JUNE 2024

Dear friend,

Here's what's happening at Houston Audubon this month!

FEATURED EVENTS

SANCTUARY SNAPSHOT

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. 

Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary

Summer fast approaches, with temperatures rising and the storm season intensifying. Mosquitos have begun their menacing dance about Edith L. Moore, making the soggy slog of the humid Houston outdoors even more galling. Still, we invite everyone to experience the beauty and natural wonder of late spring at Edith L. Moore, despite the pesky insects our climate brings this time of year. The trees are in full green with their leaves sloppily painted by mashed berries leftover by birds and squirrels. Chicks are in nests, if not already fledging, taking on their first flight in their juvenile wingsuits - shabby, dull, and sometimes tattered but with much excitement and nerves. With so much potential for adventure, it sometimes makes birders wonder why these youngsters follow the parents around for food even after being given the ability to fly!

This month, Houston Audubon staff want to remind everyone to be very careful while out on the trails. Extreme drought and freezing have caused many of the trees to weaken, leading to windfall from the intense storm season. Broken trees and branches, even small ones, are extremely dangerous. If you come across a tree that looks precarious, do not hesitate to let a member of staff know.

We also want to encourage mosquito safety - spray up, use mosquito head nets, and wear long sleeves if possible. Houston Audubon staff have been hard at work clearing trails of debris, and our volunteer Trail Crew has been working diligently on the new boardwalk around the pond. Come out and say hello!

On the Coast

Though we’re still receiving a few visitors to the Smith Oaks rookery daily, June means we’ve officially turned the corner from the spring migration madness in the coastal sanctuaries and turn our attention to maintenance and restoration tasks, along with continued Beach-nesting Bird stewardship and monitoring. The combined 6+” of rain we received in High Island in May has led to a bumper crop of ravenous mosquitos in the woods and marshes. For those planning to visit, long sleeves/pants, ample bug spray or a thermacell, and patience is recommended.

Though the songbird migrants have come and gone, we are just hitting the highest density of nesting birds for the season in the Smith Oaks rookery. We have over a thousand nesting pairs constituting 10+ species between the three main ponds. Many species have chicks in nests at this point (including the Roseate Spoonbills, Anhinga, Great and Snowy Egrets), and some that are still sitting on eggs (Tricolored Herons and Cattle Egrets). We typically still have a few nests by the end of July, so there’s still time to check out the rookery if you haven’t yet this season.

Elsewhere on the peninsula, our Beach-nesting Bird steward, Grace Yaros, is hard at work monitoring and protecting several sites with nesting Wilson’s Plovers and Least Terns. So far we’ve had more nests than the past two years, though weather and tides have resulted in several wash-outs. However, there are a few Wilson’s Plover chicks already running around.

Best practices when visiting the beach this summer are to walk in the dark, wet sand near the tide line as this reduces the likelihood of stepping on camouflaged nest or young. If you suddenly notice Wilson’s Plovers or Least Terns walking or flying near you, vocalizing, and acting agitated, you are likely near a nest. Moving away will allow the adults to resume incubating and make it less likely predators will find the nest while the parents are focusing on you. Finally, if you are in an area with fencing and beach-nesting bird signage, respect the fencing by remaining 10’ or more away from it and do not cross under the fencing.

NEWS & BIRDING

Featured Beak: Canada Warbler

International Day for Biological Diversity

It's beach (nesting bird) season

That's a wrap for Birdathon 2024

IN THE COMMUNITY

It's the last day of #BlackBirdersWeek - a week that celebrates Black birders, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts, highlighting their contributions to the natural world and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the birding community. This year's theme "Wings of Justice: Soaring for Change" underscores a commitment to bird conservation, environmental justice, and community care.

For the #RollCall, we'd like you to meet Royce Daniels, a longtime member of our Young Professionals Advisory Council. For the past few years, Royce has been the chair for AviChat, an informal conference and networking event to learn more about bird conservation efforts and research in Texas. Royce is a Field Operations Coordinator for Harris County Precinct 1, where he protects natural resources like the Almeda Road Nature Reserve, which is 45 acres of previously undiscovered Gulf Coast native prairie. 

#FeathersOfChange highlights people who push for environmental change in our communities. #CanaryInYourCoalMine explores how to raise the alarm about environmental issues affecting your community. We are excited to highlight Erica Hubbard, an advocate with the Progressive Fifth Ward Community Association who pushes for environmental change in the community. Enjoy this tour of Hershe Community Garden and the Fifth Ward Pocket Prairie. 

CONSERVATION CORNER

Mosquitoes: avian aliment, human headache

As the wet season picks up in Houston, so do the mosquitoes. Many of us who love birding know that these pesky blood suckers can be a food source for birds, including nightjars, waterfowl, swifts, and swallows. Mosquitos also provide a food source for dragonflies and other predatory insects. Unfortunately, the mosquito presents a serious threat to human health, and we are only making the problem worse.

A meta-analysis from Heidelberg University, Germany, reviewed 29 studies that associated mosquito epidemiological consequences with human urbanization, and found that as population density reaches 1,000 people per square kilometer, an increase in mosquito-born illnesses can be expected. Of course, this result will vary depending on any number of confounding factors, and the author's conclusions of the study suggest that public health officials must consider any and all possible variables when making decisions related to mosquitos in urban environments.

We can take this study a step further though and look at its implications for our Houston birds - many diseases that affect humans also affect birds, often with very negative outcomes. As we continue to urbanize Houston and its ever-sprawling perimeter, we increase the chances of exchanging these diseases with each other and the birds. Add that to the issue of biodiversity loss, which is generally associated with keeping zoonotic diseases in check, we are seeing a greater potential for our birds to contract deadly diseases like mosquito-born illnesses. To learn more, check out the link to the article below, and visit the Harris County Mosquito & Vector Control Division website.

Mosquito Meta-analysis https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009631

Harris County Mosquito Control https://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/Divisions-Offices/Divisions/Mosquito-Vector-Control-Division

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