Celebrate Nature!2012
12th Annual
OUR TOUR LINEUP
Flat Creek Estate Winery
Friday, April 27 6:30pm-9:30pm
Share in the joy of accomplishment and benefit our festival programs.
Join us at
6:30pm for a
Sculpture Stroll through the vineyard. Enjoy elegant art works brought to you by the
Texas Society of Sculptors.
At
7:30pm - Chef Sean Fulford will delight you with an exquisite dinner to complement
Flat Creek Estate award winning wines.
At
Dusk -
Jeffery Phillips will provide tales and lights of the sky.
Be sure to check out our SILENT AUCTION!
This event starts at the winery.
DIRECTIONS.
NATURE TOURS start at the Refuge Headquarters.
ATTENTION BIRDERS! Be sure to hang around for the COUNTDOWN at noon. If you are attending Friday or Monday, pack in a lunch! If you are attending Saturday & Sunday, grab a bite at the Vireo cafe and head on over to the COUNTDOWN TENT. Then mosey over to one of our FREE speaker presentations on Saturday afternoon.
PREMIUM BIRDING TOURS
Premium tours led by professional leaders from some of our internationally acclaimed eco-tourism companies.
Field Guides, BirdQuest and Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) are participating this year, and their guides have graciously donated their time to support the Friends, the Refuge and the Songbird Festival.
The field trips will be moderately strenuous, and participants should be able to walk for several hours on hill country terrain. It will be worth the effort! If you have never been on a tour led by a professional leader, this is your opportunity to experience it for yourself. If you have been on professionally led tours, you know this is a trip not to be missed.
Birding the Refuge with Field Guides
Birding the Refuge with BirdQuest
Birding the Refuge with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT)
SIGNATURE BIRDING TOURS
The Endangered Ones
Friday, April 27 - 7:30am-Noon (Chuck Sexton)
Saturday, April 28 - 7:30am-Noon (Kathy McCormack)
Saturday, April 28 - 7:30am-Noon (Bill Reiner & John Chenoweth)
Sunday, April 29 - 7:30am-Noon (Jim O'Donnell)
Monday, April 30 - 7:30am-Noon (Jim Giocomo)
This tour will span the refuge in search of its two endangered songbirds. Experts on the species will take you to shady, relatively moist woodlands of oak and juniper to listen and look for Golden-cheeked Warblers. At the other end of the refuge, we will listen for the raspy songs of Black-capped Vireos in and around thickets of scrubby oaks, sumacs, and greenbriars. Along the way we hope to spot other Hill Country birds, such as Painted Buntings, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and Cave Swallows. Easy to moderate hiking.
Explore Hill Country Birding
Saturday, April 28 - 8:00am-Noon (Joe Beach & Jim Giocomo)
Saturday, April 28 - 8:00am-Noon (Byron Stone)
Join top Texas birders to look for special Hill Country birds that nest on the Refuge. Painted Bunting, Canyon Towhee, Vermilion Flycatcher, Black-throated Sparrow, and Grasshopper Sparrow possibilities to name a few.
SPECIALTY BIRDING TOURS
Breeding Birds of Balcones
Saturday, April 28 - 7:30am-Noon (Jim O'Donnell)
Seek out some of the birds that breed on the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. This tour will focus on providing a more in-depth understanding of these birds. Aspects of natural history such as distribution, habitat, migration, and behavior of these species will be discussed as well as any conservation concerns. This tour is for those who want to know more about our birds than just the field marks.
Young Beginning Birders (12-18 yrs)
Sunday, April 29 - 8:00am-Noon (Cullen Hanks & Mikael Behrens)
Birds are fascinating creatures to study because of their accessibility, their vitality, and their extraordinary life strategies. Furthermore, birds are great teachers that give us insight into the natural world around us. In this workshop we will focus on how to unlock that world by learning strategies for how to find, identify, and observe birds. First we will review the tools of the trade that we can use to identify a bird. Then we will go on a walk to see what we can find! (talk/walk)
What You Need to Know to Be a Birder/Birdwatcher
Sunday, April 29 - 8:00am-Noon (Theresa Bayoud)It's not hard to get hooked on birds, but then what do you do? How do you identify birds? Which binoculars are the best? Where do you go to see birds? If you are new to the birding/birdwatching scene and would like a little help getting started, this presentation is for you. Theresa Bayoud's presentation will include topics such as binoculars, field guides, journals, where to go birding in Central Texas, birding/conservation organizations, and resources to learn more. Get your new hobby (or obsession) off to a great start with the information Theresa provides. (talk/walk)
Learning to Bird by Ear
Sunday, April 29 - 8:00am-Noon (Jeff Patterson)
Wherever there are birds, there are bird songs! And springtime in Central Texas is certainly no exception. Bird songs and other vocalizations provide a wealth of information that birders can use to quickly identify familiar birds, distinguish between closely related species and perhaps to decipher some of the complex communications that go on between birds. Join Jeff Patterson for a brief introductory lecture and hike intended to introduce you to the pringtime bird vocalizations of Central Texas. Learn some of the keys to identification, the purposes of birdsong, digital resources and responsible use of recordings, while taking a hike through the beautiful hill country of the Refuge. Easy to moderate hiking. (talk/walk)
Birds of Grasslands & Fire
Sunday, April 29 - 8:00am-Noon (Carl Schwope & Joe Beach)
See how fire is used as a dramatic tool to create and enhance habitat for songbirds. The tour will take you through previously burned areas, both recent and past, to show how fire effects the landscape. Learn about grassland and ecosystem restoration. The tour will start with a slide show of before and after photos of areas that will be visited. You will see what different birds can be found in areas that have been burned versus areas that have not been burned.
