The following is the Friends of Hagerman NWR Press Release.  For more information about these events, please email:  friendsofhagerman@gmail.com. All events are sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman and occur at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center:  6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX 75092, unless stated otherwise.

Volunteers Needed:

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Greeters

Meet and greet people from all over the world while giving out information about the refuge and wildlife.  Hand out maps and make sales in the Nature Nook.  Come and join our team!  For more information, please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.

Butterfly Garden 

Like digging in your garden?  Want to learn about native plants? Come join out Master Naturalists and Gardeners in maintaining the Butterfly Garden.  For more information on volunteering, please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details.

Outdoor Crew 

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Join the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.  The Outdoor Crew meets on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. Please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details and to join our team. Scouts welcome!

Activities & Events:

The Little Sit: September 7th, 2024, 6:30am Pad-H on the West side of Hagerman NWR

If you want to learn how to identify the birds of North Texas, the "Little Sit" is the perfect way to start.

Meet the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, a group of dedicated birders invite you to join them at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed. Leaders will bring spotting scopes and will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see.  This event lasts a couple of hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a chair, binoculars and water.

We meet on the first Saturday of each month, 30 minutes before sunrise to watch the birds come into the water and begin to feed. We usually stay out for 2-3 hours, but you are welcome for all or part of the Sit.

For more information, a map to Pad-H and to register to receive event updates (location changes, etc.) please register Friends of Hagerman NWR Foundation - The Little Sit Sunrise Bird Count (registering is recommended due to possible road closures or location change if roads are flooded). or email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.

GPS Coordinates to Pad-H: 33.734961, -96.780582

Free and open to the public, funded by donations. 

Photo Club Field Trip: Blackland Prairie Raptor Center: Saturday September 7, 6:30am – 9am.  THIS EVENT IS LIMITED TO FRIENDS OF HAGERMAN NWR NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB MEMBERS ONLY.  Registration is required to attend this event and fee is $25 per person for photo club members. Each person attending must register separately. Registration closes on 9/6/2024.  https://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_19f59686-0d7d-11ef-b2a8-0a3287177f03&WidgetId=70656, 

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, Brockdale Park, 1625 Brockdale Park Road, Lucas TX 75002

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (BPRC) is hosting a special event for our photo club. BPRC’s raptor ambassadors will be on display for you to photograph. The raptors will be tethered and perched on a natural setting or platform. This will allow for more natural photos, as typically the educational raptors are tethered and perched on a person’s gloved hand. You may be able to get as close at 6’ from the raptors.

All fees for this event go directly to BPRC to continue their conservation and rehabilitation of birds of prey. BPRC took in over 700 birds of prey in 2023! BPRC website is https://bpraptorcenter.org.

6:30 AM Gates open. Gates to Brockdale Park will open at 6:30 AM to allow you time to park and setup your equipment. Sunrise is forecasted to be at 7:05 AM. Brockdale Park is on the edge of Lavon Lake and provides a beautiful background for photos. You are welcome to walk around the park and take photos until the event concludes.

7:00 – 8:00 AM Raptors on display. Raptors will be on display starting at 7:00 AM for maximum one hour at various locations throughout Brockdale Park. There may be a Black Vulture, hawk, owl, American Kestrel, and/or Mississippi Kite. It is hard to predict what raptors will be available, as BPRC never forces a bird to do an event. Depends what mood the bird is in that morning!

9:00 AM Gates close. Be sure you are finished by 9:00 AM, as the park gates will be locked.

Cancellation

- No refunds for cancellations by the registrant or by the venue.

- If the event is canceled by BPRC because of weather, the event will be rescheduled. No refunds for registrants that cannot make the new date.

- If you register and then can no longer attend the event, please contact the event leader below.

FYI

- You can use tripods or monopods. Do not use any type of flash for the birds.

- The park has a large parking lot, BPRC gift shop, restrooms, and drinking fountain.

- The park is wheelchair accessible. There is a cement sidewalk that goes all around the park.

- Dogs are not allowed at this event.

