Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566
Hummer Events and Festivals
It's here!
Our Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza takes place this weekend, Sept. 8th and 9th, from 8 am - noon. Thank you to all the volunteers who have signed up to help and we look forward to seeing everyone Saturday and Sunday for a great day of banding, nursery sales, guest speakers, and educational booths! We ask a $4 donation for entry but kids 12 and under are free!
If you're a member of the Lake Jackson Garden Club, you can join us for an informative presentation on hummingbirds Wednesday, Sept. 12th, from 11:00- noon at the Lake Jackson Civic Center.
Still Can't Get Enough Hummingbird?
Rockport-Fulton has it's own hummer celebration from Sept. 13th- 16th. Our very own Sue Heath will be there banding hummingbirds so come down and say hi.

XHX Prep Day this Friday (7th)
Rain or shine, we will be working on preparing our grounds for XHX this Friday beginning at 9 am. We need volunteer help to get tables, canopies, chairs, etc. set up as well as to work on the grounds and the nursery. If you are available, we could really use your help! Bring rain gear and clothes you don't mind getting wet and dirty.
Kevin Karlson to Present at GCBO
Friday, October 5th: Kevin Karlson Keynote: 7:30-8:30 at GCBO.
Kevin will present a visually stunning program reflecting the mood and content of Birds of Prey by Pete Dunne and Kevin Karlson.

Saturday and Sunday, October 7th and 8th: Advanced Flight and Action Photography Workshop at GCBO and Smith Point Hawk Watch.
Gain hands-on experience as Kevin teaches techniques, tips, and tricks to capture wildlife in motion. Saturday at GCBO and includes photography critique session. Sunday at Smith Point Hawk Watch in the field.

For more detailed information including pricing, times, and information on the specific topics covered by the keynote and the workshops, please visit our website.

SPACE IS LIMITED. CALL US AT 979-480-0999 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.
Smith Point Hawk Watch Continues!
If you aren't following our Smith Point Hawk Watch blog, you really should ! All sightings get recorded on the blog as well as some great photos (mainly of raptors but occasionally of other visitors as well!)

The Smith Point Hawk Watch started on August 1st and will run until November 15th! Stop on by and visit: the Watch is staffed from 8 am - 4 pm daily! For directions and to learn more about the Watch, please check our website
Right: A Peregrine Falcon cruises serenly past
Bottom: Two Ruby-throats tussle, less serenely, at a feeder.
Kathy Adams Clark: Girls Who Click Workshop
Kathy Adams Clark is hosting a photography workshop on hummingbirds for girls ages 13-18. Although the final application deadline has past, it might not still be too late to register. This workshop will take place at GCBO on Sept 22 and includes a "Women in Science" presentation where women in a STEAM field speak to the girls about their careers. For more information, contact Kathy Clark at Region2@girlswhoclick.org
GCBO Co-sponsoring Rice University Course


We are co-sponsoring Rice University's fall 2018 course, "Gulf Birds" with Glenn Olsen September 27 to October 25. The course covers bird ID and conservation and you can sign up for it and read more about it here
Experience Auction Coming Up!
The Experience Auction is taking place again as usual in November. We have already started putting together some awesome and unique experiences that you don’t want to miss!  We will let you know when the auction goes live! Keep an eye open for it!!
Bird Banding Saturday September 15th


Banding, banding, banding!
The weekend after XHX we will be hosting our monthly bird banding session here at GCBO. If you didn't get your hummer fix already, come down for more bird banding and see what we can get! Banding runs from 8 am to noon and is open to the public for free!
New Birding Trips!
The itineraries of both these trips can be found online at our website:
New Donation and Membership Platform Up and Running
We've revamped and completely updated our Membership and Donation pages on the GCBO website!
These new platforms should be much more streamlined and easier to use!
Please help support GCBO’s mission and join us in carrying out our bird research and education!
 
Check out how you can help, and what members receive:
Wish List
Your in-kind contributions help us tremendously by freeing up much needed funds for our research and projects. Thank you!!


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. 
 
1 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! 

Coleman's Fuel/White Gas:
We use white gas to clean taxidermy skins for our education collection. We don't need a lot (as we can fliter and re-use the same gas multiple times) but we do need some.

Sawdust (1 lb):
We also use sawdust for taxidermy/drying the skins once they are cleaned in the gas.
 
Now when you shop at Kroger, you can support GCBO!
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.

Donate to GCBO!
Telephone:  979-480-0999  |  Email Us
All photographs are courtesy of GCBO staff unless otherwise noted.