Goose Island Birding Festival

Join us in celebrating one of the best times of the year: Spring Migration!

This FREE event will celebrate one of our favorite times of the year: Spring Migration!

Activities will include bird walks, guest speakers, informational booths, crafts for the kids, litter pickup via kayaks, and the chance to participate in The Great Texas Birding Classic!

The schedule of activities is below. Keep checking back for updates!

Guest Speaker Schedule (held inside the CCC Recreation Hall)
-10:00-11:00am: Greg Simmons, Texas Master Naturalist. Presenting: Rockport Top 10 Raptors
Greg Simmons is a retired geoscientist and an active Texas Master Naturalists (TMN) in the Texas Mid-coast area. TMN is a volunteer organization to provide education, outreach and service dedicated to beneficial management of the natural world. One of his favorite volunteer activities is helping to lead kayaking tours at Goose Island State Park. Greg is an avid birder with a special interest in raptors. His top 10 raptor list is based on his personal observations in the Rockport area. He is a general falconer and has flown American Kestrels, Harris’s Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks and Peregrine Falcons. He also volunteers on raptor rehabilitation at Wings Rescue Center.
-11:30am-12:30pm: Amy Benkowski, Wings Rescue Center. Presenting: Wings Rehabber and Handler Program - What Does It Take?
Wings Rescue Center is located in Rockport and services numerous Gulf Coast counties. They average 800 wild bird rescues per year. With a little humor, WRC's Certified Rehabber & Handler, Amy Benkowski will share with you the good, the bad and the ugly of what a Raptor Handler does on a daily basis. She will share her knowledge of handling and laws pertaining to Raptors. There will be time left at the end of the presentation for a Q&A.

Bird Walks - held at 9:00am, 10:30am and 12:00pm:
-Woodland Bird Walk. led by Tom Forwood and Ben Horstmann: Starts at the feeding station on Warbler Way. Your chance to look for migrating warblers and other passerines.
-Shorebird Walk, led by Rebekah Rylander and Paul Swacina: Starts at the observation deck at the end of Redfish Road. The Great Texas Birding Classic will also be stationed here.
-Big Tree Bird Walk, led by Steve & Lisa Murray: Starts at the Big Tree parking lot. There will be portable restrooms on site.

Great Texas Birding Classic:
-Your chance to put your birding skills to the test and participate in the 29th Annual GTBC! Located at the end of Redfish Road, participants will identify birds while remaining within a 50ft diameter circle. This is also where the Shorebird Walk will start.

Aransas Bay Litter Pickup (THIS ACTIVITY HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO HIGH WINDS)
Join Texas Master Naturalists and Park Rangers to help us remove litter from St. Charles Bay in one of our kayaks! Registration is required, and participants must be at least 10 years old to participate. Registration is open now, click here to sign up. After signing up, you'll receive more information on how to prepare.

Informational/Activity Booths:
- Aransas Pathways
- Texas Master Naturalist: Mid-Coast Chapter
- Bay Education Center
- Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
- Keep Aransas County Beautiful
- Texas Ornithological Society
- Build-a-Birdhouse (all supplies provided, available on a first-come-first-serve basis)
- Bird Bingo