Birdwatching in Texas
Birding contacts and birdwatching information
Local Birdingpal Contacts
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Local Birdwatchers
Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. | ||||||
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Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| C | Ohl-Johnson | Alpine | Anytime | English |
| The Lucifer Hummingbird is my specialty bird. It can usually be seen reliably from March through October. Visit my blog http://cmoasis.blogspot.com:80/ | ||||||
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| J | Luce | Amarillo | Anytime | |
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| P | Sipiora | Arlington | Anytime | English |
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| Z | Hunt | Austin | Anytime | |
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| L | Kantor | Austin | Anytime | English/Spanish |
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| S | Barko | Austin | Anytime | English |
| Intermediate birder with knowledge of south Austin parks and birding areas south of Austin. | ||||||
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| M | Borg | Austin | Anytime | English/Spanish Portuguese |
| 20 year birder. Available in my area are Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, Crested Caracara, Painted Bunting, Roadrunner, etc. around 400 species in a 60mile radius. I will pick you up at the airport and take you to your lodging. I can drive you birding, and let you pick the species, and if it is the right season, we'll try to find them. I am a fire fighter, so I am off many times during the week, and can give you one full day of birding. I can show you my neighborhood and area. A good day here is 50 or 75 species. I have had a 100 bird day in Texas. | ||||||
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| L | Merino | Austin | Anytime | English/Spanish Italian |
| Enjoy birding and hiking. Austin has many green areas and is close to state parks and lakes with many opportunities for birding. | ||||||
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| A | Peck | Austin | Anytime | English |
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| M | Kirkham | Austin | Weekend | English |
| I took up bird watching a little over a year ago. I am not a professional, but I love the challenge of locating new birds and learning their calls. Austin has a lot of great birding locations since central Texas is a major migratory route. Over 800 bird species have been recorded in Texas. We also have two endangered birds that nest only here, the Golden-cheeked Warbler and the Black-capped Vireo. Beyond that, the large number of parks and green space provide excellent opportunities for great watching within the city. | ||||||
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| S | Head | Bay City | Anytime | |
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| B | Kinch | Brownsville (Winter only) | Anytime | English |
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| J | Paz | Brownsville | Anytime | English Spanish fluent |
| Retired, love wildlife photography, live close to Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary in the lower Texas Coast. Very familiar with and love to visit the El Cielo Biosphere in Tamaulipas Mexico. Lower Rio Grande Valley area is a great birding area. | ||||||
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| K | Russell | Bryan | Anytime | English/German |
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| S | Dillard | Bryan | Weekend | English |
| I am versant with alot of the upper coast of Texas too so - if you want someone to take ya around try me anyhow. I might be able to break away days with some prior notice | ||||||
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| S | Jones | Bryan | Anytime | English |
| I am an avid birder when time allows. My area is not very bird rich, although Texas as a whole is, especially in migration. | ||||||
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| D | Green | Canyon Lake | Weekend | English/Spanish |
| I live in the Hill Country of Texas half way between San Antonio an Austin. In the spring I can usually show or tell people how to find the Golden- Cheeked Warbler and the Black-capped Vireo. | ||||||
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| L | Yaklin | Concan | Anytime | |
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| J | Hill | Conroe | Anytime | English |
| I am a member of the NWF and have numerous feeders, bird houses, bird baths and covered areas for my birds. I have only been watching in my yard for about 4 years, but I really want to go birding with someone. Have no friends interested in birding the way I am. | ||||||
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| S | McClellan | Conroe | Anytime | English |
| I am located in South East Texas 40 Miles North of Houston, Texas. I live in the piney woods. Avid Birder, Photography Skills. Have some near extinct birds in area. State and National Forests abundant in the area. Know Texas Birds fairly well. | ||||||
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| L | Even | Corpus Christi | Weekend | English |
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| L | Mathis | Dallas | Anytime | English |
