Join Richard Gibbons, Director of Conservation for Audubon Texas, on a trip to one of the finest migratory locations in North America – the western end of the Bolivar Peninsula. Richard has worked as an ornithologist for more than two decades on the Gulf Coast and throughout the Americas. He has enjoyed working on various land acquisitions, managing land for wildlife and people, developing engaging content for various media, and working with a diverse community for Gulf Coast bird conservation projects. Richard’s work at Louisiana State University’s Museum of Natural Science focused on developing and managing community science projects in Louisiana while simultaneously studying birds, wetlands, and climate change in Peru’s high Andes.
What to Expect: This trip will explore the Houston Audubon Horseshoe Marsh and Bolivar Flats bird sanctuaries. This combination of salt marsh, mud flats and beachfront hold the highest rated designation in the birding world as a Globally Important Bird Area and is an International Site in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Hundreds of thousands of shorebirds converge on the flats to feed on the shrimp, small fish and crabs teeming in the shallows of the marsh. Here you can reliably spot pelicans, gulls, terns, Roseate Spoonbill, herons, egrets, Osprey, Crested Caracara and more amidst the hundreds of species of shorebirds and land birds that either make their permanent homes here or stop in for a rest before continuing their annual migratory routes.
Targets: Expect to see at least 80 – 100 species! For example, 5 species of plovers, 7 species of terns, 4 species of gulls, Dowitchers, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Harrier, Marbled Godwit, Long-billed Curlew, Whimbrel, Red Knot, White-tailed Kite, Marsh Wren, Seaside Sparrow, Clapper Rail and Osprey.
What to Bring: water, lunch, sunscreen, insect repellent, and wear closed-toed walking shoes.
Important Information: Participants will begin at FeatherFest Headquarters where they will board a bus for this field trip.