Jane Tillman

The many Travis Audubon field trips I have been on over the years have definitely helped me become a better birder, and I enjoy helping newer birders discover the pleasures of bird watching.

I spend a lot of time working on my Travis County bird list alone and with groups, and love to bird by ear. (Bird lists can take many forms: day list, location list, year list, county list, and life list are all important to me.)

One of my favorite things to do is give talks about Austin area birds, and how to attract them to yards, greenbelts and parks with native plants. On field trips I enjoy pointing out various native plants that are bird favorites but, no, I don’t know them all.

 

 

 

Dennis Palafox

I love being a field trip leader because it’s a great way to give back to TAS for all the great classes and field trips I’ve been on that have fed my love of birding.  I’m also motivated by the enthusiasm and joy expressed by participants for just being outdoors and seeing our beautiful central Texas birds.

 

 

 

 

Virginia Rose

What in the world is more fun than being outside all day spying on birds? Being a field trip leader allows me to do that with fun, interesting, and enthusiastic people. I love playing an active role in an organization that has brought and continues to bring such richness to my life. Thank you Travis Audubon!

 

 

 

 

Celeste Treadway

Celeste Treadway is a small animal veterinarian, and has had a lifelong interest in birds, wildlife, and conservation. She birded casually for most of her adult life, but became much more active in birding in 2015, when she hosted her first Birdathon event to raise funds for Travis Audubon Society. Since retiring from her veterinary practice in 2017, she’s enjoyed having more time to dedicate to birding and TAS. She loves spending time with other birders during field trips—she thinks birders are just the nicest people! She volunteers with the Field Trip Committee, and with Golden-cheeked warbler surveys at Baker Sanctuary. Her very favorite birds are the Eastern phoebes and Golden-cheeked warblers that nest every spring on her property in the hill country.

 

Amy Sugeno

Ever since identifying my first Dark-eyed Junco nearly 40 years ago in my parent’s backyard, I have loved watching birds. My favorite places to bird are in the desert southwest and the Rocky Mountains. When I’m not birding, I love being outside hiking, camping, and running. I also love teaching people about birds and nature, especially those who are new to birding. Because I live near Marble Falls, most of my walks are in western Travis County and the Hill Country. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I also lead monthly Let’s Go Birding Together walks for my rainbow community and our allies. I always want my walks to be welcoming and friendly and a safe space for everyone to enjoy birding and nature together.

 

Terry Banks

I have been birding for at least 20 years, probably more, and am the classic “bird nerd”. I love to lead field trips for Travis Audubon, and my favorite place to go is a park, usually the state parks. (In this picture I was at Caddo Lake State park on a steamy July afternoon.)  Somehow I was lucky enough to be gifted good birding ears, so more often than not I can hear birds before I seen them. I confess this has made me a little lazy in the bird spotting and field identification department, but I am working to rectify this situation.

I think that now more than ever we birders have the opportunity to teach our community about the importance of birds and nature. We need to draw everyone into the fold – young, old, people of all colors and nationalities, abilities, beliefs, even those who have different political persuasions than us. I believe there is nothing more important to our survival than being good stewards of our planet, and helping birds survive is being a good steward. I think we can work together to help everyone to see this important truth.

 

Jeffrey Jackson

Jeffrey has been birding since 2012 after a family trip to Rocky Mountain National Park where he bought his first pair of binoculars.  He loves birding and spends most of his free time traveling all over in search of birds. He currently works for Travis County Parks where he leads monthly bird walks at Milton Reimers Ranch Park.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Gunter

Meet Chris Gunter! He believes field trips are a great way to learn about birds and make new birding friends. Leading trips is fun and as much a learning experience for me as it is for those who come on my walks. The birds are certainly the center of attention, but he also enjoys pointing out cool plants and trees and other flora and fauna we come across. Come join us!

 

 

John Bloomfield

John has been active with Audubon organizations in New Jersey and South Carolina and jumped right in with Travis Audubon when he moved to Texas in January 2021. His favorite places include Hornsby Bend, Commons Ford Prairie, Milton Reimers Ranch Park and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment (Aquarena Springs) in San Marcos. John also blogs for Travis Audubon and serves as chair of its Advocacy Committee. John’s goal on field trips is to share his enthusiasm for every bird and to inspire new birders to come back looking for more.

 

Rich Kostecke

Rich has a BS in Biology from the University of Kansas, MS in Zoology from North Dakota State University, and PhD in Wildlife Science from Texas Tech University. Over the last several decades, mostly in the non-profit sector, Rich’s work has focused on the conservation, ecology, and management of birds and their habitats in Texas, land conservation in general, and conservation planning. Currently, he works for Hill Country Conservancy.  Rich has long been involved with recovery efforts for the Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler and has also worked on grassland birds and on sky island bird communities in west Texas. Rich has been an avid birder since 1995 and is currently the eBird reviewer for Terrell and Williamson counties in Texas. Although birds are his foremost passion, Rich is interested in all biodiversity, is active on iNaturalist (moths and other insects are a new-found interest) and spends a fair bit of time and effort in propagating/landscaping with native plants in his NW Austin yard.

 

 

 

Shelia Hargis

Shelia Hargis has been birding for over 25 years, and it was Travis Audubon field trips back in the early years that got her totally hooked on birds. She lives and breathes birds and spends nearly all of her waking hours birding, learning about birds, and/or thinking about birds. She has become very interested in watching bird behavior to better understand how birds live their lives, so her field trips usually include discussions of behavior in addition to identifying the species. And it is not uncommon for her to get excited about a common species because all birds are super cool to her!

In addition to leading field trips, Shelia teaches classes for Travis Audubon, gives presentations on a variety of bird topics, surveys birds for the City of Austin and the North American Breeding Bird Survey, and participates in numerous Christmas Bird Counts each year. She is Past President of both Travis Audubon and Texas Ornithological Society and is still very active with both of those organizations. Shelia was honored as the recipient of Travis Audubon’s Victor Emanuel Conservation Award in 2020. She is also a Capital Area Master Naturalist, Class of 2022.

Rachel Zierzow

Since 2023, Rachel has enjoyed leading TAS bird walks, sharing her passion for birding with fellow nature lovers. With her you can explore local treasures like Commons Ford, Barton Springs, Holly Shores at Town Lake, and Reimers Ranch, observing bird behavior and honing your bird ID skills by sight and sound. Her own birding journey, which started in New England, took a significant turn when she made Central Texas her home after college. This move intensified her dedication to conservation and outreach. Each day feels like a new adventure when there are beautiful birds to find. Rachel looks forward to birding with you soon!

James Giroux

James started birding 20 years ago, when his – then new – stepfather suggested that he start a life list. James combined birding with an interest in photography, and it has become his passion. Birds led to butterflies, then dragonflies, then plants, conservation, prairie restoration etc. etc. After retiring in 2022, he now has more time to do even more nature-related activities. James is on the Texas Ornithological Society sanctuary committee, and is an enthusiast and proponent of water features for birds. He helped design and install water features at Blair Woods in Austin, and Hooks Woods at High Island.

James recently taught his first Travis Audubon class – Intro to Sparrows – and will soon be teaching another – How to Host and Identify Hummingbirds in Central Texas.

James regularly leads the monthly field trip at Dowell Ranch in south Austin. He also led a 3-day camping/birding trip in Southeast Arizona in 2024, and hopes to lead more far-flung trips in the future.