Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566
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Save the Date! XHX Sept. 14th and 21st
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Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza will be returning this year on two separate weekends, so start making plans
now to be here on
September 14th and
21st from
8 am to 12 noon.
Taking place at the peak of hummingbird migration, XHX is a once a year opportunity to see these amazing birds up close. Watch as we carefully catch and band these tiny travelers and sign up to symbolically adopt one! XHX will also include: •Guest speakers•Live animals•Kids’ activities,•Nature-themed booths•Live animals
• Snacks• and the chance to shop our gift shop and native plant nursery.
Entry to the event is just $4 for adults, kids 12 and under are free! Held at our headquarters at 299 Hwy 332 in Lake Jackson.
And don't forget to enter our XHX
RAFFLE!
You can also enter our special XHX raffle for the chance to win a beautiful hummingbird cross-stitch hand-made by our very own Kay Lookingbill. Tickets are $10 each or 6 for $50.
You don't need to be present to win.
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Speaking of XHX, we're in need of volunteers at the event to help sell items, man booths, assist with kid's activities, and more. If you're able to help for a four hour shift on either date, please contact
Jennifer
.
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It’s almost hawk watch time folks! This year we are changing the dates to
August 15
th
– November 30
th to encompass the late migration we’ve noticed over the last few years. The hawk watch tower at Smith Point will be staffed (yes Bob is coming back!) from
8:00am – 4:00pm daily during this time period and we invite everyone to come and check out the fantastic show. The peak time for Broad-winged Hawks is always late September but there are always plenty of birds to see no matter when you come. The passerine migration through Smith Point is impressive too!
Despite our best efforts we have been unable to raise enough funding to support the hawk watch this year so donations are most welcome. You can call (979-480-0999) and give Tricia a donation over the phone or you can
make a donation on our website. J
ust select Smith Point Hawk Watch from the pulldown. For directions or additional information on the hawk watch,
check our website.
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Beach Cleanup! Call for Volunteers
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Tired of heading to the coast for a relaxing day at the beach only to be greeted by trash? Want to help do something about it? Now's your chance! Our shorebird technician Taylor is working with local boy scout Asher Saet to help him organize a cleanup of Bryan Beach for his service project.
The tentative date is set for Saturday July 13
th
from 8am-12pm. Anyone who is interested in helping clean up is asked to
email Taylor
by Monday July 8
th so we can get a proper head count. You can also call her at 757-309-5459. Check out Asher's flyer about the event
here. We hope to see you there!
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Bill Clark Raptor Weekend
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Join us for a fabulous Raptor ID Workshop with the leading expert on Raptors, Bill Clark!
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Keynote Talk - Open to the public
Friday, October 11, 2019 at 7:30pm
On Friday, October 11, 2019 at 7:30pm, join us to hear Bill Clark speak on the raptors of the Rio Grande Valley. Many species of Neotropical raptor just reach the U.S. in south Texas. Additionally there are passages in the Rio Grande Valley of large number of migrating raptors, both in spring and fall, many of which also winter there. In this illustrated talk, Bill will discuss these raptors, with extensive coverage of Aplomado Flacon, Gray Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Harris's Hawk, and Hook-billed Kite. He will show photos of many raptors in hand and will discuss their vocalizations and aspects of their biology. He will also include a discussion of four Mexican raptors that have occurred as vagrants. We will have Bill's books on hand so you can purchase a copy and get them signed. A $5 donation is suggested for attending the event.
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Raptor ID Workshop
Saturday, October 12th,
Sunday, October 13th
On Saturday, October 12th, Bill Clark will present a Raptor Identification Workshop at GCBO! He will present a series of lectures on how to identify raptors in flight. On Sunday, October 13th, participants will spend the day at the Smith Point Hawk Watch putting everything they have learned to use in the field. In addition, Robert and Kay Lookingbill will catch live raptors to show participants at Smith Point. What a great deal! The cost is $150/participant. Learn more at our
website
and
call Tricia today to sign up at 979-480-0999.
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Upcoming 2020 GCBO Birding Tours
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Come birding with GCBO and our Executive Director, Martin Hagne! Since we started offering birding trips last year they've been completely booked! Everyone is having a great time birding, exploring, enjoying some extraordinary scenery, dining on local cuisine, and just having a fun time! We always hook up with at least one local guide for the best experience. Now Martin has laid out some wonderful destinations for 2020!
Final plans are not in place for all trips, so if there are no date or cost details listed below please keep your eyes open for more details on these upcoming trips. If you want to be placed on a list for more info as soon as it is out,
send Martin an email.
