Spring Creek Christmas Bird Count Saturday Dec 17th -- wanna help?

[Claire Moore]

Hi, all!  Christmas Bird Counts are coming up.  I'd like to invite y'all to come out & help with the Spring Creek CBC on Saturday Dec 17th.  I've attached a map to show you where it is & the teams that we have going out for it.  We'd love to have you join in.  Let me know if you wanna join any teams.  

Damien & Caroline help me lead the Hooks Airport team.  If you care to join, meet us as follows:  

• Meet at Hooks airport parking lot at 7 a.m. located on Stuebner-Airline just south of FM 2920. A good address for GPS should be: 20799 Stuebner Airline Rd, Spring, TX 77379
  
• We bird Hooks airport, Doerre Road, David Klein’s property on Spring-Cypress Rd, several areas in Windrose, WCID 132 Water Conservation Demonstration Garden/Park.
  

Rob Comstock helps JoJo Bradbury lead the Woodlands team.  If you care to join, meet them as follows:

• Meet at 7 a.m. in the Woodlands at Creekside West Trailhead located at the end of Dr. Anne Snyder Drive, Tomball, TX 77375 (GPS coordinates 30.148326, -95.563525). Or, navigate to Dr Ann Snyder Drive @ Creekside Forest Drive, Woodlands, and drive just a quarter mile down Dr. Ann Snyder Drive to the parking lot for the trailhead.
• They will bird Creekside Park West (Spring Creek Nature Trail), Lake Woodlands North & South, Bear Branch Lake, Lakeside Park   
  

Krien VerBerkmoes leads a team at Jones State Forest -- if you want to see the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, that is the place for you!  To join, meet them as follows:

• Meet at the after hours parking area for Jones State Forest at 7 a.m. This little grass & gravel parking area is just 100 yards west of the Jones State Forest office and their paved parking lot. The headquarters is at 1328 FM-1488, Conroe, TX 77384 and the after hours parking lot is just 100 yards west of there. In general, this is located between Conroe & The Woodlands on FM 1488 1.5 miles west of I45.
• They will bird Jones Forest on the north & south side of 1488.  
  

Kris Linberk leads the Mercer, Pundt, Spring Creek Greenway team -- this team also does owling at 5 a.m. -- nice if you want to try and see (or hear) our owls.  Meeting details are:

• Owling group will meet at 5 a.m. sharp at Pundt Park entrance gate at 4129 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373. Group will be let in & gates closed behind, so make sure to arrive early.
• Non-owling group will meet at 8 a.m. at the west side Mercer Botanic Garden parking lot. A good address for GPS should be: 22235 Aldine Westfield Rd, Humble, TX 77338
  
• They will cover the area on the east side of IH 45 up to San Jacinto River including Mercer Arboretum, Pundt Park, Dennis Johnston County Park, and Spring Creek Nature Center. 
  

I've got a new couple (Carl & Mindee Poldrack) that is going to try and find birds in the northeast part of the circle -- it'll be an adventure!!  

I am providing two leaders for the ExxonMobil campus at the center of the CBC circle -- requires guest pass to get on the campus.  The ExxonMobil Spring Campus has been working for years on Wildlife Habitat Conservation.  They will bird along the trails through the woodland habitat at the edge of the campus as well as the detention ponds landscaped for wildlife. I've got Hunter Hammil leading one team.  And Scott Johnsguard & Shannon Morrison leading another team.  If anyone would like to bird on the ExxonMobil campus, I can get another couple folks in as co-leaders (don't worry -- you know your birds well enough).  Just let me know and I'll get you a guest pass to be able to get on the campus.  

For the adventurous folks, I also have David Henderson leading the Kayak portion of the CBC.  Assuming the water levels stay down, he'll lead a group as follows:

• 2022: Plan to kayak San Jacinto River (West Fork) from 242 bridge to area past 99 bridge. If the put-in area is too muddy or water is too high, will change to backup plan. 
  Backup Plan: Will bird Lake Holcomb Recreation Area near The Falls of Imperial Oaks. Meeting place is the parking lot for Imperial Promenade Park located at 5912 Imperial Promenade Dr.  
  
• Coordinate with David Henderson (281-827-3729) -- either meet at 242 put-in to kayak or meet at Lake Holcomb Recreation Area parking lot at 5912 Imperial Promenade Dr
  

Hope some of y'all can join in!  We need more eyes & ears.  Let me know.  

             -- Claire