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Learn about the collections housed at the Mercer Botanical Center and exciting facts about plants and their habitats. Presented by Mercer Botanical Collections Curator Suzzanne Chapman, and Botantist Anita Tiller.

Lunch Bunch is recommended for ages 12+. Bring lunch and enjoy this gardening presentation. Call Mercer Botanic Gardens at 713-274-4160 to make a reservation or receive more information.

The Willow Waterhole Bird Survey was started in June 2007 and is held on the third Saturday of each month (but no survey in December). During the 2-hour count, the number of species identified can range from around 30 in summer to over 50 in the winter.

The survey begins in the parking lot of the Gathering Place at 5310 South Willow Drive. Our usual starting time is 8 AM, but we begin at 7 AM from April through September. We split up into three or four groups to cover the park thoroughly, and as of mid-2015, nearly 200 species had been reported to eBird. For a list of species reported to date, see eBird.

The major part of the Willow Waterhole reserve is on the west side of South Post Oak Road, and that is where three of the ponds are located (with two more to come). Good places to park for birding these ponds are on Ricecrest Street and on the Clematis Lane cul-de-sac off of Gasmer. Also, adjacent to the parking lot at the Gathering Place on South Willow is a short, woodland path to the unconcreted Willow Waterhole Bayou, which marks the northern boundary of the park. Another parking area is on the gravel road at the eastern end of Dryad Drive behind Westbury High School.

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.

Senior bus trips depart from Memorial City Mall. You will receive directions and times when you register. Buses are kindly provided by Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack. You will need to bring your lunch in a soft-sided container and Houston Audubon will provide snacks, cold water, and an ice chest for your drinks, since we will not have room for everyone to bring their own ice chest. Note that there is no restroom on the county buses.

Precinct 4’s Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve is an 80-acre property featuring Marshall Lake, which spans approximately 40 acres, plus a staff building, paved roads and parking lots, restroom facilities, and 1.7 miles of trails. Our survey takes place on the third Monday of each month.

The preserve was donated to Precinct 4 in January 2009, after Kickerillo Companies and Mischer Investments acquired it from Hewlett-Packard to create The Vintage, a community in northwest Harris County. Ultimately, the property will connect with the 100-acre Wood Preserve on the opposite side of Highway 249 and become part of the Cypress Creek Greenway trail system, which connects hundreds of acres of parks along Cypress Creek.

The survey is held on the third Tuesday of the month. Email Mary Anne Weber at maweber@houstonaudubon.org to be put on the notification list.

Meet count leader Jason Bonilla in the parking lot of Woodland Park. Please note that the park does not have a maintained trail system. As such, there is a lot of poison ivy that is somewhat unavoidable when walking the park and looking for birds. Additionally, there are terrain changes and unstable areas. Participants should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. They usually meet on the fourth Saturday of the month.

We’re conducting a biweekly census on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. During migration periods, we may schedule more frequent counts. Meet at 7:00 AM in Intramural Field 6, which is between the Tudor Field House and Wiess College. Park in the Moody Center Visitor Lot, which is accessed from the entrance to campus at the intersection of University Blvd and Stockton St. From the Moody Center parking lot, walk east along the paved road past Reckling baseball park to the intramural area. We begin at Harris Gully. From there, we will make a circuit around campus and end at the café at the Brochstein Pavilion.

If you’d like to participate in the survey, please contact: Cin-Ty Lee at ctlee@rice.edu to be put on the mailing list. Our posted schedule is tentative and subject to updates.

Meet in front of the bathrooms near the parking lot off Eldridge.

Do you live on the west side of Houston and are you looking for a fantastic place to see an amazing array of birds? Well join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Archbishop Fiorenza Park (Phase 2) between Eldridge and Highway 6 for the chance to see a multitude of species, get a good healthy walk in and enjoy the company of other outdoor loving folks. This park has miles of paved trails, wooded thickets, open grassy areas, large detention ponds with bird islands and much more. It is north of the Westpark Tollway and just north of the original Archbishop Fiorenza Park on Eldridge.

Email Mary Anne Weber at maweber@houstonaudubon.org if you’d like to participate.

We are conducting a monthly survey at Hogg Bird Sanctuary. Beginning in March 2019, the surveys will be held on the first Monday of the month. Skip Almoney is our leader. The Hogg Bird Sanctuary is adjacent to Bayou Bend and shares its parking facility at 1 Westcott Street. Meet at the parking lot at the dead end on the south end of Westcott Street. We meet at 7:30 AM in the parking lot. If the gate is locked, we can park in the upper parking lot and then walk down to the lower parking lot to meet. Everyone is welcome. Beginners, experts, or even if you’re just curious.

Please join us for a monthly bird survey at the Houston Botanic Garden (Glenbrook Golf Course). We meet the first Thursday of each month at the main parking lot at 8205 N Bayou Dr, Houston, TX 77017. If the lot is closed, park at the park next door. There is a swimming pool near the parking lot.

This monthly survey will help assess the current bird population and the changes to the population as the grounds are converted into the botanic garden. Houston Audubon’s Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center sits across from the grounds along the historic meander of the bayou and already has a species list over 100. We anticipate the grounds of the future botanic garden to become a hotspot for birds with a species list well over 200. Habitat across the Houston area is shrinking and Houston Audubon is excited to work with Houston Botanic Garden as they make decisions about this very important property.

The property has been part of the Central Christmas Bird Count since 2015. This is a large piece of property. We will work towards having teams of birders and volunteers helping to bird the entire property. A typical bird survey is 2 hours long but folks can come and go as they need to.

We welcome everyone. You do not need to be an experienced birder. If you need to borrow binoculars just let us know. Email Mary Anne Weber at maweber@houstonaudubon.org if you have questions and would like to join us.

Held monthly on the 1st Saturday, beginning at 8 AM. The survey will be conducted starting in April 2019 and continue through the summer.

There have been 147 bird species observed within Memorial Park outside of the Hogg Bird Sanctuary and the Houston Arboretum. The Eastern Glades Phase I is the first major Master Plan project to be implemented. The second phase of the project is set to be completed in 2020. This area was once inaccessible due to a lack of trails and heavy overgrowth within the forest. The main feature of Phase II will be a lake surrounded by wetlands. It will serve the dual purpose of new wildlife habitat and stormwater retention. This survey will help assess the bird diversity within Eastern Glades. Check out our Master Plan here!

Where to meet: Please park in the Eastern Glades parking lot. We will meet at the restrooms/water garden at the northern end of the parking lot (google maps).

Please note: Parts of this survey will take place near an active construction site (until the Eastern Glades project is completed.) Please no children until the construction site is no longer active. Please wear waterproof shoes/boots. We will be going off-trail in wetland habitat for part of the survey.

Leader: Kirsten Thoede (kirsten.thoede@gmail.com)