Hello, everyone! April is one of the best times of the year to get outside and go birding. The weather is perfect, and our sanctuaries are alive with birdsong as migrating birds make their way north, stopping to rest and refuel along the Texas Gulf Coast. It’s an exciting time to witness the beauty of spring migration!
Â
As you head out to enjoy the trails, I encourage you to be kind and respectful to fellow visitors and, of course, to nature itself. Our sanctuaries are special places thanks to the incredible volunteers who dedicate their time and effort to keeping them thriving. If you see a volunteer out on the trails, be sure to thank them for all they do!
I look forward to seeing many of you out in the sanctuaries—don’t hesitate to say hi if you spot me. Happy birding!
Â
- Jed Aplaca, President & CEO
|
|
|
Houston Audubon owns and manages 17 bird sanctuaries totaling over 4,100 acres, many of which are open to the public! Our most frequented sanctuaries include the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in west Houston and our High Island and Bolivar Flats sanctuaries on the coast.Â
|
| |
|
Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary
|
By John LeaRussa, ELM Sanctuary Lead
|
|
|
Greetings from the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. Spring is in the air and the sanctuary is buzzing with activity from the two major work day events completed earlier in the month.
Â
The first occurred on March 1 when Eagle Scout candidate Evelyn Questell led two teams of Scouts in completing a boardwalk replacement section inside the sanctuary, as well as a planting project along the driveway entrance into the sanctuary. A lot of hard work and planning went into these projects so that the day of execution went smoothly for Evie and her teams. We really appreciate the work Evie and her crew completed in the Sanctuary. Â
Â
Our monthly Sanctuary Workday on March 15 was a success, with approximately 40 volunteers helping us:
-
mulch 400 linear feet of trails.
- pick up trash and debris along 300 feet of Rummel Creek banks
- replace a deteriorated section of boardwalk around our tool sheds.
- overall beautification around the cabin area.
It was a busy day, but everyone had smiles on and completed these tasks safely and with the best attitudes possible. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped. We will be taking a break from our monthly work days for the summer and will pick it back up in September. Â
Â
Shout out to our Tuesday Trail Crew volunteer team. This group of individuals is out here every Tuesday morning, rain or shine, helping to make ELM Sanctuary the wonderful space that it is. If you would like to be part of this awesome group, just show up on Tuesday mornings at 8 am. You, too, can feel the sense of pride and accomplishment this group feels each week.
|
| |
|
By Wyatt Egelhoff, Sanctuary Manager
|
|
|
April brings both avian and human visitors to our coastal sanctuaries. We’d like to thank those who joined us during our March High Island workday and helped us prepare the sanctuaries for the influx of visitors. This was our final High Island workday of the spring; our next one will be the second Saturday in October. This month’s volunteers at our Coastal Natives Nursery workday helped staff plant one hundred trees and shrubs in areas we’ve been treating for invasive Chinese Privet. We will not have a nursery workday on the coast in April, but will have them throughout the summer for those brave enough to join us. Our next will be on Thursday, May 8th from 9 am-noon. A big thank you is also in order to those that came out to our beach clean-up at Bolivar Flats on March 15th. We were able to remove several hundred pounds of litter and clear the beach ahead of the beach-nesting bird season.
Â
Speaking of beach-nesting birds, Houston Audubon staff and our partners at American Bird Conservancy installed symbolic fencing on East Beach (Galveston Island), Bolivar Flats, and the Port Bolivar Ferry Landing beach. Please respect the signage and stay out of these posted nesting areas. It is good practice to give the fencing a 50 foot or more berth. This is a difficult time to manage beach visitation as migratory birds are often using mudflats while nesting birds use the dunes. Avoid flushing groups of birds and give them their space. Most of these shorebirds have traveled hundreds (if not thousands) of miles to get to our shores and have several hundred (or thousands) of miles left to go before getting to their breeding grounds.
Â
There is a lot of free programing scheduled in High Island this spring. The full schedule can be found on the High Island Spring Events page of our website. This includes guided bird walks, bird classes at the Morse Field Station, and more. We hope to see folks in High Island this spring!
|
| |
|
Coevolution and biodiversity: How an insect missing dinner can cost the life of a bird
|
By Schyler Brown, Bird-Friendly Communities Program Manager
|
Most of us have heard of a food chain - a broad concept that organizes the flow of energy consumption from the sun to a predator. In this scenario, the energy from the sun feeds the vegetation through photosynthesis, the vegetation feeds insects, and insects feed a predator like a bird. Unfortunately, if we remove the vegetation from the scenario, the insect will not be able to simply find other vegetation to consume, because it has specifically evolved to eat that type of vegetation. This is called coevolution: where two species evolve together and rely on each other for survival. This scenario also highlights the importance of biodiversity: a measure of the number of species in a given area. A diverse group of vegetation that supports a diverse group of insects is critical to the survival of our birds. You can help support birds by planting natives in your yard. Learn more here »
|
|
|
By Christine Wehrli, Community Outreach Programs Manager
|
This month, we’re highlighting the pollinator garden at Burnett Bayland Park in Houston's Gulfton neighborhood. Pollinator gardens attract and support pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds by providing diverse native plants that offer nectar, pollen, and shelter while minimizing pesticide use.
Â
The native plants in this garden come directly from the Natives Nursery at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary and include blue mistflower, little bluestem grass, American basketflower, Texas coneflower, black-eyed Susans, and rattlesnake master.Â
Â
Houston Audubon staff recently visited the plant beds to do garden maintenance alongside Harris County Precinct 4, Madres del Parque, and Migrants and Refugee Leadership Academy Houston.
Learn more about our community outreach efforts »
|
| |
Become a Member
Become a Houston Audubon member today to receive great benefits like members-only birding trips, early access and free admission to certain events, discounts on our merchandise, and more!Â
|
|
Conservation License Plate
Show your love of birds when you hit the road! Order your specialty license plate to support bird conservation while driving around town. $22 of the $30 annual fee comes to Houston Audubon.
|
|
Make a Donation
Individual donations are the backbone of Houston Audubon's programs. Donations from individuals such as yourself are the driving force behind all of our work. Make a donation today to support the conservation of birds in the Greater Houston Gulf Coast region.
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemoveâ„¢
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
440 Wilchester Blvd. | Houston, TX 77079 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
|
|
|
