Kay Havens, with the Chicago Botanic Garden, will discuss key findings and recommendations in a 2023 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The insufficient supply of seeds from native plants is a major barrier to ecological restoration and other revegetation projects across the United States. The report calls for concerted action to build a more robust native seed supply and industry, especially as climate change increases the possibility of extreme weather events and wildfires that often damage natural areas. For more information and the link to register (required) for this FREE event, please visit this website.

NOTE: The December meeting of the study group has been cancelled due to schedule conflicts. Members should have received an email about this through Groups.io. The topic that had been scheduled for December - insects - will be taken up at the January study group meeting instead.

The HLBWS Study Group normally meets at 11:00 a.m. on the third Monday of each month, from September through June. Topics of discussion and related readings are announced to members in advance of each meeting. The focus of this meeting is on insects, as a follow up to Wizzie Brown’s wonderful presentation about helping beneficial insects to thrive - and ways to manage some that aren’t always welcomed. Come join in the fun and camaraderie, and gain a greater appreciation of the topic at hand.

HLBWS members are invited to assist with a bird count on a privately owned ranch on Monday, December 16, 2024. If you did not attend the December 5 HLBWS meeting and missed the announcement about this event, please use the “Contact Us” form to request more information.

Gentle reminder for all HLBWS members: If you have content that you would like to see in the next edition of the Great Blue Herald, the deadline is on the 15th of each month. Be sure to send in your articles, poems, and photos! Your submissions help to make this one of the best organization newsletters we’ve ever seen.

TMNTuesday webinars are offered by the TPWD Master Naturalist program, typically on the second Tuesday of each month. This month, the topic is “Training Class Mentor Programs Showcase.” Participants will learn about the different mentor programs conducted by the Alamo Area, Capital Area, and Lost Pines Chapters.

Each webinar is FREE but registration is required to participate, using the link you can find here.

On the second Monday of each month, the Friends of Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery conducts a bird survey led by a team of experts. All HLBWS members are welcome to help with the survey. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring all that you will need for the morning (water, sunscreen, bug spray, binoculars, etc.). For more information about the bird surveys, please use the “Contact Us” form found here.

Now that summer temperatures have abated, the weather is perfect for working outside. For many of us, this brings on the urge to clean out and tidy up the flower and vegetable gardens. But is that wise? Come find out what can be done to support an environment that is healthy for the kind of insects that are good for our plants. This is the topic that featured speaker Wizzie Brown will address in her presentation at the December HLBWS meeting: “How to Help Beneficial Insects Thrive.” She will cover specific things we can do in our own yards to help all types of insects create a home, including ways to provide food, water, and shelter.

Wizzie Brown is a Senior Extension Program Specialist-IPM with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. She is a Board-Certified Entomologist with a specialty in Urban Entomology and holds a non-commercial license from the Texas Structural Pest Control Service. Her research interests include imported red fire ants, bed bugs, and termites.

The HLBWS meeting will be held on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the Burnet County Agri-Life Extension, 607 N. Vanderveer, Burnet. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time and light refreshments; the business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.; and Wizzie Brown’s presentation follows at about 10:30 a.m. [Please note: This presentation will count for Advanced Training for Master Gardeners and members of HLNPSOT.] Anyone interested in learning more about beneficial garden insects is welcome to attend!

If the weather permits, there will be an 8:00 a.m. pre-meeting bird walk at Haley Nelson Park, 200 Garden Trail in Burnet.

Almost every Wednesday morning, Emily Grant and her colleagues host a Facebook live stream event that features one or more invited speakers, who talk about birds, birdwatching, and so much more. It’s FREE and no registration is required. You can find links to all of the past Cup Chats here, on YouTube. And here is where you can find their Facebook page to view the live events. They really have some wonderful speakers, and it’s a great way to start “Hump Day!”

Golf cart birding is one of the most popular field trips for HLBWS members. Our next foray into golf cart birding will take place at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024. Please note the change in our start time to half an hour later than originally planned. Members who have registered for this field trip should already have paid a $5/person fee (a pass-through fee to cover costs of renting the golf cart). Field trip participants should wear appropriate attire (jacket/hat, rain gear if necessary, layers of clothing to stay warm, sturdy closed-toe shoes), and bring their favorite bird guides/apps, binoculars, scopes if available, camera, water, sunscreen, insect repellent, etc. Please be sure to check your email early on the day of the trip for any last-minute instructions or changes, including potential cancellation IF the weather warrants such a decision.

Each Sunday (except for any 5th Sunday in a given month), for $10/person, an expert guide leads a bird walk around the various habitats of Mitchell Lake Audubon Center. Participants may see as many as 30-50 different bird species. The bird walk can last up to 4 hours and is best suited for those aged 15 and up. For full information and the link to purchase tickets, please see this page.

