Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 |
|
|
Volunteer at Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza! |
|
Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza is a fun event for both guests and volunteers! We are currently looking for volunteers both event days (Saturday Sept 16th and Saturday Sept 23rd) as well as set up days (Friday Sept 15th and Friday Sept 22nd). At the event, volunteers can help with kids activities, direct parking, sell tickets, and much more. If you're interested in volunteering or have any questions, please email Celeste at csilling@gcbo.org. We appreciate it! |
|
|
Free Presentation: Raptor Migration Worldwide |
|
We are pleased to host: Raptor Migration Worldwide with William S. Clark. This presentation will take place 7:30pm Friday, October 13th, 2023. The presentation is free and open to the public, with a $5 donation suggested. We will have Bill’s books on hand if you’d like to purchase a copy and have them signed.
More than half of the World’s species of diurnal raptors perform annual migrations, especially those populations in higher northern and southern latitudes. However, the entire population migrates in only a few species. Beginning with North America, Bill will show photographs of and discus some of the locations on five continents where people regularly gather to count raptors. Bill will show many of the raptors counted at each site, present some count data, and give some of his personal experiences at many of these sites. Some count sites differ in how the raptors pass. Bill will use many maps from Raptor Watch and present some data from Migration Ecology of Birds.
|
|
Donate to Smith Point Hawk Watch! |
|
Smith Point Hawk Watch has been providing quality raptor migration data for 27 years! It is our longest running research project, and we are hoping it will run for a long time to come. If you would like to help fund this project, as well as maintenance of the hawk watch tower, please consider donating! We truly appreciate your support. |
|
|
Join us in celebrating the Smith Point Hawk Watch! The celebration will feature live raptors from the Houston SPCA's Wildlife Center, as well as wild birds overhead. We will be at the Hawk Watch tower, spotting raptors with our researchers and volunteers. This event is free (including free lunch!) and no registration is required. Bring the whole family! |
|
Want to Volunteer at GCBO? |
|
We could use some help for a few months taking care of the hummer feeders and seed feeders on our property!
If you want to put in a few hours a week please let us know! And we’ll show you the ropes! You can sign up using the calendar link below, and if the dates don't work for you, we are flexible.
To make sure the hummers stay healthy we change out hummer feeders twice a week this time of year. Normally around Mondays and Fridays (or similar, and can be weekends). We have two sets, so you can hang up new ones and take the used ones down to be washed in the field house kitchen.
Seed feeders can be filled daily with a small amount or every few days with a bit more seed. We have quite a few and all those youngsters will soon be hitting them! Baby cardinals, wrens, titmice and chickadees!!
You can sign up on our calendar here:
|
|
Join us once again for Bird Banding on August 19th from 8 am - noon at our headquarters in Lake Jackson. Come see birds in the hand and learn about the science of bird banding. The earlier you arrive the more birds you'll see. This event is free of charge.
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!
|
|
Goodbye to Sue! But not really...
Our wonderful Director of Conservation Research, Dr. Susan Heath, is retiring this month. We are sad to see her go but if anyone deserves a break, its her! Thank you for over 16 years of conservation work Sue!!
Fortunately for us, Sue will be staying on for a while as a Research Associate, consulting for GCBO and helping our incoming Research Director, Rebecca. Hooray! She can't escape us that easily.
Don't forget, Sue's retirement party is Saturday Aug 5th at 4 PM and all are welcome. More about Sue and her retirement is coming soon, as well as in our next Gulf Crossings newsletter!
|
|
|
|
We're in need of a Web Designer
We are looking for some help from a web designer who is familiar with Wordpress websites. This is not a full time position, as we only need help every once in a while. Please reach out to Celeste at csilling@gcbo.org if you have any questions or are interested!
|
|
Thanks to our Major Donors! |
|
We are so grateful to the Brown Foundation for a recent donation of $32,000 that went to our general operating funds. Donations like this help us continue doing what we do. Many thanks to the Brown Foundation! |
|
Thanks so much to the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation for donating $10,000 in support of our Non-breeding Shorebird Research. We greatly appreciate it, and so do the birds that we protect. |
|
Rice's Fall Course in Bird Migration: Register Now! |
|
Come RV Volunteer at GCBO! |
|
We can’t thank our RV volunteers enough for all the work they do to keep GCBO going and looking good. From trimming trails, to mowing, to fixing things, to feeding the birds. And so much more!
We often have a list of waiting RVers enjoying their time here at GCBO, but due to a cancellation we do have our summer slots open for the month of August 2023. You can do part or all! We also have openings for the summer of 2024 if you or anyone you know wants a fun RV volunteer gig here. If you’re interested please send an email to Martin at mhagne@gcbo.org for more info.
|
|
Come birding with GCBO and our Executive Director, Martin Hagne! Have a great time birding, exploring, enjoying some extraordinary scenery, dining on local cuisine, and of course seeing great birds! We always hook up with at least one local guide for the best experience. Here are our wonderful upcoming trips, but hurry, our trips are selling out fast!!
Our 2023 trips are all sold out! But take a look at our 2024 lineup! A few trips still need more information posted, so stay tune on those, or email Martin mhagne@gcbo.org to be put on list for more info! You can also go to our website to check for trip information and to register.
|
|
October 12-24, 2023 - SOLD OUT!
February 8-13, 2024 - Only a few spots left
March 4-13, 2024 -SOLD OUT!
June 16-22, 2024 - SOLD OUT!
Birding Sierra Gorda, Mexico and TFFF Trip
2024 - Dates and info TBA
|
|
|
Make an in-kind donation to support our sanctuary needs. |
|
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.
Sugar
The hummingbirds are coming our way, and we are looking for granulated sugar donations for their sugar water. Please bring it by our headquarters: 299 Hwy 332 W Lake Jackson. Thanks!
|
|
Corporate Matching Programs |
|
Did you know that many corporations have a donation matching program? Corporations can match their employees' volunteer hours and/or donations to nonprofit organizations like GCBO! These types of programs are great because they double your contributions to the causes that you care about! If you work (or are retired from) a corporation, ask them about their matching program today! |
|
Recycle Your Old Technology and Help Birds |
|
The Wireless Alliance is a company that recovers and recycles cell phones, smart phones, tablets, and other consumer recyclables.
We will be collecting these items for Wireless Alliance to keep them out of landfills as well as raise money for our conservation efforts. If you have old technology such as a phone, charger, tablet, or other accessories, consider bringing it to GCBO!
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)
Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
