By: Beth Arnold, Travis Audubon Master Birder
We’re already planning our 2020 return to Matagorda Bay Birdfest in Palacios, Texas.
This annual event in mid-February is only a few years old so it still has that playful, small town feel: great for families. Along with a variety of water and land birding excursions and presentations by expert bird artists, photographers, and scientists, a bird costume parade followed by a raptor show adds to the fun.
As soon as we set out for a boat tour with Master Naturalist Bob Friedrichs, we found ourselves surrounded by playful bottlenose dolphins who kept us company throughout the trip. Other highlights: endangered oystercatcher parents tried desperately to drive off a caracara swooping down to steal their nestlings, a tern tried to steal a fish from the mouth of a pelican, and we witnessed the breathtaking takeoff of wave after wave of 2,800 cormorants from an island we passed.
The bird parade was small enough to allow participants to tell their costume creation stories to spectators as they marched along together. One costume creator said she started making papier maché birds heads for fun. Then her mother found out about the bird parade so the family headed off to Palacios.
The raptor show took a dramatic turn when one of the stars, a young Harris’s hawk, flew off and ultimately landed in Matagorda Bay. After an exciting rescue, the story had a happy ending.
Can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for next year!
