Sabal Palm Microbox

Texas Birding Trail Series

Sabal Palm

Placed By: Silver Eagle
Date: 12/30/04
Nearest Town: Brownsville, TX
County: Cameron
Terrain Difficulty: Easy (flat, 300 yards RT)
Recommended Ink: green & brown
Status: alive (03/06/08)

The Sabal Palm is a tall evergreen palm with a stout, unbranched trunk and very large fan-shaped leaves spreading around top. It once grew profusely along the edge of the Rio Grande in small stands or groves extending about 80 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, only a small portion of that forest remains, protected on 527 acres of the Sabal Palm Audubon Center & Sanctuary, representing the largest remaining Texas Sabal Palm fragment in Texas. In addition to the magnificent palms, many avian specialties are present, including vagrant and neotropical migrants that normally winter in Mexico. A butterfly garden has been developed behind the Visitors Center, and many Valley butterfly rarities have been seen here. The Sanctuary is part of the Boca Chica Loop described on the Lower Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail map. There is a fee to visit, but it is well worth the money to see everything mentioned, and find this microbox.

Directions:

From Brownville, go south on FM 511, cross TX 4 and continue to the merger of FM 511 and FM 3068 (FM 511 will veer to the right). Continue south on FM 3068 to FM 1419, turn west (right) and go 0.6 mile to the entrance of the Sabal Palm Audubon Center and Sanctuary, which is on the left. Park and walk to the visitor center to pay fee and get map.

Clues:

Go to the Forest trail, next to the visitor center, and walk about 75 yards to the loop jct. Go left (clockwise) and walk about 40 steps to a sign about Milkberry. Walk another 85 steps to a bench on the left. From there, look for a small palm tree at 180 about 5 steps left of the trail. The microbox in camo tape is within the fronds on the back side of the palm about 1 foot off the ground covered by sticks. Please re-cover well.

NOTE: Always take adequate precautions (such as prodding with a stick and/or wearing gloves) before reaching into dark crevasses and holes in the wild. Before you set out read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.

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Last updated on 03/13/2008

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