| I have enjoyed the hobby for many years and am excited each day to anticipate new arrivals. There exists many nice spots and opportunities to view birds in the area and I would sharing this opportunity anytime. | ||||||
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| J | Meldahl | Eagle Lake | Anytime | |
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| A | Vinson | El Paso | Anytime | English |
| I bird regularly in West Texas and in mid- and southern New Mexico. Also, I travel to SE Arizona pretty regularly to bird. I am a school teacher, so the "anytime" only applies to summers, Christmas break and Spring Break. The working year I am available on weekends. So,if you would like to bird the Chihuahuan desert, Bosque del Apache, Big Bend, or even look for the Tucson area specialties with me, please email. | ||||||
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| L | Lucas | Ft. Worth | Weekend | |
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| G | Sage | Galveston | Anytime | English |
| My husband and I have been birding for 10 years, mostly at home in Galveston, which has many birds during the spring and fall migrations, and which is close to the High Island bird sanctuaries, also very popular during migration season. We also like to bird while traveling, and have birded from Alaska to Patagonia. We would enjoy showing Galveston's sights to fellow birders, and would love to have you show us your birds. | ||||||
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| P | Singleton | Galveston/Dickinson | Anytime | |
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| M | Streater | Hamilton | Anytime | |
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| P | Kennedy | Deer Park, Houston | Anytime | |
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| M | Sloan | Houston Area | Anytime | English some French |
| An avid birder and photographer, I can frequently be found at beaches and refuges along the Upper Texas Gulf Coast. My photos can be seen here. | ||||||
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| S | Gross | Houston | Weekend | |
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| B | Tarbox | Houston | Weekend | English |
| Available for assistance with weekend birding throughout the year with advance notice in the Southeast Texas area. Katy Prairie, Galveston, Houston area, Jones State Forest (RCWO & BHNU), High Island and Sabine Pass areas & Bolivar. Also, familiar with birding the Rio Grande Valley. If you have a list of target birds feel free to email it to me. (weekend email - billtarbox(AT)gmail.com) | ||||||
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| A | Marceau | Houston | Weekend | English/French Limited Spanish |
| Within 1.5 hour drive to High Island and other Upper Texas Coast hotspots. | ||||||
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| M | Meyer | Houston | Weekend | English |
| I've been birding for 5 years. Near our neighborhood is a series of retention ponds called Willow Waterhole Park. Commonly seen there are Black-necked Stilts, Cooper's, Red-tailed, and Red-shouldered Hawks, numerous egrets and herons, some warblers, kinglets, grebes, Belted Kingfishers, occasional Roseate Spoonbills. | ||||||
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| J | Baldwin | near Houston | Anytime | English |
| New to the area and somewhat new to birding. | ||||||
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| M | Dupree | Humble, Upper Texas Coast | Anytime | English |
| I enjoy birding from the Louisiana/Texas border to Galveston and travel whenever I can, both in and out of Texas. I can help with most of the local Houston hotspots, Anahuac, and High Island. | ||||||
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| F | Edgar | Irving | Anytime | English |
| I am between Dallas and Ft Worth, TX. I consider myself a high-level amateur. | ||||||
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| T | Thweatt | Katy | Anytime | English/Spanish |
| Katy is on the South border of the famous Katy Prairie, an excellent birding area noted particularly for wintering waterfowl, passerines, and raptors. We are also near the Attwater National Wildlife Refuge. My wife and I have birded the Katy Prairie and the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge extensively. | ||||||
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| A | Lemon | Junction, Kimble | Anytime | English |
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| J | Stowers | Kerrville | Anytime | English |
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| T | Perkins | Killeen | Anytime | English/Spanish |
| Killeen is located in Central Texas, home to a diverse mix of Eastern and Western species and local specialties including Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. I'm relatively new to the area but happy to show visiting birders around. | ||||||
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| J | Sinclair | Kingsville | Anytime | |
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| R | Delgado | Laredo | Weekend | English/Spanish |
| White-Collared Seedeaters are often found in the Laredo area. | ||||||
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| D | Dauphin | Lower Rio Grande Valley | Anytime | English |
| The Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas is one of this nation's top birding locations. View our website at www.thedauphins.net | ||||||
