Meet the Team

Staff

Dr. Maureen Frank is an Assistant Professor & Extension Wildlife Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Originally from Colorado, she has a B.S. from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from Utah State University, where she studied eared grebes and phalaropes staging at Great Salt Lake. As an Extension Specialist, she leads outreach programs that connect people to their local natural resources. Dr. Frank is an “opportunistic birder” who is easily distracted by herps!

Favorite local bird: Vermillion flycatcher

Favorite birding spot: Uvalde National Fish Hatchery

Favorite local food: Mexican street corn

Local must-see: Frio Bat Flight

Emily Grant is a 4-H County Extension Agent in Gillespie County and our Birding with Extension Program Coordinator. Originally from Springtown, Texas she graduated from Texas A&M University. Emily has dedicated her career to education, first as an agriculture science teacher and now as a county agent who has a passion for the sheep and goat industry. As a county agent, she leads youth education programs in agriculture and natural resources. Given the choice, Emily prefers looking at sheep and goats over birds; however, she learned that she is a good spotter and has grown to enjoy going out with our birders and learning!

Favorite local bird: Painted bunny (the first time I saw a painted bunting I thought Mrs. Bader told me it was called a painted bunny and it’s just stuck)

Favorite birding spot: Devils River State Natural Area

Favorite local food: Steak

Local must-see: Bats at Old Tunnel State Park

 Liz Tidwell is a Program Aide with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Uvalde. She is originally from Pennsylvania where she grew up watching birds in her backyard. After high school, she moved to Wyoming to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from University of Wyoming. For her Master’s Degree at Sul Ross State University, Liz researched ecology of Montezuma Quail in Capitan Mountains, New Mexico. In her current position, Liz conducts bird surveys and herp surveys as part of research projects that help landowners manage and understand wildlife. She also helps with youth and adult outreach programs.

Favorite local bird: Montezuma quail

Favorite birding spot: A deer blind!

Favorite local food: Deer steaks

“Local” must-see: The Window in Big Bend National Park

Kaitlyn Restivo is a Master’s student in Dr. Frank’s lab and is researching how to best help landowners manage habitat through outreach programs. Kaitlyn didn’t know she was a bird nerd until college. She attended Texas Tech University for her undergraduate degree and it wasn’t until an entry-level Natural Resource Management class that she became inspired to make a career out of her love of the outdoors and animals. Her interest in birds sparked during a study abroad in Costa Rica. After graduating, Kaitlyn accepted a job in Houston as an environmental specialist for an environmental consulting company. While she learned so much, there was always something missing. Kaitlyn knew she belonged in education and outreach, so she decided to make a change. Kaitlyn is so excited to get back to her passion of birds, education and outreach, and photography! You can find her on Instagram @eat_pray_adventure.

Favorite local bird: Green jay

Favorite birding spot: Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

Favorite local food: Shrimp tacos

“Local” must-see: Garner State Park

Dani Miller is currently studying conservation social science as a graduate student in the Serenari Lab at Texas State University. She previously worked as a wildlife biologist at the Stiles Farm Foundation for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and a minor in Tourism Management from Texas A&M University and first became interested in birding while working there as an undergraduate assistant for Dr. John Tomeček on his bobwhite quail PhD research in the Rolling Plains. Dani is planning to pursue a career that combines her interests in wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation, and sustainable tourism, with particular focus on developing small-scale recreation experiences that educate visitors, benefit local communities, and encourage the implementation of wildlife habitat management efforts by participating landowners and managers. When not looking up for birds while out in the field, Dani can be found looking down for herps.

Favorite local birds: Green heron, common nighthawk

Favorite birding spot: Ozark National Scenic Riverways in southern Missouri

Favorite local food: Brisket eggs benny

“Local” must-see: Wintering bald eagles along the Colorado River near Lake Buchanan (try the Vanishing Texas River Cruise!)

