Texbirders,
The Smith Point Hawk Watch will resume on August 15th (one week from
tomorrow!). Bob Baez is returning to count again this year. We welcome
visitors but keep the following in mind. Masks are required for all visitors
on the tower. We realize it is hot and the hawk watch is outside but the
confines of the tower will keep people from being able to socially distance
appropriately. Most of the top deck will be cordoned off with no visitors
allowed so Bob can work safely. Therefore only five people will be allowed
on the top deck at a time. Volunteers will be filling in for Bob on Tuesdays
so he can have a day off and they may choose to close of the entire top deck
to visitation while they are there. Please respect these boundaries! I do
not want our volunteers to be put in the position of having to be the covid
police. Let's all work together to keep things safe for everyone. Remember
that before there was a tower, people simply stood in the parking and
watched the birds fly over. That is a good option in this year of covid. Bob
will do his best to yell out any special birds that are passing by. The
Chambers County Department of Economic Development is providing an ADA
port-o-potty, a regular port-o-potty AND a hand washing station this year.
If you get a chance please drop them a note thanking them 508 S. Main St.
Anahuac, TX 77514 or 409-267-2692. They are very supportive of the hawk
watch and we want to make sure they know it is appreciated.
Lastly if your organization plans to bring a group to the hawk watch, could
you let me know so I can put it on our calendar. That way we can try to make
sure we have enough volunteers to handle the days when there will be a lot
of people. And speaking of volunteering, if you'd like to volunteer, please
contact me directly. Thanks everyone! Looking forward to seeing some raptors
overhead soon!
Sue
Susan A. Heath PhD
Director of Conservation Research
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
The opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of the company.
