The 14th annual Great Texas Birding Classic wrapped up Sunday in the Rio Grande Valley. This marked the sixth year that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory have worked together on the birding event, which is held every April to coincide with the annual spring bird migrations in the state. TPWD employees Cliff Shackelford and Shelly Plante represented the department this weekend.
The winning Energy Saver team has won now for three years in a row in this competition category to see the most species of birds per mile, with a 50-mile minimum. The winning Weeklong team has won for six years straight.
Winning Weeklong, Adult Sectional and Energy Saver teams, along with the Lone Star Bird Award winning team in the Big Sit will award $53,000 to habitat conservation along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. This brings the amount of money donated directly to on-the-ground avian habitat restoration, acquisition and enhancement projects on the Texas coast to $739,000.
The results for last week’s Birding Classic can be found here. Next year’s dates for the Great Texas Birding Classic are April 9-17, 2011. You can find out more information about next year’s birding event on their website.