Isobella Jade

As a birdwatcher with a romantic soul, I can’t help but think of The Notebook’s opening scene whenever I watch egrets glide across the water. Their beautiful white wings and peaceful essence symbolizes love, new beginnings and togetherness. My usual spot for admiring these majestic birds is the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center in Memorial Park, but I recently found myself wondering if there was a place where I could see even more of them. After some online research, I stumbled upon this under-the-radar location about an hour and half from Houston—and I knew I had to check it out.  About Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary  Driving east from Houston on Interstate 10 East, my fiancé Dan and I arrived at Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary, a nature preserve on High Island that offers refuge for thousands of migrating waterbirds each year, including egrets, spoonbills, herons and more. Spanning 177 acres, the sanctuary is a stunning mix of ponds, wetlands, fields and woods teeming with wildlife.   After paying $10 for our day passes, we browsed the trail map. That’s when I noticed the canopy walkway leading to the rookery; it seemed like the perfect place to start our adventure.  The Kathrine G. McGovern Canopy Walkway provided a breathtaking bird’s-eye view of the marshes and pond. As I stepped onto the walkway, I instinctively reached for Dan’s hand. Suspended 17 feet above the ground, we watched as songbirds flew from tree to tree. The serene atmosphere made us walk more slowly, so that we co