Knowledge sharing - Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) -We welcome sharing of our posts.5/28/2023 Galveston Bay Area Chapter - Texas Master Naturalist
· Knowledge sharing - Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) - We welcome sharing of our posts. The Gray Catbird is a common winter resident along the Texas Coast. As the name suggests, they are mostly gray with a black cap and a chestnut vent. They are most often found skulking in dense brush and are often heard before they’re seen. The distinctive call, a catlike mewing, gave the bird its name. Gray Catbirds like habitats with dense undergrowth. Here, they hunt through the shadowy branches or on the ground for insects and berries. These birds will also come out in the open to visit backyard feeders. Though seemingly shier than their closest relatives, Gray Catbird are mimids, meaning they are related to mockingbirds and thrashers. In fact, in some areas they are called the Slate-colored Mockingbird. Just like other members of family Mimidae, Gray Catbirds have many different calls and sounds aside from the distinctive catlike call, and can mimic other birds as well. Photos and information shared by Chapter members Elizabeth and Elisha Hehir.
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Galveston Bay Area Chapter - Texas Master Naturalist
· Knowledge sharing – Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) - We welcome sharing of our posts. The Western Sandpiper is a common winter resident in the Galveston Bay Area. Winter birds are a pale gray-brown on the head and back with a white belly. In breeding plumage, the cheek, cap, and shoulders are tinged rufous with bold black markings on the sides and back. They are also distinguished from other sandpipers by black legs and a black, slightly down-turned beak. Western Sandpipers are found along the shore, in tidal flats and sandy beaches. Here they forage by sticking their long bills into the sand or mud for tiny marine invertebrates. They may stand in shallow water to feed or chase waves up and down the shore. As one of the most populous shorebirds in North America, the Western Sandpiper gathers in impressive numbers during migration. Flocks representing a large proportion of breeding individuals, which total in the millions, can be seen at key stopover sites. However, the reliance on a handful of sites can make species vulnerable. Though this species’ population isn’t in trouble yet, it is thought to potentially be decreasing in some areas. Photos and information shared by Chapter members Elizabeth and Elisha Hehir. WELCOMETURTLE LOVERS! Let's Shellebrate®! World Turtle Day® is May 23, 2023 sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue! Get ready for lots of action on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more! Download our fun #WorldTurtleDay Party Pack. It has social media with a Facebook cover photo, postcard, badge and more! And download coloring pages American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle, is sponsoring our annual World Turtle Day® on May 23. The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world. Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, founders of ATR and World Turtle Day, advocate humane treatment of all animals, including reptiles. Since 1990, ATR has placed about 4,000 tortoises and turtles in caring homes. ATR assists law enforcement when undersize or endangered turtles are confiscated and provides helpful information and referrals to persons with sick, neglected or abandoned turtles. Great Texas Birding Classic
· Birding Classic team member alerts Texas to rare bird sighting! Fort Worth birder Parker Allie created huge excitement in the birding community with his sighting of the first Mangrove Cuckoo in the Galveston area since 1982. What a great way to end the tournament, and just in time for World Migratory Bird Day! Parker became a birder during Covid and joined a couple of Birding Classic teams with colleagues from the construction company he works for. Thanks, Parker, for making the drive and keeping your eyes open (and your camera at the ready). Parker Allie’s initial eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S137268314 More info on Mangrove Cuckoo: https://birdsoftheworld.org/.../mancuc/cur/introduction Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research · After a nation-wide search, and much deliberation, please join us in welcoming our new GCSTR Sea Turtle Rescue and Recovery Coordinator and Program Assistant, Amy Mitchell. Amy comes to us from the Audubon Nature Institute’s Coastal Wildlife Network in New Orleans, LA. She has been the assistant stranding and rehabilitation coordinator of sea turtles and marine mammals there for the last two years. She comes to us fully qualified to lead our team of ~100 volunteers over our expansive response region. Amy will help us re-structure this program to make it more efficient and provide needed expertise in sea turtle necropsy and mortality studies, which are a critical component of sea turtle conservation. She comes highly recommended by our NOAA partners and Gulf of Mexico conservation colleagues; she will help elevate our conservation mission. Additionally, she will assist and engage in research projects that will fill data gaps in sea turtle natural history that are needed to conserve sea turtles. Amy’s contributions will fill many needs and we are excited for her to join our team. #GCSTR #sharethegulf #everybodyrow #saveseaturtles Gulf Center for Sea Turtle ResearchThank you to the Galveston Independent School District after-school gardening program for another successful year of sea turtle gardens! This opportunity has been expanded throughout the district with the help of Honi Alexander with Galveston's Own Farmers Market, and Maureen Nolan Wilde with the Galveston Bay Area Chapter - Texas Master Naturalist. Students have had the opportunity to grow fresh vegetables like squash, leafy greens and cucumbers, not only for their families but also for our green sea turtle patients. We are grateful for Nichole Duepner, Carlos Rios and the many teachers and staff that fostered this educational experience which included learning about the actual animals that are being healed in our care. We are looking forward to year 3! #sharethegulf #everybodyrow #gcstr Mosquito Shield of Southeast Houston
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