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| H | Trudell | Big Bend area/Marathon | Anytime | English |
| "I'm new to the area, but settling in. Otherwise I can provide information for birders in the Abilene area or on the Upper Texas Coast." | ||||||
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| R | Brittain | Mathis | Weekend | |
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| C | Gifford | Mesquite | Weekend | English/Spanish |
| I live on the edge of the country and work in a neighborhood area that also has farming around. I seen 1 American Kestrel an occasional Bald Eagles. | ||||||
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| M | Thornton | Mission | Weekend | |
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| B | Jackson | Mont Belvieu | Anytime | English |
| Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge nearby. 20 minutes from Sheldon Lake State Park. 55 minutes from High Island. | ||||||
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| M | Moore | Plano | Anytime | English |
| One of the premiere birding spots in the Dallas area is about an hour north on US-75 to Sherman, Texas then a few minutes west. The Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, on the southern shore of Lake Texoma, hosts a wide diversity of habitats supporting a large number of avian residents as well as seasonally large numbers of visiting ducks, geese, and shorebirds. Access is easy, not extensive, and you'll get some good views of the lake and shore by driving the dike roads leading to the several oil drilling pads that jut into the lake. | ||||||
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| L | Jackson | Plano | Anytime | English |
| Plano is an urban area but close to good biring on Lake Texoma, Lake Tawakoni in McKinney at Heard natural area. | ||||||
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| T | Cantrell | Portland(Coastal Bend) | Anytime | |
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| M | Rogers | Richardson | Anytime | |
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| T | Richmond | San Angelo | Weekend | English some Spanish |
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| M | Dolliver | San Angelo and Christoval | Anytime | |
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| D | Goodrich | San Antonio | Weekend | |
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| A | Grunspan | San Antonio | Anytime | English/Spanish |
| San Antonio and its surrounding area has much to offer birders. Since I love birding this area, I also enjoy taking visiting birders around, so they can fall in love with it as well. | ||||||
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| F | Cervantes | San Antonio | Anytime | |
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| S | Ramirez | San Marcos | Anytime | English |
| I have been birding San Marcos, a small gem between San Antonio and Austin, for 3 years. I hold a monthly bird walk and regularly bird all over town, so if you're looking to bird here I would be happy to join you, recommend sites, or even lead you around. More info about me: www.birdsiview.org | ||||||
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| C | Reid | Schertz | Anytime | English |
| Retired Air Force, 79 years of age, stroke victim, can walk after a fashion, love the outside. | ||||||
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| B | Macurda | Spring (Winter) | Anytime | English |
| I am a geologist by trade. My wife and I have birded on 7 continents. My life list is over 2000. We live in Spring near Houston from Oct.-April. I am often absent consulting. In the summer we live in SW Colorado from May-September and my availability is much better. | ||||||
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| J | Moritz | Spring | Anytime | English |
| Back yard feeder photos watching. | ||||||
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| N | Dixon | The Woodlands | Anytime | |
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| J | Patrick | Wichita Falls | Weekend | English |
| 2.5 hrs NW of Dallas, Wichita Falls is on Hwy 287 which would take you to Colorado. Not especially great birding area, but many of the common birds here are lovely. Lots of ducks and sparrows in winter. | ||||||
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Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services. | ||||||
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| Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| O | Carmona | Arlington | Anytime | English/Spanish |
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Oscar Carmona has been birding for 25 years, primarily in Texas and Mexico. He has lived in Texas all of his life and has spent countless hours studying the birds of this great state. Oscar is available to guide groups and/or individuals wishing to have a more personalized tour. I will also lead groups and individuals to Mexico as well. Please feel free to contact me for more information. Visit my web site My daily fees vary based on location within Texas. But usually fees run about $175/day. | ||||||
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| H | Laidlaw | Houston | Anytime | |
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Howard was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where his interest in birds and natural history developed from an early age.
