The Houston chapter of The Audubon Society began purchasing and acquiring land in 1987 with the help of donations and bequests. A section of Bolivar Peninsula, situated southeast of the city center on the Gulf Coast, was the first purchase. The Audubon holdings had grown to 17 sanctuaries and a total of 3,362 acres stretching over five counties as of January 2011. Bird watchers strolling through the sanctuaries can find purple martins and hummingbirds while swallows from all over North America descend on Texas as part of the annual flight south.
Brazos Bend State Park is about an hour drive southwest of Houston. Take U.S. 59 South to Texas 36 South. There are observation towers where bird watchers can spot masked and whistling ducks. W. Goodrich Jones State Forest, located just off Interstate 45 about 50 minutes north of Houston, has more chances for bird watchers to spot native and migrating species. The forest spans over more than 1,700 acres and is a habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker. Sam Houston National Forest has 160,000 acres of sparrow and woodpecker watching. Some will find white-breasted nuthatches there. Houston Wilderness has a website for bird watchers to choose from forest and park locations in the metro area to see which ones have birding.
Houston's city recreation department maintains a 113-mile trail system that draws distance-bikers and marathon trainers, as well as bird watchers. In Hermann Park, bird watchers can get a glimpse of ring-necked ducks, greater scaups and canvasbacks. The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is a 155-acre sanctuary in Memorial Park.
Downtown Houston has hotels ranging from the budget-minded Best Western to the more ritzy Four Seasons. There's an art- and antique-decorated inn situated at West Main and Greeley streets called Robin's Nest Bed and Breakfast. La Maison in Midtown is a modern, urban bed and breakfast at the corner of Brazos and Drew streets. See "Resources" for more bed and breakfasts in the Houston area.
