Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The visitor center has a number of displays about the park and some very interesting paint-
ings and wood sculptures of the local scenes and wildlife. There are a number of short board-
walk trails around the visitor center that go through the woods and to overlooks of the marsh.
From the southwest side of the parking lot, take the trail out to the fishing pier to get views
of birds out in Davis Bayou. Look for brown pelicans, herons, egrets, wintering ducks such
as red-breasted mergansers, grebes, gulls, and terns; the pier goes over part of the marsh as
well.
In the marsh areas, look and listen for rails, particularly king, Virginia, and clapper rails.
In spring, when low tide corresponds with dawn, one can see clapper and king rails come
down to the waterline to bathe. During the month of June, clapper rails sometimes bring their
young down to the waterline at low tide. From the boardwalks that overlook the marsh, stay
quiet for a while and you may hear and see a marsh wren moving about in the reeds. Osprey
and kingfisher sometimes fly over the marsh looking for food. Tricolored herons can be seen
searching the shallow areas during low tide. There is a nature trail off the road leading to the
campground; this trail goes through various woods and has a number of overlooks into the
marsh. Marsh wren, rails, and Philadelphia vireo (in autumn) can be found here. The rest of
the Davis Bayou Unit consists of picnic areas, a camping area, and a boat dock that provides
more views of the marsh.
The whole Unit is not very large, but it is pretty and has been known to be a very good
birding spot for spring migration. The woods around the picnic grounds and a informal trail
along the western fence have been good areas during spring. Around the visitor center, those
woods have also produced such birds as tanagers, orioles, and all the various warbler species
that migrate through this area.
