Texas birding

Texas is home to a variety of beautiful native birds, as well as many other feathered friends who grant us a splash of color and magic as they pass through each year. On our birding page, you can find birding magazine articles, birding videos, birding checklists and more.

From Our Pages: Birding Articles

Unexpected Guests

Delighting birders, rare ‘star’ vagrants travel through Texas each year. read more

Hawk Watch

Keeping eyes on the sky in Corpus Christi. read more

Birds by the Numbers

The Great Texas Birding Classic goes statewide this year. read more

Skill Builder: Come Hither, Hummers

Careful planting will entice hummingbirds to hang out at your house. read more

Birdiest Cities

It’s no secret that feather-friendly Texas, where more than 600 bird species have been recorded, boasts a plethora of productive birding destinations. But two coastal cities rank crown and scapulars above the nation’s other birding hotbeds, earning titles of “America’s Birdiest City.” read more

Fall Feathers

We’re in exactly the right place, and it’s precisely the right time. The Texas coast is a hot spot for watching a steady parade of migratory birds from August through November. Flycatchers, vireos, warblers and swallows, orioles, tanagers, kites, flickers and terns — it seems as if everything with two wings is passing through. read more

Wrens: Not-So-Plain Janes

Don’t be fooled by their drab looks — wrens boast busybody energy and beautiful songs. read more

Eyes on the Skies: The 2012 Spring/Summer Birding Calendar

Though the Great Texas Birding Classic is postponed till 2013, many other events offer wondrous bird-watching opportunities. read more

Strange Year for Whoopers

Endangered cranes found winter homes outside Aransas refuge and left Texas earlier than usual. read more

Skill Builder: Backyard Bird Buffet

Customize a feast for your feathered friends with a variety of feeders. read more

A Treasure Chest of Birds

Serious birders know High Island and Bolivar Flats. Instead of those standbys, recapture the feeling of discovery with these other, lesser-known hot spots along the upper Texas coast. read more

Whooping Cranes: The Birds With the Right Stuff

With grace, stamina and charisma, this endangered species has shown an extraordinary ability to survive. read more

Vulnerable Nursery: Water Birds Need Protection

Colonies of coastal birds face many threats, and Audubon volunteers have been standing guard. read more

Turning Kids into Birders

If you lead them in the right direction and make it fun, they may soon know their warblers and waxwings. read more

Freeport Bird Count Attracts Sharp-Eyed Spotters

As I head out in the pre-dawn darkness of a cool December morning on the Gulf Coast, I’m grateful that the wind has died down, and the temperature has held above 60 degrees. I’m on my way to join a team of birders participating in the annual Freeport Christmas Bird Count, and I’ve been warned that it will be a long, demanding day, particularly if the weather doesn’t cooperate. read more

A Birder Like No Other

Birders often refer to each other as the particular birds they’ve become identified with over the years. So if you were a legendary birder, perhaps the world’s best-known birder, you might expect a nom de plume, so to speak, that suggests a noble, rare or exotic bird. Golden eagle, perhaps. Or, say, the resplendent quetzal, a famous dazzler. But Victor Emanuel, who doesn’t really want to declare a favorite bird, says that he doesn’t mind his moniker as the hooded warbler. read more

A Birder is Born

There are all manner of ways in which one can get lured into being a birdwatcher. Perhaps you were bit by the birding bug while sitting in your own backyard or while watching a documentary on public television. Maybe you got it from a friend or family member whose addiction, er, um, hobby, was just too big to ignore. read more

Birding by Boat

There is a magical moment at the start of a kayak trip when you sit down and launch into a new adventure. We use open cockpit, sit-on-top kayaks that are very stable. To get started, you straddle it, sit down and push off. After a stroke or two, the kayak glides forward, needing only a few inches of water in which to float. And I promise you this vessel will transform your view of the Texas coast. read more