It’s bird nesting season again on the Audubon sanctuary at Chester Island.

The island is named for Chester Smith, a local Port O’Connor resident for many years, and the first Audubon Warden in charge of the island’s initial development as a bird sanctuary. Before that, the island near the inshore mouth of the Port O’Connor jetties was sometimes called “Sundown Island”, or just “Bird Island”.

The facility is currently the springtime home and nesting site to thousands of Brown Pelicans, terns, gulls, herons, skimmers and egrets, including several species of environmental concern.

The island is closed to all visitors due to both federal and state regulations, but you are invited to view the birds from boats near the shore as long as you don’t disturb the birds in any way.

These regulations are enforced by officers from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas DPS, and the local Audubon Warden.

If you have any questions regarding the regulations or the island in general, please contact Audubon Warden Tim Wilkinson at Tim.Wilkinson@audubon.org