Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 |
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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! |
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Free Presentation: Raptor Migration Worldwide |
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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.
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Turn Off Lights for Birds at Night! |
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Excess nighttime lighting distracts and disorients migrating birds, often leading to collisions.
To protect migratory birds in your area, BirdCast and partners recommend turning off all non-essential lighting between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM during fall migration.
• turn off or dim any non-essential exterior building lighting;
• close curtains or blinds to reduce the escape of interior lighting; and
• avoid illuminating lobbies, plants or fountains that may attract birds.
If you haven't already subscribed to the BirdCast migration alerts, we recommend it! BirdCast will send you an email on days with high migration-intensity so that you can be sure to turn off your lights.
You can subscribe here:
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Donate to Smith Point Hawk Watch! |
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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. |
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Gulf Coast Bird Observatory's annual Volunteer Dinner is coming up and if you've volunteered with us this year, you're invited. You've worked hard all year to help us, and now it's our turn to treat you!
RSVP now, then come to GCBO's headquarters (299 Hwy 332, Lake Jackson) on October 26 from 6PM-8PM for a delicious dinner and desserts! We hope to see you there!
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Join us once again for Bird Banding on October 21st 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!
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We had yet another great year at our Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza these past few weeks! Over 1000 visitors came to the festival and over 60 volunteers helped in making the event happen. It was a great couple of days with lots of hummingbirds, activities, and fun. Thanks to everyone who came out and a big thanks to the volunteers, exhibitors, and sponsors who helped make it a success! |
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Welcome to GCBO's new Biology Intern, Alex Coenen!
Alex grew up in New Paltz, New York where she first learned to love nature, particularly wildlife. Recently, she graduated from the University of Washington where she earned her B.S. in Environmental Science and Marine Biology. During undergrad, she gained a deep enthusiasm for avian ecology. She participated in the nest monitoring of Pigeon guillemots, a seabird native the west coast, where she assisted with measuring, weighing, and banding all stages of life of these incredible seabirds. She enjoys hiking, birding, and knitting. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in avian conservation. She is excited to be a part of the GCBO team and assist with ongoing avian research projects. And we're excited to have her!
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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.
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October 12-24, 2023 - SOLD OUT!
February 8-13, 2024 - A few spots left!
March 4-13, 2024 -SOLD OUT!
June 16-22, 2024 - SOLD OUT!
November 3-11, 2024 – Spots open!
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Make an in-kind donation to support our sanctuary needs. |
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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!
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Corporate Matching Programs |
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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! |
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Recycle Your Old Technology and Help Birds |
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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!
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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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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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