Last Saturday, April 19th, a new national big day record was set in Texas. 260 species were observed on a route that started in the Hill Country and ended in the rice fields of the central coast. We had an incredible day, saw incredible birds, and consumed an incredible mountain of junk food. The team consisted of Pete Hosner, Ken Behrens, Michael Retter, and me.

Highlights from the day included a Swainson's Warbler quivering its tail as it foraged in the understory of Blucher Park while the Clay-colored Robin flitted overhead, a fantastic morning filled with birds in the Hill Country, and a Black Rail calling at dusk. The low point in the day was striking a deer in the wee hours of the morning, taking out one of our headlights. The rest of the drive to the Hill Country was made white-knuckled, continually dodging other suicidal deer and a few belligerent wild pigs.

In all, it was an incredible display of the bird diversity present in Texas in the spring. I have been privileged to spend large portions of the past 12 springs in Texas and have witnessed this diversity again and again. This highlights the need to conserve habitat in Texas to protect this diversity. Houston Audubon has a long history of bird conservation in Texas. We hope our attempt to set a new national Big Day record also helps to raise money for Houston Audubon Society's Sanctuary fund to preserve another portion of Bolivar Flats. Join us in supporting the Houston Audubon Society's efforts to preserve crucial habitat for migrating birds along the Texas coast. Pledges to our team will be used by Houston Audubon to preserve additional habitat at Bolivar Flats. EDG Pledge Form

Thanks to all the Texas birders that gave us information that helped us along the way. We really appreciated it.

-- Cameron Cox