Meet the Team

Staff

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 Wildlife Program Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Originally from Pennsylvania, she has a B.S. from the University of Wyoming and a M.S. from Sul Ross State University, where she studied Montezuma quail in New Mexico. As a Program Specialist, she creates programs to help small acreage landowners manage the resources on their property. While Liz loves birds, she harbors a deep love for javelina aka “potatoes” and will squeal like a little girl whenever she sees one!

Favorite local bird: Montezuma quail

Favorite birding spot: A deer blind!

Favorite local food: Deer steaks

“Local” must-see: The Window at Big Bend National 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. 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 local 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 local food: Cilantro cream enchiladas

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

Brandon Nooner is a USDA Wildlife Biologist. He is responsible for the BASH Program at Laughlin AFB. Brandon Graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Wildlife Biology in 2018. He is an avid birder and herper, spending much of his free time traveling with his family to go birding and herping.

Favorite local bird: Green kingfisher

Favorite birding spot: San Felipe Creek

Favorite local food: Mexican of course! Chinto’s is the best local spot

“Local” must-see: Devils River State Natural Area, Pecos River Overlook, and Kickapoo Cavern State 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 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 local 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

David Tønnessen’s birding passion began at age 6 and has taken him from coast to coast time and again across bot the US and Mexico, and further south in the neotropics, and he loves showing people birds throughout the places he’s travelled. He loves tackling and discussing challenging bird identifications ad runs a column on this topic. He’s fascinated by various layers in ornithology and is currently seeking graduate school.

Favorite local bird: Audubon’s oriole

Favorite birding spot: Santa Ana NWR

Favorite local food: Chicken mole tamales

“Local” must-see: Big Bend National Park

Birding Buddies

Ty Allen is an avid birder and photographer living in North Central Texas. He got hooked on birding at age eight. He’s currently a college sophomore and works as a sales associate at Wild Bird Unlimited. He loves birding the under birded counties of Texas with the goal of filling in the data gap in eBird for those counties. He also enjoys learning bout other wildlife including, but not limited to herps, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and damselflies.

Favorite local bird: Green jay

Favorite birding spot: Davis Mountains

Favorite local food: Tex-Mex

Local must-see: Devils River SNA

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 spot: 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

Rose Cooper has enjoyed birding since she was a research assistant with Texas AgriLife Research in Uvalde. Dr. Susan Cooper (no relation) introduced her to her first painted bunting on the Harris Ranch while collecting data on wild turkey nest predation. She graduated from Sul Ross State University with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a Master of Science in Reproductive Physiology where she worked with Blackbuck Antelope. While working with Texas AgriLife, Rose began photographing the local flora for a website used for plant identification and for the Texas Wildlife Association’s Critter Connection magazine for children.  She has since expanded her passion for nature photography to include birds, butterflies, dragonflies and anything else that catches her eye. She especially enjoys looking for critters to fill her lens at her family’s place in the Hill Country.

Del Rio born and raised, Louisa Stone’s love for nature and the outdoors was impressed upon her by her father who was an avid hunter, fisherman, and gardener. He took her with him often and they watched for deer and other wildlife. But it wasn’t until she moved to Minnesota in the 80s that Louisa started noticing the different birds, particularly the rose breasted grosbeak, and then she was on my way to becoming a passionate birder. Since then she and her husband moved back to Texas after a few years in Tennessee where she saw more birds. So back to Del Rio in the 90s where Louisa could revisit old haunts and favorite birds. She and her husband then moved to Fort Clark Springs for about 15 years in the early 2000s where Louisa fell in love with kiskadees, green jays, painted buntings, and vermillion flycatchers. The trails at Fort Clark Springs and the bird variety there are truly amazing. She looks forward to being a birding buddy and sharing what she knows about the Fort and the birds there.

Kathy Bader

Speakers

Dr. Megan Clayton

Craig Hensley

Keynote Speaker

Jennifer Bristol