The Information Center is in a small house directly opposite the entrance to Houston Audubon Society’s Boy Scout Woods, set in a bird garden with feeders, birdbaths, canopy tower, and an extensive bird library and unlimited free coffee are available inside.

Our goal is to promote birding to nature enthusiasts, introduce North American birders to the idea of world birding, and promote bird conservation to everyone. We created the Information Center to provide help to birders visiting High Island and to act as a hub of activity during spring migration. During the peak season, there will be up-to-the-minute information available for birding in the region, complete with maps and personalized help. As well as the latest bird news for rarity chasers, we’ll have some of our own expert guides there to help less experienced birders get a handle on the many species passing through the area, or to even learn what birding is about.

There will be free guided migration walks run by Tropical Birding and Birding America in partnership with Houston Audubon Society, while at the center we’ll have scheduled and impromptu talks on subjects ranging from warbler and shorebird identification through to birding in Madagascar, bird migration, and conservation in the tropics. If at any time you want to chill out, have a sandwich, and learn about birds-of-paradise, find one of the guides, and they’ll be happy to have a chat. If you are having trouble with some tough shorebirds, join one of our walks down at Houston Audubon’s Bolivar Flats Sanctuary.

We will have computer facilities to show the location of any rarities that turn up in the region. Online facilities within the center are linked to a regional weather service, so that we can track conditions closely and use these half-hourly updates as a good guide for where and when to go birding. If conditions for a fallout suddenly appear, we can put the word out early. If you need a map to that special bird, drop in and we will print you one.

From April 18th to May 6th, 2008, there will also be a representative from the American Birding Association at the Center to answer questions about the organization, the benefits of being a member, and about birding in America in general. They'll have info on their publications and projects, including their Youth Birding Program and Birder's Exchange.

Swaroviski Optik also has a stand at the information center, complete with their state-of-the art binoculars and telescopes. You're more than welcome stop by and try out the best birding optics you can get in the world today. Our guides are also happy to give an on-the-spot digiscoping demonstration.

The canopy tower beside the center is designed for people to watch birds of the treetops that would normally be difficult to see. Could this be the cure for warbler-neck in Texas? This will also be a great point for watching raptors on the move during the under-appreciated fall migration season in the area. You could easily combine this with a visit to nearby Smith Point, a well-known hangout for fall raptor watchers, managed by Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and Hawkwatch International. The bird gardens are newly planted, and we are sure the birds will come thick and fast during our first full spring season in the area. Everyone is welcome regardless of birding experience; feel free to drop in, have a coffee, relax in the lounge, and use any of the books we have in the library.

Books, T-shirts, patches, and much more are for sale directly across the road from the Houston Audubon Society at the entrance to Boy Scout Woods. The Houston Audubon Society volunteers work tirelessly to provide these facilities and maintain this outstanding reserve, so please support them however you can.