Beauty in the Boughs

Texas is a hot spot for birdwatchers

By Andrea Agardy

You don’t need to book a safari to experience nature’s beauty and diversity — just step outside and look up. There, perched on power lines and tucked away safely in nests are some of the most fascinating animals on the planet.

“We’ve got neighbors that are really interesting to spy on, and they’re not human neighbors — they’re the birds that we’re sharing our backyards with,” says Cliff Shackelford, the statewide non-game ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “You can do birdwatching through your back window while sipping coffee in your pajamas. It’s so appealing because it’s so flexible and easy to do.”

Texas is a birder’s bonanza, with more than 650 species spending at least part of the year here. Only California plays host to more birds. “We have a lot of species that don’t occur anywhere else in the U.S.,” says Cliff, a lifelong birder and member of the Pineywoods Audubon Society. He also hosts “Bird Calls,” a popular NPR call-in show.

“We’ve got so many ecoregions in one state,” he says. “That drives the diversity of birds. We’ve got mountain species out west, we’ve got coastal species on the beach and everything in between. All those reasons combined create a heck of a bird list.”

Capturing Life Through a Lens

That variety has been a source of joy for Lee Jones, a Livingston resident whose interest in photography led him to a love of birdwatching.

He first pointed his lens toward wildlife about a decade ago while visiting a friend in Florida.

“He was really involved with bird photography and had a lot of really nice equipment,” Lee recalls. “After seeing the places that he took us, and some of the pictures I was able to take with his better lenses, I just fell in love with it.”

Lee loves to travel, bringing his camera along to capture a photographic life list — the term birders give to the record they keep of every species they see. When shooting close to home, his favorite places to go include his backyard, where he’s hung several hummingbird feeders. He also enjoys birdwatching at Kickapoo Creek on the northern end of what locals call “the jungle of Lake Livingston.”

Whether he’s shooting from a hunting blind, on his kayak or while walking through the woods, Lee’s found that photography catches the beauty of nature that the naked eye too often overlooks.

“When you’ve got a camera in your hand you’re just more attuned with nature. That’s the part that really draws me in,” he says. “When you get to blow the images up on your computer screen, you see things that you just don’t see with your eye, and you realize how much beauty is out there.”

Where to Go

With so many species to see and so many square miles to cover, it can be hard to decide where to start. But don’t worry. Texas Parks and Wildlife has a solution.

The Great Texas Wildlife Trails include over 900 birding hot spots across the state, and birders can drive from one location to the next at their leisure. All the details can be found online on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

“That’s really been the best platform for sending people around because all the homework’s been done,” Cliff says. “Almost all the states have a birding trail now. Texas was the first in the mid-’90s, and then the other states repeated the concept of figuring out where these birding spots are. It’s really been an easy way to tell the public where to go. It’s been really helpful.”

Find Your Flock Online!

Birders can find a wealth of information about their favorite hobby on YouTube and Facebook, but there are also many birding-specific apps and sites.

“There are just so many resources that I didn’t have when I was starting. It’s almost overwhelming,” says Cliff Shackelford, statewide non-game ornithologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Here are a couple of the resources Shackelford recommends:

eBird — Developed by Cornell University, eBird is an international database that encourages birders to become citizen scientists by submitting their findings and sharing details. The mobile app and website, ebird.org, can help users locate the best spot in their area to cross certain species off their life lists.

Cliff says, “eBird is putting stuff in print to shame.” It’s just super valuable. While someone else is driving, the co-pilot can be looking through their phone and getting information in real-time and updates as they come.”

Digital bird books — Birders used to carry around paper bird books or field guides in their backpacks, but today, all that information can be logged and tracked digitally. Cliff recommends mobile apps like the Audubon Bird Guide and Merlin.

“I have both of those on my phone, and I use them both equally,” he says. “They’re great.”

Merlin, also developed by Cornell University, recently launched a feature that can identify a species simply by the sound of its call.

“You can point your microphone towards a bird, push a button, and it can help you identify it — like Shazam can identify songs,” Cliff says