Where to find wildlife in the ‘burbs Wildlife is all around us. Every once in a while when driving at night or going on an early morning walk its possible to see an Opossum or Raccoon running across the road. At the other end of the spectrum a variety of birds, lizards and squirrels are […]
Invasive Bird Projects The Texas Invasive Bird Project (TIBP) has been ongoing since 2008, resulting in many studies of invasive birds here in Houston. These include six core focal species: Mute swan, Egyptian geese , Monk parakeet, Red-vented bulbul , Scaly-breasted munia and Northern red bishop. Other studies (mostly prior to TIBP) were done for Blue-crowned parakeet and small seed-eating birds. Aquatic Bird Projects We have […]
Nutria and Beaver niche partitioning at an urban pond Carnivore Projects Range expansion and ecology of Ringtail Albinsm in Raccoons ‘Rediscovery’ of the Cougar in east Texas Carnivores (Bobcats, Coyotes, Striped skunks) and other species returning to Houston city limits Waugh Street Bat Projects The effects of a major flooding event on Free-tailed bats […]
Citizen science One of the best ways to get involved is through Citizen Science– research projects that rely on the efforts of local citizens to collect data. New ways of approaching old methods in data collection are a good thing! eBird I shrugged off eBird for years despite many friends and colleagues raving about it. I […]
What is it? The Houston Urban Wildlife Project (HUWP) is a program that was born around 2000 when collaborating on a project with colleagues from Rice University regarding the effect of bayou channelization upon urban avian diversity. What has taken place since is a diverse array of urban wildlife projects, primarily research. Coordinated by Daniel Brooks, […]
What is it? The Texas Invasive Bird Project (TIBP) is a citizen-science project that initiated in June 2008. TIBP evaluates status of invasive or introduced species of birds in the state of Texas. Coordinated by Daniel Brooks, Ph.D. since 2008 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, this project is targeting study of six focal species in […]
Editor’s Note: We are looking up as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of September, including a newly discovered comet and the fall equinox. Saturn is now well placed for observing in the early evening. Face southeast at dusk to observe it. Jupiter is in the morning sky this month. […]
Editor’s Note: Dr. Dan Brooks, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology recounts recent adventures in Panama while studying and birdwatching along the way. In my last two blogs about a recent trip to Panama, I discussed offshore fish , and the importance of the Indigenous Embera in this area for the fishing industry. Although I’ve been an […]
Editor’s Note: We are looking up as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of August, including the approaching Perseid meteor shower. Mars is low in the west at dusk, and hard to notice because it is only as bright as an average star. Mercury appear below and to the right of […]
Editor’s Note: Dr. Dan Brooks, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology recounts recent adventures off the shores of Panama with local fishermen of the Embera people. In my last blog, I discussed a recent trip to a remote, pristine part of Panama, just north of the Colombian border. Today I’d like to discuss that trip a little […]
