Dear friend,
December brings lots of excitement at Houston Audubon. It also brings a slightly less rigorous work schedule. This quiet time plays an essential role in our ability to slow down, reconnect, and reflect on our achievements and lessons learned as we. prepare for a new year. We are excited to host our team holiday party at the new Morse Field Station later this month. The facility has all that we need, and heading to the coast will be a great change of pace. We are also looking forward to the Christmas Bird Count season and preparations in the native plant nursery for spring sales and restoration projects. We’re entering a new season as we prepare to kick off our future strategic direction, add new members to our team, and continue to lay the groundwork to build a more diverse network through our community centered approach to conservation. We look forward to seeing you in the new year and wish everyone a restful and birdy holiday season.Â
- Helen Drummond, Houston Audubon President & CEO
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'Tis the season for Christmas Bird Counts!
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Initiated in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count is an early winter bird census where thousands of volunteers participate in community science by going out and counting birds. CBC data is used in hundreds of analyses, peer-reviewed publications, and government reports. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated area, counting every bird they see or hear all day.
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Houston Audubon's sanctuaries fall within the following Christmas Bird Counts:
December 14: Bolivar Peninsula (High Island sanctuaries)
December 19: Galveston (Bolivar Flats and Horseshoe Marsh)
December 30: Buffalo Bayou (Edith L. Moore)
January 2: Galveston West End (Dos Vacas Muertas)
January 4: Trinity River (Damuth)
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If you'd like to stay closer to the city, you can join the Central Houston count on December 18. Many of our monthly bird survey locations fall within this count.Â
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Sign up by contacting the compiler for the count you're interested in! A full list can be found by clicking the button below. Birders of all skill levels are welcome!Â
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Houston Audubon owns and manages 17 nature sanctuaries totaling over 4,000 acres, most 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
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Explore our sanctuaries, many of which are free and open to the public! Only the High Island sanctuaries require a patch or day pass.
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Cooler temperatures have ushered in the final stages of fall migration and the arrival of wintering bird species to our coastal sanctuaries. During our recent November High Island workday, we managed to clear the trails at Boy Scout Woods for the winter season. Our next workday is scheduled for Saturday, December 9th, from 8:30am to noon. Your participation in these workdays is invaluable, as it greatly simplifies the task of trimming and maintaining the trails in preparation for the spring migration season.
Join us for a Christmas Bird Count at High Island, Bolivar Flats, or Dos Vacas Muertas.Â
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How technology can advance bird conservation
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Birders may already know that counting birds is often done by sound as much as it is by sight. Did you know that researchers can now collect bioacoustics data and pair it with computer algorithms to more easily and quickly detect all of the bird species in a given area? This is a huge step forward for scientists and conservationists as it can better inform whether their efforts are effective. Learn more on our blog.
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| AOS to change English names of birds named directly after people
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If you haven’t caught wind of the news, many bird species’ names are changing as the American Ornithological Society (AOS) aims for a more inclusive birding community. You might ask, why change them all instead of just those who were named after specific people? Evaluating the impact of a diverse array of historical figures is inherently subjective, given that our perception of harm is culturally shaped. Entrusting such judgment to a process would inevitably spark contentious debates over who merits the privilege of having a bird named after them, diverting our attention from the birds themselves. We at Houston Audubon welcome this change and invite you to embrace a birding community that touches a broader audience.
Learn more about the AOS’ decision.
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Spread your Wings of Generosity 🦅
Houston Audubon’s work is vital to the hundreds of thousands of birds that face insurmountable obstacles and depend on us to survive. Your year-end donation will help us protect more critical habitat, provide more native plants to urban communities, make our community science efforts more robust, and reach more people with nature-based education. Â
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Focus on the Good Binocular Donation Program 💙
Houston Audubon and Land Sea and Sky have teamed up to collect donated binoculars and refurbish them for distribution to underprivileged individuals in our community as well as guides in developing countries. As a bonus, Zeiss will provide a 15% off coupon for any Zeiss product purchased through Land Sea and Sky within 30 days of donating a pair of binoculars.
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Become a Member for Early Access to the Photo Blind! 📷
Reservations for the Boy Scout Woods Photo Blind open on January 10, but members get early registration beginning January 3rd! Become a member today for early access to reservations. Membership benefits also include members-only birding trips, discounts on Houston Audubon merch, early access to events, and more!
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