Houston birding can be intimidating. Those who are really committed to the activity not only know much, they also have a good amount of gear that sets them apart. But do not worry, says Sarah Flournoy of the Houston Audubon Society. If observing birds – as they jump from twig to twig, stalk prey, feed their young – brings you joy, you, too, are a birder, whether you own a pair of binoculars or not.
Follow Sarah on her journey from beginner to expert birder. Find out why in Houston birding is such a big deal, and learn how you can connect with other bird enthusiasts through Houston Audubon.
Resources on Houston birding with Sarah Flournoy and Houston Audubon:
- Locations we mentioned:
- The Nature Discovery Center at Russ Pitman Park.
- Houston Audubon’s High Island Sanctuaries, including the Rookery and the Katherine G. McGovern Canopy Walkway at Smith Oaks.
- Houston Audubon’s Raptor and Education Center.
- Organizations we mentioned:
- National Audubon Society.
- American Bird Conservancy.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
- Houston Audubon, including its Bird Friendly Communities Initiative; For volunteer opportunities, go here. To learn by participating in a bird survey, go here.
- Books we mentioned:
- Beaks, Bones, and Bird Songs, by Roger Lederer.
- Sibley Field Guides.
- Nivien’s Reader’s Digest Book of North American Birds.
- Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast (mentioned by Sarah)
- Apps we mentioned:
- The Merlin Bird ID app allows you to identify a bird by sound or from a photo.
- Other random things we mentioned:
- An important Aztec god of war is named after the hummingbird.
- My statement that birds shrink their reproductive organs for migration comes from Roger Lederer’s Beaks, Bones, and Bird Songs (p. 88): “Dropping weight is also achieved by the reduction of internal organs and seasonal physiological changes. Most female birds (with exceptions like the kiwi) have only a left ovary and oviduct, which shrink noticeably during the non-breeding season. The male’s testes are tiny during the non-breeding season and may enlarge by as much as 300 times when the nesting season commences.”
- The meaning of “Jizz“.
- The central flyway.
Sarah Flournoy on Houston Birding – Episode Transcript
To view the episode transcript, click here to open the pdf file.