By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician
The day I’m writing this, February 21st, is my last day at Houston Audubon. At the end of 2025, I applied to my dream job, mostly on a whim, and a few months later I was unexpectedly offered the position. I’ll be working with albatrosses, my favorite birds, on Midway Atoll, a remote island in the Hawaiian archipelago managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Much of the day-to-day work on Midway involves restoring and maintaining seabird habitats, and I am certain that the invasive plant management experience I gained here at Houston Audubon made the difference in me being offered a position. For that, I am very thankful to Wyatt (Egelhoff, Sanctuary Manager) for hiring me, despite my lack of practical experience with invasive plants,; he taught me how to use a chainsaw and other removal tools, showed me how to care for different native plants, and helped me improve my shorebird identification!
In reflecting on my experience working in High Island for the past five months, I wanted to share some highlights.
The rookery surveys are my favorite thing I’ve done while on the job here. Enjoying the sunset at Smith Oaks while counting the thousands of wading birds flying in to roost is such a unique and special experience. I’m sad I won’t get to see the birds raise their chicks this spring, but watching the Roseate Spoonbills and Neotropic Cormorants start to build their nests while the Great Egrets engage in hormonally-charged disputes over their sleeping spots has been very entertaining. And though I’ll miss the spring warblers, I’m still happy to say that I’ve improved my bird identification skills so much since moving here! Coastal Texas is the best region for bird diversity that I’ve worked in, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to live here (and to live with such dedicated birders!).
One of the things I loved about removing invasives in High Island sanctuaries was all the different species of bugs I’d find! When you spend so much time near the ground, you discover so many little creatures that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. A favorite recent find was a native insect nicknamed “tree cattle”, which eat the bark off of trees and form tight herds when they feel threatened. I’ve also encountered many different species of spiders, which I’ve definitely grown a new appreciation for while being here, as they eat all the unwanted flying insects!
On the flip side, my least favorite aspect of working in High Island has to be the mosquitoes. Coming from Florida, and with field work experience in other parts of the Gulf Coast, I thought I “knew” mosquitoes. Some of the days I spent working at Smith Oaks last fall showed me just how bad the bugs can get. Even bug spray with the strongest DEET concentration can lose its effectiveness against them! My fellow technicians say they stopped noticing the mosquito bites after a few weeks, but I really can’t say the same for myself…
Speaking of the other techs, I am most fortunate to have spent the past five months working with Spencer and Robert. Getting to know and work with both of them was the best part of my experience at High Island! When I think back to my roughest times, spending full days cutting privet off those buggy, humid trails at Smith Oaks, I know I couldn’t have stuck through it without them. They’ve both shown me a lot of patience and support at times where I’ve struggled to figure out how to do new things. I’ve learned so much from them. From pole saw operation to sparrow identification, setting mouse traps, even how to stop an endlessly flushing toilet. Both of them are incredibly smart, quick-witted, crafty, and such valuable members of the High Island crew!
It’s unfortunate I’ll miss spring migration, not just because of the birds, but also because I won’t get to spend more time with the Houston-based staff and our dedicated volunteers. I’ve really appreciated the welcoming atmosphere I felt whenever I visited Edith L. Moore: it’s always been a treat to work events with the staff! I also wanted to thank David Swaim, Brian Anderson, and Winnie Burkett for the local historical knowledge they imparted on me, and for all the work they put in to assist High Island staff with keeping things running. And thank you to Barbara Tilton for running the workday lunches and dinners—I can speak for all of the techs in saying we appreciate them so much!
Houston AuduBlog 
All the best in your new dream job. It sounds amazing! And in Hawaii! Double dream!
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Thank you for all the hard and wonderful
Work you did at High Island . It a terrific place.for the birds and for the Humans that enjoy watching nature in all its glory !
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