Beak of the Week – Olive-sided Flycatcher

April 28, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) Family: Tyrannidae By Jon Piasecki, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician Olive-sided Flycatchers are one of the many species of flycatchers that can be found in the western hemisphere. This species winters in the northern half of South America and parts of Central America. During migration, these birds can be seen primarily throughout […]

Beak of the Week – Tennessee Warbler

April 20, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) Family: Parulidae By Carrie Chapin, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician The Tennessee Warbler is one of the many species to pass through the Upper Texas Coast during spring migration. This warbler was named because the first cataloged specimen was collected in Tennessee, but that is only one of the many states this […]

Beak of the Week – Buff-breasted Sandpiper

April 14, 2023.Reading time 5 minutes.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) Family: Scolopacidae By Jon Piasecki, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician Buff-breasted Sandpipers have one of the longest migration journeys of any bird in North America. This species winters in the southeastern region of South America and breeds in the High Arctic around the northernmost parts of Alaska and Canada. Buff-breasted Sandpipers are […]

Beak of the Week – Hooded Oriole

April 7, 2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) Family: Icteridae By Carrie Chapin, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician A rare visitor to the eastern Texas coast, a Hooded Oriole was recently photographed in Boy Scout Woods Bird Sanctuary in High Island! Only staying for part of a day, this individual was one of the billions of birds that pass through […]

Beak of the Week – Swallow-tailed Kite

March 31, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) Family: Accipitridae By Jon Piasecki, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician The Swallow-tailed Kite is one of the most beautiful and unique birds that can be seen in North America. This species is present year-round through much of South America and can only be seen in the United States during the migration and […]

City Nature Challenge is almost here-Help Houston-Galveston rank first again!

March 28, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

By Amber Leung, Houston Audubon Staff Naturalist & Educator City Nature Challenge is an annual international bioblitz where cities engage in a friendly competition to see who can gather the most observations of nature, find the most species, and engage the most people. This is a 2-part event that starts with an observation period (April […]

Beak of the Week – Worm-eating Warbler

March 24, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) Family: Parulidae By Carrie Chapin, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician One member of the great menagerie of warblers to visit the Texas coast during spring migration is the secretive Worm-eating Warbler. Previously placed in the same genus as Swainson’s Warbler, this small passerine frequents forest understories and can be difficult to find […]

Trip Itinerary: A Birdy Weekend at High Island

March 21, 2023.Reading time 25 minutes.

By Stuart Nelson Get those picnics packed, binoculars polished, and hiking shoes laced up tight – spring migration is upon us! This special time of year, lasting roughly from March through May, and peaking in late April, brings over a billion birds through Texas, many of which stop along the Upper Texas Coast (UTC) to […]

Welcome to Schyler Brown, Houston Audubon’s New Conservation Specialist!

March 20, 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

We’re excited to introduce the newest addition to our conservation team. Schyler will focus on our community science and monitoring initiatives. He recently completed his MS degree, where he studied landscape ecology and remote sensing methods. He spent a lot of time in his undergrad birding, bird-banding, and contributing to ornithological research — including 3 […]

Beak of the Week – Northern Parula

March 17, 2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) Family: Parulidae By Jon Piasecki, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician The Northern Parula is a tiny species of warbler that can be seen throughout the eastern half of the United States during the migration and breeding seasons. Adults have beautiful blue-gray wings, head and back, white eye-arcs, a greenish back patch and […]