Cradle of Texas Chapter
General Meeting and Advanced Training
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
AgriLife Extension Office
| TIME | EVENT |
| 8:30-am | Social-and-snacks |
| 9:00-am | General Meeting |
| 10:00-am | Advanced Training Topic: Christmas Bird Counts Speaker: Brent Ortego |
Brent Ortego has worked mostly for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department since 1982. He holds a B.S. in Forestry and M.S. in Wildlife from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from Auburn University. Among other accomplishments:
- He surveyed all of the historical Red-cockaded Woodpecker sites in Texas during the 80's.
- He managed the Mad Island Wildlife Management Area in Matagorda County and the Guadalupe River Delta Wildlife Management Area near Tivoli in the 90's.
Ortego is currently the nongame biologist for coastal prairie ecosystem. He is the state coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey Breeding Bird Survey, and the Texas editor for Christmas Bird Counts. He currently coordinates two of the top CBCs in the Nation at Matagorda County and Guadalupe River Delta - McFaddin Family Ranches.
Ortego has led the Mad Island Marsh Bird Count for several years. The Mad Island Birdcount takes place on two properties:
- Clive Runnells Family Mad Island Marsh, administered by The Nature Conservancy. Map.
- Mad Island Wildlife Management Area, administered by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Map.
According to TMN-COT member Tom Morris, "the Mad Island Marsh features extensive native grasslands, brushlands, floodplain forests, beaches and coastal marshes."
For further information, see Ortego's website.