This trip is led by two SCENIC GALVESTON, Inc. birders who are also past Great Texas Birding Classic (GTBC) competition winners. The trip will duplicate portions of their winning GTBC Dawn to Noon run, but at a much slower pace. During this field trip we will have the opportunity to visit some areas not normally publicly accessible.

Bird banding allows the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory to obtain information about the physical condition of migrants at this intermediate location between the coast and the bottomland forests lying well inland. Both coastal woodlots and inland bottomland forests are known to be extremely important stopover habitats for neotropical migrants that move through the Gulf of Mexico region. Birds that are captured for banding can provide valuable information about their relative physical condition. What a unique opportunity….and that is just the start of this exciting field trip!

Join us on this trip to Boy Scout Woods, Smith Oaks, The Rookery, and more! Location:  From under an ancient sea, a salt dome emerged. After a few thousand years the dome reached 38 feet above a pancake-flat coastal plain; the highest point-of-land on the immediate coast from Mobile Bay to the Yucatan Peninsula. This...

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. 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.

Greg is so much fun to bird with that we have added a trip focused on just Galveston Island! Get ready to see the diversity Galveston Island has to offer with one of the most fun trip leaders in the country! On this trip, we will let Greg decide where he wants to go depending on what he’s scouted out before the festival.

This trip will focus on gaining a deeper understanding of bird identification. Our approach is to observe differences in body structure, behavior, habitat preferences, and feeding styles of various species of birds. This trip allows us time to observe and discover the distinct characteristics of each species as opposed to generating a list of a...

Focusing on discovering migrating songbirds on Galveston’s West End, this trip will feature warblers, vireos, tanagers, orioles, grosbeaks, and buntings. Located at the intersection of two important migratory flyways, Galveston Island provides critical resources and cover for birds as they journey northward. During stormy weather, fallout events are common, as birds seek shelter and much-needed rest at the first sight of land.

This adventure in Galveston Island State Park provides a delightful, natural experience. Enjoy paddling in a provided kayak while slowly exploring the open lagoons and marshes of Galveston Island State Park, one of the area’s premier ecological jewels.

Join Clayton Leopold on a guided tour of the birds of Moody Gardens. This unique combination field trip will include a guided tour through the canopy level of the Tropical Rainforest exhibit as well as a viewing of the Penguins in the Aquarium Pyramid. You then step outside to the birdiest areas of the 240-acre Moody Gardens complex showcasing a diverse array of habitat and species variety.

Galveston’s West End has drawn birders from all over the world for nearly 100 years. In addition to estuarial saltwater marsh, it contains freshwater ponds, pockets of scrubland, mudflats, and sandy beach habitat. This combination attracts a wide variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, and more. What to Expect:  We will begin the trip by...

Galveston Island has all the habitats associated with a barrier island – beach, uplands, fresh water ponds, brackish lagoons and wetlands. Join local father and son team, Allen and Michael Hardee, on this “birdy” trip as you learn to identify Black Skimmers, gulls, terns, sandpipers, plovers, herons, egrets, ibis, spoonbills, ducks and much more.

In one of our most popular trips, you will be guided by one of our most experienced birders and all-around nature lover, Glenn Olsen. Glenn leads nature tours in the US and overseas but he calls the upper Texas coast home. His extensive knowledge of local birding areas is sure to yield excellent views of migrating warblers as they move through our area on their way to nesting habitat. As a bonus, Glenn is also a Texas Master Naturalist and has served as the president of the Native Plant Society of Texas. His knowledge in these areas should greatly enhance your trip experience.

We offer this trip to those who would like a slower paced trip to Houston Audubon’s two world famous sanctuaries, Smith Oaks, and Boy Scout Woods. Location:  From under an ancient sea, a salt dome emerged. After a few thousand years the dome reached 38 feet above a pancake-flat coastal plain; the highest point-of-land on...

Join author Jennifer Bristol on an exploration of the historic cemeteries of Galveston. These unexpected birding spaces offer easy walking and quality bird watching, while diving deep into the human history of the island. What to Expect:  Participants will explore three cemeteries on this outing, each offering a variety of habitats attractive to birds and...

On this meet-at-site walking field trip, you’ll be birding prairies, woodlots, and marshes of Artist Boat’s Coastal Heritage Preserve with Karla Klay. We’ll top off the evening with a homemade pizza dinner made on the spot! What to Expect: Join Karla for a birding adventure at Artist Boat’s Coastal Heritage Preserve. Walk and explore the marshes, prairies, and oak motts across the Preserve.