Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast

Foreword

foreword At the age of eight, when I became interested in birds and nature, I was living near downtown Houston. I soon met consummate naturalists such as Joe Heiser and Armand Yramategui. They became my mentors. Over the next thirty years I spent many happy days in the field on the Upper Texas Coast, and I have strong memories of my first fallouts, of sightings of the Eskimo Curlew, and of fine days in the field with friends. I have traveled all over the world and visited all the continents. The Upper Texas Coast remains my favorite place to be out in nature. When I think of the Texas coast I think of the remarkable abundance and variety of birds. It is especially thrilling and soul satisfying to see any species of native bird in great numbers: a hundred thousand Snow Geese, five thousand American Avocets, one hundred Dickcissels, or one thousand Broad-winged Hawks. These are all wonderful sights, but what especially evokes the Texas coast for me is the variety and numbers of wading birds: herons, egrets, ibis, and spoonbills. A single roadside ditch can be filled with a hundred of these wading birds, each vying for the fish in the receding water. A visit to a rookery is one of the great experiences in nature. I look forward to many more years in the field in the Upper Texas Coast and know that those days will be enhanced by this superb book. Birders view the publication of a guide to the birds of a distant place as a major event. A book about the birds of the area where you live or an area you like to visit is equally important, if not more so. Such a book, if well done, deepens our appreciation of our birds and our area and connects us even more closely to them. That kind of connection is one of the many rewards of a life spent in nature. Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast is such a book. It should become an essential part of the library of every birder who lives in this region or who visits it. I am especially pleased that this book takes a broad view of birds, seeing them as one important part of the natural landscape. They are beautiful and fascinating creatures to be studied and appreciated in their environment. The authors move beyond listing or the chasing of rarities to direct our attention to the lives of birds and the other aspects of the natural world they inhabit. Such a focus can only yield greater rewards to the observer, ensuring that every day spent in nature is an enriching one. I am also pleased that this book gives due credit to the careful observers of the past,the men and women whose observations over many years provide us with invaluable insight into our region’s natural history. This historical perspective enables us to place our own observations in the context of those who came before. The authors have a wonderful sense of enthusiasm for the Upper Texas Coast. Their accounts are lively, insightful, and delightful. I cannot imagine a better team to write a book on the Upper Texas Coast. Ted Eubanks, Bob Behrstock, and Ron Weeks are superb birders and consummate naturalists. They have tramped through the fields, woodlands, and mud- flats of the Upper Texas Coast for many years. No one knows this area better or loves it more. Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast sets a new standard for what a regional guide can be. No region is more deserving of such a book. Victor Emanuel Bolivar Peninsula ...