What is CITIZEN SCIENCE ?

It's you and me observing, recording and sharing observations to catalog all that lives on Planet Earth

2026 City Nature Challenge? Click here

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Busy-Birding's 2026 CNC events

Click here

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TALKS - Free !

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Bioblitzes, FUN data collection events - Free !
... although you do have to pay Lost Maples SNA admission (4/26)

... and while free, you have to preregister for Love Creek (4/27)

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Reviews

PP, San Antonio - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Thanks for the update, Laura! Enjoyed Love Creek!

SD, San Antonio - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

I loved my time with you and can't wait to go back to Lost Maples!

RN - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Thank you again for leading and guiding the day!! I know everyone learned a lot and it was fun to see our Love Creek guests get excited about the different things they were seeing and observing 😊 Great work!!

DF, Utopia - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Woohoo!!!! Thanks Laura, for helping to make this such a successful event at Lost Maples

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City Nature Challenge : Bioblitz Reviews

JW, San Antonio - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

You are such awesome sauce!!!

PP, San Antonio - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Thanks for the update, Laura! Enjoyed Love Creek!

CR, Kerrville - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

THANK YOU for helping us make this event a success! It was informative and fun!!

I loved the enthusiasm from everyone- especially the junior naturalists

RN - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Thank you again for leading and guiding the day!! I know everyone learned a lot and it was fun to see our Love Creek guests get excited about the different things they were seeing and observing 😊 Great work!!

KO, Rocksprings TX - 2024 City Nature Challenge

Thank you so much, we really enjoyed the day. Great to be around other nature geeks.

RS, Bandera TX - 2024 City Nature Challenge

Thank you thank you for putting this bioblitz together! I super appreciate your dedication to making us winners (City Nature Challenge National Champs) and to helping everyone get out and appreciate nature. I had a great time and learned so much from you.

BN, TX - 2024 City Nature Challenge

Thank you for coordinating the blitz yesterday!! That was awesome and everyone really enjoyed it!

PC Family, Kerrville TX - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Thank you, for leading our group this passed Saturday. My husband joined us, and as a family we had the best time observing and learning about all the things we found. We were out every day right up until midnight on Monday taking picture of the moths around our porch lights. Haha! The four of us combined ended up with just over 1,000 observations! Our son surpassed his goal of 200 and finished with 311.

Thank you again. We can’t wait for next year!

RN, Medina TX (2025) - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Thank you again for leading and guiding the day!! I know everyone learned a lot and it was fun to see our guests get excited about the different things they were seeing and observing 😊 Great work!!

DF, Utopia - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Woohoo!!!! Thanks Laura, for helping to make this such a successful event.

SR, San Antonio - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

I loved my time with you and can't wait to go back to Lost Maples!

EE, Houston - 2025 City Nature Challenge bioblitz

Congratulations !!!!!!

Marveling at this … love your and your team’s enthusiasm for and love of the nature challenge!!

Christmas Bird Counts

In 1900, Frank Chapman had this novel idea to count birds instead of shooting them. Worldwide, >10,000 participants look for birds in >2,600 circles in all 50 states and >20 countries mid-Dec to early Jan of each season www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count/history-christmas-bird-count

Dec 2025 - Jan 2026

a. Garner State Park ~ 80 species

This count was revived last year after 49-year hiatus. With more birders – and maybe birds? – we saw an increase from 50+ to 80-ish species! Green-winged Teal, White-tailed Kite, Golden Eagle, Harris Hawk, Merlin, White-eyed Vireo, Green Jay, Marsh Wren, Black-and-white Warbler and Summer Tanager were just some that were recorded.

b. West Kerr County ~ 89 species

On a rare TX-cold day with a high in the mid-40’s, a Belted Kingfisher led us to a Red-Tailed Hawk, pair of Immature Bald Eagles, an Osprey and Meadowlarks all at we were still treated to near the Hunt Store at Schumacher's crossing. Later we got great views of a Merlin. This was also our first trip to Hwy 39 along the Guadalupe River since the July flood. Dramatic.

c. Boerne – 97 species

We did see last year’s Solitary Sandpiper again

d. Love Creek / Medina – still pending

BIG THANKS

.... to all the organizers, birders and compilers whom without none of this 126th Annual CBC would be possible!

