6:30pm doors open, 7 pm program
By Eric Carpenter

Are you interested in seeing what pelagic (sea) birds and other wildlife occur in the Gulf of Mexico? Come learn about Texas Pelagic trips to get an idea of what a day 50+ miles off the Texas coast has to offer in the way of adventure, birds, and other amazing sea creatures.

Eric went on his first Texas pelagic in the early 1990s and has been helping co-lead or organize them for the past 10+ years. He grew up in Houston where he started his birding obsession at the age of 10 with his dad and brother, eventually moving to Austin by way of San Antonio in 1995. Eric has served on the Texas Bird Records Committee since 2004 (Secretary since 2011) and also volunteers his time as a co-author of the Texas section of North American Birds, the quarterly journal published by the American Birding Association. Eric is also a reviewer of eBird records for the state. He was the first to see over 500 species (505) in the state during his Texas Big Year in 2003. Locally, his home away from home is Hornsby Bend where he did a Big Year in 2005 (249 species) and where he has lead the Monthly Survey for the past 11 years – you can often find him there scoping out shorebirds on the aromatic “sludge” ponds.  Eric is very fortunate to have a loving wife, Maggie, who not only tolerates his obsession but encourages it as she is an avid birder herself. A sign that it was “meant to be” came on their first trip together to Big Bend where they found the first (and only) Fan-tailed Warbler found in the state. Eric and Maggie are retired and live in southwest Austin. When they aren’t there…they are almost certainly birding.

Come early to celebrate Ethel Kutac’s 90th birthday!