Date: Friday, December 11TH
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Clay Cup Studios, 2219 Post Office St, Galveston, TX 77550
Cost: $33 – This activity is NOT eligible for the GINTC member discount, nor early bird pricing

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Get creative while celebrating Galveston’s favorite winter visitors! Join Clay Cup Studios for a special Holiday with the Cranes evening and paint your own Sandhill Crane ceramic mug.

No experience is necessary—Clay Cup Studios will guide you through the process. The $33 cost includes your ceramic mug, paints, glazing and firing, and instruction. Clay Cup Studios will donate 20% of each featured Sandhill Crane project purchase to the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Just bring yourself and your creativity!
 All materials and supplies are provided.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Registration and payment for this activity are handled directly through Clay Cup Studios. Participants must register through the Clay Cup Studios website rather than through GINTC.  Use the button below to register.

Completed mugs will be glazed and fired after the event and WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP UNTIL SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 13. 

Can’t make the Friday evening event? The Sandhill Crane mug will also be available as a walk-in project at Clay Cup Studios through February, with 20% of each featured Sandhill Crane project purchase benefiting GINTC.

Date: Saturday, December 12
Time: 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Location: Private Nature Preserve on Galveston Island’s West End
Driving directions to the meeting site will be emailed prior to the event.
Ticket Price: $50 – GINTC members receive a 10% discount

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Dr. Alice Anne O’Donell, Greg Whittaker, and Lisa Hardcastle will lead this small-group outing to an observation platform overlooking a historic Sandhill Crane roosting area. Past counts have ranged as high as 100 to 250 cranes.

As daylight arrives, participants may watch the cranes awaken, vocalize, dance, interact, and take flight. Other possible sightings include pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, ibis, herons, ducks, grebes, rails, sparrows, raptors, and shorebirds.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Binoculars, if you have them; spotting scopes will be provided
 Clothing appropriate for cool, early-morning conditions
 Comfortable shoes suitable for an outdoor nature preserve
 Camera, if desired; tripods cannot be accommodated on the observation platform

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This outing takes place on private property and is limited to registered participants. A separate waiver must be completed prior to participation.

Wildlife sightings and the number of Sandhill Cranes present vary with natural conditions.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 1 Hour AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

General registration opens October 19.

SPECIAL GUEST: Trey Barron, Regional Nongame Biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife

Date: Saturday, December 12
Time:
Breakfast & Presentation 8:00am – 10:00am
Crane Crawl 10:00am – 11:30am
Ticket Price: $45, 10% discount for GINTC members

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Trey Barron, Regional Nongame Biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife, will be presenting at Coffee & Cranes. He will be discussing “Sandhill Cranes and Conservation on the Texas Coast” and highlighting conservation efforts for these wonderful winter residents.

After the breakfast and program, weather permitting, participants will head out on Holiday with the Crane’s signature Crane Crawl. This self-driving tour to crane hotspots will be a real-time opportunity to see Sandhills as they forage and play. You will be given a map and directions. Multiple viewing areas will be outfitted with spotting scopes and experienced birders will be on hand to assist and answer questions. Bring binoculars if you have them.

Coffee and a light breakfast will be served.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 2 Hours AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

MEET THE PRESENTER:

Trey Barron is a Regional Nongame Biologist for Regions IV and V with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) based in Victoria, Texas. Since joining TPWD in 2011, Trey has worked across diverse Texas ecosystems, from the High Plains of the Panhandle to the coastal prairies. Currently, his work centers on managing Species of Greatest Conservation Need and collaborating with private landowners to conserve and restore wildlife habitat, with a special emphasis on birds and herpetofauna. Trey earned both his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and Master of Science in Biology from West Texas A&M University. Trey is especially passionate about working with landowners to incorporate wildlife habitat management into working agricultural landscapes. His conservation efforts have included habitat restoration projects and work to protect and improve habitat for coastal birds and other species of conservation concern.

General registration opens October 19.

Date: Saturday, December 12
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Galveston Island’s East End
This is a meet-at-site trip, with participants traveling between birding locations in their own vehicles. Driving directions and meeting information will be emailed prior to the event.
Ticket Price: $40 – GINTC members receive a 10% discount

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Join American Bird Conservancy’s Anna Deichmann and Sarah Belles for an afternoon exploring some of Galveston Island’s best East End birding locations. From shoreline and tidal flats to lagoon, marsh, and wooded habitat, this outing offers a chance to experience the variety of habitats that make the East End an important place for birds.

