Bay Area Sierra Club Meeting: Colonial Nesting Waterbirds at Armand Bayou NC

Bay Area meetings are on 3rd Wednesday of the month, and start at 6:30pm for social hour; speaker and discussion from 7-9 pm.

March Meeting Program:
Colonial Nesting Waterbirds at Armand Bayou Nature Center
Mark Kramer, Chief Naturalist at Armand Bayou Nature Center will be the speaker.

Colonial nesting water birds occur along the length of the Texas coast. Every spring and summer these birds gather to raise their young, typically on nesting islands or within wetlands. Herons, egrets, ibis, spoonbills and anhingas are some of the birds which congregate to reproduce. Several of these bird species are declining in the Galveston Bay area. Research indicates that this decline is attributed in part to loss of nesting habitat.

In 2008 a new nesting colony or “rookery” was spontaneously established at Armand Bayou Nature Center. Since its beginning, the number of nests has increased significantly. This nesting behavior concentrates some of the most beautiful and elegant of Texas birds which display courtship, nest construction, territorial protection, chick feeding, and fledgling behaviors all within this vertical city of birds.

Join us for an introduction to this unusual bird phenomenon. Our discussion will include the Rookery’s history, ecology and the species which compose its population. We’ll also discuss opportunities for a spring time tour of the Rookery at its peak of activity.