Travis Audubon Society
3710 Cedar St.
Box 5
Austin, Texas 78705
512.300.BIRD (2473)
info@travisaudubon.org
3710 Cedar St.
Box 5
Austin, Texas 78705
512.300.BIRD (2473)
info@travisaudubon.org
A Bigger Baker?
Over the years, many TAS members and guests have visited our
beautiful Baker Sanctuary in northwest Austin. Our Sanctuary
provides nesting and breeding habitat for Central Texas’ very special
Golden-cheeked Warbler, listed as endangered by the U.S.
Government and the State of Texas. We’d like to say that we did
everything we could to promote the species’ survival. We have
increased the size of Baker Sanctuary. The nearly 10-acre parcel we
recently bought adjoins Baker and is bordered on its west side by
Lime Creek, and is a critical buffer between our existing GCWA
habitat and housing developments on the other side. This purchase
brings the size of our Baker Sanctuary to 690 acres.
Travis Audubon manages the Baker Sanctuary as part of the
Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan and is a partner in the
Balcones Canyonlands Preserve system. As part of the Plan to
protect the Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA), we conduct an annual
GCWA survey and are happy to report that, this Spring, GCWAs are
present and males have been heard making territorial calls. If we’re
able to acquire this buffer acreage, we’ll be able to prevent
development of the land and the encroachment of human activity that
would threaten the GCWA’s successful breeding.
Travis Audubon began what became Baker Sanctuary in the 1960s.
Sanctuary Steward John Wilcox writes, “Historical uses of the
Sanctuary include farming, stock raising, limestone quarrying and
juniper cutting. Corn was raised here and several rock walls indicate
that areas were cleared of rocks prior to planting. Horses were used
and sheep, hogs and cattle were raised. A small quarry was briefly
operated on the then-Baker Ranch in the 1950s, and one of the last
times that juniper was commercially cut here was in the mid-1960s.”
With your help, we added the next chapter to Travis Audubon’s story
of protecting the Golden-cheeked Warbler at Baker Sanctuary.
We appreciate any donations you can make to maintain Baker
Sanctuary. Please use the Make A Donation button at right. Your
contribution is fully tax-deductible and donors will be recognized by
Travis Audubon.
Baker Sanctuary
The 690-acre Baker Sanctuary provides mature hardwood-juniper
woodland habitat for the Golden-cheeked Warbler, an endangered
songbird. The warblers need the Ashe juniper bark that strips easily
for nest material and the insects that live in the canopy of oak trees
and other hardwoods for food.
The Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA) is a migratory bird that nests
only in about 33 counties in central Texas. The males arrive around
mid-March and begin establishing territories. The females arrive
around the end of March, and egg laying begins in early April. By the
end of July, the warblers fly to the mountainous areas of southern
Mexico and to east-central Guatemala, Honduras,and Nicaragua.
The main cause for the decline in the GCWA is the loss of breeding
and nesting habitat. Other causes of warbler decline are breeding
habitat degradation caused by grazing and range improvement,
construction of dams that flood the breeding habitat, oak wilt,
parasitism of nests by Brown-headed Cowbirds, fragmentation of
breeding habitat, and the lack of hardwood recruitment into the
woodland canopy due to overbrowsing by White-tailed Deer.
The GCWA was federally listed as an endangered species in 1990
and was added to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's list of
endangered species in 1991. Because of its endangered status, the
GCWA was among several plant and animal species included for
protection under a regional habitat conservation plan called the
Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP). The primary
goal of this plan is to assemble and manage over 30,000 acres in
northwestern Travis County, called the Balcones Canyonlands
Preserve (BCP) system, to protect viable populations for the species
addressed in the plan. The Travis Audubon Society has committed
its Baker Sanctuary to the BCP system and is one of several
managing partners in the BCP. The Sanctuary uses a U. S. Fish and
Wildlife-approved management plan that specifies activities aimed
at ensuring the continued survival of the Golden-cheeked Warbler.
Blair Woods
Travis Audubon Society owns a 10-acre wooded tract known as Blair
Woods, in East Austin, and leases it to Wildlife Rescue, a non-profit
501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping sick, injured, and
orphaned indigenous wildlife of Central Texas. The entrance is
located at 5401 East Martin Luther King Boulevard. Please call
Wildlife Rescue before visiting, as renovation, construction or wildlife
handling and maintenance projects may affect their schedule.
