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50 Years of Birding
I’m a sucker for the sound of an owl hooting, so this sounds incredible to me. Check out all the activities marking 50 years of birding at Hornsby Bend, 2210 South FM 973, this week:
The Austin Water Utility Center for Environmental Research and the Travis Audubon Society are celebrating 50 years of their birding partnership at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Facility with four days of birding, workshops, presentations and art, October 8-11.
- Owl workshop by Rob Fergus: Two nights of Central Texas owl biology, nest box management and “owl prowl” excursions, 7-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 8-9 at the Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend, 2210 South FM 973. Cost is $60. Go here to register.
- Hornsby Bend’s 50 Years of Birding Celebration, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend, 2210 South FM 973. Day-long activities include birding field trips, a “super” bird survey, educational displays and a silent auction. Public field trips with a bird expert at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. Presentations on bird monitoring and wildlife photography, noon to 4 p.m. Program on “50 years of birds and birding at Hornsby Bend,” 7-10 p.m.
- The “Big Sit” Annual Bird Count: Sunrise to sunset Sunday, Oct. 11 at Hornsby Bend, 2210 South FM 973. Go here to register.
It’s sounds odd: A biosolids treatment plant that doubles as a prime birding location. But the environmentally-sound way that wastewater is treated there has created a popular resting spot for migrating birds and a home for many native species.
Water from the treatment process is stored in several large ponds that draw birds and other wildlife to the area, according to a press release from Austin Water Utility Center for Environmental Research.
Hornsby Bend is nationally known as one of the best birding sites in Texas — harboring over 370 species of birds and an abundance of other wildlife. It is listed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as an ecotourism destination on its Heart of Texas Wildlife Trail.
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