Photo credit: Dana Nelson, Cattail Marsh, December 18, 2018

You are welcome to attend monthly meetings, featuring speakers on birding and natural history topics, and including a delicious member-provided evening meal -- with desserts! Our monthly field trips are fun and educational, and focus on locations along the coast, marshes, prairies, and forests of the area.

Membership Meeting

Garden Center, Tyrrell Park, Beaumont Thursday January 20, 2022  7:00 p.m.

CANCELLED

Reluctantly, we have decided to cancel this meeting in view of the current Covid situation. We hope that the situation may improve sufficiently for us to proceed with the February meeting. We will make a decision at the end of this month.

We plan to continue with the Field Trip on January 22.

Field Trip to Cattail Marsh, Beaumont

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Meet at the parking lot for Cattail Marsh at 8:00 am. The parking lot is accessed from the loop road round the main picnic areas in Tyrrell Park. Many birds can be seen from the boardwalk and nearby roads with minimal walking. The group has usually made a leisurely three-or-so-mile hike round the various cells in the marsh, but in recent months the water levels have been changed several times, so the route may be altered to cover the cells where he birds are most numerous. Be advised that, while you can turn around and retrace your steps at any point, there are typically no meaningful "shortcuts" after you start on the levees between cells. If you don't want to walk that far, there will be someone on the boardwalk to help you identify the many birds in the near cells. Walking is on the levees; the main ones are graveled, but some of the interior ones are essentially mowed grass. This will be a good trip for beginning to intermediate birders, as most of the waterfowl and wading birds are relatively easy to study in the open water areas. We will try to have the Education Center open for those who do not want to make the hike.

Directions to Tyrrell Park

From the South

Go "north" on US69/96/287 around the south side of Beaumont.

Take IH-10 west towards Houston.

Three-quarters of a mile after getting on IH-10, exit right on the Walden Road exit

Turn left (south) on Walden Road going under the Interstate.

Continue 1/2 mile and cross over State Hwy 124 onto Tyrrell Park Road

After about 3/4 mile, turn left into the Park through the arch.

The Garden Center is on the left just inside the park.

For Cattail Marsh, continue ahead and proceed about two-thirds of the way round the main loop and into the well-marked parking area.

From IH10

Exit at Walden Road on the west side of Beaumont.

Go south on Walden Road and as above.