San Antonio Young Birders Club

11/01/2017

SUMMER'S OVER!
Everyone's back to school and enjoying the cooler weather; including the birds! Our next meeting will be next weekend at Crescent Bend Nature Park, we expect to see plenty of awesome birds. This Winter is shaping up to be an amazing season for many mountain-loving species, many have decided to migrate down to lower elevations and could very likely be seen here. Aside from the resident Wild Turkeys, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Eastern Bluebirds; we MIGHT find some early Nuthatches, Sparrows, Goldfinches, and maybe even a Flicker or Creeper. Bring your binoculars, field guides, and a sturdy pair of shoes and we'll see who's in town. Our group will meet up Saturday morning at 8 in the parking lot below the restrooms, and we expect to be finished sometime around 10. Birders of all ages are welcoming, although depending on the number of birders we may split into younger and older groups.

06/05/2017

Congratulations to the TOS-SAYBC Senior and Junior Chickadee Teams: BOTH took first place in their age group/region! All First Place Team Members received a Certificate and a bird book from Texas Parks & Wildlife. Each team had several members representing for the San Antonio Young Birders Club this past Saturday at the Annual GTBC Awards Ceremony. Our teams for the third year in a row came out on top due to their great teamwork and dedication, and have continued to inspire other young people to get out and bird.

Thanks again to Tom and Patsy Inglet for their great leadership and for chaperoning our teams. Let's have a GREAT BIG SHOUT OUT to the Texas Ornithological Society for sponsoring both teams, and here's to another amazing year with the Great Texas Birding Classic!
Photo Taken By Lauren Kempf

05/30/2017

05/29/2017

Thanks to everyone who came out this past Saturday and braved the drizzle at Lost Maples State Natural Area. We all had a blast as we saw tons of great birds, many of which were seen displaying, calling, and feeding young. Some of the more notable species were Yellow-throated Warblers, Acadian Flycatchers, Scott's Oriole, and four different species of vireo; (Black-capped, Hutton's, Red-eyed, and White-eyed).
We all were thrilled to see a young Red-tailed Hawk begging from it's cliff-side nest, and were serenaded often by "falling" Canyon Wrens. This was a great trip to learn calls, and I believe everyone walked away having learned at least one new bird call.
Even our Group Leader's were astonished to hear a Carolina Wren mimicking a Hutton's Vireo. What an odd surprise! After our hike we stopped at the picnic area for lunch where we were surrounded by numerous male Yellow-throated Warblers, the icing on our bird-filled cake!
Our next meeting will be at the Cibolo Nature Center for volunteer work; more information will be posted about it soon.

05/03/2017

Special thanks to Christie Davis; a dedicated Junior GTBC Team Member Mom (say that five times fast) who shared these wonderful photos of the Junior Roughwings Team!

05/03/2017

Congrats to our two teams last weekend! Both the junior and senior team put forth amazing numbers of birds and showed great teamwork and determination. While slightly later in the year than last time; our teams managed to find some late migrants and even a few regional rarities.
Most importantly, we had tons of fun!!! We all had chances to bird with the wonderful Herbert Byaruhanga and droll over his stories of African endemics. Thanks to all the parents who came out to provide moral support to our teams, as well as our Club Leaders; Tom and Patsy Inglet.
Last but not least, the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center Migratory Bird Day Festival will be Saturday, May 13. We will be running the Neighborhood Birds/Identification Challenge again this year, so drop by and say hello! The festival is from 9am until 2pm. Come enjoy the other booths, activities, food trucks, and vendors. Ranger Craig will be there banding birds in the morning; SeaWorld will be bringing some birds; LOTS TO DO and LOTS OF FUN! See ya'll then!

03/27/2017

IT'S SPRING...
Let's give a big shout-out to our San Antonio Young Birders, who will be competing once again in the Great Texas Birding Classic! We will be represented this year by both a Senior and Junior team of 5 excellent birders each.
Once again both teams will be sponsored by the Texas Ornithological Society. We will try to do them proud as everyone prepares for this competition; keeping in mind that not only are we trying to win, but we are collecting valuable data on many of the great birds that migrate through Texas in the spring.
SO...
LET'S GO TOS-SAYBC TEAM CHICKADEE'S!!!