Guides

Bryan Calk is a professional birding and nature tour guide for NatureScape Tours. He started birding in his backyard at Fort Clark Springs in south Texas at the age of 10 and never stopped! He was fortunate enough to be helped in his early years by two strongly encouraging mentors, whom he considers his “best birds” of all. After graduating from Texas A&M with a B.S. in Genetics, Bryan worked as an avian biologist on several projects across Texas. He now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he works as an avian and bat field biologist and environmental consultant. Bryan has led field trips for Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, Texas Ornithological Society, Western Field Ornithologists, and numerous local Audubon Societies. He is beloved by the Birding with Extension team for his enthusiasm, dedication, and patience! In his free time, Bryan enjoys butterfly watching, learning Odonata identification, searching for herps, and photography. You can find him on Instagram as @pauraque.

Favorite “local” bird: Common pauraque

Favorite birding spot: Santa Ana NWR

Favorite food: Pie

“Local” must-see: Big Bend National Park

Laura Keene is an avid birder and photographer currently residing in the Texas Hill Country. A clinical pharmacist by profession, her passion for birding was sparked during high school summer field biology when she saw an indigo bunting. In 2016, Laura followed her dream and did an ABA Big Year, in which she traveled to all corners of the continent to set a record of 792 photographed species. She was one of four birders that year to break Neil Hayward’s 2013 record. She is the former photo editor of The Ohio Cardinal, and her wildlife photography has been published in multiple outlets.

Favorite local bird: Black-capped vireo

Favorite birding spot: Estero Llano Grande State Park

Favorite food: Cilantro cream enchiladas

Local must-see: Frio bat flight or Kickapoo Cavern bat flight

Martina Nordstrand has been interested in nature her entire life and has been a serious birder since she was 13. She is currently working towards a degree in Wildlife Biology and hopes to have a lifelong career studying and teaching others about birds. She is a regional vice president of the Carolina Bird Club and has led birding trips for several local organizations. Aside from birds, she loves native plants and butterflies.

Favorite local bird: Impossible to choose, but scaled quail and peregrine falcon are two!

Favorite birding spot: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge or Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina

Favorite local food: Fajitas!

“Local” must-see: Big Bend National Park

Bill Sain has birded all over the U.S. as well as Central and South America over the last 25 years.  He has served as a director and/or officer of a number of birding- and conservation-related organizations including Bexar Audubon Society (the National Audubon Chapter in the San Antonio area), where he served as Outings Chair, Treasurer, and President.  Bill helped found the Texas Audubon Society and the Texas Master Naturalist program and is currently in his 6^th year on the board of the American Birding Association.  In addition to leading field trips for Bexar Audubon, Bill has led birding trips for the Davis Mountain Hummingbird Celebration and the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, as well as kayak trips for the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust.

Favorite local bird: Greater roadrunner

Favorite birding spot: Fort Clark Springs

Favorite local food: Tacos

Local must-see: Seminole Canyon State Park and Historical Site

Dr. Kathryn Smith-Hicks began birding as an undergrad in Arkansas and had her first bird research job in northern Australia right after she graduated. When she returned to the States, she began working for Texas A&M researching endangered Black-capped Vireos and Golden-cheeked warblers. In 2016, she graduated from TAMU with her doctorate and had her daughter, Juniper. In 2017, she moved back to Arkansas with her daughter and husband where she continues to work for TAMU’s Natural Resources Institute.

Favorite local bird: Scissor-tailed flycatcher

Favorite birding spot: Kakadu National Park, Australia

Favorite food: Pinto beans, fried potatoes, and cornbread

Local must-see: Devils River SNA (Del Norte Unit)

Romey Swanson works for Audubon TX, a division of Audubon National, and has been birding for 9 years. He got his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas State University in Wildlife Biology.

Favorite local birds: Hutton’s vireo, black-capped vireo, and golden-cheeked warbler

Favorite birding spot: Devils River State Natural Area, Lost Maples State Natural Area, and Big Thicket National Preserve – Turkey Creek Unit

Favorite local food: Mexican

“Local” must-see: Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Birding Buddies

Charmaine Ganson has been birding for about 20 years and enjoys being outdoors. She has over 500 birds on her Life List. She participates in Christmas Bird Counts, the Texas Birding Classic, leads monthly birding walks at Garner State Park, and enjoys teaching the basics to people who are new to birdwatching. She also helps Texas A&M AgriLife Extension with monthly bird surveys and participates in the TPWD Cowbird Trapping program to protect songbirds. Charmaine has permits for salvaging dead birds, mainly from window strikes, vehicle collisions, etc. These birds are sent to Texas A&M where they are studied, used by veterinary and biology students, and or kept in Texas A&M’s permanent collection. Charmaine and her husband Collins are from the Houston area where there was an amazing amount of bird habitat nearby. They now live permanently in the Texas Hill Country and their yard list in Leakey stands at 151 right now.

