Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 |
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Freeport LNG Land Donation |
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We are thrilled to announce a very generous land donation from Freeport LNG, adding 5 new properties to our Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary!
We had a wonderful tree-planting ceremony on April 23rd with Freeport LNG, including Lance Goodwin, FLNG Senior Vice President – Business Development and Innovations, at the site of the new trails. This habitat is vital for migrating birds, and we’re proud to be stewards of such important land. Sincere thanks to Freeport LNG for helping us in our mission to protect birds along the Gulf of Mexico and beyond!
The land is adjoining our current sanctuary, and additional re-vegetation, water drips, and benches will be part of this expansion. If you want to take a walk down the new trail, it’s on the east side of the main sanctuary. Look for the newly erected Purple Martin house, surrounded by dewberry bushes.
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Summer is approaching, which means it's time once again for Summer Bird Camp! Bird Camp is a week-long summer day-camp for children ages 8-11 who are interested in birds and nature.
Activities include nature walks, birding, art and science activities, games, field trips, and more!
Bird Camp will take place June 10th through 14th from 9AM to 1PM each day. "Graduation" will take place June 14th at 12PM.
Parents and guardians, if you would like to volunteer for camp, please contact us!
Camp costs $200 per camper for the whole week. Please email Celeste with questions or if you would like to register. Thanks!
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Tallow and Ligustrum Tree Removal Project |
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The Chinese Tallow or also known as the Popcorn Tree (Triadica sebifera), and the Ligustrum Tree or Glossy Privet (Lugustrum lucidum) are both highly invasive non-native tree species. They spread and grow quickly, and take over areas displacing native species.
Over the years they have slowly gained a foot hold inside the woods at the GCBO headquarters. Trees found along the wetlands and edges have mostly been removed as they were found. Some years back we had a removal project, but they are still there and gaining, mostly in the bottomland forests throughout the property.
We will be looking for volunteers to join this effort. But first we’d like to ask if anyone out there might want to help organize the project. That would entail working with staff to recruit volunteers and organize volunteer work days, or create ongoing volunteer opportunities for folks to come work as teams whenever they could. We can train this person if you don’t have knowledge about the species and methods. This will likely be a long ongoing project that could take a year, possibly more depending on volunteer engagement.
Methods would indulge:
- Hand pulling small seedlings
- Using tree pullers for small trees
- Girdling large trees and applying a chemical
- Cutting the tree down and applying the chemical
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Bayou Cleanup: Charles Milby Park |
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Join us for a bayou cleanup in Houston! SPLASh will be hosting a cleanup at Charles Milby Park on May 25th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
We are looking for volunteers to help us remove trash and cleanup the environment for people, birds, and other wildlife! Click the link below for more information or to register!
Thanks to H-E-B for supporting this SPLASh event!
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Join us once again for Bird Banding on May 18th 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 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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Registration is open for the Houston Association of Sea Kayakers' ACA Kayaking 101 classes to be held on May 18, 2024 to kick off National Safe Boating Week! Please share with your friends and family that have expressed a desire to learn more about kayaking. Here the chance brought to you by Texas Parks & Wildlife, The ACA, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, HASK, and Texas Outdoor Family.
5 locations to choose from including Sea Center in Lake Jackson!
Spaces are limited to 15 slots per class so sign up now! All types of kayaks are welcome. Gear is provided, facility entry is free, there is a small $15 registration fee.
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Welcome to new Biology Technician, Caleb!
Caleb graduated with a BS in Biology from Texas State University in 2022. While there, he was the instructional assistant for the ornithology class and was an undergraduate research assistant in a stream ecology lab. Most recently, he worked as a North America Program Crane Conservation Fellow at the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin. He is excited to join GCBO as the coastal bird technician assisting with the Beach-nesting Birds program.
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Welcome to new Biology Intern, Julia!
Julia lives in Galveston and is originally from Chicago. She started out in the animation field and attended The Art Institute of Houston. She wanted to create educational cartoons for a young audience about the importance of conservation. This led her to the Houston Zoo where she joined the Guest Service side of things. There, she fell in love with the animals and wanted to do her part in conservation. She started working in the Education department with Moody Gardens as part time naturalist, working with different animals. She is currently pursing her Natural Science associates at College of the Mainland and hopes to join Texas State’s wildlife biology program next Spring. She is thankful for the opportunity and ecstatic to be a research intern with GCBO.
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Goodbye to Education Intern, Ashley!
Ashley has been doing great work for GCBO for several months and is now moving to a new position. She's been helping with outreach, field trips, virtual education, and more.
We were delighted to work with her and proud of all that she's accomplished here.
Thanks for all of your hard work, Ashley!
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Goodbye to Biology Intern, Chris!
Chris has been a great help to GCBO during her internship these past several months.
She's helped in monitoring the non-breeding shorebirds, American Oystercatchers, beach-nesting birds, and more. She's also been a big help in the office and during events.
Now, she's moving on to a summer camp position and we wish her luck!
Thanks for all of your hard work, Chris!
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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 2024 trips are all sold out! But take a look at our 2025 lineup! A few trips still need more information before opening to registration, so stay tuned, or if you have serious interest in a trip, please email Martin at mhagne@gcbo to be put on list for more info on any particular trip. You can also go to our website to check for trip information and to register.
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June 16-22, 2024 – SOLD OUT!
November 3-11, 2024 – SOLD OUT!
February 12-18, 2025 – SOLD OUT!
Chiapas, Mexico & TFFF Site Birding
May 10-23, 2025 – Info TBA
June 14-22, 2025 – Open with Spots Left!
Northwest Mexico – Durango and More!
October 20-29, 2025 – Info TBA
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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.
Oranges
The migratory birds are back at Quintana and we will be putting out oranges for them to eat. If you'd like to donate, please leave your oranges outside the host station at Quintana Neotropic Bird Sanctuary, or bring them by our headquarters.
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!
Small Freezer
We need a small under-cabinet freezer that reaches -20°C or lower for storage of biological samples for a possible upcoming study. Please reach out to Rebecca at rbracken@gcbo.org if you have one you're willing to donate!
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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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