Field Trip Schedule

(For bird walks at the Heard Museum see this page)

(For bird walks at Connemara Meadow see this page)

August 9, 2025 – Hagerman NWR

  • Leader: Jack Chiles
  • Time: 8:00 am
  • Meeting Location: Hagerman Visitor Center
  • Target Birds: Birds – Shore Birds
  • RSVP: Linda Ergonis
  • About the Site: Hagerman NWR, located on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma, is one of the premier birding destinations in North Texas. The refuge includes wetlands, prairies, croplands, and woodlands that provide critical habitat for shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds. Seasonal water levels often attract large numbers of sandpipers, plovers, herons, and terns.
  • Summary: A beautiful day. We had 23 participants and 50 species. The High lights were a single Black Tern and an Inca Dove, the first seen since the hard freeze in Feb of 2021.

September 20, 2025 – Joppa Preserve, south Dallas

  • Leader: Ben Sandifer
  • Time: 7:30 am
  • Location: Joppa Preserve, 4750 S Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas TX, 75216
  • Target Birds: Neotropics
  • RSVP: Ted Zobeck
  • About the Site: Part of the Great Trinity Forest, Joppa Preserve contains bottomland hardwood forest, wetlands, and meadows along the Trinity River. This area is a migration corridor for neotropical species such as warblers, tanagers, buntings, and flycatchers. It’s also home to herons, egrets, and other riparian species.
Ben Sandifer is an author, photographer, and environmental advocate for parks and open spaces where he can often be found with camera in hand. His award-winning nature photographs have been featured in local, state and national publications. He is a Certified Master Birder through the Audubon Dallas sponsored North Central Texas Master Birder Program. In 2016, Ben was named an Honorary Lifetime Texas Master Naturalist for his substantial contributions to the furtherance of the activities of the organization.

 Ben currently serves as a member of the City of Dallas Forestry Stakeholder Committee, Trinity Park Conservancy Conservation Committee, citizen project lead at Big Spring Preserve and citizen project lead for the Friends of the Fish Hatchery at White Rock Lake. In Dallas Great Trinity Forest, Ben is an EPA and TCEQ certified Texas Stream Team volunteer who monitors water quality at numerous locations in the Dallas Trinity River watershed. 

October 25, 2025 – Clear Creek

  • Leader: Scott Kiester
  • Time: 7:00 am
  • Meeting Location: Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center
  • Target Birds: Passerine migrants
  • RSVP: Candy Anadagoda
  • About the Site: Clear Creek offers more than 2,900 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, upland prairie, and wetlands along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The area is especially productive in fall migration, attracting sparrows, warblers, thrushes, and other songbirds. Trails wind through diverse habitats, giving birders excellent viewing opportunities.
Scott is a Texas Master Naturalist and member of the Elm Fork Chapter.  He serves as the Texas Master Naturalist Volunteer Project Manager of the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Center. 

 

November 22, 2025 – Chalk Hill Farm

  • Leader: Rodney Thomas
  • Time: 7:30 am
  • Meeting Location: McKinney, TX
  • Target Birds: Winter residents
  • RSVP: Linda Ergonis
  • About the Site: Chalk Hill Farm is a private property that offers a mix of open pastures, historic cemetery, and wooded areas. The property backs up to Stiff Creek. This combination attracts sparrows, hawks, waterfowl, and other winter residents. Birding here offers a quieter setting than public preserves, with excellent chances for close study of field birds.

January 25, 2026 – LLELA (Tentative Plans)

  • Leader: Linda Ergonis
  • Time: 7:00 am
  • Location: Fish Hatchery Rd Gate, Lewisville
  • Target Birds: Short-Eared Owls and winter Sparrows
  • RSVP: Linda Ergonis
  • About the Site: LLELA protects over 2,600 acres of prairie, forest, and wetlands along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. It is one of the best local sites to look for winter raptors such as Short-eared Owls, Northern Harriers, and Red-shouldered Hawks. Grassland areas attract a variety of sparrows during the colder months.

February 20–22, 2026 – Port Aransas (Tentative Plans)

  • Leader: Grayson Almond
  • Meeting Place: To be added
  • Target Birds: Whooping Cranes and shore birds
  • RSVP: Shepherd Kopca
  • About the Site: Port Aransas and nearby Aransas National Wildlife Refuge host the last wild flock of endangered Whooping Cranes. Winter brings them to the Texas coast, where they forage in coastal marshes. The trip will also highlight waterfowl, shorebirds, and seabirds of the Gulf Coast.

March ??, 2026 – Breckenridge Park (Tentative Plans)

  • Leader: Mike Cameron
  • Time: To be added
  • Meeting Place: To be added
  • Target Birds: Early Migrants and late Winter resident birds
  • RSVP: Linda Ergonis
  • About the Site: Breckenridge Park is a large suburban park along Spring Creek with wooded riparian areas, open fields, and ponds. In early spring, it serves as a stopover for migrants such as warblers and kinglets, while also hosting lingering winter residents like sparrows and woodpeckers.

April 25, 2026 – Residence Rick Wilder (Tentative Plans)

  • Leader: Rick Wilder
  • Time: To be added
  • Meeting Location: To be added
  • Target Birds: Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo and Spring Migrants
  • RSVP: Linda Ergonis
  • About the Site: Rick Wilder’s property includes Hill Country habitat favored by two of Texas’ most sought-after specialty birds: the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler and the Black-capped Vireo. Birders will also enjoy spring migrants passing through during this peak season.

May 15–22, 2026 – MaGee Marsh, Ohio (Tentative Plans)

  • Leader: Jacob Drapkin
  • RSVP: To be added
  • About the Site: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area on Lake Erie is world famous for its “Biggest Week in American Birding.” In May, thousands of warblers and other songbirds pass through on their journey north, often feeding at eye level. It is one of the premier birding experiences in North America.

September/October 2026 – Tanzania (Tentative Plans)

  • Organizer: Sam Crowe, Details to be announce
  • Target Birds: To be added
  • RSVP: To be added
  • About the Site: Tanzania offers some of the richest bird and wildlife experiences in the world. Habitats include savannas, wetlands, forests, and mountains. The trip will target East African specialties such as bee-eaters, turacos, hornbills, and storks, alongside iconic wildlife like lions, elephants, and giraffes.

 

Organized in 1980, Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society serves Collin County and surrounding counties. We invite you and your family to join us for a wide range of nature-oriented activities. Monthly meetings are scheduled the 4th Tuesday, 6:45 pm, September through November and January through May. They are free and open to the public. Programs are related to wildlife, ecology, conservation and of course, BIRDS!

PTAS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and chapter of the National Audubon Society.3