (from the maintenance department at the Houston Zoo) and jetted in new 6' by 6' posts on the North beach for new sanctuary signs to be furnished by the USFWL. They also serviced the tractor with an oil change and filter for gas and oil. The tires are all aired up and ready to go. Our new side curtains worked great on the Egret boat during the last, really wet trip to the island. During our visit I saw our first Great Blue Herons seeking nesting sites. A bit early, but must be an early spring coming.

During a previous visit, Tim Wilkinson, my son-in-law, took cuttings from Salt Cedars on the island. He took them to Dr. Lin at Formosa who now has about fifty 8-inch Salt Cedars ready to plant for Spring Workday.

More help from our friends/sponsors:

• We are working on applying for grant funds for an additional 30' by 100' wading pond with trees planted 3 feet apart to attract Reddish Egrets—once the trees grow up.
• The dredge job bidding is underway. We are hoping to get a lot of sand for the North side of the island where the erosion has been really bad.
• Duck's Unlimited has offered to pay for the windmill repair. We are just waiting for the windmill guy to come to the island.

Let me know if you are coming for Spring Workday so that we can be sure we have enough boats! Details on what to bring and where to go: Workday.

If you can help out:

• Call me: Home, Baytown: 281-427-4902, Port O'Connor: 361-983-2903, My cell: 832-597-4981
• Or send me a note: popsbirds@aol.com.

Chuck Smith

National Wildlife Refuge System Commemorative First Class Stamp, 2003

Brown Pelican Delisted From List of Endangered Species

In 1972 DDT (used as a pesticide) was banned in the United States. DDT contributed to the thinning of egg shells that could not support the weight of the parents—this drastically reduced the number of chicks raised by Brown Pelicans and many other species between 1942 and 1972.

Effective December 17, 2009 the brown pelican will be delisted from Endangered Species List. In 1973 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified only one breeding colony in Texas. In 2008 they estimated 12,000 breeding pairs along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and 11,000 pairs along the Pacific coast....read more.

The Audubon's Sundown Island was established in 1962 and is part of the Audubon Society's Texas Coastal Sanctuaries program. More about Sundown Island.

If you are interested in more information about colonial water birds on the Texas coast, also visit Audubon Texas and read about their Coastal Stewardship Program and view the recent Coastal Stewardship Program newsletter (.pdf). Also visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Texas Coastal Program site. This site includes census data on counts going back twenty or more years.

Previous news:

• More news on Sundown Island
• Photos: http://sundownisland.smugmug.com

Contact Warden Chester Smith for information on how to contribute or volunteer at popsbirds@aol.com. Be sure to visit the Audubon Texas Web site for information about other bird sanctuaries at: Audubon Texas Web site.