Birds, Binoculars, and Big Smiles

2025 San Marcos Migratory Bird Festival

Niki Lake with Dick McBride

Migratory Bird Festival Draws a Crowd

Our fourth annual Migratory Bird Festival, held May 10 at the San Marcos Discovery Center, brought in 392 attendees—up from 275 last year! It was our first festival as a Bird City Texas community, and we celebrated in a big way.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Terracon Consultants—supporting us for the second year in a row—we were able to host The Wild Center of Texas and their remarkable raptor ambassadors: Kazakh, a striking Saker Falcon, Moka, a Common Buzzard, and Owlbert, the wide-eyed Eurasian Eagle Owl.

One of this year’s new features was our Bird Day Youth Art Contest, which received 71 entries. The winning artwork will become the official sticker for next year’s festival! A flipbook of the entries can be viewed here.

Festivalgoers also got to explore a wide range of nature-focused activities and exhibits, many presented by our Bird City Collaborative partners, including:

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance
San Marcos River Foundation
Hays County Master Naturalist
Texas State Wildlife Society
Research Rangers (Texas State University and Hays County Master Naturalist)
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Texas Outdoor Family
Keep San Marcos Beautiful - Habitat Stewardship Program

**Amanda Haverland, PhD (Texas State University)** and **Brenna Calhoun (Hays County Master Naturalist)** led bird walks throughout the day, giving attendees a chance to spot and learn about local birdlife.

Special thanks to **Stephen Ramirez** for providing loaner binoculars that helped bring those feathered friends into focus.

Photo courtesy Niki Lake

From crafts and natural history displays to our migration obstacle course, seeding activity, osprey fishing game, birding lane, bird hero pledge, and “Bird: Friend or Foe?” game—there was something for everyone.

**Another festival favorite? Freebies!**

Thanks to **Visit San Marcos**, attendees went home with a Bird City Texas – San Marcos sticker (featuring a Yellow-crowned Night Heron in jean shorts by local artist **Rene Perez**) and a copy of **Texas Bird Bingo**.

Both giveaways are available at the Discovery Center while supplies last.

Photo courtesy Niki Lake

This joyful day of community connection and bird appreciation wouldn’t have been possible without the help of more than 20 volunteers—many of them Hays County Master Naturalists—who generously shared their time, energy, and love of nature.

2025 San Marcos Migratory Bird Festival

Migratory Bird Festival Draws a Crowd

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