Texas Horned Lizards If You’Re Like Most Texans of a Certain Age, You’Ve Got Memories of ﬁnding “Buckets” of Horned Lizards in Your Youth

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September/October 2020 Newsletter

In this issue: Visit our website for updates: Bexar Audubon Society President's Message Update on Bird City Texas Audubon Course Online: Pufﬁns BAS August 26 Online Meeting: Bats BAS/Mitchell Lake Sept. 8: Hummingbirds BAS September 23 Online Meeting: American Badgers BAS October 8: Preventing Bird Strikes BAS October 28 Online Meeting: Building Bird-friendly Cities BAS/SA Audubon Nov. 5: Texas Horned Lizard Sparrow ID Presentation Sept. 3: S. A. Audubon Society Mitchell Lake Audubon Center Online Presentations Welcome New BAS Members Thank You, BAS Donors! Call for BAS Volunteers AmazonSmile Area Birding Info Membership & BAS Board

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Patsy Inglet, President

Even though COVID-19 cases are on a downward trend in our area and some schools are offering in- person instruction, Bexar Audubon is continuing to hold our meetings and other programs remotely. Of course, we are looking forward to the re-opening of Mitchell Lake Audubon Center sometime this fall so we can see birds and our fellow birders in person and stretch our birding brain cells while keeping our social distance. Great Texas Birding Classic: Another opportunity is the 24th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic, postponed this spring due to health concerns, but now rescheduled for October 1-31. With new rules and birding team categories, it still supports Texas Parks & Wildlife bird and birding conservation project grants while meeting pandemic health guidelines. Take a look at the GTBC website, put together a team, pick a date in October that works for you, and get out there! Special Event: Looking ahead to the ﬁrst Thursday of November (11/5), Bexar Audubon and San Antonio Audubon are once again teaming up for a fall event with a very special speaker, Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp, Director of the San Antonio Zoo Center for Conservation and Research. Andy will explain how the Zoo is working to conserve one of everyone’s favorite Texas critters, the Texas Horned Lizard. This year we will forgo gathering in a big group for dinner and instead listen by Zoom and donate all reservation proceeds to the Zoo Conservation Program. BAS Website: Please visit the Bexar Audubon Society website to check out all the other great information on bird-friendly lifestyles, bird conservation, bird photos, and ideas shared by members from all 9 counties that Bexar Audubon Society serves. If you haven’t purchased your 2020-21 Duck Stamp, we still have a few left; see details on our Home Page. Monthly Donations are Welcome: We love birds and we love our members! If you are receiving our newsletters and attending our programs and are not yet a member of Bexar Audubon, we welcome your interest. We would also appreciate your support as a member or donor. You can join and/or donate online using PayPal. Monthly donations are especially appreciated for keeping our ongoing activities funded. No matter where you live and bird, we are only a click away.

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Update on Bird City Texas Status for San Antonio

Bexar Audubon is spearheading efforts to certify San Antonio as a Bird City Texas. A steering committee led by co-chairs Britt Coleman (BAS Board Secretary) and Sherie Gee (BAS Outings Co-chair) is coordinating the complex application process to submit to Audubon Texas and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

"We’re making great progress toward accomplishing our action items for Bird City Texas," said Britt. "The interesting learning, for me anyway, is just how much habitat preservation work is being done across our community. When you look at the combined efforts of all the different organizations in San Antonio, we’re an extremely aware community environmentally. Some of the organizations participating in Bird City Texas San Antonio include the City of San Antonio (COSA) Parks and Recreation Department, COSA Ofﬁce of Sustainability, Native Plant Society of Texas, Alamo Area Master Naturalists, Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, Headwaters at Incarnate Word, Texas Invasives, San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio Water System, and more. Collectively, these organizations are helping San Antonio preserve, and in many cases, reclaim habitat for birds and other wildlife…and by extension, ourselves as well."

