Super Bird 57: That’s a Wrap!

February 13, 2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

Mary Anne Morris, Houston Audubon Education Director As the waning snow moon sank deep on the horizon, the first songs of the cardinal could be heard piercing the morning sky. The time had come for the annual competition that puts the B in bird and pits the birdwatchers from two hallowed teams against each other […]

Bird-Friendly Backyards: Common Threats & Easy Ways to Help

February 13, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

By Carrie Chapin, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician Despite good intentions, many things placed in backyards can cause harm to birds, resulting in injuries or mortalities. For example, birds can get sick from dirty feeders, and cats and windows are direct threats that vastly affect bird populations. Here are some of the most common backyard threats […]

Beak of the Week – American Goldfinch

February 10, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) Family: Fringillidae By Carrie Chapin, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician The American Goldfinch is a relatively common yet cute passerine whose flocks use many habitats, including neighborhoods, feeders, forests, fields, and edge habitats. Their range encompasses all of the contiguous U.S., though they do not breed in the southernmost states. This species […]

World Wetlands Day: The Importance of Wetlands

February 2, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

By Carrie Chapin and Jon Piasecki, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technicians Today (Feb 2nd) is World Wetlands Day – a yearly celebration of wetlands and their important contributions to ecosystems and human society. Wetlands provide food and habitat for thousands of species, filter water, and capture runoff to prevent flooding. A wetland is any area […]

DIY Water Feature with Drip

January 30, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

By Adoriam DeWalt Hello! My name is Adoriam DeWalt and I am an Ambassador of Girl Scouts. I am working with Houston Audubon on my Girl Scout Gold Award to talk about the war on birds. I hope you find this information helpful as we try to be more bird-friendly! Why birds matter Birds are […]

Beak of the Week – Eastern Towhee

January 27, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) Family: Passerellidae By Jon Piasecki, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician Eastern Towhees are a species of sparrow typically found throughout the eastern half of the United States. Their physical appearance is much different from many other “new world sparrows” that you may know. Adult males have a black head and back, with […]

Honoring Tom Greer with the 2022 Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award!

January 24, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

By Gabriel Durham, Volunteer Manager Each February, Houston Audubon hosts a Volunteer Picnic to present the annual Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award and celebrate the collective contributions of our valued volunteers. To best understand the award, it is good to understand the contributions of Laura Singleton herself. Lauded as the “consummate soldier in Audubon’s army”, […]

Beak of the Week – Brown Creeper

January 20, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) Family: Certhiidae By Carrie Chapin, Houston Audubon Conservation Technician The Brown Creeper is a unique species as the only North American member of the tree creeper family. Brown Creepers are uncommon in southeastern Texas and can be found foraging in dead and dying trees, with a preference for conifers. These birds […]

DIY Pine Cone Bird Feeder

January 17, 2023.Reading time 9 minutes.

Introducing Wyatt Egelhoff, Coastal Sanctuaries Conservation Specialist

January 16, 2023.Reading time 11 minutes.

If you’ve visited any of the High Island Sanctuaries or Bolivar Flats in the past year, you may have run across our Coastal Sanctuaries Conservation Specialist, Wyatt Egelhoff. Wyatt started working for Houston Audubon as a Conservation Technician in December 2021 and then transitioned to doing beach-nesting bird stewardship in March 2022. He was hired […]