Photo Club Membership -If you are interested in becoming a member, click https://friendsofhagerman.com/Membership.

BIOBLITZ!! Everyone Welcome!  Saturday, September 1^st from 6:30am to 1pm. The Bio Blitz is a free, one-of-a-kind opportunity for families, students, and all nature lovers to learn about plants and wildlife while helping scientists survey them.  Participants will team up with Texas Master Naturalists and other experts to search for and document as many plants and animals as possible at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.

Schedule:

6:30am Meet at H-pad for the Little Sit Bird Count.  Directions and more information about the Little Sit Bird Count can be found here:  https://friendsofhagerman.com/LittleSit

Several mobile phone Apps will be helpful when participating in a BioBlitz, all of the apps listed below are free.

To Record Birds for the BioBlitz:

Download the eBird App and create a free account. In the eBird App you may record the birds you identify, then report them to the BioBlitz.  For assistance with bird identification, download the Merlin App and install the bird pack named Texas, US. The experts with scopes will assist with bird identifications at The Little Sit.

To Record Plants and Other Wildlife for the BioBlitz:

Simply download the iNaturalist App and record your findings at the refuge on September 7th within the Hagerman NWR BioBlitz's Journal.  The iNaturalist SEEK App may also prove helpful in identifying plants and wildlife.

Learn More about iNaturalist at https://friendsofhagerman.com/05-2024-Flyer 

This is a come and go event.  We recommend bringing insect repellent and water.  The visitor center has a bottle refill station.  There is no food for sale at the refuge, but there is a covered area with tables at the Environmental Education Pavilion as well as a patio outside the visitor center where you eat your picnic lunch.

Early Bird Guided Walk. Come walk on the wild side with Jack Chiles! Saturday September 14 at 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead this Early Bird Walk, weather permitting.  Participants will view birds and wildlife along Harris Creek Trail, walking about two miles, and returning to the Visitor Center in time for the Second Saturday program. Register to receive event updates.  https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-5512335?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=9/14/2024

Second Saturday:  Saturday September 14 at 10:00 a.m.:  Fossils with Dr. Tom Stidham

The evolutionary origins of the nearly 11,000 species of living birds trace their origins back to dinosaurs nearly 200 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era. Many features people think of as uniquely bird traits (like feathers) actually have their origins among dinosaurs, and at the same time those traits demonstrate that birds are the most amazing branch of the dinosaur family tree. While birds intrigue, dazzle, and serenade us today, the evolutionary and fossil record shows us that many exciting and unexpected aspects of bird history and diversity extend back to the time before dinosaurs could fly.

Dr. Thomas Stidham is an evolutionary biologist and paleontologist who studies mostly bird evolution from their dinosaurian origins to today. In addition to his high profile work on birds, Tom’s broad natural history perspective also has resulted in research publications on insects, mammals, reptiles, plants, and much more, including lots of new species. After 12 years at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, he has returned to Texas to join Austin College where he hopes to engage an active student body in exciting courses, build a very productive research program with students, and continue his collaborations around the globe. Outside of traditional academia, he is working to build a robust science outreach program across North Texas that is a continuation of his years of successful outreach in China with schools, NGOs, and multilingual kids of all ages, including Girl Scouts.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Butterfly Garden Stroll:  September 7, 9am to 11am.  Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR with garden docents on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Refuge Rocks for Kids:  Saturday September 21, 10am to 11:30:  Beavers: Busy Builders.  We’re diving into the extraordinary lives of beavers; those adorable, yet fiercely independent, builders of the wild. Beavers, nature’s master builders, create entire worlds with their incredible skills. Without tools or machinery, they use their ever-growing front teeth to chop down trees, one bite at a time. Can you imagine having teeth that never stop growing? Beavers do, and that’s their secret to felling trees and creating dams.  Come out and join us for this youth program to learn about these amazing builders!  We’ll be learning about beavers through a short mini lesson, fun activities, and a craft.  Come join us on September 21 for a free class for youth ages 5-10.  Registration required:  https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-5672953

Free and open to the public. Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Tram Tours every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm (note new time).