Calendar
Sparrow Identification Workshop
with Dr. Cin-Ty Lee
Dr. Cin-Ty Lee has volunteered to teach a bird identification workshop as a fundraiser to help support birding programs at the Nature Discovery Center. All proceeds will go directly to NatureDiscovery Center programs. Dr. Lee’s workshop will feature a one evening sparrow identification lecture, followed by an all-day field trip to several places in the greater Houston area to look for some of our over-wintering sparrows.
Workshop Dates
Lecture: Wednesday, January 31 at 7 pm at the Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle, Bellaire, TX 77401
Field Trip: Saturday, February 3 at 7 am and continue through lunchtime, with the possibility of going longer if people want to keep birding. Car-pooling is recommended. Specific birding locations will be selected by Dr. Lee closer to the date of the field trip.
Cost: $65 – NDC members; $90 – non-members
Advanced registration required. Register online at my-ndc.org/activities/sparrows/  Class size is limited to 15 participants.
What to Bring & Wear: Lots of water & drinks, lunch, snacks, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, binoculars and bird books. Layered clothing, hat, closed-toed shoes.
Are you over 50 and eager for birding and natural history adventures? Are you tired of driving through Houston traffic to reach a birding destination? We have the solution! Our monthly senior bus trips with buses provided free of charge by Harris County Precinct 3 as a senior service by Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack can easily satisfy your “natural” side. Houston Audubon books a bus every month for our Houston Audubon members who are 50 and over. We provide snacks, refreshments and an experienced tour guide at our destination.
Reservations are required and attendance will be limited to the bus capacity. The buses are provided by Precinct 3 free of charge. A small fee is charged by Houston Audubon to cover snacks, water, and any entry fee at destination. Participants will be required to sign Precinct 3 and HA liability release forms for the trip. Precinct 3 regulations require that all participants must be 50 years or older. Remember to bring your binoculars, insect protection, sturdy shoes, and raingear if necessary. For more information and trip updates, contact Mary Anne Weber at maweber@houstonaudubon.org.
Monday, January 8, 2018
100 Acre Wood Preserve & Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve
Register online for the January bus trip.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Rio Villa Nature Trails & Sheldon Lake State Park
Monday, March 5, 2018
Cullinan Park, Sugar Land Memorial Park, Brazos River Corridor
Register online for the March bus trip.
For more information, please visit houstonaudubon.org/birding/field-trips-travel.
Get ready for the Houston Zoo’s February Zoo Sprouts’ sweetheart safari. Join with other Sprouts as we fall head over paws in love with our clouded leopards, cougars, and jaguars. Spend some quality time with your little one as we travel through the Zoo. Meet these animal pairs, then head back to our outdoor classroom to create your very own Valentine for a Houston Zoo animal.
For ages 18-23 months.
Get ready for the Houston Zoo’s February Zoo Sprouts’ sweetheart safari. Join with other Sprouts as we fall head over paws in love with our clouded leopards, cougars, and jaguars. Spend some quality time with your little one as we travel through the Zoo. Meet these animal pairs, then head back to our outdoor classroom to create your very own Valentine for a Houston Zoo animal.
For ages 4-5 years.
Are you over 50 and eager for birding and natural history adventures? Are you tired of driving through Houston traffic to reach a birding destination? We have the solution! Our monthly senior bus trips with buses provided free of charge by Harris County Precinct 3 as a senior service by Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack can easily satisfy your “natural” side. Houston Audubon books a bus every month for our Houston Audubon members who are 50 and over. We provide snacks, refreshments and an experienced tour guide at our destination.
Reservations are required and attendance will be limited to the bus capacity. The buses are provided by Precinct 3 free of charge. A small fee is charged by Houston Audubon to cover snacks, water, and any entry fee at destination. Participants will be required to sign Precinct 3 and HA liability release forms for the trip. Precinct 3 regulations require that all participants must be 50 years or older. Remember to bring your binoculars, insect protection, sturdy shoes, and raingear if necessary. For more information and trip updates, contact Mary Anne Weber at maweber@houstonaudubon.org.
Monday, January 8, 2018
100 Acre Wood Preserve & Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve
Register online for the January bus trip.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Rio Villa Nature Trails & Sheldon Lake State Park
Monday, March 5, 2018
Cullinan Park, Sugar Land Memorial Park, Brazos River Corridor
Register online for the March bus trip.
For more information, please visit houstonaudubon.org/birding/field-trips-travel.
Start your weekend by enjoying a leisurely Saturday morning breakfast drifting down the bayou on our pontoon boat, the “Bayou Ranger”. Observe wildlife searching for their breakfast on the bayou. This trip through the heart of the Nature Center presents an uncommon opportunity to watch and learn about bayou life. Enjoy pastries, juice, and coffee while underway.
The boat will pick you up at the Bay Area Park boat launch (NOT at the nature center). Reservations required, call 281-474-2551.
Join the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center for their Spring Plant Sale! They will be offering native grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees – perfect for attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to your yard or garden. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum’s conservation and education efforts. Plants are priced as follows:
- $4.50 – 4 inch
- $9 – 1 gallon
- $30 – 3-5 gallon
Members receive a 10-25% discount (depending on Membership level) on all plant sale purchases!
This year’s Spring Plant Sale will be located just inside the new 610 Entrance gate on the south side of the entrance road (the yellow star on the map). Shoppers are asked to park along the 610 Parking Loop and then walk over to the sale. There will be a small pull in area at the Plant Sale for people to load their plant purchases.
Join the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center for their Spring Plant Sale! They will be offering native grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees – perfect for attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to your yard or garden. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum’s conservation and education efforts. Plants are priced as follows:
- $4.50 – 4 inch
- $9 – 1 gallon
- $30 – 3-5 gallon
Members receive a 10-25% discount (depending on Membership level) on all plant sale purchases!
This year’s Spring Plant Sale will be located just inside the new 610 Entrance gate on the south side of the entrance road (the yellow star on the map). Shoppers are asked to park along the 610 Parking Loop and then walk over to the sale. There will be a small pull in area at the Plant Sale for people to load their plant purchases.
In recent years, lionfish derbies have served to raise awareness of the invasive lionfish problem and remove large quantities of lionfish throughout the tropical western Atlantic (southeastern United States, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico). Unfortunately, this type of one-day dive/snorkel event is not practical for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary due to the remote location and the depth of the reefs. As an alternative, the sanctuary hosts a Lionfish Invitational. This four-day event is a science-based effort in which 11 dive teams work to remove as many lionfish as possible, while also recording helpful data on lionfish activity and sightings. In addition, a science team of 8 divers conducts surveys to determine what species, quantities and sizes of fish are present at each designated site before and after the removals. The sanctuary have scheduled two trips for the 2018 season: June 24-28 and Aug. 26-30, 2018. Applications for these trips are now available and must be submitted by Mar. 31, 2018. For more information, visit flowergarden.noaa.gov.