Enjoy a private, seated wine class for your group of 10-16 people at Nice Winery. Nice Winery's sommeliers and winemakers will guide you and your guests through a fun and educational tasting of six of their highly-rated rare wines from all over the world. Wines will be served with specialty meat and cheese.

Visit an ancient prairie just outside the 610 Loop with your guides, Don Verser and Sarah Flournoy. This 40-acre property along a powerline corridor has been managed as a horse-pasture since the 1930s and is not typically open to the public. Enjoy a tour for four people, including refreshments of your choice (coffee and pastries for a morning tour or wine and cheese for a sunset tour). Discover rare plants not typically found in an urban setting, greet the friendly horses, and maybe even find a lightning bug or two! Monk Parakeets and Red-tailed Hawks are also regularly observed. All ages welcome.

Go on a private birding adventure with Glenn Olsen in the greater Houston/Galveston area, tailored for you and up to two friends. This full-day trip will include transportation and guide services. Binoculars provided if needed. Glenn Olsen leads natural history and birding tours with GOBirding Ecotours and teaches birding and nature related classes through Rice University's Continuing Studies Department, Houston Audubon, The Women’s Institute of Houston, and the Texas Master Naturalists. Glenn served on the Houston Audubon Board as Vice President of Education and is a co-founder of the Wildscapes Workshop through the Native Plant Society of Texas, where he served as president. He has led trips and/or given programs for the Texas Ornithological Society, Houston Audubon, the Native Plant Society of Texas, Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, Rockport Hummer/Bird Festival, Galveston FeatherFest, and many other groups and festivals. Glenn has led trips to such exotic locales as Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Amazon Rainforest, Costa Rica and the hottest birding locations in the U.S.

Whether you're a novice or expert photographer, spending the day out in the field with Greg Lavaty will improve your photography. Greg is a well-known Texas photographer who leads birding trips in North, South and Central America. Greg will share some of his secrets and techniques to photographing birds in their environment. Go home with that winning shot worthy of a magazine cover.

Do you give a hoot about owls? Enjoy a Houston Audubon Owl Prowl for four people and invite owls to your home with an Owl Shack by Cliff and Julie Shackelford.

Houston Audubon Owl Prowls begin with a lively program on owls, including a rare opportunity to meet our live, rehabilitated owls. Then, join us in search of wild owls on the wooded trails of either the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary or the Raptor and Education Center. Details: https://houstonaudubon.org/programs/all-age-groups/owl-prowls.html

The Owl Shack by Cliff and Julie Shackelford is made of cedar and should last years if handled gently. Cliff has been making Owl Shack owl houses since graduate school, but really got started during Christmas several years ago when he and Julie made over 35 as gifts for officemates. These owl houses were such a hit that folks started to order more for family and friends, and the interest kept growing. The design has evolved over the years to what they believe is the best owl house ever. Each and every Owl Shack owl house is handmade by Cliff and Julie in their garage. They are made out of a mix of new and retired fence wood. The old wood is perfect for owl houses — it still has considerable strength and integrity, it's lighter for mounting, and reusing it keeps the wood out of the local landfill. Best of all, the owls love it.

From the website: "Screech owls thrive in the backyards of both the city and countryside across most of the U.S. By day, they snooze in the wide-mouth entrance of these Owl Shacks, but by night they eat roaches, rodents, and other pesky critters. Not only are the owls enjoyable to watch as they sleep, they are also performing natural pest control. Having one take up residence in your backyard is an amazing sight to see. Being an owl landlord is easy and exciting. What a great neighbor to have."

Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight and they have radiated into almost every habitat on earth. They are responsible for eating millions of night-flying insects, dispersing seeds in rain forests, and pollinating plants in deserts. Their great diverwity of feeding strategies is a testament to the adaptability of these nocturnal animals.

During her evening lecture, Cullen Ceiselman, PhD will give a brief summary of the world's 1,400+ bat species, their habitats, and life histories, dispel common bat myths as well as discuss the 11 bat species found in the Houston area. Afterwards, we will go on a "bat walk" at an Audubon sanctuary or even in your neighborhood to spotlight and detect bats using an ultrasonic bat detector. Alternatively, we can visit Waugh Street Bridge over Buffalo Bayou, the home of 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that emerge at dusk to feed on insects over the greater Houston area.

Cullen Geiselman began her career studying bats in 1998 when she joined the staff of Bat Conservation International (BCI), where she taught bat research and land management workshops in Arizona, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, led natural history tours to Belize, Kenya, and Brazil, developed educational materials for children and adults, as well as presented numerous formal and informal lectures across the US. In an effort to learn more about bats and conservation methods, she entered graduate school at Columbia University in 2003. There she worked with botanist Scott Mori of the New York Botanical Garden investigating the role of bats in seed dispersal and pollination in lowland rainforests of South America. During this time she spent two years collecting data in an isolated research station in French Guiana and coauthored a book entitled Seed Dispersal by Bats in the Neotropics. In May 2010 she received her doctorate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Columbia University. Cullen continues her work with bats by serving as chair of the board of Bat Conservation International, collaborating with students in Africa and Latin America, and hosting the online Bat Eco-Interactions database.

