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Texas Master Naturalists, Capital Area Chapter

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CAMN Monthly Chapter Meetings

CAMN September Chapter Meeting:

In-Person Only

Free & open to ALL
Wednesday, September 25 | 6:30- 8 PM

Presentation by Asher Elbein

Paleontology of Texas

IN-PERSON only, this meeting will not be recorded

at Central Texas Food Bank

6500 Metropolis Dr, Austin, 78744

Our September meeting is an in-person gathering – we invite our members and community to come together, with light refreshments, at the Central Texas Food bank as we learn about the Paleontology of Texas! 

Bring snacks to share if you can, meet some of the new members, and come hang out while we enjoy a great presentation!

Our presenter, Asher Elbein, is a freelance journalist, fiction-writer, and artist based in Austin, Texas.  His work covers paleontology, natural history, and culture for outlets like The New York Times, Texas Monthly, Audubon, Texas Observer, and Scientific American (click any to see a list of and read some of his fascinating articles).

His first co-written book on paleontology, titled Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Animals of Big Bend was published in April, 2023. You can learn more and read some of Asher’s stories at his website here: http://www.asherelbein.com/about

Asher likes hats, folk music, wandering back roads and wild places, looking for wildlife, and listening to people’s stories.

For CAMN Members
VMS: Attending this virtual presentation earns up to .5 hours of Volunteer Service (VS: CB: Chapter Business>Chapter Meeting) and 1 hour of Advanced Training (AT: Advanced Training CAMN Chapter Meeting) for time in attendance.

~Field Experiences~
Magical Bird Migration Field Trips

Chimney Swift Roosts, September 6 & 7

After the June CAMN meeting on Magical Migrations, we asked Shelia Hargis to host some field trips! The swifts are on their way to South America where they will spend their non-breeding time. As they move south, they congregate in chimneys and similar structures to spend the night together. Austin has multiple roost sites with hundreds of birds dropping into the chimney as it gets dark.

These field trips will provide an opportunity for you to see the aerial show and also learn how to count the birds as they drop into the chimney. This will help you prepare to participate in an annual community science project, Swift Night Out, which happens twice each summer/fall. The goal is to survey as many of the swift roosts as possible, count the birds dropping into the chimneys, and submit those numbers to eBird. It is a perfect volunteer project for Master Naturalists!

Join Shelia Hargis and fellow CAMN members for one, or both, of the nights listed below. Family and friends are also welcome! Bring a chair to sit and relax as the show unfolds, a handheld clicker or phone app (Tally Counter is an example) for counting the birds, water, and your curiosity.

Friday, September 6 | Meet by 6:45 PM, viewing 7-8 PM | Hornsby Bend (2210 S PM 973, Austin)

Directions: We will meet at 6:45 in the parking lot of the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory, which is located at 2210 S FM 973, Austin, TX 78725. Important: You will need a government-issued ID (like a driver’s license) to enter the grounds. Once you’ve checked in with the security guard, drive to the CER Administrative Office building, which is the first building on the right. We will meet in the parking lot and carpool to the roost site. You may want to bring insect repellent!

You can view Shelia’s August 17 eBird checklist and watch the videos to get a sense of how the swifts behave. See if you can tell when they are “dropping in” versus “dipping down and flying away.”

Call or text Shelia if you have any issues finding the group (512-294-0272).

Saturday, September 7 | Meet by 6:45 PM, viewing 7– 8 PM | JJ Pickle Research Campus

Directions: You may need to pay for parking at the JJ Pickle Research Campus and park in one of the visitor’s lots. Our meeting location is north of parking lot 216, at the intersection of Creativity Trail and Clyde Davis Trail and near the Texas Archeological Research Lab (TARL) building. You can also use GPS coordinates 30.388226, -97.731377 to navigate to the correct location. This is where we will sit to view the roost action.

You can view Shelia’s August 9 eBird checklist and watch the videos to get a sense of how the swifts behave. See if you can tell when they are “dropping in” versus “dipping down and flying away.”

Call or text Shelia if you have any issues finding the group (512-294-0272)

September Field Event Pairing

Texas Science and Natural History Museum

Guided tour led by Asher Elbein

Sunday, September 29  |  1-3 PM

Registration & cost details TBD – check back for details, registration will be necessary as space on the tour is limited.

For CAMN Members:

VMS: Attending this in-person event earns up to 1 hour of Advanced Training (AT: General Advanced Training) for time in attendance (NO drive time may be included).

a man talking about the chimneys build especially to house chimney swifts.

Previous Chapter Meeting Recordings/Presentations

Note: Recordings of previous chapter meetings do not count for Advanced Training (AT). The State of Texas requires the opportunity for Q&A and discussion for all AT and only live meetings allows for this.

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