Calendar
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.
We begin our monthly bird count at 7 AM, starting off from the front parking lot of Armand Bayou Nature Center, dispersing from there. Please try and be here by 7 AM as gates will lock promptly at 7:05. I really hope you all can join us as we can try to spread back across all of our many areas we typically bird. If we have enough volunteers, I would like to not only cover Armand Bayou and Bay Area Park but also UH Clear Lake, a few offsite lakes/ponds, and the Village Grove portion of upper Armand Bayou. If you plan on attending, feel free to shoot me an email or just show up. Please join us if you can, looking forward to a nice morning and seeing everyone.
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. We usually meet on the fourth Saturday of the month. Please check the website for last minute updates.
Work on your bird-watching skills while helping the Arboretum monitor bird populations on a fun, relaxed morning walk. Join us on the second Saturday of each month in the courtyard behind the building for a two-hour bird survey led by Arboretum staff members, Kelsey Low and Theo Ostler. We welcome all levels of bird watching skill and all ages (as long as you’re quiet) – but no dogs, please! If you have binoculars of your own, please bring them. We have a limited number of binoculars available to borrow.
The public is invited to join us at Hermann Park on the second Monday morning of each month. There is no charge for these bird walks and children are welcomed. We meet in parking lot “D” on the south side of the Miller Outdoor Theatre stage. From Hermann Park Drive parking lot “D” shares the entrance with parking lot “E”. From the fountain in front of Hotel ZaZa, drive around on Hermann Park Dr.(also shown as Golf Course Dr. on some maps) past the Museum of Natural Science and McGovern Centennial Gardens. The entrance to Parking Lot D will be on your right side, just before you get to the large lots in front of the main zoo entrance. The entrance will say Parking Lot “E”. Go in there. Parking Lot “D” is behind Lot “E”.
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.
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.
Leader: Cin-Ty Lee
Houston Audubon is conducting a monthly survey at Hogg Bird Sanctuary. Surveys are normally scheduled for the third Saturday of the month. Everyone is welcome. Beginners, experts, or even if you’re just curious.
Everyone will meet at the parking lot at the dead end on the south end of Westcott Street at 7:30 a.m. If the gate is locked, you may park in the upper parking lot and then walk down to the lower parking lot to meet.
Leaders: Theo Ostler and Kelsey Low
Meet in front of the building at the Houston Arboretum.
The Third Saturday bird survey is a monthly event for experienced birders. It’s an opportunity for birders to help the Houston Arboretum keep a better record of the birds inhabiting the nature sanctuary throughout the year. Interested participants should bring binoculars, water, and their bird guides (if necessary).
Please RSVP to Theo Ostler so that he can let you know of any additional information prior to the survey.