The Senior Bus Trip was a really wonderful excursion on Monday, August 26, 2019. We departed Houston early in the morning and enjoyed our first stop at Buc-ee’s. Buc-ee’s is always an important stop for a number of reasons. We then headed south for the Bolivar Ferry and enjoyed numerous dolphins and Magnificent Frigatebirds during the float across the bay. We met Pete Deichmann at the flats and enjoyed thousands of birds at the sanctuary. We then made stops at the North Jetty, Frenchtown Road and Fort Travis. There were lots of birds to enjoy at each location.

Photo gallery of the bus trip to Bolivar.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Osprey. It was posted by Will McDaniel on August 23, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Thanks to all who participated in our survey this past Tuesday. Despite the continued muggy weather we had a great time looking for birds.

I look forward to seeing everyone next time. The next survey at Kickerillo-Mischer is September 17th.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Common Nighthawk. It was posted by Will McDaniel on August 16, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Amazon is paying us a reward for shoppers using Amazon Smile to purchase items. We get a small percentage of the transaction, but it mounts up over time. We have received $900 thus far.

Please start or keep using smile.amazon.com to buy things on Amazon. There is no additional cost to you.

Thank you to the students from University of Texas-San Antonio, College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning who are studying in Galveston this summer. They came out to Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary and helped to clean up a popular recreation spot along Frenchtown Rd on Saturday, July 27, 2019. Over 60 bags of plastic, discarded fishing line, and other trash were removed from the sanctuary. Y'all are awesome!

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Barred Owl. It was posted by Will McDaniel on August 9, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

A few weeks ago Lauren Miheli, Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary Manager, was making her rounds of the sanctuary when she came across a young man shooting a video. As this was not an every day happening at the Sanctuary she approached the fellow to find out what he was up to. Turns out that the gentleman was a YouTuber who is passionate about nature and wants to make it easier for people to be able to find places to hike in, and around Houston.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Common Gallinule. It was posted by Will McDaniel on August 2, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Raptor and Education Center had let it be known we were looking for a new education bird. A bird we do not get to see very often. Special thanks to Dan Brooks with the Houston Museum of Natural Science for helping us in this matter. He contacted the Baton Rouge Zoo and found out they had a pair. So we are excited to announce we now have a pair of Barn Owls to be utilized for our programs.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Loggerhead Shrike. It was posted by Will McDaniel on July 26, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Cooper's Hawk. It was posted by Will McDaniel on July 19, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

With the generous donation from F. Carrington Weems, Houston Audubon held an online auction featuring 350 Audubon Amsterdam Edition prints from John James Audubon’s Birds of America. The online auction took place at the end of May, and was so popular, it was extended an additional week. Appreciatively, Houston Audubon sold 311 prints and raised over $20,000.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Bewick's Wren. It was posted by Will McDaniel on July 12, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Long-billed Curlew. It was posted by Maria Hart on July 5, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Here is a link to the July 2019 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.

If you're looking for a way to get outside while also improving your whole self, gardening may be the hobby for you.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Least Bittern. It was posted by Maria Hart on June 21, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

You know volunteering has a positive influence (make friends, build connections, gain experiences, etc.), but did you know that it can actually assist your health?

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Eastern Meadowlark. It was posted by Maria Hart on June 14, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

We've got a new face here at Houston Audubon! Lauren Miheli has just started as the Sanctuary and Volunteer Manager where she will be managing the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary as well as organizing Houston Audubon's amazing volunteers.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Black Skimmer. It was posted by Maria Hart on June 7, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The membership meeting on May 30, 2019, was held in conjunction with the speaker event. Houston Audubon's Board of Directors were elected as proposed. Starting July 1, 2019, Lucy Barrow and Diane Schenke will be new Directors. Skip Almoney is the new President-Elect. Re-elected to the Board are Andy Lopez, Janeen Judah, Mary Carter, Rebecque Demark, James Vavasour, and Robert Westendarp.

Leaving the Board are John Bartos, Nigel Curlet, and Doris Heard. We thank all our Board members for their invaluable service to Houston Audubon.

Houston Audubon’s Winters Bayou Bird Sanctuary has been awarded a $48,600 grant by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission through The National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF). Houston Audubon partnered with the American Youthworks Texas Conservation Corps to plan and build a new 900-foot trail, renovate one mile of storm-damaged trail, add 500 feet of boardwalk, and install trail markers for easier navigation.

There were 8 submissions for the photo contest by the following photographers.

