Great Texas Birding Classic Returns April 27-May 4
This just in from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department staffer Tom Harvey … news on an event that over the years has gained tremendous, not to mention, international attention.
With the currently soaring popularity of bird watching, the Great Texas Birding Classic is now among the premier birding-related events on the planet. I recall being on an airplane around five years ago when I met a young man who was on his way to Houston from his home in Toronto.
The sole purpose of his journey? To compete in this hard-core conservation-conscious fundraising competition … and make no mistake, it is indeed a competition.
Throughout the past decade, and particularly during the past five years, I’ve literally focused a great deal of attention on photographing Gulf Coast shorebird species. I’ve carried my Nikkor 400mm into some pretty funky places to capture high-quality shorebird images, everywhere from national wildlife refuge marshlands to bay bottoms that hold nothing but mud for the first six inches. It’s always an adventure, albeit an exhausting one.
Anyone who considers birding a “girly” sport really needs to spend a few days hard on the trail of the Texas Coast’s avian residents. In terms of dedication and endurance, the pastime shares a great deal in common with duck hunting on coastal marshes.
If you’ve ever done that one, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, trust me when I say that the typical coastal wetland habitat doesn’t exactly roll out a red carpet and crank up the air conditioning when you arrive. Nor does it automatically generate mosquito repellent.
If nothing else, an awareness of coastal shorebirds opens the eyes, and in a big way, to the myriad life forms that we so often ignore when our attention is solely focused on a shallow-water reef that promises to be quality speckled trout or redfish habitat.
Stop now and then to see the roses … well, actually, roseate spoonbills …. and you’ll quickly discover that our favorite shallow-water fishing haunts hold far, far more than the potential for bent trout rods and heavy stringers.
And then, if you are really serious, check out the following information on this year’s Great Texas Birding Classic
Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
Birding for conservation attracts the hard-core
AUSTIN, Texas — Spring is in the air, and so are birds migrating along the Texas coast. For 12 years, the Great Texas Birding Classic has capitalized on this natural phenomenon and turned it into a healthy competition to raise funds for avian habitat conservation projects.
For an entire week, people travel to Texas from across the U.S. to test their birding skills. Winning teams get to choose how prize money is spent, directing dollars to protect or restore coastal habitat that sustains birds and ecotourism. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory partners with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and local communities to host the event.
“There is always something new, and this year we added an ‘Energy Saver’ category,” says Carol Jones with the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, tournament coordinator for the past four years. The new category rewards teams who can count the most bird species per mile, requiring they travel at least 50 miles.
The annual event involves adult and youth teams traveling through 41 Texas counties along the coast, spotting and recording as many bird species as they can. The winning teams in several tournament categories decide which pre-approved conservation projects will receive grant money. Last year, $73,000 was divided among seven projects for land acquisition, land restoration, or enhancements for birdwatchers.
“We attract hard-core birders, who travel extensively to see a single species, as well as casual birders who just want to have a good time with their friends while conserving nature,” says Shelly Plante, TPWD nature tourism coordinator.
No expertise is required to compete in the various tournaments, and there are special events for children and teenagers, the “conservationists of the future.” There is even an event called the “Big Sit,” a kind of tailgating party for birders, where teams see who can count the most birds in one location.
Jones expects nearly 350 participants this year, coming from all across the United States and Canada. This makes sense as Texas has “four of the top birding sites in the nation, three of them along the coast,” according to Plante.
To register for the 2008 Birding Classic, contact Jones at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory or visit the event Web site. Birding visitors can also visit the Great Texas Wildlife Trails map section for more information on the types of birds in Texas and where to see them.
On the Net:
http://www.birdingclassic.org/
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildlife_trails/
Howdy. I am 