Wildlife Rescue started in 1977 as a small group of concerned
individuals with a common interest in providing experienced care for
at-risk wildlife of Austin and Central Texas. Travis Audubon is proud
to partner with Wildlife Rescue in providing this vital resource for our
area's wildlife.
Chaetura Canyon
Chaetura Canyon is a small green island of protected natural habitat
surrounded by rapidly developing Texas Hill Country in northwest
Austin. Located in a subdivision that was platted in the early 1970s
long before the term “Green Belt” was coined, this deep cleft drains
into the Colorado River just below Mansfield Dam and is home to
more than 30 nesting avian species. In all more than 150
species of resident and migratory birds have been documented.
The majority of the approximately 15 acres has been owned and
managed by private landowners since 1971. In December 2006,
Georgean and Paul Kyle donated their 8 acre portion of the canyon
and their home to Travis Audubon Society while retaining a life
estate, creating the Travis Audubon Chaetura Canyon Bird Sanctuary.
Chaetura Canyon is world renowned for research and conservation
of Chimney Swifts. Sixteen Chimney Swift Towers dot the property,
including a large roost that regularly hosts hundreds of Chimney
Swifts from spring until fall. Periodic workshops are held for TAS
members on topics from nest box building to habitat management
for small property owners. Now that Travis Audubon Society owns
the property, it will be protected and maintained as a bird sanctuary
in perpetuity.
We are fortunate that Paul and Georgean Kyle remain as the
stewards of Chaetura Canyon. Under their stewardship the beauty
and perfection of Chaetura Canyon will be preserved.
Original chimney swift artwork by Georgean Kyle
Over the years, many TAS members and guests have visited our
beautiful Baker Sanctuary in northwest Austin. Our Sanctuary
provides nesting and breeding habitat for Central Texas’ very special
Golden-cheeked Warbler, listed as endangered by the U.S.
Government and the State of Texas. We’d like to say that we did
everything we could to promote the species’ survival. We have
increased the size of Baker Sanctuary. The nearly 10-acre parcel we
recently bought adjoins Baker and is bordered on its west side by
Lime Creek, and is a critical buffer between our existing GCWA
habitat and housing developments on the other side. This purchase
brings the size of our Baker Sanctuary to 690 acres.
Travis Audubon manages the Baker Sanctuary as part of the
Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan and is a partner in the
Balcones Canyonlands Preserve system. As part of the Plan to
protect the Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA), we conduct an annual
GCWA survey and are happy to report that, this Spring, GCWAs are
present and males have been heard making territorial calls. If we’re
able to acquire this buffer acreage, we’ll be able to prevent
development of the land and the encroachment of human activity that
would threaten the GCWA’s successful breeding.
Travis Audubon began what became Baker Sanctuary in the 1960s.
Sanctuary Steward John Wilcox writes, “Historical uses of the
Sanctuary include farming, stock raising, limestone quarrying and
juniper cutting. Corn was raised here and several rock walls indicate
that areas were cleared of rocks prior to planting. Horses were used
and sheep, hogs and cattle were raised. A small quarry was briefly
operated on the then-Baker Ranch in the 1950s, and one of the last
times that juniper was commercially cut here was in the mid-1960s.”
With your help, we added the next chapter to Travis Audubon’s story
of protecting the Golden-cheeked Warbler at Baker Sanctuary.
We appreciate any donations you can make to maintain Baker
Sanctuary. Please use the Make A Donation button at right. Your
contribution is fully tax-deductible and donors will be recognized by
Travis Audubon.
Baker Sanctuary
The 690-acre Baker Sanctuary provides mature hardwood-juniper
woodland habitat for the Golden-cheeked Warbler, an endangered
songbird. The warblers need the Ashe juniper bark that strips easily
for nest material and the insects that live in the canopy of oak trees
and other hardwoods for food.
The Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA) is a migratory bird that nests
only in about 33 counties in central Texas. The males arrive around
mid-March and begin establishing territories. The females arrive
around the end of March, and egg laying begins in early April. By the
end of July, the warblers fly to the mountainous areas of southern
Mexico and to east-central Guatemala, Honduras,and Nicaragua.
