HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE GCBO CREW! Thank you for continually supporting our mission!

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566

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Field House Updates

We are ringing in the New Year with the first steps of rebuilding the inside of the GCBO Field House. It is exciting to see it going back together again! We had the floors professionally done using concrete stain and sealer. Now our volunteer crew is at it again! They have installed new energy saving LED ceiling lights and the wall insulation is back in. Right now sheetrock is going up on all the walls. We have weeks of work ahead of us but it is looking great so far. Thank you to all that donated funds and items! And thank you to all our Volunteers who have and are helping make this happen! Happy New Year!

Thank you for Bidding!

 Our 2017 Experiences Auction was a huge success! Thanks to all your support we had one of our biggest auctions ever, generating over $14,000 for bird conservation and research. Thank you to everyone who bid, shared the word, donated auction experiences, and supported the auction in numerous other ways. What an awesome holiday gift for GCBO!

Sign Repair in Matagorda - Thank you Volunteers!

We returned to Matagorda beach in December to check on our shorebird signs. These signs form a fence around areas shorebirds use to rest, nest and breed and, thanks to volunteer help, we were able to repair and erect several signs. It was a beautiful day out on the beach (if a little chilly) and we saw red knots, herons, avocets, hawks and more as we made our rounds.

Snow at GBCO!

December 8th was a white morning at GCBO! Staff got to experience the rare sight of a wintry workplace as we bundled up for office and field work. The snow didn't last long however and by midday Lake Jackson had abandoned its best Alaska impression.

Awesome Re-caps from December Banding

Following a rather slow November banding session, December's was absolutely explosive. We caught 40 birds and multiple recaptures including: A buff-bellied hummingbird female that was originally banded at GCBO on 11/21/2015 as a hatch-year bird. A male American Goldfinch that was orginally banded here February 2016 And two Ruby-crowned kinglets, one banded on 1/16/2016 and another 3/19/2016! We also caught a black-and-white warbler, Wilson's warbler, blue-headed vireo, white-eyed vireo and more. Thanks to Brooks Short for the photos and what an awesome banding day! As a reminder we will be banding again, Saturday January 20th from 8 am - noon here at GCBO. Stop by and see what we catch! 

Staff Participates in CBCs

These past couple of weeks GCBO staff have been taking to the field to participate in annual Christmas Bird Counts. The weather's been cold, cloudy and rainy but the birds are out and about and we've seen everything from avocets to kingbirds, barred owls to seaside sparrows, and trekked through a wide range of habitats from prairies to wetlands.

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Interested in School Outreach?

Last time we mentioned that one of our Outreach Projects, Soar, was awarded funding through DOW. Like so much of what GCBO does, Soar would really benefit from volunteer help. The more educators we have on board the more classrooms we can visit and the more kids we can reach. This month we will be sending out some more information on volunteering as a GCBO educator. Volunteering would mean visiting 3-6th grade classrooms and teaching the kids about birds using the Soar curriculum. 

Wishlist

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated items to our Hurricane Recovery Fund. We are still looking for: -2 dresser drawers -Large throw/area rugs We are also looking for these general, non-hurricane related items: - Bags of black oil sunflower seed - Bags of chicken scratch - One gallon black plastic pots, used or new - Flammable storage cabinet for our gas cans - Sugar for hummingbird feeders

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. 

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Connect with Us

Telephone:  979-480-0999  |  Email Us

All photographs are courtesy of GCBO staff unless otherwise noted.