Volunteer Spotlight: Ryan Levine

Volunteer Spotlight: Ryan Levine – Building Community Through Birding Meet Ryan, one of the co- leaders behind Travis Audubon’s Let’s Go Birding Together walks. Originally from just outside New York…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Jordan Weingarten

Introduction Jordan Weingarten started his journey into birding through photography in 2021. He had been a life-long photographer and was looking for something new to photograph. Birds were beautiful and…

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Volunteer Spotlight: MaryG Zell

By Marissa Pensirikul MaryG Zell had been a casual birder for decades. She joined Travis Audubon on her first bird walk in July of 2021. Since…

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Volunteer Spotlight: John Bloomfield

“The more birds I saw, the more I wanted to know about them,” recalls John Bloomfield, a birder of fifteen years. By Marissa Pensirikul Background John’s passion for birding intensified during a…

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Volunteer Spotlight – Mary Kay Sexton

By Marissa Pensirikul Background Mary Kay grew up in Texas with a big love for the outdoors and nature. She holds a degree in Aquatic Biology and a Teaching Certificate from…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Frances Cerbins

By Leslie Menikoff. One of the benefits of birding is meeting fellow enthusiasts, most of whom are very interesting people, Frances Cerbins included.   I enjoyed meeting Frances and learning…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Chris Gunter

By Alexis Puchek Chris was born in San Marcos, Texas and moved to Austin when he was just six months old; he’s lived in our capital city his…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Noreen Baker

By Alexis Puchek A tried-and-true Texan, Noreen Baker was born and raised in rural Texas, just outside of San Antonio. Growing up on about 20 acres…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Sugeno

By Alexis Puchek Amy grew up in the Dallas area in Arlington on the edge of town, running around the fields and the prairie. She’s always loved nature…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Andy and Julia Balinsky

By Alexis Puchek Andy and Julia Balinsky are Travis Audubon’s go-to experts and landlords for Austin’s Purple Martin colonies. Andy is the son of two World War II refugees…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Mark Wilson

By Alexis Puchek A sixth generation native Texan, Mark was born in Dallas and made his way to Austin via Houston. He grew up hunting and hiking…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Dennis Palafox

By Alexis Puchek Dennis is on the Travis Audubon Board and was Chair of the Field Trip Committee for about 5 years before stepping down last month.  He…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Jane Tillman

By Alexis Puchek A retired dietitian, Jane Tillman taught in Nutritional Sciences at UT Austin for 22 years. Her real passion all along has been nature, especially birds…

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