By Lili Banta, Wildlife Photographer Every spring, birders from across the country head to High Island, a small coastal community on the upper Texas Gulf Coast that quietly transforms into one of the most important migration sites in North America [1]. Thanks to its unique position atop a salt dome and its proximity to the […]
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Houston Audubon is sad to share the passing of a dear friend and visionary conservationist, Steven Craig Damuth. Craig didn’t just appreciate nature; he dedicated his life to ensuring it would endure for generations. From his early days birding and fishing in the pineywoods of East Texas, Craig developed a deep-seated belief that habitat was […]
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Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) Family: Tyrannidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week goes out to the Great Kiskadee that hung around Smith Oaks for nearly three weeks! From March 9-28, this unique flycatcher made birding Smith Oaks extra exciting, with the chance of seeing it at any […]
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Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) Family: Caprimulgidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Have you ever heard of a goatsucker? How about a nightjar? These odd compound words describe the same birds! Nightjars are a group of cryptically plumaged, nocturnal insectivores, belonging to the family Caprimulgidae. They feature earthen tones of browns, grays, and […]
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Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) Family: Parulidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The warblers are finally here! The last couple of weeks have been full of excitement and anticipation as the first warblers are starting to trickle in, leading the charge of millions that will be flooding through the country next month. This […]
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Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) Family: Scolopacidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Upland Sandpiper is a medium-sized shorebird that’s easy to overlook at first glance, but leads a fairly unique life. As a sandpiper that spends its entire life in grassland habitats, it is one of only a few terrestrial shorebirds. Preferring […]
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Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) Family: Scolopacidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week is devoted to one of my personal favorite shorebirds, the Marbled Godwit! This month is the time to see your favorite wintering shorebirds before many of them leave in April, so this would be my […]
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Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) Family: Sulidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician As the temperatures continue to climb and the days grow longer, we all see spring just on the horizon. But let us not forget to turn and appreciate the wintering species of birds one last time, before the trees are dripping […]
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By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week! So, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the important habitat restoration work we do that keeps our bird sanctuaries full of life. But first, what is an invasive species, and why do they matter at our sanctuaries? Invasive […]
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By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The day I’m writing this, February 21st, is my last day at Houston Audubon. At the end of 2025, I applied to my dream job, mostly on a whim, and a few months later I was unexpectedly offered the position. I’ll be working with albatrosses, my favorite […]
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