A casual birdwatcher’s visit to Spain and Portugal

I recently returned from a pleasant vacation to Barcelona, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. Our travel style is very unstructured and involves lots of on-foot exploration with visits to historical landmarks.

Birding isn’t our main reason for travel but we looked for birds everywhere we went and visited a few spots specifically to see them.

lesser goldfinch and survey sites

Birding Summary, Science

Survey of the Lesser Goldfinch for Audubon Climate Watch 2023

Since 2016, volunteers across the United States have participated in the Climate Watch survey to collect data about target species to help Audubon scientists better understand how birds are responding to climate change. This summer was my first opportunity to work with the Bexar Audubon Society to get involved and collect this crucial data about the Lesser Goldfinch.

green jay looking down from tree

Birding Summary

Choke Canyon birding festival

This morning, a few friends and I made the hour drive away from San Antonio to visit Choke Canyon State Park for their Birding Festival. We’ve never been to Choke Canyon before, so we were excited to check it out and meet some nice folks.