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D
uluth, MN
January 16-20, 2020
$895.00 for Single
$795.00 for Double
We will repeat this popular trip for boreal winter species! We will have a great time exploring the snow-covered Sax Zim Bog and northern forests of the Duluth area again this year, with possible views of Great Gray Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Bohemian Waxwing, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Boreal Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak, and all the other boreal species one expects to see!
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Southeast Arizona in July
More Trip Info TBA soon!
Southeast Arizona is legendary in the birding world as one of the must visit places for some very special birds and scenery! Elegant Trogons, Montezuma Quail, Arizona Woodpecker. Red-faced Warbler, Abert’s Towhee, Bridled Titmouse, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Gilded Flicker, a dozen or more hummingbirds, not to mention the night birds! Just a very small sampling of the diverse birdlife living in the desert and mountainous canyons. Bird such famous sites as the Chiricahua Mountains, Patagonia, and Madera Canyon.
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Cuba Birding Expedition -- Just 3 spots left!!
October 15-26, 2020
$5340.00 for Double
$5705.00 for Single
The GCBO has been working with partners in Cuba since 2005 on various avian research projects such as a hawk watch and a migratory bird banding station. With these relationships, travel with GCBO staff and our Cuban ornithological partners to visits research sites, and bird the fabulous Cuban avian diversity. Experience the rich avian culture, with a chance for 26 endemic species!
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Oaxaca, Mexico TBA
We hope to offer this fabulous birding and cultural trip again in 2021. Look for dates and more info coming up!
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Join Us for July Bird Banding on the 20th!
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Bird banding returns on July 20th from 8 am - noon. Come see birds in the hand and learn about the science of bird banding. The earlier you arrive the more birds you'll see.
And while you're here, why not check out our native plant nursery and wander our trails too? We even have picnic tables set up for an outdoor lunch -- It's the perfect nature outing for the family!
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Native Plant Nursery Upgrades!
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Thanks to some very dedicated volunteers (shout out to Chris Kneupper!), our native plant nursery has been expanded and reorganized over the last few months. It is really looking great! It's hard to capture all the changes in photos, so come see it for yourself, maybe pick out a plant or two for purchase, and then put in a couple of volunteer hours!
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Our summer work involves potting-up our 2019 seedlings and staying ahead of the weeds.
We can't do this without your help!
Volunteer Workdays are
Thursdays from 9-12
, so come out and get your green thumb on! It's incredibly therapeutic, it's in the shade so it's not too hot in the mornings, and you're guaranteed to leave smarter after hanging out with Chris for a while.
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You can help support GCBO's mission in several important ways!
Save a Tree and some $!
We are trying to go as paperless as we can to save some trees and quite a bit on printing and mailing costs. We would love if you would let us email you instead of snail mailing a hard copy of any correspondence, including your future copies of the Gulf Crossings. Please
email
or call
Tricia
to say: “
Hey, GCBO, please start emailing me things! Here is my email…”
Thanks!
DONATE NOW
on our website to support our conservation programs.
BECOME A MEMBER
and receive our twice a year newsletter and a 10% discount in our nature store.
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Make an in-kind donation to support our sanctuary needs.
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Tents
We are in need of several 12’ x 12’ pop up tents/canopies. If you have one or more in good contention, we will put them to good use for kid’s camp, XHX, and Brew on the Bayou!
Black Oil Sunflower Seed and Chicken Scratch
We feed year-round here at GCBO, and during migration at Quintana. We stock our GCBO feeders to help augment natural foods, and this also helps our monthly banding research project.
One Gallon Plastic Pots
We can use your used 1 gallon nursery plant pots for the Growery. We go through a lot of 1 gallon pots when potting up new plants. Let’s recycle them here. We’ll take one or a hundred!
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Now when you shop at Kroger, you can support GCBO!
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GCBO is a registered charity through Kroger's Community Rewards Program. This means that you can register your Kroger Plus Card online and select GCBO as the organization of your choice. Every time you use your Kroger Plus Card, Kroger will donate a portion back to GCBO! This is an easy way to support GCBO while you shop - your donations help us continue to protect birds and birding habitat around the Gulf Coast and beyond. To register your Plus Card, click
here
. Our charity number is #DN782.
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Support GCBO When You Shop on Amazon!
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Do you shop on Amazon? Did you know you can do that same shopping on Amazon Smile and support GCBO with every purchase? Just go to the Amazon Smile website and select GCBO as your charity of choice and then shop, shop, shop! GCBO will receive a donation for every purchase you make.
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All photographs are courtesy of GCBO staff unless otherwise noted.
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