Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | 299 Hwy 332 West, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566
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Ready, Set, Bid!
The Experience Auction Has Begun!
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We have gathered together another set of unique experiences for you to bid on and the auction is up and running! This year the auction runs from November 15 to December 6. You can check out all the items on our website
here
. Support GCBO conservation programs and buy your sweetie a special experience for Christmas!
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GCBO Receives Loggerhead Shrike Grant from NFWF and ConocoPhillips
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The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory was awarded a $92,000 grant for Loggerhead Shrike work from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and ConocoPhillips through the SPIRIT of Migratory Bird Conservation Program. This joint project between GCBO and the Texas Mid-Coast NWR Complex is entitled “Determining Loggerhead Shrike Migrant and Resident Habitat Affiliations On the Western Gulf Coast Utilizing An Existing Motus Network." The project will help gain information on how migrant and resident Loggerhead Shrikes partition habitat during the winter. Although Loggerhead Shrikes are still common in Texas, the species is listed as endangered, threatened, or as a species of concern across a large portion of its range, especially in the eastern U.S. Some studies have indicated that constraints associated with winter habitat are limiting the migratory populations of this species, thus a better understanding of the dynamics between migrant and resident Loggerhead Shrikes is needed. We will utilize our existing Motus network along with manual tracking by Master Naturalist volunteers to determine habitat affiliations between resident and migrant shrikes and utilize genetic and stable isotope markers to better understand where wintering migrant shrikes in Texas breed. We are undertaking a pilot project this winter to work out the methods. The NFWF/ConocoPhillips work will begin in winter 2020-2021.
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Christmas Bird Counts Coming Up!
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Christmas Bird Counts are right around the corner. It’s a wonderful way to get out in the field, see some birds, and helping collect avian data. You can find all the counts across the world at the National Audubon website, but the for Texas counts you can go
HERE
There are three local Brazoria County counts we’d love
your h
elp with. You can find more info and contacts at the above website.
San Bernard CBC – Fri, Dec 20, 2019
Freeport CBC – Sun, Dec 15, 2019
Brazoria Columbia Bottomlands CBC – Sat, Jan 4, 2020
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Join us for our third annual Brew on the Bayou! Come sample and enjoy specialty brews from local breweries as well as wines. Listen to live music by the Intercoastal Pirates, watch a live raptor show, grab a delicious bite to eat from local food trucks and check out some hot items at our silent auction. Our beautiful wooded grounds will be lit by torchlight, making it a perfect spot to enjoy the brews, the food and the music!
Saturday, March 21
st
-- 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Tickets are $20/person with presale, and $25 at the door.
Call us in advance at 979-480-0999. ID required at door for brew-tasting.
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We are looking for some nice donations for our Silent Auction. Are you a crafter, painter, photographer, woodworker or have another talent that you would like to share? Or do you have a high-quality item you would like to donate? You could even donate gift cards for our local restaurants! This event is our primary fundraiser so your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
If you can help, please contact Tricia Patton at 979-480-0999 or
tpatton@gcbo.org
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December 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, or NAWCA. It's not just a feat of time, but a celebration of NAWCA-related accomplishments across North America during the past 30 years. Over the past three decades, the acquisition and restoration of wetland habitat in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico has provided healthy wetlands where waterfowl populations have grown, waterways and water sources are cleaner, and recreation opportunities have increased.
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Upcoming 2020 GCBO Birding Tours
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Come birding with GCBO, and our Executive Director, Martin Hagne! We are having a great time birding, exploring, enjoying some extraordinary scenery, dining on local cuisine, and of course getting great birds! We always hook up with at least one local guide for the best experience. Here are our wonderful destinations for 2020, but hurry, our trips are selling out fast!!
You can get more information on or
website
or send
Martin
an email
.
For all trips below with availability, please go to our
website
to register.
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D
uluth, MN - SOLD OUT!
January 16-20, 2020
$895.00 for Single
$795.00 for Double
We will repeat this popular trip for boreal winter species! We will have a great time exploring the snow-covered Sax Zim Bog and northern forests of the Duluth area again this year, with possible views of Great Gray Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Bohemian Waxwing, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Boreal Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak, and all the other boreal species one expects to see!
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Southeast Arizona
August 16-22, 2020
$2,550.00 for Single
$2,350.00 for Double
Southeast Arizona is legendary in the birding world as one of the must visit places for some very special birds and scenery! Elegant Trogons, Montezuma Quail, Arizona Woodpecker, Red-faced Warbler, Abert’s Towhee, Bridled Titmouse, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Gilded Flicker, many hummingbirds, not to mention the night birds! Just a very small sampling of the diverse birdlife living in the desert and mountainous canyons. Bird such famous sites as the Chiricahua Mountains, Patagonia, and Madera Canyon.
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Cuba Birding Expedition -SOLD OUT!
October 15-26, 2020
$5340.00 for Double
$5705.00 for Single
The GCBO has been working with partners in Cuba since 2005 on various avian research projects such as a hawk watch and a neotropic migratory bird research station. Travel with GCBO staff and our Cuban ornithological partners to visits research sites, and bird the fabulous Cuban avian diversity. This trip is designed to be able to get as many endemics as possible.
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Oaxaca, Mexico TBA
We hope to offer this fabulous birding and cultural trip again in 2021. Look for dates and more info coming up!
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Bird Banding December 21st
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Come join us for bird banding on November 21st from 8:00 to noon. Come see birds in the hand and learn about the science of bird banding. Birds get up early, so the earlier you arrive, the more birds you'll see.
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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Have you updated your email preferences yet?
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We're working on fine tuning our email list so that you only get emails that matter to you. At the very bottom of each email there is an "
update profile
" or "
unsubscribe
" link you can click that will take you to a page where you can make your selections. We now have specific lists for things like volunteer news, special announcements, events, bird of the month, and more. Please take a moment to
update your preferences
if you haven't already. Thank you!
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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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Make an in-kind donation to support our sanctuary needs.
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Tents
We are in need of several 12’ x 12’ pop up tents/canopies. If you have one or more in good contention, we will put them to good use for kid’s camp, XHX, and Brew on the Bayou!
Rain Gauge
With all the rain from Imelda we realized we need a good quality rain gauge so we can keep track of how much rain we receive at our headquarters.
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.
One 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!
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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 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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Support GCBO When You Shop on Amazon!
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Do you do your Christmas shopping on Amazon? Did you know you can do that same shopping on Amazon Smile and support GCBO with every purchase? Just go to the Amazon Smile website and select GCBO as your charity of choice and then shop, shop, shop! GCBO will receive a donation for every purchase you make. If you have an android cell phone you can now access Amazon smile directly from your phone. Iphone application coming soon!
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