All About Pufns

Hog Island Audubon Camp presents Pufﬁn Islands Online, a seven-part course that provides a window into the lives of seabirds by four leading seabird biologists. Participants may view presentations at their convenience and as many times as desired without an expiration date. Live Q&A webinars will be hosted in September. Registra- tion is limited to assure opportunities to interact with the instructors. Now through August 31, 2020, the $125 course is offered at a 20% discount if you enter the code EARLYBIRD at checkout. Click here to learn more and to register.

Bexar Audubon Society was established on August 25, 1983. Happy 37th anniversary!

BAS August Monthly Online Meeting

An Introduction to Bats

Nyta Brown Park Superintendent Old Tunnel State Park

Wednesday, August 26 ● 6:30 PM ● Zoom

Nyta Brown from Old Tunnel State Park near Comfort will talk to us about the different species of bats in Texas, their habits and habitats, and their importance to the environment. Approved for Alamo Area Master Naturalist AT hours.

About Nyta Nyta received a Master's Degree in Applied Geography with an emphasis in Environmental Education from Texas State University and has worked at Old Tunnel State Park since 2005, ﬁrst as a Wildlife Biologist with the Wildlife Division. She also travels to other locations in Texas to conduct bat research. Approved for Alamo Area Master Naturalist AT hours.

To Join the Zoom Presentation: Click HERE to join the Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 860 4875 6627 Password: 271535 Dial in: 1 (346) 248-7799 Please enter your ﬁrst and last names when you enter the Zoom meeting; otherwise, you will not be admitted. Thank you for helping us keep our meetings more secure.

Audubon Premier Event Online Program

The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs Tuesday, September 08, 2020 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Central Co-sponsored by Mitchell Lake Audubon Center Zoom Webinar | Registration Cost: $5 Register HERE

Song Learning and Courtship Displays of Hummingbirds Dr. Christopher J. Clark, Associate Professor, University of California Riverside, will present recent results from research on how Costa's Hummingbirds learn their songs, as well as research about how they produce an amazing array of sounds with their wings and tail- feathers, with an emphasis on hummingbirds of Texas.

BAS September Monthly Online Meeting

Natural History of American Badgers

Dr. Pamela R. Owen Associate Director of Texas Memorial Museum

Wednesday, September 23 ● 6:30 PM ● Zoom

In 1877 ornithologist Elliott Coues described the American badger as "one of the most secret animals of this country." Known for their ﬁerce attitude, aptitude for digging, and a preference for open habitats far away from people, American badgers are quite different from their not-so-closely related kin in Eurasia. In this talk, we will explore what discoveries have been made about this remarkable mammal, focusing on its biology, ecology, and fossil record. Approved for Alamo Area Master Naturalist AT hours.

About Dr. Pamela R. Owen Dr. Pamela R. Owen is Associate Director of Texas Memorial Museum, the natural history museum at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a mammalogist and vertebrate paleontologist. Her formal education includes a B.A. and M.S. in Biology from California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Owen conducted her master’s thesis research on saber- toothed cats, American lions, coyotes, and dire wolves at La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles, CA. In May 2000, Dr. Owen was awarded a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. Her doctoral work focused on the evolution of American badgers and included the description and naming of a new fossil badger species, Chamitataxus avitus.

To Join the Zoom Presentation: Click HERE to Join the Zoom Meeting Please enter your ﬁrst and last names when you enter the Zoom meeting. Thank you for helping us keep our meetings more secure.

BAS October Online Presentations

Saving Birds One Building at a Time Lindsay Jacks Director of Lights Out Baltimore

Thursday, October 8 ● 6:30 PM ● Zoom Every 9 seconds, a bird strikes a building and dies. 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. Approved for Alamo Area Master Naturalist AT hours.

About Lindsay Jacks Lindsay is the Director of Lights Out Baltimore (LOB). In 10 years, they have collected over 4,000 birds, rescued 1,300 birds, rescued 70 bats, and installed bird-safe products for commercial buildings. Volunteers monitor daily during migration to rescue injured birds and bats that have fallen victim to light pollution and building collisions. LOB works with the city and local organizations to reduce light pollution and advocate for sustainable building design. Lindsay has been a bird keeper in Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA) institutions for 10 years and serves on the committee of AZA SAFE (Saving Species from Extinction) North American Songbird program. Lindsay enjoys volunteering at Phoenix Wildlife Center to care for the injured birds and bats she ﬁnds on her LOB walks and releasing them back to the wild.