What is a Christmas Bird Count? Click here

Can you ID each bird? Answer key

Awesome bird cover art by Jessica Blank,

https://jessicablank.threadless.com

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Dec 2024-Jan 2025

Our personal stats -

• 5 different counts

• 8 locations

• 88 different species

• a record 80+ degree day

• ...and countless fun!

Christmas Bird Count : Reviews

IR, San Antonio - 2025 Bird Count

Laura, thank you for guiding us and teaching me so much at this year's count. I have been sharing how wonderful you all were during the count and the awe inspiring encounters with birds. Thank you for sharing some of your pictures with us, too.

Thank you for re-inspiring me to get out there.

CC, TX - 2025 Bird Count

It was great to meet you and go out birding and butterflying for the day. I know that A and C had a great time as well. We all learned a lot, and enjoyed the day afield with you. I look forward to seeing you in the future!

Still need more challenges????

The Butterfly and Plant ID Challenges are our own creation focused on species in the Texas Hill Country.

But Texas is B-I-G. Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD), has created Bird Bingo cards for 9 different regions in the Lone Star State.

Find your region - or try them all - at https://www.texasbirdbingo.com.

Bird Bingo from Texas Parks and Wildlife

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In conjunction with the annual Love Creek Butterfly Count, we teamed up with the Medina Community Library to count the butterflies onsite and inspire young lepidopterists ! Here is YOUR chance to do as the kids did -

• Check off each butterfly you find

• Keep a tally if you wish for each species

• Consult a field guide to identify each species

Click on either image to download both pages

Click here to see the same sheet with each species identified

ID CHALLENGE / SCAVENGER HUNT

Butterflies

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One of the most beautiful gardens is at the Medina River Oaks Courts, who hosts our 2nd Saturday Nature Talks. Stroll the gardens and see which flowers you can find and identify in the garden. It's a perfect activity after a coffee, breakfast or lunch in the Art House Cafe. Or, come on out and enjoy the dinner, sunset and a stroll through the garden after a relaxing dinner and music on the patio. The garden is installed and carefully watched by Medina Garden Nursery on the other side of downtown Medina. Less than a mile away, feel free to drop in on Yshmael to learn more about these plants - and take a few home for your own garden.

Click on any image to download the challenge. Plant names are listed on the 4th page.

Plants and Flowers

Since the butterflies were scarce this year, for the kids' event, we are posted pictures of butterflies in the library garden. This 'scavenger hunt' will ensure they find butterflies - both our planted ones as well as any that happen to fly in on their own. We designed the activity for all ages and it was FUN FUN FUN ... and educational. Only one design flaw - we let the kids loose in the garden BEFORE revealing our game plan. After the first few butterflies were ripped off the trees, we started over with instructions on identifying the butterflies rather than collecting them. At the end of the event, we had them collect them - which cut down on our clean up time :>

Seriously, both kids and adults were totally engaged in finding, counting and identifying those butterflies. Oh...and eating those wonderfully and hand-decorated butterfly cookies afterwards. The event couldn't have gone better and we couldn't be prouder !

2025 ABA Butterfly Count : JUNE 5, 2025

hosted by Love Creek Preserve and Medina Community Library

... and some of the real butterflies our team found that day at 3 other locations

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Butterfly Counts - 2024 Results

North American Butterfly Association Count

Kerrville's 20th Annual Count - 7/18

47 Species with 1,120 individuals recorded by 10 observers in 20 field hours

North American Butterfly Association Count

Boerne - 6/26

37 Species with 663 individuals recorded by 23 observers in 22 field hours

North American Butterfly Association Count

The Nature Conservancy's Love Creek Preserve

Medina - 6/6, Team leader

Record 75 Species with 2,510 individual and record number of 65 participants !

This count consistently ranks as one of the BEST in TEXAS!