Meetings & Events
Bexar Audubon Society of San Antonio offers you engaging
presentations, enlightening topics, useful workshops,
and enriching discussions during our monthly meetings.
Please join us!
Upcoming Online Presentations from Bexar Audubon
Spanish for Birders Online Class
Bilingual birding can help to
bridge communities across the Americas
Dr. Christy Esmahan, Instructor
Monday, March 1 (Rescheduled from Feb. 22)
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Noon
Zoom | $25 registration in advance
.
effectively with local birding guides? In guided walks in your own community, do you want to engage local Latinx birders whose first language is Spanish? Want to dust off the Spanish you may studied in school or learn the rudiments of the language to stretch your horizons? Then this Spanish for Birders introductory class is for you!The class will be taught by Dr. Christy Esmahan, who has lived in both Central America and Spain for over 15 years. She is a retired educator who is passionate about birds and she’s a delightful and engaging instructor. The course will include a very brief overview of Spanish pronunciation before diving into the words for bird anatomy, common phrases used in birding, and the names of bird groups. Approved for AAMN AT hours.
To attend, please first click here to buy a ticket ($25) from TicketLeap. You will then be directed to a link to register for the class on Zoom. After registration, you will receive a link to admit you to the class.
BAS & Friends of San Antonio Natural Areas Presentation
Vulnerability of Urban Forests in Central Texas
Presenter: Dr. Wendy Gordon
Friday, February 26 ● 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM ● Zoom
More than 8 in 10 people in the United States live in urban areas, and these areas continue to grow. Urban forests provide benefits to the people who reside in cities, including energy conservation, aesthetics, recreation opportunities, stormwater control, and property value. Join us for this presentation about the vulnerability of urban forests to climate change
and learn about adaptation strategies that help maintain and improve the benefits of urban forests to people. Dr. Wendy Gordon is an environmental professional with more than 25 years of experience managing the natural resources of Texas, with an emphasis on science-based water policy and planning, endangered species conservation, and climate change impact analysis.
Click HERE to join the Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 916 4093 5695
Passcode: FOSANA2021
Click here to find your local number to dial in.
BAS FEBRUARY MEETING
Wildscaping: Creating Habitat in Our Cities
Presenter: Judit Green, Urban Wildlife Biologist, TPWD
Wednesday, February 24 ● 6:30 PM ● Zoom
Native plants and special features can create a beautiful landscape that invites wildlife to our backya
rds, neighborhoods and campuses. Learn how to turn part of your property into a garden that encourages a variety of wildlife to visit—especially birds, butterflies, and pollinators! By adding drought-hardy native plants that provide food and refuge to your flying visitors, you will also help our declining Monarch populations during their migration through our Monarch Champion City. You will be enjoying singing birds and fluttering butterflies in no time while using less water and no chemicals! You can make a big difference on your small urban lot to benefit wildlife, add beauty to your property, and create a positive effect on our environment. Approved for AAMN AT hours.
Judit Green, an Urban Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife for the past 27 years, conducts outreach and offers technical guidance on natural resource projects that benefit 
wildlife, landscapes, water, and people. She helped co-found the first chapter of Texas Master Naturalists™ in San Antonio in 1996 and still serves as their advisor, was a contributing author to the Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife book, supports Texas Children in Nature (NatureRocksTexas.org) connecting families to nature, and supports the Alamo Area Monarch Collaborative promoting pollinator plants that creates habitat for all wildlife. For local wildlife information/questions, join the San Antonio Urban Wildlife Facebook Page.
Click HERE to Join the Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 842 2527 3047
Passcode: 152302
Click here to find your local number to dial in.
Coastal Shorebirds Presentation
Rescheduled for March 6
Click here for details and to register.
Save the Date for April 28
BAS Online Meeting @ 6:30 PM
Author Julie Beever will be guest speaker at our monthly meeting and will discuss her newly released book, A House for Wren. Julie taught elementary reading to struggling readers for over 20 years. Her own love of reading began early, when her mother made up stories and rhymes to keep her young children amused. Julie's love of birds began soon after. She divides her time between the South Texas brush country of Pearsall and the Texas Hill Country of Concan, where she enjoys photography, birding, and writing. Our Zoom link for this presentation will be available closer to the meeting date.
In Case You Missed It: Videos are now available of
Bexar Audubon online presentations
TPWD Presentation: iNaturalist and the City Nature Challenge
Craig Hensley, TWPD Texas Nature Trackers Biologist, gave us a presentation about setting up and using iNaturalist to upload observations of birds, plants, insects, reptiles, and mammals. You'll need to know how to use iNat to participate in the City Nature Challenge April 30 - May 3. Watch the presentation here.
Birds of Prey: Some Biology, Some Ecology, and Maybe a Few ID Tips
Presenter: Matt Reidy, Wildlife Biologist, TPWD
Matt Reidy gave us a wonderful overview of birds of prey, including owls, hawks, falcons, and vultures. Watch the video here.
Purple Martins78209 Project: Bringing this Beneficial Insect Eater to Our Neighborhood
Allison Hayne discussed Purple Martins and gave us information about installing and maintaining Purple Martin houses.
Click here to see the presentation.
To Burn or Not to Burn?
That's Still the Question
Maureen Frank, PhD
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Learn what it means for scientists to get unexpected, unexciting results, why this prescribed burn study still has important implications for private landowners who manage bird habitat, and plans for future research.
If you missed this fantastic presentation on December 8, the video is available for you here, along with the book title and link to the Birding the Border event we discussed.
CATIOS: Protecting Cats & Birds with
Outdoor Cat Patios
In this very engaging presentation, Cynthia Chomos, founder of Catio Spaces, discussed different catio designs and how to construct one of these special havens for your own feline. Even if you don't have a cat of your own, you'll enjoy seeing Cynthia's designs and hearing about the many clients who now have a Catio Space of their own. You may have a "cat parent" neighbor, friend, or family member who could benefit from watching, too. Catio Spaces is offering a donation to BAS for catio plans purchased by BAS members, so please visit Catio Spaces and use promo code BirdsRus at checkout. Watch the 60-minute video here. You can also access a flyer about the top 10 reasons to have a catio and a flyer about DIY catio plans.
Building Bird-Friendly Cities and Conservation Leaders for the Future
Yvette Stewart of Audubon Texas gave an online presentation October 21 about the two statewide programs she leads: Bird City Texas and Audubon Conservation Leaders Program for Young Women. Watch the recording here.
Saving Birds One Building at a Time
Learn how migratory birds and bats are affected by light pollution and glass collisions, how to create a collision monitoring program, what species have been rescued, and how YOU can protect birds and bats at your own home. Watch the recorded presentation here.
Natural History of American Badgers
Click here for the fascinating presentation about American Badgers by Dr. Pamela R. Owen, Associate Director of Texas Memorial Museum.
Introduction to Bats with Nyta Brown, Old Tunnel State Park
Learn about the different species of bats in Texas, their habits and habitats, and their importance to the environment. Click here to watch this very entertaining video presentation.
"Dragons and Damsels: Oh, My!"
Everything important to know about Texas dragonflies and damselflies is shown in Craig Hensley's presentation to Bexar Audubon Society on August 12. Click HERE to watch and use the password dBggynZ4.
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