Join us at the bay!

The 8th Annual Matagorda Bay Birdfest 2024 is an educational event in Palacios, TX connecting people birds and nature.

Schedule of Events:

April 12, 2024:

6:00 AM - 3:30 PM: Bird Tours

Schedule:

6:00 AM - 3:00 PM: A True Gem - The Powderhorn Ranch Wildlife Management Area (WMA) - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
7:15 AM - 12:00 PM: How Birds are Made in the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes – TNC Mad Island Marsh Preserve and nearby wetlands - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:15 AM - 3:30 PM: Over the River and through the Woods to...Prairies, Beaches and Turf Farms - Matagorda County Hot Spots - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM: MBF Dog Island Preserve - Meet at Matagorda Marina at 189 CR 255
6:15 AM - 3:00 PM: Just Peachy - JBH Burr Ranch - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX

5:40 - 8:15 PM: Keynote Dinner - $70/person

Guest chef L.J. Hayes
Regional Area Chef

Keynote Speaker:

The International Crane Foundation
Director of the Gulf Coast Programs
Dr. Carter Crouch
"Gulf Coast Whooping Cranes: A Conservation Story That Is Still Being Written"

Location: Palacios Educational Pavilion, 693 South Bay Blvd., Palacios, TX.

April 13, 2024:

6:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Bird Tours

Schedule:

6:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Oyster Lake - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:30 AM - 10:00 AM: Around Town - Palacios Hot Spots - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Shorebird Haven at the Harrison Ranch - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:30 AM - 10:00 AM: Colorado River Roaming at the Birding Nature Center and LeTulle Park - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX

10:30 - 11:30 AM: Palacios Parade of Birds

Procession begins on 6th and Main (Railroad Park), featuring Palacios' historic center

Parade lineup begins at 9:30 - Railroad Park.
Calling all entries to be at lineup on time
Emcee and judges table at 4th and Main

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Matagorda Magic

TAMU Press & MARSH Project present Matagorda Magic
Book Signing

Location: City by the Sea Museum, 4th & Commerce

1:00 - 2:30 PM: Raptor Display - Railroad Park (6th and Main St.)

1:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Speaker Sessions

Schedule:

Session 1:

1:30 - 2:10 pm:

Director of Coastal Bird Program, C.B.B.E.P.
Dr. David Newstead
"Under Pressure: Black Skimmers in the Texas Coast"
Room A

M.A.R.S.H. Project Inaugural Artist-in-Residence
Kimberly Ridley
Author, Matagorda Magic: The Hidden Life of a Texas Bay
“Sparking Wonder-And Why Our Future Depends on It”
Room B

Field Specialist, PMAR Texas
Jay Tarkington
“Update on Oysters as Building Blocks of the Coast”
Room C

Session 2:

2:30 - 3:10 pm:

The International Crane Foundation
Director of the Gulf Coast Programs
Dr. Carter Crouch
“New Horizons for Whooping Cranes”
Room A

Science Writer & Children’s Book Author
Kimberly Ridley
Author: Matagorda Magic: The Hidden Life of a Texas Bay
With Special Guest
Susan Heath
PhD, Research Associate, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
“Art and Science: Sharing the Magic of Mat Bay Through the Lives of Birds”
Room B

Migratory Shorebird Habitat Specialist
Jason Loghry
“Shorebirds 101: A Brief Look at Shorebirds of the Coastal Bend”
Room C

Session 3:

3:30 - 4:10 pm:

Whooping Crane Outreach Biologist, I.C.F. Tx
Paityn Bower
“International Crane Foundation’s Gulf Coast Programs”
Room A

Research Associate for Texas A&M, Kingsville
Tara Rodkey
“A Great Grassland Migration: The Journey of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper Across the Americas.”
Room B

Audubon Texas Coastal Program Mgr.
Alexis Balderas
"Finding Shorebirds in Matagorda Bay: A Plan for Improved Nesting Success"
Room C

TPWD Mat Bay Ecosystem Leader
Leslie Hartman
“Ecology of Matagorda Bay”
Room D

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Moderated Panel
immediately following speaker sessions

“It’s a Wrap! Matbay News 2024”
Six Speaker Q&A Moderated by Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Coastal Program, TX
Woody Woodrow

Director of Mat Bay FDN
Bill Balboa

Field Specialist, PMAR Texas
Dr. Jay Tarkington

Master Naturalist, G.C.B.O. B.O.D. and Tour Leader MB Birdfest
Bob Freidrichs

Director of Audubon Texas
Alexis Balderas

TPWD Mat Bay Ecosystem Leader
Leslie Hartman

Special Guest
TBD

Location: PMAR, 101 Marine Center Dr., Palacios, TX.

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Youth Art Contest Awards and Celebration

M.A.R.S.H. Project Inaugural Artists in Residence
Author Kimberly Ridley presents Youth Art Contest Awards & Celebration

Winners announced & celebrated featuring the Osprey at TBE Thibodeaux Conference Center at 211 E. Bay Blvd., Palacios, TX (Corner of E. Bay Blvd & E. Main St.).

April 14, 2024:

6:00 AM - 3:30 PM: Bird Tours

Schedule:

6:30 AM - 3:00 PM: MBF Dog Island Preserve - Meet at Matagorda Marina at 189 CR 255
6:00 AM - 3:00 PM: Second Chance at A True Gem - The Powderhorn Ranch WMA - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:15 AM - 3:00 PM: Carancahua Bay Environs and Formosa Tejano Wetlands - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:15 AM - 3:30 PM: Otra vez! - Over the River and through the Woods to..Prairies, Beaches and Turf Farms - Matagorda County Hot Spots - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX
6:15 AM - 3:00 PM: Going Mad for Birds at The Nature Conservancy Mad Island Marsh Preserve - Meet at The Point, 608 1st St., Palacios, TX

Dates: April 12 - 14, 2024

Location:

Various Venues,
Palacios, TX 77465.

Register Here

Click here for more information.