Two organizations, Wild Ones and the Native Plant Society of Texas, are hosting an online event that will look at sustainable landscapes using native plants. Christy Ten Eyck is the featured speaker. She will treat her latest native garden design as a case study, to help participants learn valuable strategies for choosing resilient plants and supporting local ecosystems. Both of those strategies are key to sustainability. Whether participants are home gardeners, landscape architects, or environmental advocates, the webinar will offer insights into creating water-efficient, sustainable landscapes that benefit people and the planet. Registration is required to access this FREE online event.

This 2-day virtual event explores the fascinating world of sound-based bird identification, from field techniques to the technology used to recognize and track bird calls. There is a $25/person registration fee to participate in the program, but those funds support AgriLife’s Rio Diablo Birding Camp program for youth. Please note that the registration deadline is November 20, 2024.

On November 19th, speaker Kristi Dranginis will lead a session on the skill of “birding by ear” to help participants hone their listening skills and enhance their birding experience.

Part two on November 20th features Dr. Damon Lesmeister, who will share how cutting-edge technology transforms research and the ability to monitor the biodiversity of the forest. 

All virtual seminars will be recorded and made available for later viewing by registrants. 

Updated, November 8, 2024: This field trip is full. Members may still sign up for a waiting list.

HLBWS Members: Check your email from Groups.io for full details about this field trip, including how to sign up and information about parking, etc. The focus of this field trip is riparian and other grasses. The park is chock-full of beautiful displays of species like Yellow Indiangrass, Switchgrass, Eastern Gamagrass, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, and Inland Seaoats. The park is a restoration in progress that started in 2004, and participants are fortunate to be able to see it.

Harrell Clary is one of the park founders and he will be leading the group. Harrell has extensive range management expertise and will assist members with plant identification.

Chris Best, State Botanist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Austin will present, “Native Grasses and Grasslands of Texas:  Ecology, conservation, and restoration of native grasslands in Texas.” Registration will be required to attend this online event. Please check here for updates and more information about registration.

This 2-day virtual event explores the fascinating world of sound-based bird identification, from field techniques to the technology used to recognize and track bird calls. There is a $25/person registration fee to participate in the program, but those funds support AgriLife’s Rio Diablo Birding Camp program for youth. Please note that the registration deadline is November 20, 2024.

On November 19th, speaker Kristi Dranginis will lead a session on the skill of “birding by ear” to help participants hone their listening skills and enhance their birding experience.

Part two on November 20th features Dr. Damon Lesmeister, who will share how cutting-edge technology transforms research and the ability to monitor the biodiversity of the forest. 

All virtual seminars will be recorded and made available for later viewing by registrants. 

The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is holding an online event to discuss how the organization is conserving land for birds, and how participants can do the same. They will talk about ways to minimize pesticide use in backyards and agricultural land. The speakers will present how ABC is improving critical bird habitat with landowners and public land managers in the Great Lakes, and ABC’s efforts to establish reserves with partners in Bolivia that benefit Endangered resident birds, such as the Red-fronted Macaw and Palkachupa Cotinga. Find out how every bird-friendly action, whether big or small, can make an impact on the habitat birds need to thrive. Registration is required to access this FREE online event. ABC will make a recording of the event and notify registrants when the recording becomes available.

The HLBWS Study Group meets at 11:00 a.m. on the third Monday of each month, from September through June. In October, the discussion focused on learning more about common birds - ferreting out new information about the birds we think we know well and see all the time. The November discussion will continue this fresh look at our “old familiar” feathered friends. Come join in the fun and camaraderie, and gain a greater appreciation of the birds you see on a routine basis!

Following a 30-minute business meeting, invited speakers Rufus Stephens and Jan Wrede will discuss key findings and updates in their new book, Land Stewardship for Birds: A Guide to Central Texas. They will talk about strategies that anyone can use to restore and maintain healthy bird habitat. In addition to addressing strategies that are specific to varying kinds of habitat, the speakers will touch on topics in the book such as wildfire damage prevention, improved bird census guidelines, updated plant lists, the latest standards for managing bird boxes, a guide to managing brush species, and helpful apps and online resources. The meeting is FREE and open to anyone interested in learning more about how to care for their land in avian-friendly ways.

This tour, hosted by David Mahler and Chris Harte, will let participants see the results of a 40-year effort to restore the natural habitat of Spicewood Ranch. (Please note that this tour is a repeat of the event on October 19, 2024.) Techniques to promote restoration have included prescribed fire, native plant seeding, white tailed deer management, invasive species reduction, and restoration field trials to increase grass, forb, and woody species diversity and quantity. The tours will be led by David Mahler, who has led the restoration efforts since the beginning. Those who wish to participate can find the full details, including driving directions, and the form to register for this event here.

Gentle reminder for all HLBWS members: If you have content that you would like to see in the next edition of the Great Blue Herald, the deadline is on the 15th of each month. Be sure to send in your articles, poems, and photos! Your submissions help to make this one of the best organization newsletters we’ve ever seen.

Michael Eason, the Vice President of Conservation and Collections at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, will discuss the Garden’s various plant conservation programs. Most of these programs are new to the Garden and have been initiated in the last several years, flourishing under Mr. Eason’s stewardship.