Birding with Chuck Sexton
Monday, April 30 - 7:30am-Noon (Chuck Sexton)
Spend some time with Chuck Sexton, retired Wildlife Refuge Biologist and naturalist. Chuck will take you on a tour of some of his favorite places on Balcones. He will show you the natural history of the Texas Hill Country that will include many species of birds, native plants and flowers, along with butterflies, and almost anything you find.
NATURE TOURS
Blossoms, Butterflies, and Bird Identification for Beginners
Saturday, April 28 - 9:00am-12:30pm (Joan Mukherjee)
Joan Mukherjee will conduct a workshop on wildflowers and other plants of value to birds and butterflies at her home on Cedar Stump. The morning will begin by learning the basics of identification of wildflowers and other plants important to wildlife. Next we will stroll through her wildscape to observe butterflies, birds and plants and practice what we have learned. Finally for those wanting to stretch their legs we will go on a hike and see what has managed to survive the drought in the fields and woods. Bring your binoculars and your favorite wildflower field guide if you have them.
Native Plants on the Refuge
Saturday, April 28 1:00pm-5:00pm (Bill Carr & Diane Sherrill)
Balcones Canyonlands NWR was created to save the endangered bird species, Golden -Cheeked Warbler and Black-Capped Vireo, but these birds do not live in a vacuum. Without the plants, and the insects those plants sustain, we wouldn’t have these marvelous birds, or anything else in nature. It really IS all connected! Bill Carr will be conducting a plant tour with co-leader Diane Sherrill. Bill has recently retired from The Nature Conservancy to open his own consulting business. He has been called “the best field botanist in Texas”, and if you care about native plants, you NEED to take a walk with him! (talk/walk)
Nature Photography Workshop
Saturday, April 28 1:00pm-5:00pm (Karen Kilfeather)
Karen will emphasize basic outdoor photography in this workshop. Film or digital cameras are welcome. Karen will cover composition, lighting, depth of field, and some basic field tips for bird and nature photography. The use of settings for greater control of your images will be covered. All cameras are different, so be sure to bring your camera manual with you to class! (talk/walk)
Exploring the Backcountry
Sunday, April 29 1:00pm-5:00pm (Jean & Seay Nance)
Explore one of the most beautiful parts of the Refuge as we walk along Post Oak Creek and venture into the backcountry in an area normally not open to the public. We'll talk about everything we come across, from geology to local wildlife and native plants to weather's influences on habitats. Moderately difficult hiking: wear ankle-supported, waterproof shoes as uneven footpaths and stream crossings will be encountered.
SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS (FREE)
Monitoring Backyard Birds
Saturday, April 28 1:30pm-2:30pm (Jim Giocomo & Jake McCumber)
Have you ever wanted to know more about the nesting activities of birds in your backyard or at your neighborhood park? Jim Giocomo will present information to help you understand how difficult it is for parent birds to raise a family even in the best of habitat conditions. It is typical for songbird nests to succeed producing young less than 50% of the time in a season, and the populations still persist. Jim will draw on his 15+ years of experience monitoring nesting bird populations to discuss the history of nest searching and Oology, tips and techniques for finding and monitoring nests, breeding ecology of neighborhood birds, and how this information is being used to inform large scale bird conservation efforts. The presentation will include pictures and video clips from many of the grassland and forest birds Jim worked with over the years.
Climate Change & Migratory Birds
Saturday, April 28 2:45pm-3:45pm (Bill Bartush)
Points to Ponder -Birds are good indicators of the health of our environment, and right now they are telling us an important story about climate change. Many species of conservation concern face threats, and this should give us an increased sense of urgency to protect and conserve vital bird habitat. Birds have long been used as indicators of environmental change; for centuries we described “canaries in the coal mine” as true indicators of impacts to humans.
