Texas Now Magazine March 2015 | Page 8

MAGIC RIDGE From Magnolia Beach, continue south along Lavaca Bay to Indianola Beach. Indianola was the most significant seaport in Texas until a series of devastating hurricanes in the late 19th century led to its abandonment. Turn right on FM 316, continue about 1/4 mile, and then turn right onto Zimmerman Road. Cross the cattle guard and continue toward the Old Town Cemetery. You will be at Magic Ridge, a shell ridge covered with one of the northernmost stands of native Tamaulipan Scrub and now a 78-acre avian sanctuary owned by the Texas Ornithological Society (TOS). pavement to protect the habitat and to avoid trespassing on private property. Watch for scrub birds such as Curve-billed and Long-billed thrashers, Bewick’s Wren, and, in migration, hordes of songbirds and concentrations of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. The ponds along the road are productive: watch for whistling ducks, Boat-tailed Grackle, various gulls and terns, Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret, and Wood Stork (late summer). Butterflying can be rewarding; watch for Salt Marsh and Obscure skippers, Great Southern White, and the diminutive Western Pygmy-Blue. Walk along Zimmerman Road north to the gate and south back to the cattle guard, scanning the scrub and the wetlands that straddle the road. TOS requests that you bird from the Leaving Zimmerman Road, continue straight (south) to Powderhorn Lake and Indianola. Check the mouth of Powderhorn Lake for roosting water birds and American Oystercatcher. Whooping Crane by U.S. Department of Agriculture POWDERHORN LAKE Phalaropus Tricolor by Dominic Sherony 8 Return on TX 316 to TX 238, turn left on TX 238 (toward Seadrift) and travel a short distance to FM 1289, then turn left (south) on FM 1289 toward Port O’Connor. Powderhorn Lake may be viewed from along FM 1289 where Coloma Creek crosses the highway and widens into Powderhorn Lake. At low tide the mudflats here may be crawling with shorebirds. Also watch for flights of cranes and geese at sunrise. For more information and upcoming plans for Powderhorn Ranch, go to texasnowmag.com and check out the article in the January 2015 issue. Get Your History On At TexasNOWmag.com