The group will visit Big Reef and East End Lagoon, followed by additional birding at Apffel Road or Corps Woods, depending on conditions. Participants will travel between locations in their own vehicles.

Possible sightings include shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, gulls, terns, raptors, and wintering songbirds. Each stop offers a different habitat and an opportunity to see another side of Galveston’s winter birdlife.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Binoculars, if you have them
 Clothing appropriate for winter afternoon conditions
 Comfortable, sturdy shoes suitable for natural surfaces and uneven terrain
 Water and personal necessities

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This is a meet-at-site outing, and participants will need their own vehicle to travel between birding locations. The group may caravan between stops, and the final itinerary may vary based on weather, bird activity, and site conditions.

A porta potty is available at the East End Lagoon; however, restroom facilities will be limited during this trip.

Participants should be prepared for walking on natural and potentially uneven surfaces. Wildlife sightings vary with natural conditions.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 3 Hours AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

General registration opens October 19.

Date: Saturday, December 12th
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Location: Hall’s Bayou Ranch
Participants will travel by bus from Galveston Island. Driving directions to the meeting site will be emailed prior to the event.
Ticket Price: $100 – GINTC members receive a 10% discount

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Join Galveston Island State Park Superintendent, Kyle O’Haver, for an afternoon exploring Hall’s Bayou Ranch, a 25,000-acre private property normally open only to members. Its mix of freshwater and saltwater habitats, native grasses, live oak, and marsh provides habitat for an impressive variety of wintering and resident birds.

Possible sightings include Fulvous Whistling-Duck, geese, Wood Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Canvasback, Virginia Rail, Bald Eagle, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Grasshopper Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, LeConte’s Sparrow, Sandhill Cranes, and other waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds.

Hall’s Bayou Ranch has a long history of habitat management and conservation. Extensive beds of wild celery attract large numbers of wintering waterfowl, while the property’s location within the western Galveston Bay estuary provides important habitat for both resident and migratory birds.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Binoculars, if you have them
 Clothing appropriate for afternoon and early-evening conditions
 Comfortable shoes suitable for outdoor conditions
 Water and personal necessities for a five-hour outing

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This outing includes round-trip bus transportation from Galveston Island.  Participants will board the bus at 1:00 p.m. and return at approximately 6:30 p.m. Directions to the meeting location will be emailed prior to the event.  There is no bathroom available within Hall’s Bayou. Restrooms will be available at the beginning and end of the trip but not during the trip.

Access to Hall’s Bayou Ranch is by special permission. Wildlife sightings vary with natural conditions.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 5.5 Hours AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

General registration opens October 19.

Date: Saturday, December 12
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (during ArtWalk)
Location: Clay Cup Studios, 2219 Postoffice St, Galveston, TX 77550
Cost: $89 – This activity is NOT eligible for the GINTC member discount, nor early bird pricing

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Celebrate Galveston’s Sandhill Cranes with an evening of art at Clay Cup Studios! Participants will create a 10″ × 20″ mixed-media canvas combining painting with glass, beads, and other materials for added texture and dimension.

No experience is necessary. Clay Cup Studios will guide you through the process. The $89 cost includes your canvas, all mixed-media materials, instruction, and optional resin finishing. Clay Cup Studios will donate 20% of each featured Sandhill Crane project purchase to the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council.

This special Holiday with the Cranes collaboration takes place during ArtWalk, when galleries, shops, cafés, and other downtown businesses welcome visitors for one of Galveston’s popular monthly arts events. Please plan ahead for ArtWalk. Downtown Galveston will be especially busy and crowded that evening, with increased pedestrian activity and visitors throughout the downtown area. Allow additional time for parking and getting to Clay Cup Studios.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Just bring yourself and your creativity!
 All materials and supplies are provided.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Registration and payment for this activity are handled directly through Clay Cup Studios. Participants must register through the Clay Cup Studios website rather than through GINTC.  Use the button below to register.

Participants who do not choose resin finishing may take their artwork home that evening. Pieces finished with resin must remain at Clay Cup Studios to cure and will NOT be available for pickup until Sunday morning, December 13.

Please plan ahead for ArtWalk. Downtown Galveston will be especially busy and crowded that evening, with increased pedestrian activity and visitors throughout the downtown area. Allow additional time for parking and getting to Clay Cup Studios.