To Join the Zoom Presentation: Registration is required. Click HERE to register. Please enter your ﬁrst and last names when you enter the Zoom meeting. Thank you for helping us keep our meetings more secure.

BAS October Monthly Meeting/Online Presentation

Building Bird-Friendly Cities and Conservation Leaders for the Future

Yvette Stewart Community Outreach Coordinator for Audubon Texas

Wednesday, October 28 ● 6:30 PM ● Zoom

Yvette Stewart is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Audubon Texas, and as such, leads two statewide programs; Bird City Texas (BCT) and Audubon Conservation Leaders Program for Young Women (ACL). While both programs have experienced exciting growth and development in the last year, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the ACL program with Yvette. We’ll learn about the history of the program and how it is engaging and growing with students in the 2020-2021 school year as well as how BAS can get involved with ACL students. Approved for Alamo Area Master Naturalist AT hours.

To Join the Zoom Meeting: Click HERE to join the presentation.

Special Event Zoom Presentation

Thursday, November 5 | 6:30 PM Bexar Audubon Society & San Antonio Audubon Society The Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project: Preserving a Texas Icon

Presenter: Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp, Director of Conservation, San Antonio Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research

Advance registration is required ($5/person). Due to health concerns we will not gather together in person at the Zoo Beastro for our annual Bexar Audubon and San Antonio Audubon dinner and program. Instead, we will enjoy a short social time and watch the program via the Bexar Audubon Zoom Room from the comfort and safety of our own homes. Below, you will ﬁnd details about the presentation, the speaker, Horned Lizard resources, and registration information.

Texas Horned Lizards If you’re like most Texans of a certain age, you’ve got memories of ﬁnding “buckets” of horned lizards in your youth. Not so much today, as Phrynosoma cornutum (commonly referred to as the “horny toad") has declined or disappeared in many places in Texas since the late 1960s.

In fact, Texas Horned Lizard populations have declined so much that it is now on the state’s threatened species list. San Antonio Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research is seeking to reverse this trend by producing large numbers of lizards in captivity and then releasing them into predetermined habitats that can support the species. To preserve the abundance of the State Reptile of Texas, San Antonio Zoo launched the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project. This program uses GIS data, genetics, and current knowledge about horned lizard ecology and distribution to release large numbers of captive-born individuals in suitable habitats.

“Our goal is to re-establish viable horned lizard populations as part of a healthy native ecosystem and return this species to the landscape for the enjoyment of present and future generations,” said Dr. Andrew Gluesenkamp, director of conservation at San Antonio Zoo.

About Andy Gluesenkamp Andy has over 20 years of experience as a biospeleologist* and conservation biologist, and he served as State Herpetologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for seven years. He currently leads several research projects in addition to the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project, including a status assessment and genetic analysis of the Rough-footed Mud Turtle, Texas groundwater salamanders, and the Mexican blindcatﬁsh; studies of the evolution of caveﬁsh in Texas and Mexico; and the establishment of captive colonies of rare and endangered species.

*A biospeleologist is a biologist who specializes in cave biology, which is dedicated to the study of organisms that live in caves, a group of organisms referred to as troglofauna.

Horned Lizard Resources

About Texas Horned Lizards Horned Lizard Facts Where Did the Horny Toad Go? Documentary about the decline of our beloved Texas lizard. TPWD 2017 segment on the Horned Lizard Article about the San Antonio Zoo and bringing the Horned Lizard back Information from the San Antonio Zoo about how you can help support the Horned Lizard Reintroduction Program Buy a T-shirt or cap from HornedLizards.org and wear it proudly during this special event

Log-in Information for the Horned Lizard Zoom Presentation Tickets are just $5 per person All proceeds from this program will be donated to our friends at the San Antonio Zoo, who have been so generous in their partnership with Audubon through the years, and will support the Zoo's Center for Conservation and Research.

