Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566
XHX a Month Away!
Our Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza is coming up!
Join Us: September 8th and 9th at GCBO from 8 am - noon for your chance to see hummingbirds banded, hear guest speakers, do some nature shopping, engage the kids in activities, and see live animals.
Volunteer: We need volunteers on both days of the event and for setup on Friday, September 7th. If you are interested, please call us at 979-480-0999 and ask for Emma.
Our New Website Is Live
We have made significant changes to the GCBO home page. This newest version has just gone live and includes a brand new XHX landing page, a Bird of the Month archive, and updates to several pages like the Online Auctions and Spring Fling links. We have plans to update and redo many more of our pages to make them easier to navigate and more visually appealing moving forward.
For now, check out the brand new homepage at gcbo.org
Sugar Needed!
With hummingbird migration coming up, we need some sugar for our feeders now more than ever. We have many feeders scattered around our 34 acre property to keep these little guys happy and energetic and appreciate donation of regular sugar (nothing with food coloring added) to keep them stocked!
Smith Point Hawk Watch Started!

The Smith Point Hawk Watch started on August 1st and will run until November 15th! We're already seeing a trickle of raptors passing through and things will only get better and better as we head into the fall. 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
Left: An adult Cooper's Hawk on its way!
Project Soar Starting in Fall
With schools back in session, Project Soar will be starting up once again this fall.

Last year was the pilot year for this 3rd-6th grade focused outreach program and we learned a lot about what works in classrooms and what we can add to make the experience better.

This year, we are expanding on our basic bird biology/adaption unit with two new lesson plans:
1) An oystercatcher themed survival game where kids pair up, forage for food, spin a "wheel of fate" that determines their nesting season luck, and generally learn about the natural history of coastal birds.
2) A bird-themed card game which introduces kids to local species, familiarizes them with what birds live where, and teaches them biology through special card interactions and "powers."

Last year, we reached around 2,000 students. We are hoping to better that number this year and deliver improved and different content.
If you are looking to volunteer to help teach Soar in classrooms, please call us at 979-480-0999 and ask for Emma. We can always use the help and it is a fun rewarding experience!
 
Sample cards from the Project Soar card game
Karlson Photo Workshop Coming Up
Two months to go until the Kevin Karlson Advanced Flight Photography Workshop hosted at GCBO and Smith Point Hawk Watch! We still have space so if you're interested in receiving professional advice on how to photograph nature (and birds of prey) sign up now by calling us at 979-480-0999. Read more about the multi-day workshop on our website
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 on the Horizon
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 August 18th
Last month's bird banding was the month of the cardinal with a record of 33 new cardinals banded that day! This number broke our banders' previous record of 19 by a landslide! Join us again from 8 am - noon on Saturday, August 18th for our monthly banding session and let's see what we can get in this month!
New Donation and Membership Platform Up and Running
We've revamped and completely updated our donation page on the GCBO website! This new platform should be much more streamlined and easier to use! Check them out here: DONATE NOW
Wish List
Your in-kind contributions help us tremendously by freeing up much needed funds for our research and projects. Thank you!!
 
Field House Needs:

Now that the GCBO field house is up and running after being newly renovated from the Harvey damage, we are noticing a thing or two that we could use just to make it more liveable for those using it.

If you happen to have the following and don't need them anymore, please let us know:
Coffee Table


Black Oil Sunflower Seed
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! 
 
Sugar
Our hummers are thirsty! We keep hummer feeders up all year and those guys suck up that sugar water! We always need regular sugar. We mix 4 parts water and 1 part sugar, and no food coloring!! 
 
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 #80345.

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