Favorite local bird: Canyon towhee – they have great personalities!

Favorite birding spot: High Island, TX

Favorite local food: Los Alamos in Uvalde

Local must-see: Cook’s Slough and the Uvalde Fish Hatchery

Collins Ganson has been out birding with his wife for over 20 years now. The past few years he has participated in the Uvalde Christmas Bird Count and the TPWD Birding Classic.  As Collins likes to say, “I drive the truck!”  Collins & his wife lived in the Houston area most of their lives, birding in some excellent habitat.  They left Katy and moved out to Leakey permanently 3 years ago. Their yard list in Leakey stands at 151 species right now.

Favorite local bird: Black-throated sparrow

Favorite birding spot: High Island, TX

Favorite local food: Lou’s Wood Fire Pizza

Local must-see: Chalk Bluff Park near Uvalde

Terry Hibbitts taught high school Biology for 34 years in Louisiana and Texas. He retired from teaching in 2005 and moved to a piece of property near Camp Wood, on the southern edge of the Hill Country. Terry holds a Bachelors degree in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University and a Masters of Biology from Texas A&M at Commerce. His first birding experience was as a senior at Texas A&M, working on a project dealing with partitioning of birds in various habitats, and he has been birding off and on ever since. For several years, Terry has done bird surveys on private lands for tax valuation Wildlife Management Plans. Along with his two sons, Terry has co-authored two books published by UT Press, Amphibians of Texas and Turtles and Crocodilians of Texas.

Favorite local bird: All the species of vireos

Favorite birding site: If I had to travel, then southeastern Arizona. But I really enjoy birding on my own property the most!

Favorite local food: Tex-Mex

Favorite local birding site: Either Cooks Slough in Uvalde or Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville

Connie Hoke is a retired IT project manager. She lived outside of Alvin, TX and worked in Houston until retirement, when she and her husband decided to move to Del Rio. They own some property in Terrell County and decided this would be a good place to be. As a mother of 3 sons who were active in sports, Connie didn’t become involved in birding until later in life, but her father and brother were instrumental in developing her joy for nature and particular birds. Connie started birding more often about 20 years ago and has spent more time since her retirement in 2014.

Favorite local bird: It is hard to pick a specific bird as a favorite but I will have to say cedar waxwing as I still remember seeing my first one as a child and being amazed at its beauty

Favorite birding spot: I love birding around Galveston, Bolivar and High Island, especially during spring migration

Favorite local food: Love any kind of Mexican food

Local must-see: Seminole Canyon State Park for its history, natural beauty and birds

From a young age, birds were always a part of Barbara Pankratz’s life, from hummingbirds to owls to cedar waxwings that frequented her family home in the Hill Country town of Comfort.  While in high school, her mentor introduced her to birding and she was hooked when she saw her first male painted bunting.  But it wasn’t until 2000 when she visited the RGV during migration that she began looking at birds through new eyes.  Barbara began participating in CBCs and later, after she retired from teaching in 2017, she became a Texas Master Naturalist and began participating in and leading bird surveys at local parks and ranches.  Barbara graduated from Texas A&M and has combined her love of history, wildflowers, and birds into her overall birding experience.  She enjoys identification challenges and studies of local birds.  Barbara considers herself a lifelong learner and enjoys the science and education aspect of birding and nature.  She was a founding member of the Uno Club – the goal being “one bird in every Texas county.”  She has recorded birds in all 254 Texas counties.