Registration is a two-part process. After you've made your donation, you will receive a link for registration for the Zoom meeting on Thursday, November 5, 2020. Social time is 6:30-7:00 (wear a "horny toad" shirt or hat and bring your favorite "horny toad" stories); program starts at 7:00 with plenty of time for questions and answers afterward.

Click here to register.

San Antonio Audubon Society | Zoom

Sparrow ID Presentation

LBJs: Beauty in Brown

Presenter: Patsy Inglet

Thursday, September 3 ● 7:00 PM ● Zoom

Sparrows (often called Little Brown Jobs or LBJs) sometimes just don’t get the respect they deserve. They are one of most important groups of MIGRATORY birds in Texas and well worthy of any bird enthusiast’s serious attention for their subtle beauty and diversity. Patsy's goal in this program for the San Antonio Audubon Society is to expand your awareness and appreciation of the little brown beauties that brighten our area in winter and to make us more perceptive observers of this very important and very accessible bird family. You will never again look at a native Texas sparrow as just an LBJ! (Grasshopper Sparrow photo by Lora Reynolds, Phil Hardberger Park, 4/22/2020.)

Log-in Information to Watch Patsy's Live Presentation Topic: San Antonio Audubon Society Time: Thursday, September 3, 2020 | 7:00 PM Central Time

Join Zoom Meeting Here Meeting ID: 869 8634 2537 Password: 358294 Dial by your location: +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Please mute your microphones and turn off your cameras during the presentation.

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center Online Presentations

Birding for Beginners Wednesday, September 2, 2020 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Central Zoom Webinar | Registration Required | FREE Register here

Learn the birding basics with us! Birding is an incredible hobby that will have you pursuing the joys of nature for a lifetime. If you’re a beginner and want to learn the birding basics, then this webinar is for you! Experienced birder and educator Angel Poe will lead you through an exploration of the skills, gear, and resources that will help you become a better birder. She’ll offer easy tips for getting started right in your own backyard, as well as offer advice for getting out into the ﬁeld.

Birds on Your Block Thursday, September 17, 2020 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Central Presenters: Audubon Texas Educators - Katie Christman, Marcus Cole, Angel Poe, Jacob Poinsett Zoom Webinar | Registration Required | FREE Register here

Have you wondered what birds you’re seeing as you walk through your neighborhood? Do you want to know how to identify “parking lot and power line” birds? Join Audubon educators from the state of Texas as we discuss common backyard and urban birds in our neighborhoods! We’ll also give pointers on how to identify common birds without binoculars, provide some skill-building tips, and help you connect with other birders in your community.

Welcome New Bexar Audubon Members!

Karin Barnes Sue Huntsman April Thomason Emilia Westney

Thank You, BAS Donors!

Donna Balin Juliana Crouch Patsy Inglet

Call for BAS Volunteers

Bexar Audubon Society (BAS) needs your time and talents!

Share your love of birds with others willing to lend a hand.

Educator/Birders willing to share their skills in online workshops

Writers, Photographers, Videographers for the BAS website

Committee members to help our hard working Committee chairs

Board members with new ideas and organizational skills

To Volunteer, contact BAS President Patsy Inglet: [email protected]

Shop on Amazon Smile to Support Bexar Audubon!

Support Bexar Audubon by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to our organization when you choose Bexar Audubon as your charity of choice. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.

San Antonio Area Birding Information

Bexar Audubon Society Cibolo Nature Center Friends of San Antonio Natural Areas Mitchell Lake Audubon Center San Antonio Audubon Society San Antonio Ecotourism

JOIN US!

Join our mailing list here to receive updates of local activities. You do not have to be a member and we will never share your information. Membership To join or renew your membership, please visit the membership page on our website.

Bexar Audubon Society Board of Directors President: Patsy Inglet Vice President: Greg Pasztor Secretary: Britt Coleman Treasurer: Fred Loxsom

Committees Education & Outreach: Patsy Inglet Conservation & Advocacy: Britt Coleman Programs: Becca Taylor Outings: Sherie Gee Communications: Greg Pasztor Newsletter & Website: Lora Reynolds Membership: Michael Shaw

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