Monica Chavez BROWNSVILLE-As birdwatching becomes more popular, so does the number of visitors to the R.G.V from all across the country, promoting natural conservation efforts at the same time.
At certain times of the year exotic birds such as the fan-tailed warbler can be spotted here at the Brownsville campus—and that is why it is a favorite site for birdwatchers.
“Many birders, they come here because this is such a wonderful place for birding.” Said Contina.
Assistant Professor in the school of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Andrea Contina says birdwatching is one of the fastest growing industries in the world — having a massive impact in a region’s economy.
Contina teaches a class called Subtropical Ornithology where they research the breeding ecology of birds, essentially nesting behaviors and reproduction.
Contina explains e-Bird as a global database, where bird enthusiasts can contribute their bird observations to the population trends analysis.
“We will not be able to do the analysis that we do, the population trends analysis that we do today without all those people that make these great observations and collect this huge dataset. Many birders, they come here because this is such a wonderful place for birding. And so, and what they do is they take great photos, they take great observations and then enter their observations in this publicly available database. And so, my students download the data, but my students also enter their own observations.” Contina Said.
Community outreach coordinator for Audubon Texas Yvette Stewart says the organization was established in 1923 and is the state branch of the national Audubon society.
They work to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, with a focus on birds.
“In the valley we own the Sabal Palm Sanctuary, it’s currently operated by the Gorgas science foundation. But we’re trying to protect that remnant habitat of the sable palms. So, that’s a unique habitat. And, you know, green jays love it, chachalacas, love it, white tip dubs love it.” Stewart said.
Stewart says one of Audubon’s most successful projects is the Chester Island in the Midcoast region, a vital nesting habitat for brown pelicans heavily impacted by harmful pesticides like DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) in the sixties and seventies.
“But DDT was known to thin the eggs of birds, so birds would create an egg. They would lay in the nest; they would sit down to incubate it and they would crack their own eggs. And so, the population just totally fell off. And our warden, Chester Smith, spent 20 years of service restoring this island, bringing brown pelicans and nest on there. And now when you visit along the coast or if you ever see brown pelicans flying a little bit inland, those are remnants of the conservation work that he did. So, he really helped restore that species along our coast.” Stewart said.
Stewart says birdwatching is not only good for conservation efforts but also good for humans overall.
“They’re interesting to watch. They are, you know, fun for kids to spot, but they also keep our mental like cognitive abilities. If we’re getting older and you’re older bird watcher, it can help keep like your synapses firing. So they’re just really great for like physical health, for mental health, for community building, for connection and for connection to the great outdoors.” Stewart said.
For more information about birding in Texas visit TX.AUDUBON.ORG
