Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 |
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There's still time to visit Spring Fling |
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Spring Fling is our annual month-long birding event at the Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary in Quintana. Visitors can walk through the sanctuary, bird, and come talk to our Spring Fling host volunteers, who will be selling snacks and merchandise as well as keeping up with the latest bird sightings.
Spring Fling is a great opportunity to see species that we don't normally find here in Texas. This is because these birds are passing through Quintana on their spring migration and using the habitat as a stopover site. Here, you can see orioles, warblers, buntings, and other colorful visitors!
Spring Fling is a free event, no sign-in or registration required. Address is 814 Lamar St, Quintana, TX 77541. Stop by anytime April 8- May 7 9AM-4PM to join in on the fun!
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"We want your oranges!!!... please"
Sincerely, Orioles of Quintana
If you would like to donate oranges to the orioles and other birds at our Quintana Sanctuary, please bring them by the sanctuary hut (by town hall). You can give them to the volunteers there, or leave them by the door. We appreciate it and so do the birds!
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Sign your child up for Bird Camp today! |
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We are excited to host our annual Summer Bird Camp for youth ages 8-11! Each day of Camp features a variety of outdoor learning experiences including: bird identification; nature walks; art activities, a beach day and more. Come make bird houses and catch bugs with us!
Summer Bird Camp will be held June 12-16, 2023 from 9AM-1PM. Enrollment is $200 per camper, but scholarships are available. To learn more or to sign up, call 979-480-0999 or email Celeste at csilling@gcbo.org at least two weeks before camp begins.
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Did you know 1 out of every 3 birds migrating through the U.S. passes through Texas? Most migratory birds fly at night, meaning the bright lights of commercial and residential buildings attract and disorient birds. This distraction can cause collisions and leave birds vulnerable to threats on the ground. Take action to protect migrating birds by turning out all non-essential lights outside and inside from 11 pm - 6 am from March 1 to June 15. Learn more and sign up for bird migration alerts: https://tx.audubon.org/urbanconservation/lights-out-texas
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We are looking for two new interns! |
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Education and Outreach Intern |
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Our current Education and Outreach Intern Adam is headed back to California in June, so we are on the lookout for a new person to join the team! If you are interested in leading field trips, doing outreach, and educating people about birds, this internship might be for you!
This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience educating children and adults, planning events, and making educational materials. Its also a helpful introduction into the world of non-profit management!
Housing is provided onsite at GCBO headquarters. While we do not offer interns a salary, we can offer a $100/week stipend. Start and end dates are negotiable depending on school schedules.
Send a cover letter, resume, and unofficial college transcript to: Celeste Silling at csilling@gcbo.org.
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Spend your summer with the birds as a research intern! This is a fantastic opportunity for a college student to gain valuable experience monitoring breeding birds and learning about how we perform research. GCBO interns work on a variety of field projects and also spend one to two days a week doing office work. Under supervision of a GCBO biologist, interns will gain experience with:
· Monitoring nesting American Oystercatchers by boat including capturing and banding adults and chicks (February – June),
· Monitoring nesting Black Skimmers by boat including banding chicks (April – September),
· Monitoring nesting Wilson’s Plovers and Least Terns on the beach including capturing and banding adult and chick Wilson’s Plovers (April – July),
· Posting signage around nesting and loafing areas,
· Participating in Beach Nesting Birds outreach events
Equally important is office work which consists of entering field data, volunteer hours, and helping with filing tasks. Interns will also help with various fund raising and other events including Bird Camp (June). GCBO internships are designed to give college students and recent graduates experience in avian research, conservation, and non-profit management while they pursue a full time job or continuing their education.
Housing is provided onsite at GCBO headquarters. While we do not offer interns a salary, we can offer a $100/week stipend. The summer period runs from mid-May through mid-August but start and end dates are negotiable depending on school schedules.
Send a cover letter, resume, 3 references, and unofficial college transcript to: Susan Heath at sheath@gcbo.org.
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Join us once again for Bird Banding on May 20th 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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Free SPLASh Marine Debris Tool Kit for Educators |
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Looking for free educational resources? Rent SPLASh’s tool kit for your classroom today! Our toolkits compliment SPLASh’s Marine Debris Educator’s Guide: a 4-lesson guide with a final cumulative project. The guide is differentiated for 4-12th grade, with 60-minute, TEKS-aligned lessons. The toolkits are rented out, free of charge, for 2-week increments and are intended for classroom sizes of 28-30. Kits include everything you need to lead a trash cleanup, build a watershed model, and more!
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Welcome to our new Board of Directors member, Darrious “Alex” Betts! Alex is enthusiastic about hiking, camping and birding. Alex is an experienced Environmental Professional with a strong focus on water chemistry and water technology. Alex currently works for ExxonMobil as Upstream Water Team Lead with a focus on unconventional water management. He is developing and piloting novel water technologies and developing best practices. Previously Alex worked at Phillips 66 at the Sweeny Refinery in various positions. Alex has served on the board of directors for CHWMEG as the Global Interest Chair and has served in a variety of volunteer positions throughout the greater Houston area. Alex received his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Texas Austin. |
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Welcome to our new Office Assistant, Donna Valdepena! Donna was born and raised in Brazoria County. She attended Centura College, Virginia Beach and received her Associates degree in Paralegal Studies in 2010. She then moved back to Angleton, Texas and pursued a career as an Administrative Assistant with Angleton ISD. She has chosen to continue her career with GCBO.
She enjoys the outdoors, nights around a campfire, cooking, reading and socializing with friends and family. Donna lives in Angleton with husband, Paul, and two dogs, Gus and Reba.
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Come RV Volunteer at GCBO! |
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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 May through September 2023. You can do part or all! Think XHX events! 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.
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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 we have just released 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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June 24 - July 1, 2023 - SOLD OUT!
October 12-24, 2023 - SOLD OUT!
February 8-13, 2024
Birding Baja Mexico
March 2024 - Dates and info TBA
June 16-22, 2024 - SOLD OUT!
Birding Sierra Gorda, Mexico and TFFF Trip
September 2024 - Dates and 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.
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!
Tablets
We are moving to electronic check-out for our store and event transactions, so we are in need of some tablets. If you have a new or used tablet that you no longer need, we would certainly appreciate it! Doesn't have to be in pristine condition!
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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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