Before settling in Texas, he lived in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil for a combined total of 17 years. His birding
adventures have taken him from Alaska to the southern tip of South America, Europe, Africa and the South Pacific, and he has spent the equivalent of several years in the field. Howard has been guiding for a number of years and has organized and led
bird tours in Texas and also to Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. One of his keen interests is the recording and study of bird vocalizations and he has built up an extensive collection of sound recordings. Howard speaks both Spanish and Portuguese fluently, and his language abilities, combined with his intimate knowledge of the region, allow him to travel in Latin America with ease. His company, Texas and Beyond, offers guided tours in Texas and to other destinations, including Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela. Group rates are $ 200 – 250 per day. For more information about competitive rates for 1-3 personsContact him. | ||||||
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| G | Olsen | Houston | Anytime | English |
| Glenn Olsen has had a passionate interest in nature, especially birds, since early childhood. He has been involved with organized birding and conservation efforts in Texas since 1988. In addition to bird identification, he has a special interest—and continues his studies—in the relationships of plants, birds, butterflies, and other insects. As a member of the Houston Audubon Society, he has served as vice president of education and is an instructor for Audubon's Birding Classes. Glenn has also taught Introductory Bird Identification Classes at Rice University in the Continuing Studies Department and at Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. Since1993, he has been actively involved with the Native Plant Society of Texas and has served
as State President. Glenn has been and continues to be involved with various birding, habitat, and native plant projects with many different organizations. Through his guide tour company he leads birding and nature tours for groups and individuals. Glenn supports the conservation of habitat and educational programs about birds through memberships in the American Birding Association, Houston Audubon Society, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Texas Ornithological Society, Houston Ornithology Group, and the Native Plant Society of Texas among others. Daily Fees: US$250.00 for a full service tour package. If the client provides the transportation and pays expenses then it is US$175 per day. Phone 281.345.4151 | ||||||
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| G | Lavaty | Houston | Weekend | English |
| My name is Greg Lavaty and I have been birding and photographing birds in Texas for the past 10 years with my main focus on birding in the Houston/Galveston area. I am familiar with all of the species in the Houston/Galveston areas as well as all of the commonly birded areas. Over the past several years I have gotten more and more involved in bird photography so my guiding is generally geared towards photographing the birds as well as finding them and observing them. Some samples of my photographic work are here: http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/birds My daily rate is $150/day for an 8 hour day for local trips in SE Texas. I will do trips state-wide and in northern Mexico. Availability is generally M-F but I can do weekends if it is part of a longer trip. | ||||||
Local Information
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| Name | Description
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| Birder friendly lodging | Texas |
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| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Texas |
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| Local weather | Yahoo |
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| Electronic maps | |
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| Field guides recommended by Birdingpals | Texas |
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| Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. | BookFinder4U |
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| Bird check list | Printable |
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| Audubon Society Texas | Club |
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| Texas Ornithological Society | Club |
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| Audubon Society Dallas | Club |
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| El Paso Audubon Society | Club |
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| Fort Worth Audubon Society | Club |
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| Golden Triangle Audubon Society | Club |
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| Houston Audubon Society | Club |
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| Huntsville Audubon Society | Club |
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| Llano Estacado Audubon Society | Club |
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| Texas Panhandle Bird Club | Club |
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| San Antonio Audubon Society | Club |
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| Travis Audubon Society | Club |
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| Tyler Audubon Society | Club |
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| Big Country Audubon Society | Club |
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| Texas Bluebird Society | Club |
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| San Angelo Birding Club | Club |
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| Birdingpal Heidi Trudell's Big Bend Birds & Nature | Blog |
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| Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | Observatory |
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| Lower Rio Grande Valley Nature Center | Site |
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| Great Texas Birding Classic | Tournament |
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| Birding Hotspots around the world | Sites |
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| Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival | Festival |
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| Monte Vista Crane Festival | Festival |
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| Port Aransas and Mustang Island. Annual Celebration of Whooping Cranes | Festival |
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| Patty Waits Beasley's Central Texas Coast | Sites |
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| 300 birding sites and rookeries in South Texas | Detailed Maps |
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| John D. Ingram's Windows on Nature | Photos |
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| Bert Frenz's Bird Checklists of Texas | Checklists |
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| NABA South Texas | Butterflies |
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| David and Jan Dauphin's Rio Grande Valley's Nature Site | Butterflies |
Last update 05/03/2012