Houston Audubon’s Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC) will consist of 15 young professionals (ages 25-35) from various industries that have an interest in conservation. It is a one-year commitment and the main responsibilities are to serve in an advisory role and to work as a group to complete a project that supports our mission.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Seaside Sparrow. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on August 24, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

A tweet from the Houston Library recognized Dawn Monachino, Education Specialist, who presented a live, interactive program to educate young readers on native Texas wildlife! A BIG thank you to Houston Audubon for participating in this year's summer reading program!

Click the link to view a short video on Twitter.

The recent rains brought out the box turtles at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. They have been out of sight in the past month due to the heat. This photo by Elveda Kruse shows a very good looking turtle.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Brown-headed Cowbird. It was posted by Daniel Elting on August 17, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

If you live an altruistic life and donate to an organization or cause you care about, you might be surprised to find these life benefits from financial donating.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Wood Stork. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on August 10, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Flo Hannah will be honored by the Native Plant Society of Texas with the Lynn Lowrey Memorial Award, given for horticultural achievement in the field of Texas native plants. Flo was nominated for this award by Houston Audubon and other dedicated friends and colleagues.

From January to May 2018, Texas A&M Wildlife Biology student researcher, Dillon Jones, surveyed the herpetofauna at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. The final results of the survey along with future management recommendations are now available in this comprehensive report.

A huge THANK YOU to this group of students and their professor from UT- San Antonio for cleaning up Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary at Frenchtown Road this morning. We removed lots of discarded fishing line, plastic of all kinds, cans, glass bottles, a tire, a sink, part of what looked to be a hot tub, and more. Y'all are awesome!

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Great Crested Flycatcher. It was posted by Daniel Elting on August 3, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Hummingbirds have greatly increased at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in recent weeks. We are approaching the migration season and the hummers are stocking up for the trip.

The attached article by the Outdoor Wire Digital Network is full of information about hummingbird feeders, how to care for them and what food to put in them.

Here is a link to one of the most popular pages on our website about the Hummingbirds of Houston.

Here is a link to the August 2018 edition of our monthly E-News in case you missed it. You can subscribe by filling in the form at the bottom of any page on our website.

The Texas Conservation Corps' Houston youth crew spent that last two weeks at Houston Audubon's northern sanctuaries, Winters Bayou and Damuth, doing some awesome work. They started off at Damuth Sanctuary where they created a trail from the new parking area to the existing trail. They also cleared out overgrown areas of the existing trail, including removing a few downed trees. They then moved over to Winters Bayou sanctuary where they constructed a small footbridge that crosses a stream along the trail.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the White-eyed Vireo. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on July 27, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Mosquito-spraying systems have become more popular as families strive to create healthy and pleasant environments for themselves, but the truth is that these sprays are often not healthy or pleasant at all when considering their harmful effects to birds and other wildlife. Backyard mosquito spraying typically works one of two ways. Permanent systems may be installed much like an irrigation system to spray an insecticide solution every day during the morning and evening, regardless of the presence of mosquitoes. Alternatively, treatment sessions can be scheduled every few weeks to spray a property. Treatments target larval or adult mosquitoes with immediate and residual effects, depending on the chemicals used.

Leo Boswell, from Boy Scout Troop 652 at St. Peters Church, Long Point, replaced the steps and wheel chair ramp at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary cabin to complete his requirements for Eagle Scout. Leo, his family, and a dedicated group of 9 fellow scouts began demolition work on the project Friday, July 13 and started rebuilding on Saturday, July 14. Members of the Tuesday Trail Crew, Jack Klander, JD Carballo, and Frank Perkins, provided invaluable guidance and instruction.

Join Houston Audubon for the first Natives Nursery Open House. Start in the Edith L. Moore cabin for a quick presentation about the nursery, the native plants we grow, and how to plant with natives. Then head out to the nursery where a group of native plant experts will be on-site, ready to answer any questions you may have and help you select the best plants for your yard. A special open house discount will be also be given for the event! So stop by and learn all about our real-deal native plants!

An Introduction to Houston Audubon’s Natives Nursery: Short presentations at 8 am, 10 am, and 12 pm.

Light refreshments provided.

Photos and videos of the Purple Martin migration viewing at Stafford on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

More information about additional viewing events.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Black Tern. It was posted by Daniel Elting on July 20, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Six new informative videos are on the Bird-Friendly Communities website. The topics are:

• Transforming Houston for the Birds
• Why Bird?
• Birds and Butterflies at Home
• Houston Audubon's Natives Nursery
• Nest Boxes for Screech Owls and Chimney Swifts
• Make a Splash for Birds

Check them out. They are all short and address timely interests.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the King Rail. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on July 13, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Here is a link to the July 2018 edition of our monthly E-News in case you missed it. You can subscribe by filling in the form at the bottom of this page on our website.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Eastern Kingbird. It was posted by Richard Gibbons on July 6, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Summer camp is in full swing at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. Two sessions of Nature Explorers Camp have been completed. Here are photo galleries which show the action during both weeks.

Week 1 photos by Ms. Ranger and Lilya.

Week 2 photos by Ms. Ranger.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the White-tailed Kite. It was posted by Richard Gibbons on June 29, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Mottled Duck. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on June 22, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

On June 16-17, 2018, a Boy Scout named Josh Cooper conducted an Eagle Scout Project on the main pond in the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. He, along with his family and volunteers from Troop 598, spent Saturday digging and excavating mud from the pond. The goal of the project was to deepen certain areas of the pond to make it a more suitable habitat for aquatic wildlife. On Sunday, they planted cat tails that had been collected the previous week. These native plants will provide food, shelter, and oxygen to aquatic wildlife. Hopefully you can come see the changes to the pond!

