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Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566
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As you might have gathered from our Facebook posts and emails, we have been busy working to clean up and start to rebuild here at GCBO in the wake of the hurricane. As always, we continue to be humbled by the outpouring of community support we receive, both in volunteers and donations.
We have already come close to reaching our projected goal of $12,000 to cover the materials for rebuilding and refurnishing the gutted field house. We need to continue to raise funds to help us with some of the labor we can’t perform, and some larger items not foreseen early on.
It's been incredibly heartwarming to see the donations coming in, to work with volunteers as they donate their time to helping clean our grounds, and to feel the good wishes of everyone who supports us.
We still have a ways to go and Harvey really did a number not only on our site, but on our plans for the rest of the year. We had to cancel XHX and, after much discussion, have decided to postpone our 20th Anniversary Brew on the Bayou event until the spring (read on for more details about Brew below.) Still, thanks to all the help we've received from the community, we have been able to function - hosting a hummingbird themed banding session on the 23rd, continuing with field work, and shifting our attention to a few other outreach projects.
Read on to see what's been cancelled and what we still have planned. If you would like to support us as we rebuild, consider making a donation to our
Hurricane Recovery Fund
. Every little bit helps!
Thank you!
The GCBO Staff
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Even though XHX had to be cancelled due to flooding damages, staff and volunteers were able to host a specially themed hummingbird banding session on September 23rd. We were able to symbolically adopt out hummingbirds and adopters had the opportunity to hold the tiny birds after they were banded: sometimes for up to 30 seconds before the hummers realized they were free to go and took off! We also debuted our new hummingbird costume (a great hit with the kids and a fun photo op!) as well as featured a hummingbird themed version of our nature store!
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Robert Lookingbill entertains a young audience with a hummingbird in the hand.
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Our new hummingbird costume proudly displays an adoption certificate!
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Speaking of our new costume, we realized we don't have a name for it yet!
We are hosting a naming contest for our big hummer all throughout the month of October. To suggest a name, email your ideas to [email protected] or post them on our Facebook Post, "Name our Hummer."
GCBO staff will vote on the name at the end of the month, and the winner will receive a special hummingbird feeder kit!
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Postponement of Brew on the Bayou
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After much discussion among staff, the committee, and board members, we have decided to postpone our 20th Anniversary Brew on the Bayou event until the spring of 2018. We feel, given the state of our grounds and the focus of the staff and volunteers on rebuilding and picking up the pieces here at GCBO (as well as the whole community being in hurricane recovery mode), that we would not be able to host the event to the best of our abilities in October. It wasn't an easy decision but, much like the cancellation of XHX, we believe it is the correct one. If you have any questions about ticket refunds or other Brew details, please call us at 979-480-0999
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Many of you are probably familiar with our Experiences Auction, which we host in November. For those of you who aren't, this auction sells experiences rather than things, and we auction off everything from private bird banding sessions, hunting trips, and even international birding vacations to places like Costa Rica and Panama.
We will be hosting our Experiences Auction again this November with more details to follow! Stay tuned!
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Last Week to Register for Birds and Art, Fall
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The first week of Brazosport College's Adult Life Learning Courses begins October 3rd. Birds and Art, a GCBO hosted program, will meet for our first lesson on October 4th from 10 am - 10:50.
Learn the basics of bird identification and natural history through wildlife illustration and sketching.
Lessons include: Bird Basics, Waterbirds, Raptors, and Songbirds.
Register by calling the Brazosport College at 979-230-3600. Fee for all 4 lessons (and for any other number of offered ALLP courses) is $45.
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Bird Banding is Back on its Regular Schedule
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We know that things have been crazy schedule-wise, but are happy to say that bird banding will return on its regular schedule of the 3rd Saturday of every month.
Come join us for our next session, October 21st, from 8 am - noon, to see what we can catch here at GCBO.
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A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated items to our Hurricane Recovery Fund. We are still looking for:
-2 dresser drawers
-A full sized kitchen oven and range top
-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
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Now 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 a fantastic 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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All photographs are courtesy of GCBO staff unless otherwise noted.
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