Blog

TOS Secretary Lynn Thompson wrote this lovely obituary about her good friend. Georgina will be missed by all who knew her.   Lifetime TOS member Georgina Schwartz passed away following a brief illness, on May 16, 2026, in San Antonio. She was 5 months shy of her 96th birthday. Her membership in the Texas Ornithological Society dates to the 1990's; she attended her last meetin ...

Many people knew and loved Georgina Schwartz. Georgina was one of the coolest people I ever met! I met Georgina at the TOS meeting in San Antonio, I think it might have been 2006?  The last time I saw her was when we were on the Hueco Tanks field trip during the TOS meeting in El Paso, in 2015.  At times she would sit and take a break and I would join her; it was a chance for ...

TOS has some interesting birding and outdoor opportunities to share! First, at the far southeast corner of Texas lies a remote and unique coastal park. Sea Rim State Park has nearly 2 miles of Gulf shoreline and 4,000 acres of marshlands. At this park, you can camp, go birding and beach combing, paddle in a canoe or kayak, swim, fish, hunt (in season) and walk. Stroll along t ...

Panama Sue (Foster) has another notch in her binocular case. She recently returned from a fabulous visit to Panama with twelve TOS members, including Denise Stephens who has written a lovely travelogue of the experience. You can read her account HERE. If you haven't taken this trip, TOS will host another one next year on August 22-31, 2026, with Susan leading the pack.  This ...

Owls are a special group of birds. You don’t have to be a birder or bird watcher to find them fascinating. Texas has a great assortment of owls, with nine species reliably found in Texas, another four species possibly found in Texas with a little luck, and a few more species that are considered casual or accidental. The diversity of these species is incredible from those that a ...

TOS member and field trip leader, Christian Walker, sent this nice write-up of the recent spring meeting of the TOS. In all, 206 bird species were tallied, and Christian's list included most of them! TOS Spring Birding Weekend Wrap-up The TOS spring meeting was this past weekend. Had a really good time. Thanks to everyone who put it on and to all the participants for showing ...

Here are some photos of the goings-on at the TOS Spring Birding Weekend in Cedar Hill.  TOS Merchandise Specialist, Sara Bettencourt, peddling our new t-shirts and caps at the Traphene Hickman Public Library on April 24. This beautiful library relies on natural light, with windows wrapping around the meeting room. Dr. Bert Frenz had his newest publication for sale -- an ...

PANAMA!!! How could I not go? It was to be a trip of a lifetime, of which I’ve already had several and hope for any number more. Last year, I saw the alluring narrative posts and photos of the 2023 TOS guided trip to Panama and promptly sought info on the next one by contacting trip leader Susan Foster to add my name to the prospective participant list. It all came together f ...

Aug. 26, 2024:  Good morning from Canopy Tower and the first day of the Texas Ornithological Society 2024 Panama Tour. It’s been fantastic already.       Private trail in Panama with guides Carlos Bethancourt and Danilo, Sr. of Canopy Family. So many highlights including a family of Spectacled Owls. Go Sox. Introduction to the wonderful Canopy Lodge. Aug. 27, 2024: Day ...

On August 27, TOS received an email from a visitor to our Sabine Woods Sanctuary recounting a hair-raising encounter with an alligator at that location.  Here is her story, followed by a response from Dr. John Whittle, our Sabine Woods consultant: I was at Sabine Woods at – is it “Howard’s”—mister and water feature at about 2:20 or 3:00 p.m.  I sat there for several minutes, o ...