WhenToBird

Birding spot · Galveston County, Texas

Birding at Old Fort San Jacinto (Big Reef): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Old Fort San Jacinto (Big Reef) are Brown Pelican (85%), Laughing Gull (82%), and Great-tailed Grackle (68%). It is busiest in spring, when 87 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in early May (98 species). 200 species have been reported here across 1,024 complete checklists from 559 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsJan 8-14: 75 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsJan 15-21: 60 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsJan 22-31: 67 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsFeb 1-7: 62 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsFeb 8-14: 44 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsFeb 15-21: 67 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsFeb 22-28: 54 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsMar 1-7: 59 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsMar 8-14: 79 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsMar 15-21: 78 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsMar 22-31: 85 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsApr 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsApr 8-14: 90 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsApr 15-21: 94 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsApr 22-30: 85 species on 5%+ of 64 checklistsMay 1-7: 98 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsMay 8-14: 66 species on 5%+ of 106 checklistsMay 15-21: 87 species on 5%+ of 57 checklistsMay 22-31: 65 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsJun 1-7: 45 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJun 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Jun 15-21: 45 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJun 22-30: low data (7 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (3 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Jul 15-21: 56 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJul 22-31: 52 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsAug 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsAug 8-14: 71 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsAug 15-21: 67 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsAug 22-31: 66 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsSep 1-7: 64 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsSep 8-14: 67 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsSep 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Sep 22-30: 69 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsOct 1-7: 70 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsOct 8-14: 74 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsOct 15-21: 51 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsOct 22-31: 74 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsNov 1-7: 79 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsNov 8-14: 78 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsNov 15-21: 75 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsNov 22-30: 77 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsDec 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Dec 8-14: 79 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsDec 15-21: 83 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsDec 22-31: 55 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Brown Pelican85%
  2. 2Laughing Gull82%
  3. 3Great-tailed Grackle68%
  4. 4Willet68%
  5. 5Great Egret66%
  6. 6Ring-billed Gull63%
  7. 7Sanderling60%
  8. 8Snowy Egret60%
  9. 9American Herring Gull57%
  10. 10White Ibis56%
  11. 11Great Blue Heron54%
  12. 12Neotropic Cormorant54%
  13. 13Osprey50%
  14. 14Black-bellied Plover49%
  15. 15Royal Tern49%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 65 species

  1. Laughing Gull85%
  2. Brown Pelican71%
  3. Great Egret66%
  4. Ring-billed Gull65%
  5. Black Skimmer62%

Spring 87 species

  1. Laughing Gull88%
  2. Brown Pelican75%
  3. Great-tailed Grackle75%
  4. Red-winged Blackbird73%
  5. Willet73%

Summer 64 species

  1. Laughing Gull91%
  2. Brown Pelican73%
  3. Willet72%
  4. Great Egret70%
  5. Great-tailed Grackle65%

Fall 64 species

  1. Laughing Gull84%
  2. Brown Pelican77%
  3. Great Egret69%
  4. Willet67%
  5. Great-tailed Grackle66%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Texas.

  • Mangrove Cuckoo8.2% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 926.7×
  • Magnificent Frigatebird15% of checklists here vs 0.3% statewide: 49.1×
  • Clapper Rail24% of checklists here vs 0.9% statewide: 27.0×
  • Sandwich Tern24% of checklists here vs 1.2% statewide: 20.3×
  • Piping Plover13% of checklists here vs 0.7% statewide: 18.5×
  • Sanderling43% of checklists here vs 2.4% statewide: 18.3×
  • Black Skimmer29% of checklists here vs 1.6% statewide: 18.1×
  • Marbled Godwit19% of checklists here vs 1.0% statewide: 18.0×

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.