Favorite local birds: Painted bunting and golden-cheeked warbler

Favorite birding spots: Trans-Pecos, Hawaii, and Alaska

Favorite local food: Cella chocolate-covered cherries

Local must-see: Treue der Union Monument in Comfort and Old Tunnel State Park (Texas’ smallest state park) – both have historical significance

A native of San Antonio, Patty Leslie Pasztor worked many years as the native plant biologist/curator at the San Antonio Botanical Garden and for several years as the Park Naturalist at Friedrich Wilderness Park, a nature preserve with nesting golden-cheeked warblers.  Patty is co-author of the book Texas Trees – A Friendly Guide.  In addition to plant ID walks, she regularly conducts bird & butterfly surveys on private land as well as for city and state parks.  She leads a workshop entitled “Walk on the Wild Side” exploring natural areas to discover birds, butterflies, plants and more.  Patty teaches classes for several Master Naturalist chapters and serves as the naturalist for trips to Big Bend for Road Scholar.

Favorite local bird:  Ladder-backed woodpecker (this species got me hooked on birding!) and sandhill crane

Favorite birding spot:  Rio Grande Valley & the Hill Country

Favorite local food: Chile relleno

“Local” must-see:  Chisos and Davis Mountains

Erin Swanson is a graduate of Texas State University with a BS in Wildlife Biology. It’s going on a decade since she began birding in her ornithology class at TSU, and now she only gets to bird in her spare time. Erin spends most of her time involved with water conservation as she is employed by the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District.

Favorite local bird: Harris’s hawk no doubt, I love that they sometimes hunt in groups

Favorite birding spot: The Nature Conservancy Preserve in the Davis Mountains

Favorite local food: Axis poppers

Local must-see: Jacob’s Well Natural Area in Wimberley, TX

Speakers

Matt Reidy graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in wildlife ecology and management.  He then left the great state of Texas for one year for a job as a private wildlife biologist and natural resources consultant in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  That did not work out and he missed Texas!  So Matt quickly returned to obtain a Masters of Science in range and wildlife management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2007.  His thesis was “Electric fencing and population estimates for feral pigs in Texas.”  After finishing his Masters degree, Matt began work with TPWD as a regulatory wildlife biologist in Wilson and Karnes counties.  In September 2009 he transferred to Atascosa, Bexar, and Medina counties where he currently works.  He truly enjoys this position.  Matt’s professional interests include native habitat management, upland and migratory game birds, non-game birds, and south Texas deer management.  His personal interests reflect my passion for wildlife and include falconry, hunting, rock climbing, running, and hiking.

Dr. Clint Boal is a research biologist with U.S. Geological Survey with a joint appointment as professor of wildlife ecology at Texas Tech University. He has over 25 years of research experience with birds of prey, is a past president of the Raptor Research Foundation, lead editor for the book Urban Raptors (Island Press), and co-author of the forthcoming Raptors of Texas (Texas A&M Press). 

Dr. Scott McWilliams is a Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Physiology in the Department of Natural Resources Science at University of Rhode Island.  Prior to coming to URI, he was a Postdoctoral fellow at University of Wisconsin (Madison). He earned his PhD from University of California at Davis where he studied the physiological ecology of arctic-nesting geese, and his MSc from Iowa State University where he studied the behavioral ecology of a threatened species of salamander. Scott earned his BSc in Biology from Hiram College (Ohio). His research primarily focuses on the nutrition, physiology, and ecology of wild vertebrates, with an emphasis on migratory birds of conservation interest. Current research topics include habitat use, diet, and nutrition of arctic-nesting geese, sea ducks, and migratory songbirds; forest management to support healthy bird populations; exercise physiology of long-distance migratory songbirds; effects of climate change on migratory birds; how offshore wind farms affect migratory birds.

Dr. Jacquie Grace is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology. She is originally from Ahuimanu, Hawaii, and received her Bachelor’s degree from Willamette University (Oregon), and Ph.D. from Wake Forest University (North Carolina). She completed a postdoctoral appointment at the Center for Biological Studies at Chize, France before joining the faculty of Texas A&M in 2016. Her research focuses on how animals and their communities respond to stressors in their environment and utilizes techniques from physiology (e.g., hormones, parasites, immune response, body condition, isotopes), ecology (e.g., diversity, abundance, productivity), life history (e.g., reproductive success, survival), and behavior. Her study systems include seabirds, passerines, and waterfowl in Texas, France, and the Galapagos islands.