Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Scouts welcome!

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, powered by donations.

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, powered by donations.

Future Tram Tours

The Little Sit Sunrise Bird Count

Meet Jack and the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, a group of dedicated birders invite you to join them at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed. Leaders will bring spotting scopes and will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see.

This event lasts a couple of hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a chair, binoculars and water.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Location: H Pad, Sadler, Texas 76264 

GPS Coordinates: 

33.734961, -96.780582

JPEG Refuge Map with H Pad

GPS Google Map 

GPS Apple Map

Directions from the Hagerman Visitor Center:

• Take a right (north) out of the Visitor Center parking lot road.
• At the bottom of the hill, take a left onto the gravel road (Wildlife Dr).
• The road will end at the Big Mineral Day Use Area. Take a right onto Bennett Lane.
• You will cross a bridge over Big Mineral Creek, then go over a low water crossing.
• There will be several small gravel roads going off to the right.
• Stay on Bennett until the road forks, then go right.
• When the road forks again, go right.
• Take the gravel road to the right marked “H” (you will see oil tanks on the NE corner) and go all the way to the end.

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, powered by donations.

Future Tram Tours

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Scouts welcome!

In late April 0f 2023 Jack Chiles, Nancy Riggs, Terry Good and I (AKA the old buzzards) took an extended trip to Southeastern Arizona. We birded the Mountains, Canyons and Grasslands from Portal all the way around to Tucson. This program is about the unique places and birds that we encountered on the trip.

A bit about Mike:

I developed a love of the outdoors early in life. I was born and raised in Burnet and grew up in the outdoors hunting, fishing and camping. These along with photography continued to be my hobbies or the rest of my life.

I taught in San Angelo for 18 years and in Lewisville for 20 years. The last 8 years of my career I taught outdoor education, which included hunting and boating safety, fishing, camping, Dutch oven cooking, orienteering etc. at Huffines Middle School in Lewisville.

After retiring I needed something to do and I had heard of the Master Naturalist program. I became a Texas Master Naturalist in the class of 2011. Once I became a Master Naturalist I began going on bird walks and field trips and have become an avid birder and bird photographer

I have been able to combine my love of the outdoors, birds, photography and teaching in my volunteering. As an old teacher I love to talk and work with young people. The first thing that I volunteered for was trail guiding at the Heard Refuge. I have since become a trail guide at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Area leading school groups on hikes including leading night hikes. I also volunteer at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge as a tram tour guide and help with the weekly bird census there. Since 2011 I have been able to serve almost 1500 volunteer hours.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR with garden docents on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, powered by donations.

Future Tram Tours

Have you ever wondered how we know so much about the Earth many, many years ago? Well, we have fossils and rocks to thank for that! What exactly are fossils and rocks? What information do they give scientists, and how? Fossils and rocks can give scientists clues about animals and plants that lived long ago and what the Earth was like then. During this program, we will be taking the children back millions of years to the time when the refuge area was covered by a vast saltwater ocean and learn about the plants, animals, and geology of our area long ago.  Come join us on August 17 for a free class on this popular topic!  This free program is for youth ages 5-10. 

Free and open to the public, though registration is required.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, powered by donations.

Future Tram Tours

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Scouts welcome!

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, powered by donations.

Future Tram Tours

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Scouts welcome!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

(Please note that by clicking to register you will be taken to the BPRC's registration application.)

Registration

- Fee is $25 per person for photo club members.

- Registration is required to attend this event. Each person attending must register separately.

- Registration closes on 9/6/2024.

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (BPRC) is hosting a special event for our photo club. BPRC’s raptor ambassadors will be on display for you to photograph. The raptors will be tethered and perched on a natural setting or platform. This will allow for more natural photos, as typically the educational raptors are tethered and perched on a person’s gloved hand. You may be able to get as close at 6’ from the raptors.

All fees for this event go directly to BPRC to continue their conservation and rehabilitation of birds of prey. BPRC took in over 700 birds of prey in 2023! BPRC website is https://bpraptorcenter.org.

6:30 AM Gates open. Gates to Brockdale Park will open at 6:30 AM to allow you time to park and setup your equipment. Sunrise is forecasted to be at 7:05 AM. Brockdale Park is on the edge of Lavon Lake and provides a beautiful background for photos. You are welcome to walk around the park and take photos until the event concludes.

7:00 – 8:00 AM Raptors on display. Raptors will be on display starting at 7:00 AM for maximum one hour at various locations throughout Brockdale Park. There may be a Black Vulture, hawk, owl, American Kestrel, and/or Mississippi Kite. It is hard to predict what raptors will be available, as BPRC never forces a bird to do an event. Depends what mood the bird is in that morning!

9:00 AM Gates close. Be sure you are finished by 9:00 AM, as the park gates will be locked.

Cancellation

- No refunds for cancellations by the registrant or by the venue.

- If the event is canceled by BPRC because of weather, the event will be rescheduled. No refunds for registrants that cannot make the new date.

- If you register and then can no longer attend the event, please contact the event leader below.

FYI

- You can use tripods or monopods. Do not use any type of flash for the birds.

- The park has a large parking lot, BPRC gift shop, restrooms, and drinking fountain.

- The park is wheelchair accessible. There is a cement sidewalk that goes all around the park.

- Dogs are not allowed at this event.

Photo Club Membership

- If you are interested in becoming a member, click  https://friendsofhagerman.com/Membership.

For questions about this field trip, contact:

Lisa Wilkins, Event Leader

Mobile 972-658-8544

Email FOHphotoclub@gmail.com

_____________________________________________

For questions about the photo club, contact:

Lisa Wilkins, Photo Club Leader

Email FOHphotoclub@gmail.com

_____________________________________________

The Little Sit Sunrise Bird Count

Meet Jack and the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, a group of dedicated birders invite you to join them at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed. Leaders will bring spotting scopes and will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see.

