East Texas Quarterly Magazine Summer 2014 | Page 8

ated west of the Sabine River, Tony Houseman State Park and Wildlife Management Area offers birders the first opportunity to sample the pleasures of Texas piney woods birding. is the best place around the lake for finding migrant land birds in spring and sparrows in winter. Boykin Springs Recreation Area: Located in the Angelina National Forest (20 miles north west of Champion Woodland Trail: Here birders will find Jasper on Highway 63), this site offers a wide variety of some of the oldest longleaf pines in the United woodland birding opportunities. The bluestem States and nestled among these giant and aging grasslands within the forest are preferred habitat trees are a wide variety of birds, including colonies of for Bachman’s sparrows. The wetter grasslands also red-cockaded woodpeckers. attract a few Henslow’s sparrows. Brown-headed nuthatches can be seen throughout the year in Martin Dies, Jr. State Park: The park, whose headquar- the dense pine stands, and Kentucky warblers, ters are located on the Jasper County side of the lake, yellow-breasted chats, and painted buntings nest in is divided into three units (Hen House Ridge, Walnut the yaupon thickets. Ridge and Cherokee) placed both north and south of U. S. Highway 190 as you enter Tyler County from Other birding locations in East Texas include: Jasper. Birders can look for pileated and other woodpeckers in the park throughout the year and Davy Crockett National Forest: The 161,497 acre brown creepers in the winter. There are several Davy Crockett National Forest (Houston County) is rookeries (heron egret nesting colonies) in and around managed under the multiple-use concept with the reservoir, and anhingas are frequently spotted in logging, hunting, and other recreational activities. this part of the loop. West B.A Steinhagen Reservoir: Yellow-throated warblers and indigo buntings can be spotted around the Cherokee Unit. American redstarts have nestled in Magnolia Ridge Park near the Wolf Creek Trail parking area. Camper’s Cove Park, south of Town Bluff, The endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker 6 East Texas Quarterly