< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MArCH 2024 FEATURE FEATHER IN ITS CAP Popular bird photography contest celebrates 15 years story by B. SCOTT MCLENDON | photo by STUART VILLANUEVA G alveston Island is a premier scene to view more than 300 bird species. And FeatherFest enthusiasts say the 22-year-old event is the perfect chance to go from a fledgling bird photog- rapher to a wise old owl. The Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council is set to host its 22nd FeatherFest April 18- 21, including the 15th year of the FeatherFest photo contest, which began in 2010. Birders and photographers look for- ward to seeing winners of the competition each year, said Ed Ferrin, an island photographer and co-founder of the Feather- Fest photo contest. Taking a quality photo of a still subject is difficult enough, so capturing an in-focus and interesting shot of a swift-mov- ing bird can take a great deal of patience, skill and a bit of ornithological knowledge, Fer- rin said. “It takes getting to know birds in their habits,” Ferrin said. “Sometimes, you’ll see a tic before they take flight. Or, you know they’re about to go at each other because they fluff their feathers or flick their heads. “You can watch them fish and can tell by the way they rock when they’re about to go into the water.” Ferrin in February often takes to Boddeker Drive in Galves- ton’s East End to photograph black skimmers, a black-and- white bird with a bright-orange beak. Its lower mandible is much longer than the upper portion of its beak. “They fly just off the surface of the water and drag their bills across the water and grab fish,” Ferrin said. The photo contest awards a winner each week during the four weeks leading up to FeatherFest, Ferrin said. He won for an owl photograph he took about two years ago. The photos must be taken within the last year and sub- mitted to the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council. FeatherFest features walk- about sessions with photogra- phers and birders who give tips on the two activities, Ferrin said. That’s where novice bird photographers can elevate their skills, he said. “The photography tour is for those with cameras who want to be led by a professional photographer who knows what to look for,” Ferrin said. galvestonfeatherfest.com COASTMONTHLY.COM | MArCH 2024 31 Avid bird photographer Ed Ferrin scans the wetlands along Sportsman Road in the West End of Galveston. 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UTMB Health has over 130 years of expertise caring for patients of all ages. knows Heart Health Call our 24/7 Access Services team at (800) 917-8906 , visit our website at utmbhealth.com/heart , or scan the QR code to discover a doctor and schedule your next appointment today.34 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MArCH 2024 FEATURE PRESERVE AND PROTECT This lagoon in Galveston is home to a beautiful and endangered ecosystem story by BARBARA CANETTI | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS O ne of Galveston Island’s largest undevel- oped plots of land is home to a variety of birds, insects, reptiles, fish and mam- mals that quietly live among the grasses, wetlands, marshes and dunes making up the East End Lagoon Nature Preserve. The 685-acre East End Lagoon Nature Preserve, owned by the city of Galveston and managed by the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, soon will undergo some improvements. The park board will use funds from the federal govern- ment’s Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Op- portunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act to make those improvements, said Sheryl Rozier, director of coastal projects for the park board. Federal funds became available after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and were generated by civil fines and penalties from those responsible for the 2010 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Working with HELM Design Group in League City, the park board and the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Coun- cil have plans to erect an open-air pavilion on the property and improve the trails in the preserve, adding more infor- mational and interpretive signage, said Julie Ann Brown, the executive director of the council. The new plans will have a footprint more conducive to the wetland habitat and be funded by the $1.35 million federal grant. The new trails will be accessible for hikers using wheelchairs, canes or walkers. Additional benches also will be included in the improvement plan. “But the agreement was to keep the area undeveloped,” Rozier said. The East End Lagoon Nature Park and Preserve is on the east end of Seawall Boulevard along Boddeker Drive, adja- cent to R.A. Apffel Beach Park, also known as East Beach. There’s a small parking lot available for visitors. (Above) A flock of black skimmers takes flight from a sandbar at the East End Lagoon in Galveston. (Opposite) A man fishes from a kayak in the East End Lagoon. The 685-acre lagoon is home to a variety of birds, insects, reptiles, fish and mammals. COASTMONTHLY.COM | MArCH 2024 3536 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MArCH 2024 FEATURE The park board took control of the lagoon in 2014 after the city worked out an agree- ment with the original owners, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The initial plan to develop the area with more amenities was shelved when it was determined that leaving the area in its natural state was more bene- ficial for wildlife, as well as offering an edu- cational glimpse into what a natural coastal prairie looks like and how it operates. Jack Evins, a volunteer guide and birder, takes groups on tours of the lagoon, with binoculars in hand. He easily points out the great-tailed grackles, herring gulls, laughing gulls, American avocets, ring-billed gulls, Sa- vannah sparrows, white ibis and red-breast- ed merganser on the property. He notes the visiting sandhill cranes, along with a reddish egret, greater yellowlegs, great egret and a Jack Evins, a certified nature ambassador for the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, watches for birds at the East End Lagoon Nature Preserve in Galveston. He leads a monthly nature walk teaching about the birds, plants and wetlands along the East End Lagoon trails. (Below) Interpretive signs tell visitors about coastal birds at the lagoon. COASTMONTHLY.COM | MArCH 2024 37 diving osprey looking for food. “Every season is different and striking in its own way,” said Evins, peering at some Forster’s terns, brown pelicans and kingfish- ers. Monthly tours of the lagoon are free. What makes the lagoon area so inter- esting, especially for school groups and naturalists, is the abundance of wildlife. And while most of Galveston’s Gulf-facing shore is eroding, this area is more protected by the South Jetty, which encompasses the East End Lagoon Nature Preserve. The shore there is accreting or gradually increasing, Evins said. “The sand and debris get trapped and the land is growing,” Evins said. “You will notice the subtle changes in elevation and this is part of it constantly building.” As he walks along the three well laid out, hardened paths, he points out blooming and dormant plants: budding fire wheel, cattails, pennywort, cabbage palms — which aren’t native but adapted well to the area — gold- en rod, rattlebox, thorny dewberry and a surprising winding passion vine. At one time there were more than 6 million acres of Gulf coastal prairie, but less than 1 percent still exists in its natural state, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice, making it one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. The lagoon is home to migrating and resi- dent species that peacefully mingle together. Birders, hikers and naturalists quietly roam parts of the property, but fishing, canoeing and kayaking are permitted at the preserve, Brown said. The three trails that loop togeth- er cover about a mile and meander through a variety of wetlands, salt marsh, prairies and dunes. Some of the areas feature salt water, some are fresh water and the distinct differ- ent types of plants and animals each attracts can be seen nearby. The park board maintains the proper- ty, mowing certain areas and intentionally managing the grounds so more native plants can thrive. “Because of the changes in the seasons, every time you come here it is different,” Brown said. “And we ask that visitors take only memories away and leave everything as they found it.” Visit galvestonnaturetourism.org/east-end-lagoon- park to sign up for tours. 14210 TREASURE COURT 5BR/3BA SQFT: 1,796 W/POOL 1623 BAY MEADOWS 3BR/2BA SQFT: 1,550 3303 LANYARD 5BR/3BA SQFT: 4,823 1702 SEALY 4BR/2BA SQFT: 2,592 3009 AVE O 3BR/1BA SQFT: 1,716 22819 LUNES 3BR/2BA SQFT: 1,442 Kimberly A. Gaido 713.498.2020 REALTOR®, SRS KimberlyGaido@sandnsea.com A TRUSTED NAME WITH OVER 50 YEARS OF REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE Michael J. Gaido, III 409.457.4900 | REALTOR®, ABR, GRI, RSPS, SFR, SRES, SRS Michael@michaelgaido.com Carolyn T. 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