Don’t miss this popular field trip to the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, which is designated an Internationally Significant Shorebird site and contains more water than land within its 44,000+ acres. We’ll leave dark and early on our bus trip to the refuge, crossing San Luis Pass at sunrise. As we continue westward along the Bluewater Highway, we’ll keep an eye out over the wetlands for raptors.

The estuaries of Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge) are an important nursery for the fish and shellfish species found in the Gulf of Mexico. Beyond the estuaries, the saltwater marshes ease inland. Fresh water from an occasional storm and the inflow from rivers and creeks helps to keep saltwater out of the freshwater marshes, as well as providing nutrients and sediments. This is a great trip for anyone working on their Texas Ornithological Society Century Club lists. You could rack up a good number of birds for Chambers County on this field trip!

Bolivar Peninsula stretches east of the confluence of the Galveston Bay system and the Gulf of Mexico. This barrier peninsula is the result of natural processes and human activity. Its natural features pull in fisherman, beach combers, shell collectors and birders. Thousands of Houstonians seek out Bolivar’s beaches every weekend but the birds far outnumber...

Join Greg and local birder David Hanson on a trip guaranteed to expose you to many island habitats and what ought to be a significant variety of species! Well known by the locals, these less familiar hot spots have proved fruitful time and again.

Galveston is a Gulf coastal island renowned for its many habitats. Explore the entire island with our local leaders. They know the birding spots well, and will consider the weather, tides, and what they have seen just prior to or during the festival, to decide what to view and where to go. In that regard, the tour is not fixed rigidly in advance, but is more a birding adventure. You’ll go where the birds are!

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.

The spectacle of a water bird nesting rookery is a birder “must see.” North Deer Island has 1.7 miles of protected shoreline which supports nesting habitat for the threatened Reddish Egret and 16 other bird species. The true highlight of the boat trip is the ceaseless activity including mating display, nest building, incubation and the endless feeding of partners and nestlings.

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 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...

This is your opportunity to explore “the other side” of Galveston Bay. We head over the causeway to explore birding areas on the mainland, including the Tiki Island, Texas City, and La Marque areas. One of our best kept secrets and most under-explored areas, participants will be surprised at the number and variety of birds...

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...

Bird Galveston’s East End with one of the world’s most famous birders! In 1998, Greg zig-zagged 130,000 miles across the USA hoping to reach at least 700 species of birds in one calendar year.

This trip is targeted to catch any lingering migrants and catch afternoon arrivals. We plan to visit three HAS and Texas Ornithological Society sites. Watch for the afternoon drop of dozens of neotropic migrants along with local and resident waterfowl, raptors, seabirds, shorebirds, and passerines. April weather fronts can produce 30 or more species of songbirds in a single day!

This trip takes you to a private property owned by the Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) and not generally open to the public. Your trip will start at Sweetwater’s viewing platform overlooking brackish ponds, mud flats and West Galveston Bay. From there you will move to the property’s freshwater ponds and work your way past woodlots and grasslands as you bird your way to Sweetwater Lake. Expect to see a wide variety of birds including late wintering waterfowl, egrets, herons, rails, shorebirds, gulls, terns, hawks, and grassland species.