Robin Jackson Photography 11x14 Family Portrait package includes Consultation, Portrait Session, Portrait and one hour of retouching.
To see a slide show of Robin's portraiture, Go to:
http://rjackson1.photobiz.com/proofing  
access code: client (all lower case)
Robin's talent & service are superb!
She makes the portrait session fun and easy!
Pets are welcome
Our gift certificates do not expire
Our clients are never pressured to make an additional purchase.

Call Robin with any questions: 214-356-4969
Session can be at your home or at one of Robin's beautiful outdoor locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston & surrounding areas.

Robin Jackson Photography 8x10 Family Portrait package includes Consultation, Portrait Session, Portrait and one hour of retouching.
To see a slide show of Robin's portraiture, Go to:
http://rjackson1.photobiz.com/proofing  
access code: client (all lower case)
Robin's talent & service are superb!
She makes the portrait session fun and easy!
Pets are welcome
Our gift certificates do not expire
Our clients are never pressured to make an additional purchase.

Call Robin with any questions: 214-356-4969
Session can be at your home or at one of Robin's beautiful outdoor locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston & surrounding areas.

Hone your photography skills with a 4-hour private photography instruction with expert Kathy Adams Clark. Kathy is a photographer, naturalist, teacher and photo tour guide. Kathy will photograph with you in the field, review your photos, provide feedback and even work with you on Photoshop or Lightroom.

Take a friend wade fishing in the Bolivar Flats surf zone with Houston Audubon Coastal Sanctuaries Manager and expert fisherman, Pete Deichmann. Bring your poles, hats and waders. Bait included.

Take your photography skills to the next level with a personalized photo session with Joe V. Smith. Spend a half-day in the field with hands-on instruction or focus on photography skills indoors. Bring your camera and get ready to learn and have fun!

Joe Smith is an experienced nature and landscape photographer with over 40 years experience in photography including medium format black and white which he began as a teenager. He began nature photography in 2000 and learned by attending nature photo workshops but primarily by participating in Texas wildlife photo contests.

Enhance your cooking skills at a Well Done Cooking Class. Bring a friend and come hungry - you'll eat what you make that night! You can BYOB or buy wine and beers from Well Done.  Well Done Cooking Classes currently has over 80+ classes for all to enjoy. The 5 most popular menus are: Dinner in Rome; Dinner on the Bayou; Italian Dinner Party; Southern Dinner Party and Three Course Dinner - Short Ribs.

Before entering the culinary world, Well Done's Executive Chef Michelle Morris worked eight years for Ferguson Enterprises as a showroom consultant. Pitching the idea of a need for a corporate chef to her management team quickly landed her in culinary school. After receiving a degree in the Culinary Arts at the Art Institute of Houston, she became the Corporate Chef for Ferguson Enterprises. Chef Michelle’s passion for entertaining small and intimate groups led her to start a boutique catering company serving a niche in the culinary industry. Michelle and her husband, Darrell, purchased Well Done Cooking Classes in September 2018.

Take a private charter boat along Buffalo Bayou and enjoy a recreational and self-guided 1.5-hour cruise with cool breeze off the water as you escape from the city. The pontoon boat, Spirit of the Bayou, has a capacity for 21 guests age four or older but subject to COVID distancing restrictions.

Enjoy a private one-hour Zoom conversation with Victor Emanuel for you and three friends on the topic of your choice. Also included is a copy of Victor's book, One More Warbler.

Mr. Emanuel is the founder, owner and manager of one of the largest American ecotourism guiding services and travel agencies (Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, or “VENT”, based in Austin), he is well known as a birder who has also sought to promote and protect the habitat that the birds he loves depend on. He joined the Outdoor Nature Club in Houston as a child, formed the first Audubon Christmas bird count in Texas in his teens, served as executive director of the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, and has served on the boards of a number of state and national conservation groups, including the Texas Ornithological Society, RARE Center for Tropical Conservation, Nature Conservancy of Texas, and other groups.

Get a private guided tour of Houston Audubon's Winters Bayou Sanctuary. Located in San Jacinto County, 11 miles northwest of the town of Cleveland, this 165-acre sanctuary is adjacent to the Sam Houston National Forest. It is in the transition zone between the Gulf Coastal Prairie, the Piney Woods, and the Blackland Prairie ecoregions. You and 3 guests will meet a member of Houston Audubon's staff at the entrance and enjoy a 2- hour guided hike on a mutually agreed upon date.

Get a private guided tour of Houston Audubon's Damuth Bird Sanctuary. A 617-acre sanctuary of mixed pine and hardwood bottomland habitat in Liberty County, this sanctuary was donated to Houston to be owned and managed as a wildlife sanctuary. Lying in the eastern portion of the San Jacinto River Basin where it drains into Tarkington Bayou, it is open to the public by appointment only. Get a rare glimpse of this protected forest area. You and your 3 guests will meet a member of Houston Audubon staff at the entrance and enjoy a 2-hour guided hike on a mutually agreed upon date.