List of bird festivals in Texas for July-September, 2018.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Tricolored Heron. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on June 15, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Kristen Vale of American Bird Conservancy posted a short video on Twitter to report on the Least Tern breeding season. She is excited to say that there are more fledglings than last year. This is due to the efforts at Bolivar Flats and the Walk in the Wet Sand campaign.

On Saturday, June 9, 2018, seven Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts from troops in Humble, Atascocita, and Katy arrived at Winters Bayou sanctuary for a day of conservation. The girls and their families worked hard, clearing trails through Winters Bayou that needed some serious TLC. Jobs included trimming back overgrown vegetation, removing debris from the trails, and helping remove several downed trees. After the hard work, the scouts participated in activities concerning the surrounding pine-hardwood forests. In partial fulfillment of requirements for their Tree Badge, the scouts learned about dendrochronology and took a tour of the sanctuary, learning the local plants along the way.

We are so appreciative of the hard work these scouts provided for the conservation and maintenance of this beautiful sanctuary. Click the link to check out photos from the workday.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Black Vulture. It was posted by Richard Gibbons on June 8, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

An absolutely amazing birding day was recorded on eBird for May 28, 2018, at Tadoussac in Quebec, Canada. Over 721,000 birds, mainly warblers, were recorded by very experienced birders. This didn't happen on a Houston Audubon property or by one of our groups, but the article is a fascinating read. One could wish to participate in such an event. The Tennessee Warbler in this photo was one of the species observed.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Horned Lark. It was posted by Daniel Elting on June 1, 2018. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The final Fourth Saturday Family Workday of the spring season was held at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary on May 26, 2018. It was well attended by several hard-working groups.

Click here to see a photo gallery from the workday.

The beach is an environment that requires dynamic management and partnerships. Least Terns have established a nesting colony on the reshaped beach of Bolivar Flats.

A new campaign for Texas will help visitors avoid these nests. We are encouraging them to Walk in the Wet Sand. Eric and JP Pinteralli of Scout Troop 548 helped Kristen Vale of American Bird Conservancy and Daniel Elting of Houston Audubon put up symbolic fencing and these new temporary signs. Please help us get this guidance slogan into the minds of beachgoers. Our fellow feathered Texans will greatly appreciate your consideration.

Joe Smith took a series of very high quality close-ups of our Education Department raptors while Mary Anne Weber was displaying them at Camp Allen for a recent event. Several of the photos feature Winston, the Red-tailed Hawk we recently received from Wyoming.

Click the link to see the photo gallery.

Birdathon 2018 was a great success: most teams ever, exceeded fundraising goal, and ended with the best party. Many of the teams entertained the audience with tales from their birding adventure. The Edith Moore Eagles team won the contest for best story. High Island Crew won both contests for the most bird species found (162) and for the most money raised ($4,636). Thank you to our corporate sponsors: Abbott Contracting, Rebecque Demark and Nancy Scott with Heritage Texas Properties, Sword Plumbing and Wild Birds Unlimited. A full list of final results and prize winners will be published soon.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the event.

The Education Department reached over 4,000 people in the last two months via 83 programs and bus/field trips. Our two educators, whose center of operations is the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, are very active reaching groups of people in various locations. Their status report is always good reading and full of interesting news and photos. Click the link for a quick, enjoyable read.

There is a lot of scientific observation going on at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in addition to our beloved birds. Here are two photos of young box turtles that were found in the Natives Nursery in the past week. One female and one male, 3.5 inches long, about 2-3 years old. We have a citizen scientist that has been making a long term study of the box turtle population in the sanctuary.

Red-vented Bulbul census participants,

Please see the announcement below about our 3rd annual Red-vented Bulbul census which will take place on Saturday, June 2, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM in the Heights and surrounding area.

Please join us in welcoming these new members to Houston Audubon's Board of Directors. They were elected as proposed at the Membership Meeting which was held on May 10, 2018. Starting July 1, Tracy Hester, Brad Moore, and Loy Sneary will be new Directors. Greg Whittaker will be a new Director and Galveston Group Representative. Skip Almoney and Nigel Curlet will be renewing their terms as Directors. We thank all our Board members for their invaluable service to Houston Audubon.

On Monday, May 7, 2018, the seniors visited Sabine Woods, Sea Rim State Park and the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, Texas.

Read the full trip report in the linked PDF document.

Houston Audubon, Student Conservation Association, and Houston Parks and Recreation Department enjoyed the Birding and BioBlitz event on April 28, 2018 at White Oak Park. This event was held in conjunction with the City Nature Challenge, a multi-city competition to find and document the most species of birds, plants, and any other wildlife. Participants observed 44 species of birds and 113 species overall, and we had a great time being outdoors in nature in this special urban park!

Joey Guitron organized a team of 11 volunteers that participated in the workday at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary on Saturday, April 28, 2018.

Here's an update from the past TWO survey events! Things have been crazy lately but I'm really excited for what we've found in the past month! My next survey event should occur this Saturday/Sunday to overlap with the city-wide BioBlitz. Can't wait!

Two species of buntings have been seen at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary this spring. A group of four Indigo Buntings were are the bird feeders last week. Then we saw this beautiful Painted Bunting a few days ago.