SundownIsland's popular Annual Census photosThe <strong><a href="http://www.sundownisland.org">Audubon Sundown Island Bird Sanctuary</a></strong> is a low-lying, seventy-acre island built from dredge spoil. It is located in Matagorda Bay, east of Port O'Connor, Texas. The Island is managed by the National Audubon Society's Texas Coastal Sanctuaries program.
For more information contact: <strong>Chester Smith, Sundown Island Sanctuary Warden at <a href="mailto:popsbirds@aol.com">popsbirds@aol.com</a></strong>
<strong>Gallery Categories: </strong> (1) <a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual Census">Annual Bird Censuses (2004-08)</a> (2) <a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Workdays">Workdays (2005-08)</a> (3) <a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Erosion">Erosion and other historical photos (2005-07)</a>
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<em><a href="mailto:marcyspears@mac.com">Marcy Spears, Sundown Island Webmaster</a></em></div>http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/photos/25241972_qN2rF-Ti.jpghttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual Census/2009-12-07T16:46:55ZCopyright 2009, the copyright holder of each photograph. Some portions copyright SmugMug. All rights reserved.SmugMugThe adult Brown Pelicans that are not babysitting, or maybe not old enough for breeding, like to congregate on the edges of the island. When the mood strikes them, they take off. These wer ...<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />The adult Brown Pelicans that are not babysitting, or maybe not old enough for breeding, like to congregate on the edges of the island. When the mood strikes them, they take off. These wer ...</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313876949_M23Sx" title="The adult Brown Pelicans that are not babysitting, or maybe not old enough for breeding, like to congregate on the edges of the island. When the mood strikes them, they take off. These wer ..."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7087/313876949_M23Sx-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="The adult Brown Pelicans that are not babysitting, or maybe not old enough for breeding, like to congregate on the edges of the island. When the mood strikes them, they take off. These wer ..." title="The adult Brown Pelicans that are not babysitting, or maybe not old enough for breeding, like to congregate on the edges of the island. When the mood strikes them, they take off. These wer ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7087/313876949_M23Sx-Th.jpg2008-06-06 08:32:42Two Magnificent Frigate Birds were spotted on the North end of Sundown Island when we first arrived to do the annual bird census. This is a photo of either a juvenile male or an adult femal ...<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />Two Magnificent Frigate Birds were spotted on the North end of Sundown Island when we first arrived to do the annual bird census. This is a photo of either a juvenile male or an adult femal ...</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313876422_ACXxG" title="Two Magnificent Frigate Birds were spotted on the North end of Sundown Island when we first arrived to do the annual bird census. This is a photo of either a juvenile male or an adult femal ..."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/GRFB1/313876422_ACXxG-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Two Magnificent Frigate Birds were spotted on the North end of Sundown Island when we first arrived to do the annual bird census. This is a photo of either a juvenile male or an adult femal ..." title="Two Magnificent Frigate Birds were spotted on the North end of Sundown Island when we first arrived to do the annual bird census. This is a photo of either a juvenile male or an adult femal ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:07ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/GRFB1/313876422_ACXxG-Th.jpg2008-06-06 10:10:02Breeding-adult Little Blue Heron.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />Breeding-adult Little Blue Heron.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313882071_CPfpg" title="Breeding-adult Little Blue Heron.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears"><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/littleblue/313882071_CPfpg-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Breeding-adult Little Blue Heron.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears" title="Breeding-adult Little Blue Heron.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/littleblue/313882071_CPfpg-Th.jpg2008-06-06 09:43:11These youngsters were on the south side of the island. They were not part of the larger group. They appear to be enjoying the shade from the Silver-leaf Sunflowers and waiting for food.
...<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />These youngsters were on the south side of the island. They were not part of the larger group. They appear to be enjoying the shade from the Silver-leaf Sunflowers and waiting for food.
...</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313881356_pyfmD" title="These youngsters were on the south side of the island. They were not part of the larger group. They appear to be enjoying the shade from the Silver-leaf Sunflowers and waiting for food.
..."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7162/313881356_pyfmD-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="These youngsters were on the south side of the island. They were not part of the larger group. They appear to be enjoying the shade from the Silver-leaf Sunflowers and waiting for food.
..." title="These youngsters were on the south side of the island. They were not part of the larger group. They appear to be enjoying the shade from the Silver-leaf Sunflowers and waiting for food.
