Houston Audubon Sanctuaries

Houston Audubon meets its mission of promoting birds and conservation of their habitat primarily by owning and managing bird sanctuaries. Its land acquisition program began in 1987 with the purchase of land on the Bolivar Peninsula and has grown steadily since then by further purchases and by donations and bequests. Today it owns the following 17 sanctuaries in five counties totaling 3,362 acres.

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From the Sanctuary Blog ...

Many of the blog posts have photos. Click on title of blog post
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Oily Debris on Texas Beaches
By Andrew Beck
On Friday morning, July 9th, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the United States Coast Guard responded to reports of oily plant debris that had come ashore around High Island, TX on the Bolivar Peninsula. A clean-up effort began immediately to remove the scattered debris to ensure minimal soil contamination. The GLO is prioritizing clean-up efforts on beaches that are experiencing the heaviest coverage and monitoring the entire stretch of beaches along the Upper Texas Coast.[More]

Recent Ongoing Work at Bolivar Flats
By Winnie Burkett
On Fridays Andrew Beck and I spend 2 hours herbiciding salt cedar as Ike spread it everywhere. This morning there were lots of nighthawks feeding in Horseshoe Marsh. Dickcissels, Painted Buntings, Yellowthroats and Orchard Orioles were calling.[More]

Pelican Research on North Deer Island
by Andrew Beck
On Friday I visited North Deer Island again with the Bobs (Gallaway & Horner) and two grad students from the University of Louisiana. I had some signs to post and the two guys from UL were collecting blood samples from Brown Pelican chicks. Their work is part of a larger research study analyzing the genetic diversity of Brown Pelicans in and around the Gulf of Mexico.[More]

Counting the Rookery
Winnie Burkett

Rookery Nest Count Results: May 27, 2010

Yesterday Andrew Beck and I counted the waterbirds nesting in Smith Oaks. We counted in the morning it was coolish when we started but had gotten hot by the time we finished. Gators were rumbling and the Mosquitoes have finally arrived and were very challenging in places.[More]

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	Join us on Fridays at Bolivar Flats for restoration work & bird monitoring! Opening for Sanctuary Seasonal Employee Colonial Waterbird Survey Results Sanctuary Funding Needs Dos Vacas Debris Cleanup Pickup Truck We are collecting funds for a pickup truck to be our work truck on the coast. We’ve made a great start – please help us reach our goal! Contact: Andrew Beck. Power Tools Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary needs to replace a recent theft of our power tools. We have received some donations but still need about $500. Contact: Flo Hannah.

	Bolivar Restoration Grow Out Native Plants for Houston Audubon Trees for Bolivar Coastal Prairie Plant Growers' Handbook on the Coastal Prairie Partnership website Houston Audubon Recommended Plants for the Bolivar Peninsula Little Yellow on Spot Flower on Winnie Prairie © Don Verser

	Visit the Birding section for information on birding, field trips, and links to bird sightings.