This event lasts a couple of hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a chair, binoculars and water.

Location: H Pad, Sadler, Texas 76264 

GPS Coordinates: 

33.734961, -96.780582

JPEG Refuge Map with H Pad

GPS Google Map 

GPS Apple Map

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Directions from the Hagerman Visitor Center:

• Take a right (north) out of the Visitor Center parking lot road.
• At the bottom of the hill, take a left onto the gravel road (Wildlife Dr).
• The road will end at the Big Mineral Day Use Area. Take a right onto Bennett Lane.
• You will cross a bridge over Big Mineral Creek, then go over a low water crossing.
• There will be several small gravel roads going off to the right.
• Stay on Bennett until the road forks, then go right.
• When the road forks again, go right.
• Take the gravel road to the right marked “H” (you will see oil tanks on the NE corner) and go all the way to the end.

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR with garden docents on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard 

Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead this Early Bird Walk, weather permitting.  Participants will view birds and wildlife along Harris Creek Trail, walking about two miles, and returning to the Visitor Center in time for the Second Saturday program.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

The evolutionary origins of the nearly 11,000 species of living birds trace their origins back to dinosaurs nearly 200 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era. Many features people think of as uniquely bird traits (like feathers) actually have their origins among dinosaurs, and at the same time those traits demonstrate that birds are the most amazing branch of the dinosaur family tree. While birds intrigue, dazzle, and serenade us today, the evolutionary and fossil record shows us that many exciting and unexpected aspects of bird history and diversity extend back to the time before dinosaurs could fly.

Dr. Thomas Stidham is an evolutionary biologist and paleontologist who studies mostly bird evolution from their dinosaurian origins to today. In addition to his high profile work on birds, Tom’s broad natural history perspective also has resulted in research publications on insects, mammals, reptiles, plants, and much more, including lots of new species. After 12 years at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, he has returned to Texas to join Austin College where he hopes to engage an active student body in exciting courses, build a very productive research program with students, and continue his collaborations around the globe. Outside of traditional academia, he is working to build a robust science outreach program across North Texas that is a continuation of his years of successful outreach in China with schools, NGOs, and multilingual kids of all ages, including Girl Scouts.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

Photo: This fossil of a shark vertabrae was found by Kathy Whaley, Refuge Manager, at the North Sulphur River.  The river is part of the Western Interior Seaway as was refuge lands.

We’re diving into the extraordinary lives of beavers; those adorable, yet fiercely independent, builders of the wild. Beavers, nature’s master builders, create entire worlds with their incredible skills. Without tools or machinery, they use their ever-growing front teeth to chop down trees, one bite at a time. Can you imagine having teeth that never stop growing? Beavers do, and that’s their secret to felling trees and creating dams.  Come out and join us for this youth program to learn about these amazing builders!  We’ll be learning about beavers through a short mini lesson, fun activities, and a craft.  Come join us on September 21 for a free class for youth ages 5-10.  

Free and open to the public, registration is required.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

Photo by Kitta Weinkauf Dory

Join us for the September meeting of the Friends of Hagerman NWR Nature Photography Club. Photo club members, guests, and visitors are welcome to attend meetings. This meeting will be a Macro Workshop.

More details will be coming... 

Event Leaders: Larry Howard, Sherry Howard, Nancy Miller, Pam Rendall-Bass

_____________________________________________

For questions about the photo club, contact:

Lisa Wilkins, Photo Club Leader

Email FOHphotoclub@gmail.com

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Scouts welcome!

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR with garden docents on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.  

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Scouts welcome!

The Little Sit Sunrise Bird Count

Meet Jack and the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, a group of dedicated birders invite you to join them at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed. Leaders will bring spotting scopes and will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see.

This event lasts a couple of hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a chair, binoculars and water.

Location: H Pad, Sadler, Texas 76264 

GPS Coordinates: 

33.734961, -96.780582

JPEG Refuge Map with H Pad

GPS Google Map 

GPS Apple Map

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

Directions from the Hagerman Visitor Center:

• Take a right (north) out of the Visitor Center parking lot road.
• At the bottom of the hill, take a left onto the gravel road (Wildlife Dr).
• The road will end at the Big Mineral Day Use Area. Take a right onto Bennett Lane.
• You will cross a bridge over Big Mineral Creek, then go over a low water crossing.
• There will be several small gravel roads going off to the right.
• Stay on Bennett until the road forks, then go right.
• When the road forks again, go right.
• Take the gravel road to the right marked “H” (you will see oil tanks on the NE corner) and go all the way to the end.

Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead this Early Bird Walk, weather permitting.  Participants will view birds and wildlife along Harris Creek Trail, walking about two miles, and returning to the Visitor Center in time for the Second Saturday program.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

Photo by Pam Rendall-Bass

Texoma has many birds of prey.  Not all of them are called raptors, although the word applies to all of them.  In this talk we will discuss what makes a bird a raptor and what makes them special.  We will also discuss how to identify the diurnal raptors.

Dr. Wayne Meyer is Associate Professor of the Biology department at Austin College, where he has been teaching for 30 years. He started birding at 13 in Connecticut. In 1993 he finally achieved his life’s dream of being paid to look at birds when he joined the faculty of Austin College. He has birded both coasts of the U.S. extensively and now has spent a quarter century birding in Texas and Oklahoma. The proximity of Austin College to Hagerman NWR has made research on prairie birds easy and convenient and he has been studying song learning and singing in Painted Buntings for over a decade. Meyer is also a sought after speaker for Master Naturalist groups and a frequent speaker at the Friends of Hagerman NWR second Saturday programs.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.