This field trip is free and open only to Travis Audubon members. Registration is required.
Registration to open 2/7/2025 at 8am

Event Date: March 8th, 2025
Event Time: 7:45am – 10:30am
Event Location: Spicewood Ranch in Spicewood, TX
Attendance Max: 15 people

Join Rich Kostecke for a special opportunity to visit a private ranch under exceptional conservation stewardship.

CORRECTION: Attendees will meet at Spicewood Ranch, and not at the Library. 

From the gate, we will make the short drive to the nearly 1000 acre Spicewood Ranch, where we will explore a diversity of habitats along Alligator Creek and the Colorado River. A large portion of the ranch is under conservation easement, and the owner is actively restoring native grassland and other habitats on the ranch. We expect to encounter late season migrants and early arriving winter species (e.g., raptors, sparrows, woodpeckers), and potentially resident species characteristic of the more arid Edwards Plateau (Black-throated Sparrows, Verdin, etc.). We will bird until approximately noon, when those who are interested can re-convene at Opie’s Barbecue in Spicewood for lunch.

Restrooms will be available in Spicewood before and after the field trip, as well as on the ranch, though most of the time we will be in the field and away from these amenities. Higher clearance vehicles are recommended as the ranch roads are bumpy, but we will condense down into as few appropriate vehicles as possible. While we will drive to several spots around the ranch, we will also be hiking a bit. Hiking will generally be on level ground (e.g., ranch roads), but may be through some overgrown and weedy areas.

REGISTER HERE

Email Policy
The email used to register for this field trip will be used to communicate any changes or cancellations due to weather or other factors. Please ALWAYS check your email inbox on the morning of the walk, prior to leaving your home, in case of last-minute changes in the trip plan. Please also check to be sure our emails do not land in your spam folder. When in doubt, please call or email your trip leader. We encourage participants to put the leader’s email address in their safe sender list. Their contact information is included in this trip description.