Bring the birds to you with a nature presentation by Houston Audubon's Education Team. The program will run 45 minutes to an hour, and will feature live birds of prey and other animals, in addition to a presentation, hands-on displays, and animal recordings. This is perfect for a birthday party or just a special visit in your home.

Come along on a guided nature walk at our beautiful Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. Within its 17.5 acres of hardwood and pine forest and freshwater habitats, the sanctuary provides an important home for native wildlife. Resident mammals, migratory songbirds, shorebirds, birds of prey and a variety of species of reptiles and amphibians live within the sanctuary. Rummel Creek and the ponds of the sanctuary host resident bull frogs, as well as bronze and leopard frogs. Many turtles and several species of water snakes and aquatic invertebrates also call our creek and pond habitats home.

Join us for a private cruise on the Seagull II to visit North Deer Island and witness the spectacle of spring migration. North Deer Island, co-owned by Houston Audubon, hosts the most productive waterbird breeding colony in Galveston Bay and can only be accessed by boat. Meet at 7:30am at Texas Seaport Museum for an 8am departure. Enjoy lunch on the boat and a guided tour by Houston Audubon’s own Conservation Director, Dr. Richard Gibbons.

Enjoy breakfast with our Education Ambassador raptors, hosted by Houston Audubon's Education Director, Mary Anne Weber at our Raptor and Education Center in southeast Houston. The Houston Audubon Raptor and Education Center (HAREC) at Sims Bayou is a picturesque 1.1-acre sanctuary located in historic Park Place on the original channel of Sims Bayou. The center is home to Houston Audubon’s education department, including our raptor ambassadors and other education animals. The sanctuary contains raptor mews (or aviaries), a log cabin, a barn, a nature store, a gazebo, gardens, a pond with native plants, and seasonal wetland trails that afford a unique opportunity to experience nature in a dense urban setting.

Step back in history as you tour the center built on the original land grant of John Richardson Harris who founded Harrisburg near the site in 1825. Enjoy meeting the raptors up close and personal and explore native gardens, tall grass prairie, woods and the historic bayou during this morning adventure. The Raptor and Education Center is located in southeast Houston near Hobby Airport at 3997 River Drive, Houston, TX 77017.

Do you have a budding wildlife biologist, ornithologist, or zookeeper in your house? This is the perfect opportunity to learn what it takes to run a nature center and care and feed for birds and other animals. This exclusive opportunity for one child, aged 10+, will include spending 4 hours on a mutually agreed upon day with the Education Team to shadow their work.

The Houston Audubon Raptor and Education Center (HAREC) at Sims Bayou is a picturesque 1.1-acre sanctuary located in historic Park Place on the original channel of Sims Bayou. The center is home to Houston Audubon’s education department, including our raptor ambassadors and other education animals. The sanctuary contains raptor mews (or aviaries), a log cabin, a barn, a nature store, a gazebo, gardens, a pond with native plants, and seasonal wetland trails that afford a unique opportunity to experience nature in a dense urban setting. Many of our education programs are held at the Raptor and Education Center, including camps and field trips as well as programs for schools, scouts, adults, and other community outreach events. The Raptor and Education Center is located in southeast Houston near Hobby Airport at 3997 River Drive, Houston, TX 77017.

More information: https://houstonaudubon.org/sanctuaries/raptor-center.html

Enjoy a date night at home with a gourmet meal prepared just for you by Chef Lionel Flores Jr. Chef Lionel specializes in dinner/brunch parties, pop up restaurants, and special occasion dinners. He has over 13 years of cooking experience, 6 of which have been as a full time personal chef. He has also been awarded the 2015-2018 BestOf awards for personal chefs, has been hired by celebrities and athletes, and is one of the executive producers of Houston's very own filmed cooking competition, Cowboy Kitchen TV. He has experience in all types of cuisine, but a lot of his dishes are influenced by local flavors/ingredients while using European styles of cooking.

Your meal will be prepared using fresh ingredients from local vendors, ranchers, fisherman, and farmers. Dinner comes with a complimentary charcuterie and homemade bread board with meats and cheese, an appetizer, salad, main course, sides, and dessert. Everything is made fresh in front of you and your guest, with the exception of the premade bread, sauces, and slow cooked meats.

Chef Lionel will arrive 1.5-2 hours before the first course is served to prep and set up. He will then cook, plate, serve, and leave the kitchen as clean or cleaner than it originally was. All you have to do is enjoy your delicious meal. Chef Lionel will take several precautions to prevent the spread of COVID, including using disposable gloves and aprons, disinfectant before and after he works, the use of hand sanitizer, a mask, and social distancing. Due to this, tableware will not be provided.

Enjoy a half-day birding experience with Greg Whittaker for up to 4 people. Greg Whittaker is Moody Gardens’ animal husbandry manager and a birding enthusiast. He chairs the Galveston County Audubon Group and serves on both the Houston Audubon and Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council Boards of Directors.

Join Greg on a private birding tour of the Moody Gardens complex, including the Rainforest, Aquarium Penguins, and the birdiest areas of the 240-acre property. Finish your experience with a craft beer at the nearby Galveston Island Brewery.