..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7162/313881356_pyfmD-Th.jpg2008-06-06 09:22:55The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to ke ...<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to ke ...</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313879427_sXLkp" title="The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to ke ..."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7120/313879427_sXLkp-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to ke ..." title="The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to ke ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7120/313879427_sXLkp-Th.jpg2008-06-06 08:50:50Three Laughing Gulls sitting on their nests, on the southeast side of the island.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />Three Laughing Gulls sitting on their nests, on the southeast side of the island.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313878812_qwdp2" title="Three Laughing Gulls sitting on their nests, on the southeast side of the island.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears"><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7117/313878812_qwdp2-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Three Laughing Gulls sitting on their nests, on the southeast side of the island.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears" title="Three Laughing Gulls sitting on their nests, on the southeast side of the island.
Photo credit: Marcy Spears" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7117/313878812_qwdp2-Th.jpg2008-06-06 08:40:57The Laughing Gulls lay their eggs under brush or just out in the open. We may have disturbed the parent of this nest. Counters noticed that there were a fair number of abandoned nests and so ...<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />The Laughing Gulls lay their eggs under brush or just out in the open. We may have disturbed the parent of this nest. Counters noticed that there were a fair number of abandoned nests and so ...</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313877534_2pf8G" title="The Laughing Gulls lay their eggs under brush or just out in the open. We may have disturbed the parent of this nest. Counters noticed that there were a fair number of abandoned nests and so ..."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7095/313877534_2pf8G-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="The Laughing Gulls lay their eggs under brush or just out in the open. We may have disturbed the parent of this nest. Counters noticed that there were a fair number of abandoned nests and so ..." title="The Laughing Gulls lay their eggs under brush or just out in the open. We may have disturbed the parent of this nest. Counters noticed that there were a fair number of abandoned nests and so ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/IMG7095/313877534_2pf8G-Th.jpg2008-06-06 08:35:42Two breeding-adult Little Blue Herons (bottom) and two juvenile Tricolored Herons (brownish, top).
Photo credit: Marcy Spears<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />Two breeding-adult Little Blue Herons (bottom) and two juvenile Tricolored Herons (brownish, top).
Photo credit: Marcy Spears</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/5195295_Ujcot#313874910_eDFhU" title="Two breeding-adult Little Blue Herons (bottom) and two juvenile Tricolored Herons (brownish, top).
Photo credit: Marcy Spears"><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/birds-habitat/313874910_eDFhU-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Two breeding-adult Little Blue Herons (bottom) and two juvenile Tricolored Herons (brownish, top).
Photo credit: Marcy Spears" title="Two breeding-adult Little Blue Herons (bottom) and two juvenile Tricolored Herons (brownish, top).
Photo credit: Marcy Spears" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-06-22T02:19:08ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2008-Annual-Census/birds-habitat/313874910_eDFhU-Th.jpg2008-06-06 09:41:21Typical scene on Sundown. If you'll notice there is a Great Blue Heron baby begging the spoonbils for food.<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />Typical scene on Sundown. If you'll notice there is a Great Blue Heron baby begging the spoonbils for food.</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2007-Annual-Census/2970975_H2HF5#160696652_dFWYR" title="Typical scene on Sundown. If you'll notice there is a Great Blue Heron baby begging the spoonbils for food."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2007-Annual-Census/IMG0540/160696652_dFWYR-Th.jpg" width="150" height="113" alt="Typical scene on Sundown. If you'll notice there is a Great Blue Heron baby begging the spoonbils for food." title="Typical scene on Sundown. If you'll notice there is a Great Blue Heron baby begging the spoonbils for food." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2009-06-26T04:30:50ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2007-Annual-Census/IMG0540/160696652_dFWYR-Th.jpgLaughing Gull eggs in nest, a slight depression in the sand. Photo credit: Diane Nunley.<p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com">SundownIsland</a><br />Laughing Gull eggs in nest, a slight depression in the sand. Photo credit: Diane Nunley.</p><p><a href="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2006-Annual-Census/1518446_2Hbjv#73035944_tnPvx" title="Laughing Gull eggs in nest, a slight depression in the sand. Photo credit: Diane Nunley."><img src="http://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2006-Annual-Census/71750314-O/73035944_tnPvx-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Laughing Gull eggs in nest, a slight depression in the sand. Photo credit: Diane Nunley." title="Laughing Gull eggs in nest, a slight depression in the sand. Photo credit: Diane Nunley." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2009-02-20T23:00:36ZSundownIslandhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.comhttp://sundownisland.smugmug.com/Annual-Census/2006-Annual-Census/71750314-O/73035944_tnPvx-Th.jpg