Look out! A Water Moccasin in Robertson County, 2016 by Jane Tillman

In this monthly feature, our members and friends have been invited to reflect on and celebrate Travis Audubon’s 70 years.

I have been involved with Travis Audubon for years. I think the first meeting I attended was at Camp Mabry back in the early 2000s. I’ve seen it transition from a wonderful volunteer organization to an even stronger one with staff. Naysayers were skeptical, but with paid staff Travis Audubon has been able to offer more member programs and activities, and more outreach, conservation, and education initiatives. It also has mobilized a larger number of volunteers than the original organization could ever have dreamed of.

Travis Audubon classes have enhanced my knowledge and enjoyment of birds. Thanks to Travis Audubon field trips, I have visited lots of birding hotspots in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Milam, and other nearby counties. Thanks to TAS I have had opportunities to serve on the Board and various committees, like education and programs, and to teach backyard birding classes. And thanks to TAS I have lots of birding friends and acquaintances. It’s a great organization to be involved with.

One area where Travis Audubon stands out from other chapters is in its Birdathon offerings. Shelia Hargis and Roxie Rochat did a fledgling one back in 2002, and they are now part of Travis Audubon culture. Initially you supported a team by pledging x cents or dollars per species seen, or you could opt for a set dollar donation. It was motivating to try to get as many species as possible; especially exciting if you had a $1 or $2/species supporters. Bookkeeping was a headache though!

Over the years, Byron Stone aka Dr. Birdie and I offered many county birding field trips and had a core following of “County Vagrants” who wanted to spend a long day in the field, with attendant memorable events. Here are just a few: Cemetery birding in a thunderstorm down in Lockhart, fire ants in Ethel Kutac’s pants there too, a tree full of singing Dickcissels in Robertson County followed by a magnificent water moccasin (see above) daring us to make a wrong move, beautiful wildflowers and a rare Couch’s Kingbird in San Saba, treacherous mud in Milam County, 52 Swainson’s Hawks in a freshly hayed field in Limestone County, a rare Lewis’s Woodpecker in Burnet County, obligatory water treatment plant stops, and more cemeteries. On one trip we spent some time correctly identifying very late Northern Pintails, only to realize they were decoys. On another Byron carried on a conversation with a couple of Barred Owls. How many of us speak Owl? Our trips fell off during COVID but in considering all these memories, we need to bring them back.

Support Travis Audubon today by becoming a member, and next spring take a look at all the Birdathon offerings, and sign up for one or more. You are sure to have some fun, whether it’s a breakfast with Golden-cheeked Warblers, a trip that yields a lifer, new scenery, or a “good” bird that you spotted first.

Jane Tillman
Travis Audubon Volunteer, Educator, and Friend

Hays County Birdathon Team, 2013