02/09/2017

Thanks to everyone who showed up this Saturday at the SA Zoo, we all had a blast! From getting behind-the-scenes looks at the bird breeding facilities to getting to hear the personal stories of the birds and their keepers, the SAYBC would like to give a great big shoutout to Josef San Miguel, Director of Aviculture, and Travis Koons, Manager of Aviculture, our two wonderful guides. Whether it was Flamingos, Cranes, Kingfishers, or a curious Oropendola, each bird was a special slice of nature that the San Antonio Zoo is working feverishly to preserve. It is easy to forget that there are so many wonderful birds outside of the United States that need our help, and the help of zoos nationwide.

Our next meeting will be all about the Great Backyard Bird Count, as we explore, and report the birds we will see at Castroville Regional Park.

WHEN- Saturday, February 18, 8-10am
WHERE- Castroville Regional Park
WHO- all members of the SAYBC
WHAT TO BRING- sturdy shoes, appropriate clothing, binoculars(or borrow some from our leaders) YOURSELVES!

01/07/2017

;( Sadly, it looks like our CBC tomorrow will have to be canceled due to treacherous road conditions. We decided it would be to cold and dangerous to ask our young birders to travel. Instead, we are asking birders to take the opportunity to sprinkle some bird feed outside in your yard, hang up a hummingbird feeder, or just place a bowl of fruit scraps out to help your birds stay warm this weekend. When it gets to hard to bird outside, sometimes you can have just as much fun birding from your couch with a warm cup of coca. We will soon post our next meeting, scheduled in early February.
Stay Warm and Stay Safe

01/05/2017

BIRDING-
An activity that's commonly participated in the less-than ideal conditions such as rain, sleet, and snow by brave, perilous young folks (and folks young at heart).
Thankfully none of these conditions are being predicted for this weekend's meeting, but 30-40degree weather is enough to make even the most fearless birders bundle up. Who is more fearless than the members of the SAYBC!?! This Saturday we will be venturing out to Mitchell Lake Audubon Center to see what birds have blown in. Reports of Harris's, White-crowned, and White-throated Sparrows accompanied by an influx of ducks are all tempting enough, but for this trip we will also be participating in the KIDS Christmas Bird Count. This is a variation of the state-wide research effort that many birders have been participating in for the past month.
Where- Mitchell Lake Audubon Center
When- Saturday, January 7th
What Time- 8:00am-10:00am
What To Bring- Jackets, Gloves, Scarves, anything to keep yourselves warm and toasty! And of course, binoculars!

12/06/2016

BRRRRRRR!!!!! It's officially a Texas winter! Thanks to everyone who braved the cold, rainy weather to see Tom and Patsy Inglet's amazing Prairie Bird Workshop, who knew LBJ's are so diverse! Who doesn't love that little sparrow quiz and discussing malars, oculars, and rectrices! Practice makes perfect, and sparrow ID is no exception. For those who have seen the Prairie Bird Review are invited to test their skills out in the field. Dates for the Prairie Bird Surveys at the Cibolo Nature Center are...
Wednesday, Dec. 14
Wednesday, Jan. 11
Wednesday, Feb. 15
The dates for the future Prairie Bird Surveys at Cibolo Preserve are ...
Thursday, Dec. 15
Thursday, Jan. 12
Thursday, Feb. 9
The meeting places for both surveys are at the pavilion of the Cibolo Nature Center near the parking lot.
Remember, this is an intensive survey that requires birders that have participated in either the Prairie Bird Review or previous surveys.
The fee is $0 since this is citizen science and classified as volunteer work.
Each survey begins at 9 and ends at 11:30, please dress accordingly, we will be in tall grass, closed-toed shoes, jackets, and thick clothing is advised.
Binoculars are an important tool, please try to bring your own, these surveys are time constrained and there will not be time to assist everyone in seeing each bird flushed.

11/29/2016

This Saturday will be the start of the annual winter Prairie Bird Surveys at the Cibolo Nature Center and this weekend is the REVIEW! This Saturday at 9am to review the species of LBJ's(little brown jobs) that call the CNC home. Remember, if you want to volunteer on any of the three upcoming surveys, YOU MUST GO TO THE REVIEW. This program is only for birders over the age of 12 or who have competed in the Great Texas Birding Classic. Please let us know by email ( [email protected] )PREFERABLY by DECEMBER 1 if you are planning on attending.

When- Saturday December 3
Where- Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium
What Time- 9 am-12 pm
Who's Invited- Birders Over the age of 12 OR who have participated in the GTBC
What to Bring- a jacket, the auditorium can sometimes get chilly, most of our time however will be spent indoors watching the Inglets present, materials will be provided.
Cost- FREE!