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 2025 Virtual Birding SeminarsSpring 2025: March 4th @ 5:30 p.m. – Bird Behavior
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The funds raised through our virtual birding seminars support our youth program,
Rio Diablo Birding Camp.
Questions? Please email agrilife.birding@gmail.com.
If you are a Texas Master Naturalist, our educational seminars, birding trips, and some special events may count for Advanced Training! TMN AT Request Forms will be downloadable for all 2025 Virtual Birding Seminars.
Spring Virtual Behavior Seminar: Behavior – TMN AT Request Info – 2025
Waterfowl Week – TMN AT Request Info – 2025
WATERFOWL WEEK SEMINAR LINEUP
Monday, August 11 – Friday, August 15
Daily – Noon to 1 p.m.
Registration Fee: $35.00
Monday – August 11, 2025
Duck Identification
Wei -Wei Lin – Texas Game Warden
Presentation Summary
Duck identification!
Biography
Wei-Wei Lin began her career as a Texas Game Warden in Tarrant County, then moved to San Patricio County in the Corpus Christi District, where she spent the majority of the duck hunting season checking hunters in the bay. She also spent years in Guadalupe County before transferring to the Hill Country region. Before her career in conservation law enforcement, she was an intern with the Texas Game Wardens in Brazos County. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University in 2011. She had a focus on wildlife conservation and ornithology during her studies. She is an avid waterfowl hunter and has a passion for bird identification while in the field. She loves to educate and participate in outreach events which helps make hunting, fishing and other outdoor opportunities accessible to the public.
Tuesday – August 12, 2025
Waterfowl Research Highlight – Using GPS Transmitters and Thermal Drones to Monitor Mallard Broods
Abigail Butler – Graduate Student SUNY Brockport
Presentation Summary
Duckling survival plays a critical role in waterfowl population growth, but broods often use densely vegetated wetlands making them difficult to find and study. By using both GPS transmitters and drones equipped with thermal cameras, we have been able to locate and monitor mallard broods throughout the Northeastern United States and Canada. This technology will increase our understanding of brood survival and habitat use. While this research focuses on mallards, these methods could be applicable for monitoring other duck species across various landscapes.
Biography
Abbey Butler is a master’s student in the Environmental Science and Ecology Department at SUNY Brockport. Her master’s research focuses on the use of drones to study the brood-rearing ecology of mallards in the Atlantic Flyway. This work is a part of the Eastern Mallard Project, a collaborative study to determine potential drivers of mallard population change. Before graduate school, Abbey worked a variety of field technician jobs focusing on avian ecology and conservation, including a position as a migratory game bird technician for New York State.
Wednesday – August 13, 2025
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Beneficial to Waterfowl
Birttany Chesser – Aquatic Vegetation management Program Specialist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Presentation Summary
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) plays a vital role in providing food and habitat for waterfowl, particularly during migration and overwintering periods. This presentation will highlight key SAV species that are beneficial to waterfowl, their ecological functions, and strategies to promote their growth in managed impoundments. Participants will gain insight into species identification, ideal growing conditions, and management practices that support SAV communities.
Biography
Brittany is the Aquatic Vegetation Management Program Specialist for Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service with statewide duties include providing technical expertise on aquatic vegetation management to the public through identifying plant species, recommending correct management practices, developing outreach materials, and maintaining the AquaPlant website. In 2022, she served as President for the Texas Aquatic Plant Management Society and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the national Aquatic Plant Management Society.
Thursday – August 14, 2025
Wetland Ecosystem Services – Serving People, and Wildlife
Tayor Abshier – Regional Biologist
Ducks Unlimited
Presentation Summary
Wetlands are often overlooked, yet they quietly perform some of the most critical functions in our environment. In this presentation, we’ll explore how these ecosystems naturally clean our water, reduce the impact of floods and storms, store carbon, and recharge aquifers services that translate into billions of dollars in annual savings. We’ll also dive into the ecological importance of wetlands for wildlife and marine organisms, including their role in addressing the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of America, showing how wetlands truly serve both people and nature.
Biography
Taylor Abshier earned his B.S. In Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A & M University – Kingsville in May 2015. He has been with Ducks Unlimited for over nine years, where he began his career managing the Texas Prairie Wetlands Project – a private lands program focused on developing wetland habitat for wintering waterfowl. Throughout his time with Ducks Unlimited, Taylor has helped facilitate the development of over 25,000 acres of wetland habitat. In 2022, he transitioned into his current role as a Regional Biologist, where he works closely with state, federal and NGO partners to restore and enhance wetland ecosystems on public lands. His project experience includes levee construction, beneficial use of dredge material, coastal island restoration, and irrigation infrastructure projects across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Friday – August 15, 2025
From Coastal Texas, to the Arctic, and Everywhere In-Between: Tracking and Monitoring Waterfowl for Conservation
Joseph McGovern – Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Presentation Summary
In the field of waterfowl and wetlands research, technology is revealing new insights into the movements and behavior of waterfowl, which can be used to inform conservation. In this presentation, I will discuss some of the new research coming out of the Waterfowl and Wetland Birds Lab here in Kingsville, including the movements of northern pintail, cackling geese, and monitoring waterfowl using autonomous recording units.
Biography
I am a graduate research assistant for the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville, Texas, studying the movement ecology of waterbirds, including northern pintails, reddish egrets, tricolored herons, and great egrets. Growing up hunting, fishing, and birding in my home state of Iowa fueled a passion for science and conservation, which led me to pursue an undergrad in Animal Ecology at Iowa State University. My ultimate goal is to become a research scientist and professor. When not doing research, I enjoy birding, hunting, and fishing, and spending time with my wife and cat.