Your pre-spring guide to birding High Island

February 21, 2025.Reading time 10 minutes.

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 […]

Beak of the Week – Prothonotary Warbler

February 21, 2025.Reading time 5 minutes.

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 […]

Beak of the Week – Chuck-will’s-widow

February 14, 2025.Reading time 5 minutes.

Chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis) Family: Caprimulgidae By Nick Minnich, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Our Beak of the Week is the largest North American member of the nightjar family. Caprimulgidae, colloquially referred to as goatsuckers, get this unusual nickname from a folk belief that the birds would milk goats with their enormous mouths each night as […]

Beak of the Week – Buff-bellied Hummingbird

February 10, 2025.Reading time 4 minutes.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis) Family: Trochilidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Hummingbird identification can be notoriously difficult, largely due to their small size and plumage similarities between different species. This week’s Beak of the Week, the Buff-bellied Hummingbird, is no exception, though adults possess several characteristics that set them apart from their […]

Beak of the Week – Cinnamon Teal

January 30, 2025.Reading time 4 minutes.

Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera) Family: Anatidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week is a stunning one. The Cinnamon Teal is a regular (though not overly common) wintertime visitor to the Houston area, a cheery splash of red floating among the reeds of freshwater ponds. Relatively small overall […]

Beak of the Week – Hooded Oriole

January 23, 2025.Reading time 4 minutes.

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) Family: Icteridae By Charlie Ayers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week is a flashy Icterid of south Texas, the Hooded Oriole. Hooded Orioles are slender birds with a flame orange body, black wings, a black tail and a black throat patch that extends up to their […]

Cold Fronts — The Best Time for Birding

January 22, 2025.Reading time 3 minutes.

By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The best weather for birding can vary heavily based on what you’re looking for. Although wind-driven rain might cause songbirds and waders to hunker down, it tends to push migrating seabirds such as petrels and terns closer to shore, making for great seawatching. Migrants of all orders, […]

Cold Weather is Snow Problem for the Birds

January 21, 2025.Reading time 3 minutes.

By Charlie Ayers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician As we are all huddled up in our houses drinking our coffee, tea or hot chocolate, many of us reading this blog post are probably watching the birds at our feeders stuffing their little beaks full of seeds. This brings questions to mind like “how do the […]

Beak of the Week – Golden-crowned Kinglet

January 16, 2025.Reading time 5 minutes.

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) Family: Regulidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Despite its tiny size, this week’s Beak of the Week is astoundingly hardy, active, and agile. Golden-crowned Kinglets have a tiny, rounded body, short wings, and a skinny tail. Dull body coloration — pale olive and gray — is offset by […]

Beak of the Week – American Bittern

January 9, 2025.Reading time 4 minutes.

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) Family: Ardeidae By Charlie Ayers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week, the American Bittern, is a master of disguise! American Bitterns tend to choose when they are seen rather than being found. With their cryptic, brown, streaky coloration, they materialize right in front of your face […]