The main cause for the decline in the GCWA is the loss of breeding
and nesting habitat. Other causes of warbler decline are breeding
habitat degradation caused by grazing and range improvement,
construction of dams that flood the breeding habitat, oak wilt,
parasitism of nests by Brown-headed Cowbirds, fragmentation of
breeding habitat, and the lack of hardwood recruitment into the
woodland canopy due to overbrowsing by White-tailed Deer.
The GCWA was federally listed as an endangered species in 1990
and was added to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's list of
endangered species in 1991. Because of its endangered status, the
GCWA was among several plant and animal species included for
protection under a regional habitat conservation plan called the
Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP). The primary
goal of this plan is to assemble and manage over 30,000 acres in
northwestern Travis County, called the Balcones Canyonlands
Preserve (BCP) system, to protect viable populations for the species
addressed in the plan. The Travis Audubon Society has committed
its Baker Sanctuary to the BCP system and is one of several
managing partners in the BCP. The Sanctuary uses a U. S. Fish and
Wildlife-approved management plan that specifies activities aimed
at ensuring the continued survival of the Golden-cheeked Warbler.
Blair Woods
Travis Audubon Society owns a 10-acre wooded tract known as Blair
Woods, in East Austin, and leases it to Wildlife Rescue, a non-profit
501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping sick, injured, and
orphaned indigenous wildlife of Central Texas. The entrance is
located at 5401 East Martin Luther King Boulevard. Please call
Wildlife Rescue before visiting, as renovation, construction or wildlife
handling and maintenance projects may affect their schedule.
Wildlife Rescue started in 1977 as a small group of concerned
individuals with a common interest in providing experienced care for
at-risk wildlife of Austin and Central Texas. Travis Audubon is proud
to partner with Wildlife Rescue in providing this vital resource for our
area's wildlife.
Chaetura Canyon
Chaetura Canyon is a small green island of protected natural habitat
surrounded by rapidly developing Texas Hill Country in northwest
Austin. Located in a subdivision that was platted in the early 1970s
long before the term “Green Belt” was coined, this deep cleft drains
into the Colorado River just below Mansfield Dam and is home to
more than 30 nesting avian species. In all more than 150
species of resident and migratory birds have been documented.
The majority of the approximately 15 acres has been owned and
managed by private landowners since 1971. In December 2006,
Georgean and Paul Kyle donated their 8 acre portion of the canyon
and their home to Travis Audubon Society while retaining a life
estate, creating the Travis Audubon Chaetura Canyon Bird Sanctuary.
Chaetura Canyon is world renowned for research and conservation
of Chimney Swifts. Sixteen Chimney Swift Towers dot the property,
including a large roost that regularly hosts hundreds of Chimney
Swifts from spring until fall. Periodic workshops are held for TAS
members on topics from nest box building to habitat management
for small property owners. Now that Travis Audubon Society owns
the property, it will be protected and maintained as a bird sanctuary
in perpetuity.
We are fortunate that Paul and Georgean Kyle remain as the
stewards of Chaetura Canyon. Under their stewardship the beauty
and perfection of Chaetura Canyon will be preserved.
Original chimney swift artwork by Georgean Kyle
| Baker Sanctuary telephone: 512.219.8425 Baker Sanctuary e-mail: jmwoso@sbcglobal.net Please be patient; the Steward is often out working on the property. |
| Help Travis Audubon manage and maintain Baker Sanctuary (Images above and below) Photo. credits: Shelia Hargis |
Baker Sanctuary Entrance
(Marcie Wilcox)
(Marcie Wilcox)
Chimney Swift Nestlings
(Paul and Georgean Kyle)
(Paul and Georgean Kyle)
Travis Audubon Sanctuaries
| Baker Cabin in Snow (John Wilcox) |
| Sanctuary Rules |
To maintain our
protected habitat and
comply with govern-
ment regulations, we
must enforce some
rules for the use of
Baker Sanctuary.
Please click here to
review these rules.
protected habitat and
comply with govern-
ment regulations, we
must enforce some
rules for the use of
Baker Sanctuary.
Please click here to
review these rules.
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| BAKER SANCTUARY EVENTS FOR INFORMATION AND DIRECTIONS, Click HERE. |
| CHAETURA CANYON SANCTUARY EVENTS Click on the Swift: |
| Jackie Arnold Education Center |