Houston Bird Week 2020 just wrapped up and we at Houston Audubon couldn’t be more pleased with the turnout, despite the challenges of a global pandemic and Tropical Storm Beta inundating the region with up to 14 inches of water!
Thanks to our partners in conservation, this second annual Bird Week boasted a calendar full of virtual and socially-distanced in-person events for bird nerds near and far! Events ranged from bird walks and birding classes to presentations on conservation initiatives and a super fun trivia night!
Let’s take a look at Houston Bird Week by the numbers!
We also got a feature article in the Houston Chronicle and an article in Houstonia Magazine, among other press.
If you missed out on the Bird Week fun, you can still participate. Virtual events allowed us to not only reach people outside of Houston, but to record and share the presentations for folks like you!
· Local Purple Martin expert, Matt Fendley, came to the rescue with a presentation on Purple Martins after our watch party was canceled due to the martins leaving Houston early this year. There was also a special guest appearance from Emilio, Houston Audubon’s Purple Martin education ambassador! You can watch that presentation here.
· Interested in Houston’s Mexican Free-tailed bats and the birds that prey upon them? Check out the presentation from TPWD’s Diana Foss and the Houston Bat Team’s Susan Webb by clicking here.
· Want to see shorebirds from home? Check out Houston Audubon’s birdy livestream from the Bolivar Flats Shorebirds Sanctuary, complete with sleeping Black Skimmers and numerous other fun coastal birds, by clicking here.
· Get a behind-the-scenes look at your favorite birds of Moody Gardens. Moody Gardens staff went live from their Penguin Exhibit, their Rainforest Pyramid, and from the Moody Gardens grounds to bring all the birds straight to your computer.
· Meet the Houston Audubon education raptors in a virtual tour of our Raptor and Education Center. Join Mary Anne Weber and her co-host, Juliet the Barred Owl, by clicking here and here (it’s a 2-parter).
· Galveston Bay Foundation’s Sasha Francis gave a quick birding tour of their Sweetwater Preserve, with appearances by many fun wading birds and a beautiful Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Watch by clicking here.
· Join Birds of North America host, Jason Ward, live from Atlanta, Georgia, on an action-packed virtual bird walk here.
We’ll be back for Houston Bird Week 2021 next fall, hopefully with more in-person events (because we missed seeing all of your lovely, binocular-clad faces).
Follow Houston Audubon on social media to keep up with other fun events throughout the year!
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