Full details and access to the link for registration, which is required for the online meeting, can be found here.

TMNTuesday webinars are offered by the TPWD Master Naturalist program, typically on the second Tuesday of each month. Topics generally are announced about 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the webinar dates. Each webinar is FREE but registration is required to participate, using the link you can find here.

The City of Marble Falls Parks & Recreation Department is hosting an Arbor Day Celebration. Mayor Rhodes will read a proclamation and then Parks staff will plant 12 native trees in the streetscape. The event is FREE and all are welcome to attend. In addition, the city is encouraging “residents in our community to join in on the fun by planting native trees, a prominent and beautiful feature of our Hill Country landscape.” Click here to view the city’s announcement.

Native Texan Cherie Colburn will talk about the importance of incorporating native plants into our own landscapes. She will demonstrate her gardening mantra of “first, do no harm” by showing how attention to where, why, and what is in our gardens can make us better stewards of the natural world. Please note: virtual doors to the meeting will open at 6:40 p.m. There will be a brief business meeting and “Plant of the Month” presentation, and Ms. Colburn will begin her talk at 7:00 p.m. For full details and to access the link to register for the online meeting, please see the event description on NPSOT’s website.

Ms. Colburn is a professional landscape architect who has designed hundreds of low-maintenance commercial and residential landscapes since 1994. She’s also helped create schoolyard gardens and habitats throughout Texas. She has authored books for both children and adults, and more than 100 magazine and newspaper articles over the last four decades.

On the second Monday of each month, the Friends of Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery conducts a bird survey led by a team of experts. All HLBWS members are welcome to help with the survey. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring all that you will need for the morning (water, sunscreen, bug spray, binoculars, etc.). For more information about the bird surveys, please use the “Contact Us” form found here.

Sometimes Mother Nature simply does not cooperate with our best efforts to plan field trips. The plant walk planned for November 9 has been CANCELLED because of the impact of our ongoing drought. We hope to plan another field trip for a plant walk later this program year.

Wendy Anderson, a Nature Tracker Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, will show HLBWS members and guests the ins-and-outs of using the FREE iNaturalist app. This handy tool helps people to identify birds, pollinators, plants and other organisms. While the app helps users learn more about nature, the users’ observations, in turn, contribute to biodiversity science! iNaturalist shares the observations with the Global Diversity Information Facility (https://www.gbif.org/) to help scientists find and access the data. These data allow scientists and research mangers to better understand when and where organisms occur.

Members who are familiar with iNaturalist may want to take part in the ongoing Texas Pollinator BioBlitz, October 11-27. For more information about the BioBlitz, please go to https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/bioblitz.

Members who are not familiar with iNaturalist are asked to consider downloading the free app to their phones, iPads, or laptops, and bring their devices to the meeting.

Wendy Anderson holds MS degrees in Environmental Science and Public Affairs focused in Applied Ecology from Indiana University. As a Botanist and GIS Analyst/Botanist with the Landscape Ecology Program, she conducted botanical surveys throughout Texas, identified habitat for endangered species using remote sensing techniques, and provided technical training and presentations for citizen/community science projects.

Doors to the HLBWS meeting will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time and light refreshments; the business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.; and Wendy Anderson’s presentation follows at about 10:30 a.m. As always, visitors are welcome! Weather permitting, a pre-meeting bird walk will be held at Haley Nelson Park, 200 Garden Trail in Burnet, starting at 8:00 a.m.

And remember, HLBWS members: the drawing to determine the winner of the Fall 2024 Bingo Photo Challenge will take place at this meeting!

Almost every Wednesday morning, Emily Grant and her colleagues host a Facebook live stream event that features one or more invited speakers, who talk about birds, birdwatching, and so much more. It’s FREE and no registration is required. You can find links to all of the past Cup Chats here, on YouTube. And here is where you can find their Facebook page to view the live events. They really have some wonderful speakers, and it’s a great way to start “Hump Day!”

Each Sunday (except for any 5th Sunday in a month), for $10/person, an expert guide leads a bird walk around the various habitats of Mitchell Lake Audubon Center. Participants may see as many as 30-50 different bird species. The bird walk can last up to 4 hours and is best suited for those aged 15 and up. For full information and the link to purchase tickets, please see this page.

From 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through November 30, visitors to the Candy Abshier Wildlife Management Area can participate in the Smith Point Hawk Watch. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s AllAboutBirds website, “Smith Point on the eastern shore of Galveston Bay is a natural concentration point for southwardly moving raptors in fall migration. At the peak of fall migration, it’s not unusual to see thousands of Broad-winged Hawks, the most numerous species that migrates through Smith Point, on a single day. The Smith Point Hawk Watch was originated as an all-volunteer, part-time effort in 1992. In 1997, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in partnership with Hawk Watch International and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department instituted a full-time, 3 month an annual census of the raptors migrating through Smith Point each fall. In 2011 we expanded the count to 3.5 months to capture the early Swallow-tailed Kite migration.” For more information please visit the event description here.