Birding in the Time of COVID

Female Baltimore oriole (photo by Stephen Ramirez)

The monthly bird walks began the year strong with a visit to the SMRF East Side Preserve in January and 26 guests coming out to the San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center in February. In April the bird walks began adapting the programming to the pandemic, which included three live streams from Stephen Ramirez and an additional live stream from Colton Robbins, both adopting novel methods of bringing birds and birding to social media and attracting new audiences. As social distancing normalized, a couple of bird “sits” brought us back to in-person events and segued to normal, albeit masked and socially-distanced, hikes. The natural areas with enough room to spread out, like Blanco Shoals and the wide paths along the San Marcos River, are conducive to social distancing and an invaluable asset to the community.

Written by Stephen Ramirez, SMGA member and bird walk leader.