Houston Audubon Sanctuaries

Houston Audubon meets its mission of promoting birds and conservation of their habitat primarily by owning and managing bird sanctuaries. Its land acquisition program began in 1987 with the purchase of land on the Bolivar Peninsula and has grown steadily since then by further purchases and by donations and bequests. Today it owns the following 17 sanctuaries in five counties totaling 3,362 acres.

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From the Sanctuary Blog ...

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Bolivar Flats: August 20
by Winnie Burkett

I am on the coast checking sanctuaries today it is warm and windy not as many birds at Bolivar as I expected but our system is so big there is really no telling what is where. The most birds can be seen from the North Jetty. I am constantly amazed at how spooky Brown Pelicans are when you are on the beach and how much closer you can get on the jetty.[More]

Oily Debris on Texas Beaches
By Andrew Beck
On Friday morning, July 9th, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the United States Coast Guard responded to reports of oily plant debris that had come ashore around High Island, TX on the Bolivar Peninsula. A clean-up effort began immediately to remove the scattered debris to ensure minimal soil contamination. The GLO is prioritizing clean-up efforts on beaches that are experiencing the heaviest coverage and monitoring the entire stretch of beaches along the Upper Texas Coast.[More]

Recent Ongoing Work at Bolivar Flats
By Winnie Burkett
On Fridays Andrew Beck and I spend 2 hours herbiciding salt cedar as Ike spread it everywhere. This morning there were lots of nighthawks feeding in Horseshoe Marsh. Dickcissels, Painted Buntings, Yellowthroats and Orchard Orioles were calling.[More]

Pelican Research on North Deer Island
by Andrew Beck
On Friday I visited North Deer Island again with the Bobs (Gallaway & Horner) and two grad students from the University of Louisiana. I had some signs to post and the two guys from UL were collecting blood samples from Brown Pelican chicks. Their work is part of a larger research study analyzing the genetic diversity of Brown Pelicans in and around the Gulf of Mexico.[More]

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	Bolivar Beach Cleanup: Sept 25 WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! Details >> High Island Work Day: Oct 9 *New!* Bolivar Naturally Resources for the Bolivar Peninsula Online Native Plant & Bird Guides *Now Available!* Bolivar Peninsula Report 2010 Opening for Sanctuary Seasonal Employee Colonial Waterbird Survey Results Sanctuary Funding Needs Dos Vacas Debris Cleanup Pickup Truck We are collecting funds for a pickup truck to be our work truck on the coast. We’ve made a great start – please help us reach our goal! Contact: Andrew Beck. Power Tools Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary needs to replace a recent theft of our power tools. We have received some donations but still need about $500. Contact: Flo Hannah.

	Visit the Birding section for information on birding, field trips, and links to bird sightings.