A trip in late April to the Upper Coast of Texas was a welcome diversion from the cool weather in southern Ontario. The city of Beaumont made an ideal home base for 9 days of great birding and superb photography opportunities. Our daily jaunts took us to a number of birding hot spots.... High Island, Bolivar Peninsula, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Big Thicket National Preserve, Sea Rim State Park, and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge.  One of the birdiest places of all was Cattail Marsh on the outskirts of Beaumont, where we had the good fortune of meeting up with city employees Elizabeth Eeddins and Stephanie Molina who were taking part in The Great Texas Birding Classic's "Big Sit." Both went out of their way to make us feel welcome and were terrific ambassadors for the state of Texas and the city of Beaumont. Our visit to Cattail Marsh turned up numerous white-faced ibis, sora, tricolored herons and purple gallinules. Other species included roseate spoonbill, tricolored heron, bald eagle, snowy egret, great egret, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, sora, marbled godwit and Wilson's plover to name just a few.