San Antonio Urban Wildlife - Texas Parks and Wildlife

To our wild neighbors in San Antonio, big or small: Happy Earth Day💚🌎

A nuestros vecinos silvestres de San Antonio, grandes o pequeños: Feliz Día de la Tierra💚🌎

Meet the loggerhead shrike!/¡Les presentamos el verdugo americano!

This small but mighty bird is a type of songbird, or passerine, that has evolved a diet similar to a raptor! They catch insects, mammals, and reptiles, and will sometimes cache their food on thorns or barbed wire, earning them the name “butcher bird”! Despite their unique biology, they are threatened by habitat loss. The San Antonio Urban Wildlife Team has been collaborating with the TPWD State Ornithologist and the Toyota Texas Motor Manufacturing Plant to band shrikes for continued monitoring. With this research, we hope to learn the role that urban habitat plays for this unique native bird!

Pequeño pero fuerte, esta ave es una especie de pájaro cantor (orden Passeriformes) que evolucionó una dieta parecida a una ave rapaz. Capturan insectos, mamíferos, y reptiles, y a veces usan las espinas de plantas o alambre para guardar su comida. ¡Por eso se llaman verdugos! A pesar de sus hábitos únicos, son amenazadas por la pierda de hábitat. El equipo de Biólogos Urbanos de San Antonio ha estado colaborando con la Ornitóloga Estatal de TPWD y el Toyota Texas Motor Manufacturing Plant para anillar los verdugos para monitorearlos. Con esta investigación, ¡esperamos aprender más sobre el rol de hábitat urbano para esta ave nativa y única!

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey/ Todo el anillación está conducido bajo un permiso con la autorización federal del U.S. Geological Survey.

Photo credit/Crédito del foto: Craig Barnstrom

Pollinators and flowers are a sure sign that spring has sprung! / ¡Los polinizadores y las flores son señales seguras que la primavera ya llegó!

These pictures from Alexa Volpe, member of the Alamo Area Texas Master Naturalists, show a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) feeding on a pink evening primrose (Oneothera speciota). These large months are often mistaken for hummingbirds due to their size and daytime activity! They provide a great reminder to look a little bit closer at the pollinators around us – you may be surprised at what you see!

Estas fotos de Alexa Volpe, miembro del Alamo Area Texas Master Naturalists, muestran la polilla esfinge de rayas blancas (Hyles lineata), alimentándose en una onagra (Oneothera speciota). ¡Esta especie grande de polilla suele confundirse con un colibrí debido a su tamaño y actividad durante del día! Son un recordatorio genial para mirar un poquito más cerca a las pollinizadores que nos rodean – ¡quizás te sorprenderás de lo que ves!

This Saturday, April 11, from 7:30-10 am, we welcome all bird watchers to a bilingual bird walk. Join Government Canyon Rangers and Verónica "La Pajarera" on the trail and learn the names of local birds in Spanish and English. This is an addition to our normally-scheduled Warbler Walk.

Este sábado, 11 de abril, de 7:30 a 10 a.m., damos la bienvenida a todos los observadores de aves a un paseo bilingüe de aves. Únete a Verónica "La Pajarera" en el sendero y aprende los nombres de las aves locales en español e inglés.

More info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/government-canyon/warbler_walk_3/2026-04-11

Did you catch iNaturalist on CBS Sunday Morning recently?

The March 22 cover story featured Martha Stewart doing a bioblitz, a timed sprint to spot and identify as many species as possible, right on her farm in Bedford, New York. In just one hour, the group logged 458 different species. 🤯 And here's the local connection: Jane Weeden, Texas Master Naturalist and iNaturalist team member, was lucky enough to be part of that visit. Pretty cool to have a familiar face in the room when iNat goes prime time.

Watch the story: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-inaturalist-app-users-have-fun-while-aiding-science/

The same free app Martha was using will be at the heart of the City Nature Challenge: San Antonio Metro Area, April 24–27 — a community science event spanning the San Antonio Metro Area, a 12-county region. Whether you're a lifelong naturalist or just curious about what's visiting your backyard, the City Nature Challenge is your invitation to explore iNaturalist and contribute to real science.

Everyone is invited to the City Nature Challenge Kick-off party at Classen Steubing Ranch Park on Friday, April 24th. Full details and RSVPs can be found: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchWuRozJMzYo6xb5ghZuIoY9hFEW4BNpK-Acl_0gkeQKPSSw/viewform

Learn more and join the fun at https://cnc-sa.org/

Welcome to the first edition of a segment we are calling “What have your local wildlife biologists been up to?” Part of our job is to communicate the scientific research happening in San Antonio to broader audiences, and recently, Joseph Plappert presented to the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society about the ongoing research on urban rookeries. These are sites where waterbirds such as egrets and herons nest in large groups. Follow our page to see more updates about this fascinating project!

Bienvenidos a la primera edición del segmento que llamamos “Qué han estado haciendo tus biólogos locales?” Parte de nuestro trabajo es comunicar la investigación científica sucediendo en San Antonio al público más amplia, y recientemente, Joseph Plappert presentó al capítulo de Tejas de la Sociedad para la Vida Silvestre sobre la investigación en curso sobre las colonias urbanas de garzas. Estas colonias se forman de grupos grandes de nidos de uno o más especies de garzas. ¡Sigue nuestra página para ver mas actualizaciones sobre este proyecto fascinante!

TPWD's next Career & Volunteer Fair is coming to Government Canyon State Natural Area!! We have over 3000 employees across 200+ locations as well as a wide variety of ways to volunteer. Come visit us and learn from our staff how you can get involved in our mission to conserve Texas' natural beauty!

¡La próxima Feria de Empleo y Voluntarios del Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Tejas (TPWD por sus siglas en inglés) se viene al Área Natural Estatal Government Canyon! Tenemos más de 3000 empleados a través de 200+ ubicaciones, así como una amplia variedad de maneras de ser voluntario. ¡Ven a visitarnos y conoce de nuestro personal cómo puedes involucrarte en nuestra misión de conservar la belleza natural de Tejas!

Date/Fecha: Saturday, March 28th / Sábado, 28 de Marzo

Time/Hora: 9a-1p

Location/Ubicación: Government Canyon State Natural Area

Address/Dirección: 12861 Galm Rd, San Antonio, TX 78254

FREE Day-Use park entry for fair attendees! / ¡Entrada gratuita de un día para los asistentes!

Use the QR code or register here: https://lnkd.in/gakiRRKH / Usa el Código QR o registrarte aquí: https://lnkd.in/gakiRRKH

Upcoming workshop opportunity! Join Clay Thompson, the Director of Land Conservation and Stewardship at Green Spaces Alliance, on March 24th in Bulverde and discuss how conservation easements can help you protect your family land. More information can be found in the flyer below!

You might spot one of your local Urban Wildlife Biologists in this post!

Please join us virtually this Saturday, March 7th, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm for a Wildlife Tax Valuation Workshop! Here, you will learn not only an overview of the tax valuation from TPWD Biologists but also gain insight into the details of this program and a chance to receive personalized help with plan preparation. Registration is free and can be found at the QR code below along with further details. See you there!