WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE!

By Ella Tyler

I used to love writer David L. Lindsay’s thrillers set in Houston, in no small part because of the way he describes the city. His descriptions of the city’s Museum District are so lush and verdant that I felt cooler just reading them. Scenes set in the abandoned buildings of the warehouse district (pre-gentrification) left me uneasy, but intrigued with the interesting architecture. As I read, I’d think, “What a beautiful place,” or “What an fascinating place,” and then I’d remember – I live here!

“Birds and Bayous” is the latest image campaign for the Houston region, and it hopes to evoke that same “Wow, what a great place! Oh, I live (or could live) here!” reaction by putting the spotlight on our natural assets. The campaign slogan is “Birds and Bayous are to Houston what mountains are to Colorado.”

The Houston Audubon Society, Houston Parks Department, and Fermata, Inc., a nature-tourism consulting firm, began working on the project more than a year ago. Many groups, including Houston Wilderness and the Greater Houston Partnership’s Park, Natural Spaces and Recreation Committee, have joined the effort.

The campaign kicks off in later this month when “The Faces of Flight” goes on display at Hobby Airport. This is a series of portraits of birds that are native to Houston or that migrate through here. There will also be a series of “Birds and Bayous” bird walks in October at several city parks.

Part of the project will be to educate Houstonians about our rich and unique ecological heritage. Did you know that Houston has more birds per square acre than any other major US city, with the possible exception of San Diego?

Although bird watching can be a complicated, expensive, and uncomfortable outdoor hobby, in Houston it is easy to see a variety of birds from the comfort of home. I toss a handful of a seed mix and some peanuts with shells on my patio in the morning and several kinds of doves, sparrows, house finches, and blue jays appear instantly. Later on, the cardinal family drops in and sometimes a woodpecker comes by. When the birds are finished, they wander over to the pesticide-free, Earth Kind, rose garden to nap, sun, and preen, or hop into one of the birdbaths. Mockingbirds don’t visit, but I hear them at 3 am. I have been told that feeding birds is not a good practice, but the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology has a large section on its website devoted to attracting birds, including suggestions for how to create a good habitat. Judging by the happy birds in my yard, it is not difficult.

Houston is the Central Flyway, a route for birds migrating to and from Canada, and at the edge of the Mississippi Flyway. Hawks and hummingbirds are the stars of fall migration, although chimney swifts and several kinds of swallows also pass through in large numbers. Some of these also show up in back yards.

A hummingbird buzzed me this morning while I was putting out seed. There are two visiting at the moment, and I have given each of them a feeder. Hawks are easy to see at Smith’s Point.

If you want to find out more about our area’s rich and unique ecological heritage, some of these upcoming events may be interesting.

Fermata, Inc. and the Conservation Fund are presenting a workshop, Balancing Nature and Commerce in an Evolving Landscape, in Lufkin in September 19 and Beaumont on September 20. For details, call (713) 523-3302 or write RobinL@fermatainc.com.

On September 22, Clinton T. Willour, Geoff Winningham, Jim Blackburn, and Nancy Powell Moore, will discuss the photography exhibition, Houston Wilderness: A Collaboration, which will be at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston until January.

Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy is holding a fun run on October 13. This park and natural area near Westbury High is still under construction, but it already attracts a variety of interesting birds. Sign up to run or help out at the Conservancy’s website.

The Native Plant Society of Texas is hosting a class on landscaping with native plants to attract wildlife this Saturday, September 8 from 9am to 3 pm at the U of H Main Campus in the College of Engineering. There will also be a native plant sale. There might still be room in the class. Call (281) 558-3710 or e-mail sarahbethsmith1@aol.com.

For a chance to see the city through an artist’s eye, check out the Watercolor Art Society – Houston’s September membership show, which has the theme of Landscapes and Seascapes. The show is at 1601 West Alabama from September 14 until October 11. The opening reception is Friday, September 14 from 6 to 8pm. For details, see the Society’s website.