Houston Audubon

Congrats to the winner of our Bolivar Birds giveaway! We loved seeing all of your incredible photos of the peninsula, but this one really captured what the campaign was all about! Ayden here is sharing the shore with our beach-nesting birds by keeping his pup on a leash. We were also told that he regularly attends beach cleanups with SPLASh Texas! 🏖️

If we all follow Ayden’s lead this summer, we can make sure continue to visit our beaches year after year. You can do your part to protect them by practicing these simple tips next time you head out to the peninsula:
🦮 Keep your pup on a leash
🏖️ Fish, swim, and play from 50 yards away
🗑️ Pick up trash
🎣 Properly dispose of fishing line

Want to learn more about how to protect beach-nesting birds this summer? Visit www.houstonaudubon.org/bolivarbirds

To close out , we teamed up with Houston Black Hikers for a bird walk through Cullinan Park — and the birds showed up👏🐦 We covered 1.5 miles with new friends, and a species list that included Limpkins, Little Blue Herons, Common Gallinules, and Yellow-crowned Night Herons. But the real star of the morning was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo greeting us at our very first stop! Thank you to everyone who joined us. We love meeting new birders and building community with partners like Houston Black Hikers

Our beautiful beach-nesting birds need help to protect their chicks! This summer, we're doing outreach on the beach every weekend to visit with beachgoers about ways they can help nesting birds. We're looking for volunteers to venture out onto the beaches and into the community to share information about why we should walk in the wet sand, keep dogs on leashes, and other ways to prevent disturbance to these fragile nests. No birding experience is required, just a love for the beach and coastal wildlife! We will provide stickers and other outreach materials to help spread the word on our beach birds! We hope to see you for a rewarding morning out on the peninsula protecting Bolivar Birds!

To learn more and sign up, visit www.houstonaudubon.org/volunteer

Houston Audubon is seeking a professional wildlife illustrator to initiate a new era for our High Island Sanctuary Admissions Patches. This annual series has run since 1989 and is a cornerstone of our visitor experience and conservation funding. We are looking for an artist to become the long-term "signature voice" for our patches starting with the 2027 season.

Submission Instructions:
Please submit the following to [email protected] by July 15, 2026:
- Portfolio Link: Specifically highlighting bird or wildlife art.
- Brief Bio: Your experience with scientific illustration or conservation-themed art.
- Statement of Commitment: Confirmation that you are interested in an annual, multi-year recurring project.

For more information on the scope of the project, visit https://houstonaudubon.org/conservation/sanctuaries/high-island/patchrfp.html

We had a fantastic time at Artist Boat's World Ocean Day celebration this past Saturday! Visitors were eager to learn about our Bolivar Birds campaign, which aims to educate people about the dangers of disturbing nesting birds and how they can help. We also enjoyed seeing all of our wonderful partners and great organizations on the coast that are working together to protect the wildlife on our shorelines.

To learn more about how you can help , visit www.houstonaudubon.org/bolivarbirds

Reliant Energy ® customers can support bird conservation by participating in the EcoShare program, which allows Reliant customers to help reduce their carbon footprints through the purchase of carbon offsets. A portion of your monthly bill will go to EarthShare Texas, which supports Houston Audubon and other local environmental organizations. Sign up at https://www.reliant.com/en/residential/home-solutions/renewable-products

📸 Photo by Carissa Aguirre

Beak of the Week
Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)
Family: Laridae

The Least Tern is the smallest of all American terns with a wingspan of 48-53 centimeters and a size between a robin and crow. Least Terns have a black cap ending at a white forehead and a short white eye stripe. They have a light gray back with a white underside. During the breeding season, Least Terns have a thin yellow bill with a black tip and yellow legs. Juveniles have a barred looking back and yellow legs. Their habitat consists of seacoasts, beaches, bays, estuaries, lagoons, and lakes.

Least Terns eat fish, crustaceans, and insects. They are often seen flying low over the water with deep wing beats. They usually hover over the water then dive just below the water surface for prey. They will occasionally fly down and take prey from the surface of water or land and catch insects in flight.

During courtship the male carries a fish and flies upward, the female follows, then both land on the ground. Once on the ground, displays include courtship feeding. Least Terns usually nest in colonies on sandy beaches but have been known to use flat gravel building roofs. Their nest is a shallow scrape, sometimes lined with pebbles, grass, or debris. Clutch size is usually 1-3 buff to pale green eggs with brown and black blotches. Incubation and feeding of the young is done by both parents. The young may remain with the parents for another 2-3 months after first flight occurs (19-20 days after hatching).

Populations of Least Terns are endangered in many areas due to human impacts on their nesting spots. Bolivar Flats is in their nesting range and they have been seen in the past couple of weeks. Come see if you can spot them!