See larger versions of all the photos in the gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Snowy Egret. It was posted by Maria Hart on May 31, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Here is a link to the June 2019 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 Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Magnificent Frigatebird. It was posted by Maria Hart on May 24, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Wilson's Plover. It was posted by Maria Hart on May 17, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Blue Grosbeak. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on May 10, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

CNOOC sent a group of 10 hard-working volunteers to Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary on May 2, 2019. Anna Vallery and Tom Olson hosted them in the Natives Nursery. They helped bump up plants, prepared many plants for pickup and filled seed packets. They also had lunch at the cabin.

Citizen Scientists in The Greater Houston and Galveston area competed in the Third Annual City Nature Challenge and won first place in the United States for most species identified during April 26-29, 2019. The Houston participants identified 3,367 species of flora and fauna from backyards to city parks to wildlife refuges and sanctuaries. The city took third place globally with Cape Town and Hong Kong coming in first and second respectively.

So, do you want to embrace social networking to have a positive influence on the world? Here are some ideas for how to use social media to make a difference.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Black-throated Blue Warbler. It was posted by Lark Heston on May 3, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Here is a link to the May 2019 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 Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Lesser Nighthawk. It was posted by Maria Hart on April 26, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

Turns out, even the smallest steps can have an impact. This Earth Day, consider your ecological footprint and enact these seven green ways to embrace today.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Black-billed Cuckoo. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on April 19, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Upland Sandpiper. It was posted by Lark Heston on April 12, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

In conjunction with the Houston Audubon Society’s Citizen Science Committee, Fred Collins and Kendra Kocab are organizing the 4th Annual Red-vented Bulbul Census, and we would like your help. The census will take place on Saturday, June 1, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM in the Heights and surrounding area. Last year’s survey found 75 bulbuls. The birds should be actively nesting and feeding young at this time of year, making them easier to detect. We will cover the area via transects. Each person/pair will cover approximately 2 miles on foot. We would like to have people bird in pairs so as not to cause distress among people living in the Heights when strangers with binoculars start peering into their yards on a Saturday morning.

For seniors, volunteering is the perfect chance to use extra time to make a difference in the community. Check out these positive reasons for seniors to volunteer.

Houston Audubon and Kathrine G. McGovern unveiled the $2.3 million nature tourism enhancement plan for Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary in High Island on Saturday, April 6, 2019. The project will feature the Kathrine G. McGovern Canopy Walkway—an elevated viewing experience through the forest canopy and sub-canopy. The plans also include renovating a 1920’s brick building known as the pump house, and new restrooms. The renovated pump house will be used as a visitor center and gathering space. The project is expected to be completed in time for Spring Migration, 2020.

The Mating Spoonbills photo won 1st place in the Galveston FeatherFest first week contest. The winning photo was taken by Joseph V. Smith on our Board of Advisors, and appeared in the Galveston Daily News on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. The birds in the image are Roseatte Spoonbills. The picture was taken at Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island TX, Galveston County on April 4, 2018.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Yellow-throated Vireo. It was posted by Maria Hart on April 5, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

This month aims to increase awareness about stress, its negative effects and how to relieve it. If you’re experiencing stress, keep these ideas in mind for how to relax.

Here is a link to the April 2019 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.

Thanks to all who came out for the survey this morning, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. It was certainly a beautiful morning at the park. The Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are back and were very cooperative, and an Osprey showed off the very large catch of the day for all to see. Ruby-crowned Kinglets were singing loudly in the trees. The vultures continue to meet on the islands. Stilts and sandpipers were enjoying the sandy edges, and a Cooper’s Hawk was seen carrying nesting material. April should bring plenty of migrants to the park so be sure to join us on Wednesday, April 24th.

Raise your glass, because all April long we’re toasting Houston’s resident and migratory birds. Houston Audubon is excited to announce that we’re participating in OKRA Charity Saloon starting April 1st. All you have to do to support birds is stop in and buy a drink (or two)!

Each drink purchased at OKRA will get you one vote to cast for the charity of your choice. We’re competing against three other charities, and the organization with the most votes will receive OKRA’s proceeds for the following month.

The Beak of the Week on the Houston Audubon Facebook page featured the Cliff Swallow. It was posted by Bryce Loschen on March 29, 2019. Click the link to see the profile in our Bird Gallery.

The highlights of activity statistics for the 2018 fiscal year (July 2017-June 2018) show some impressive numbers. Click the link to see a larger image.