Date: Sunday, December 13th
Time: 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Location: Private Nature Preserve on Galveston Island’s West End
Driving directions to the meeting site will be emailed prior to the event.
Ticket Price: $50 – GINTC members receive a 10% discount

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Dr. Alice Anne O’Donell, Greg Whittaker, and Lisa Hardcastle will lead this small-group outing to an observation platform overlooking a historic Sandhill Crane roosting area. Past counts have ranged as high as 100 to 250 cranes.

As daylight arrives, participants may watch the cranes awaken, vocalize, dance, interact, and take flight. Other possible sightings include pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, ibis, herons, ducks, grebes, rails, sparrows, raptors, and shorebirds.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Binoculars, if you have them; spotting scopes will be provided
 Clothing appropriate for cool, early-morning conditions
 Comfortable shoes suitable for an outdoor nature preserve
 Camera, if desired; tripods cannot be accommodated on the observation platform

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This outing takes place on private property and is limited to registered participants. A separate waiver must be completed prior to participation.

Wildlife sightings and the number of Sandhill Cranes present vary with natural conditions.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 1 Hour AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

General registration opens October 19.

Date: Sunday, December 13
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Location: Sweetwater Nature Preserve, Galveston Island
Driving directions and meeting information will be emailed prior to the event.
Ticket Price: $40 – GINTC members receive a 10% discount

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Explore one of Galveston Island’s private natural areas with Lisa Hardcastle, who leads the monthly Birds Houston Urban Survey at Sweetwater Nature Preserve. GINTC has received special permission from the Galveston Bay Foundation to access the preserve during Holiday with the Cranes, giving participants an opportunity to experience a property not normally open to the general public. This 464-acre property contains a mixture of habitats including coastal prairie, estuarine marsh, salt flats, freshwater and brackish wetlands, and coastal woodlots.

Drawing on her experience conducting regular surveys at Sweetwater, Lisa will guide participants in searching for the wintering, resident, and other birds that use the preserve’s habitats.

The morning will begin near the observation tower, where participants will walk short trails and scan the surrounding habitat from and around the tower for shorebirds, songbirds and raptors. The group will then travel a short distance to a second area of the preserve to explore a longer trail along brackish wetlands ideal for spotting wading birds, waterfowl and shorebirds.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Binoculars, if you have them
 Clothing appropriate for cool, early-morning conditions
 Comfortable, sturdy shoes suitable for trails and uneven terrain
 Water and personal necessities

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Sweetwater Preserve is private property and is not normally accessible to the general public. Access for this outing is by special permission and is limited to registered participants.

There are no restrooms available at the preserve. Participants should be prepared for walking on natural, uneven terrain. A separate waiver must be completed prior to participation.

Wildlife sightings vary with natural conditions.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 2.5 Hours AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

General registration opens October 19.

Date: Sunday, December 13th
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Bacon Ranch and Galveston Island’s West End
Participants will travel by bus to Bacon Ranch and other West End destinations. Driving directions to the meeting site will be emailed prior to the event.
Ticket Price: $50 – GINTC members receive a 10% discount

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Join FeatherFest field trip leader and local guide Greg Whittaker for a morning exploring Galveston Island’s West End. Participants will meet on Galveston Island and travel by bus to Bacon Ranch, a private property not accessible to the general public. GINTC has received special permission to visit the property during Holiday with the Cranes, providing a unique opportunity to explore its habitat and wildlife. Participants should be prepared to walk over uneven terrain and encounter other natural obstacles, particularly while visiting Bacon Ranch.

After birding Bacon Ranch, we will continue by bus to several favorite West End birding locations with viewing access of freshwater ponds, coastal marshes, bay waters, and shoreline habitats providing opportunities to see a variety of wintering birds.

Possible sightings include Sandhill Cranes, ducks, hawks, White-tailed Kite, sandpipers, gulls, terns, American Oystercatcher, Piping, Snowy and Black-bellied Plovers, American Avocet, godwits, curlews, and other wintering species.

This outing is designed for birders of all skill levels.

WHAT TO BRING:
 Binoculars, if you have them
 Clothing appropriate for winter morning conditions
 Comfortable, sturdy shoes suitable for uneven terrain
 Water and personal necessities

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Participants should be prepared to walk over uneven terrain and encounter other natural obstacles, particularly while visiting Bacon Ranch. An additional waiver may be required to participate in this outing.

Restrooms will be available at the beginning and end of this trip but not during the trip.

This outing includes bus transportation between birding locations. Wildlife sightings vary with natural conditions.

This activity has been approved for Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist 3.5 Hours AT Training Credit: GINTC Sponsored

General registration opens October 19.