By Pete Deichmann, Land Conservation Director, Houston Audubon It was April 9, 2020. COVID-19 had swept across the country, forcing federal, state, and local governments to issue quarantine restrictions. Non-essential businesses shuttered their doors, Houston Audubon staff adopted a “work from home” schedule, and for the first spring since the initial High Island acquisition of […]
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Wyatt Egelhoff, Sanctuary Manager and Victoria Parker-Thacker, Seasonal Coastal Avian Technician, Houston Audubon Shortly before the woods fill with migrating songbirds, Houston Audubon staff spring into action, readying the beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula for the arrival of our beach-nesting birds in mid-March. For over a decade, Houston Audubon has monitored and stewarded several key […]
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By Schyler Brown, Bird-Friendly Communities Program Manager, Houston Audubon It is Plastic-Free July, which means acknowledging and finding ways to reduce our plastic use and waste. Each week in July, we will be sharing a different kind of plastic pollution and how it impacts birds and wildlife. This week, we are talking about macro-plastics and […]
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Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) Family: Parulidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week may be more easily recognized by its common name — Cape May Warbler — but its taxonomic species tigrina is a more apt descriptor. Adults boast a bright yellow face, breast, and belly, with […]
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Green Heron (Butorides virescens) Family: Ardeidae By Nick Minnich, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak is often referred to as “daggerlike,” a perfect tool in the hunt for fish and amphibians. Green Herons are a short, compact heron who often prefer to stand on water’s edge vegetation as opposed to wading in the […]
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Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) Family: Vireonidae By Nick Minnich, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Yellow-throated Vireo is one of the most striking North American vireos, with its bright yellow throat and breast plumage, broad yellow spectacles around the eyes, and gray wings with two bold white wingbars. Often, this bird frequents forest-edge habitat and […]
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Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) Family: Passerellidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This Beak of the Week has a very expansive range and an incredible array of plumages. The Dark-eyed Junco is a medium-sized sparrow, possessing the short, conical bill and rotund body shape common to its family. Their coloring varies greatly by […]
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Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) Family: Anatidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week, the Ring-necked Duck, earned both its common and scientific name (collaris) from the chestnut collar on its black neck. Decidedly difficult to make out in the field, they are better identified by other traits. The […]
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By Nick Minnich, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician With 2025 fully underway, spring migration is right around the corner! Exciting vagrants are already finding their spotlight in and around our High Island sanctuaries, such as a Spotted Towhee, Red-naped Sapsucker, Hooded Oriole, and more! It’s time to start studying your field guides and strengthening your […]
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Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) Family: Parulidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Like cardinals, this Beak of the Week claims the unusually specific honor of “birds named for Roman Catholic robes of office.” The Prothonotary Warbler’s astounding yellow hue is its most defining feature, leading early ornithologists to name it after the yellow […]
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