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    Travelin' Man

    Humming coming atcha: Keep your ears peeled for nature’s mini-marvels —hummingbirds zipping through Houston

    Stephan Lorenz
    Sep 16, 2011 | 5:12 pm
    • A ruby-throated hummingbird fuels up for the long flight south at the Gulf CoastBird Observatory in Lake Jackson, Texas.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • Researcher Dr. Felipe Chavez reaches for a trapped hummingbird.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • A female ruby-throated hummingbird will rest in your palm after being banded.But not for long.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • Claudia Cavazos proudly displays her adopted hummingbird certificate. You canadopt a hummingbird and help conservation.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • If hummingbirds aren't your thing, don't worry. Small alligators and otherreptiles are also on display.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • Flowers bloom in Buffalo Bayou.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • The native speckled king snake is one of several snakes on display.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • A male ruby-throated hummingbird takes flight.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • Spanish moss grows rampant along Buffalo Bayou.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • A male ruby-throated hummingbird stakes out his claim to a patch of flowers.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • These hummingbird traps assist with the banding process, but they don't harm thehummingbirds.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • A tree along Buffalo Bayou looms large.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz
    • Blooming flowers attract thousands of ruby-throated hummingbirds at the GulfCoast Bird Observatory.
      Photo by Stephan Lorenz

    Some people may catch a fleeting glimpse of one hovering near backyard flowers. Others possibly hang out at feeders and watch a handful of them buzz around sugar water for a few days. But the majority of Houstonians are unaware of the thousands of tiny miracles zipping through and past our city.

    They are ruby-throated hummingbirds — millions of them — on their annual migration.

    After leaving their breeding grounds — some from as far as central Canada — they beat on tiny wings all the way to Central America, right through Texas. Before reaching the tropics, where they will spend the winter, they must cross one of the greatest obstacles en route: the Gulf of Mexico. During fall, the majority of birds — especially with the young of the year flying south for the first time — circumvent the Gulf of Mexico and follow the coast into Mexico.

    Throughout September, ruby-throated hummingbirds literally pile up along the upper Texas coast, circling flower patches and swarming hummingbird feeders, eagerly lapping up as much sugar water as will fit. Some make it a multi-day pit stop, putting on fat reserves for the long overwater flight.

    Humming along with the birds

    The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO) in Lake Jackson offers an unparalleled opportunity to witness the spectacle firsthand.

    Tucked away at the end of an unprepossessing dirt drive off Highway 332, the observatory invites visitors to observe nature. The open grounds of the sanctuary are planted with a myriad of flowers, particularly shrimp plants, favored by hummingbirds. Willow-lined ponds provide food and shelter for other wildlife.

    Each year, the GCBO hosts an event open to the public, appropriately named the Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza Open House.

    We arrived bright and early at 8 a.m., and the small parking lot was beginning to fill. Out on an open lawn, dozens of hummingbirds hovered around full feeders — some perched on telephone wires, others in nearby brush. Birds chased each other about, defending sugar in whirrs of wings and chatter.

    Banding and adopting the birds

    For several years, researchers at the bird observatory have banded hummingbirds. The process is quite simple, quick and painless.

    Volunteers watch the numerous feeders and release a trap door that closes behind an unsuspecting hummingbird that ventured close to the feeder. A trained researcher frees the bird from the trap, puts it in a net bag and carries it to the banding station.

    Waiting its turn, the bird is banded with a tiny, lightweight aluminum band that has a unique number engraved. The bird can be identified by that number if it is ever recaptured, thus yielding data on age, survival, migration route and more.

    Before being released, the trained bird bander blows lightly on the belly feathers with a straw to check the fat deposits, an indicator of the bird’s health and vigor. Then it is quickly weighed and its sex determined. Males sport the namesake ruby-colored gorget, while females have a whitish throat and white tail tips.

    Visitors can adopt a hummingbird for a fee. The money raised is used for conservation projects throughout Texas and in the tropics further south. Adoptive parents get to hold the hummingbird for a moment and feel its heart, which beats over 1,000 times in a minute. Some birds will sit still in the hand for several minutes before buzzing off.

    The local research shows that birds fatten up considerably and have often gained weight within a few days. The 500 mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico requires over 20 hours of nonstop flying on wings that beat roughly 50 times per second. There is no place to rest.

    Once ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive in the Yucatán, they migrate further into southern Mexico — and some all the way into Panama, at a slower pace.

    Come for the hummingbirds, stay for the auxiliary attractions

    In addition to the hummingbirds, which are no doubt the stars of the show, local naturalists give talks on gardening and photography. Several reptiles are on display, and observatory staff teach visitors the basics of wildlife watching.

    Two miles of hiking trails allow visitors to leave the crowd behind and follow quiet paths winding through oak forest. Others can take a seat at the platform overlooking Buffalo Bayou fringed by trees draped in Spanish moss.

    Come out this Saturday and enjoy a morning of hummingbirds, science and wildlife.

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    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Casual River Oaks restaurant closure leads our top stories this week

    CultureMap Staff
    Jun 21, 2025 | 11:01 am
    Eloise Nichols interior
    Photo by Alex Montoya
    Eloise Nichols has updated its interior.

    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, which is full of restaurant and bar tidbits. Two Houston-area chefs get big victories, while a River Oaks restaurant says goodbye. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide for some weekend fun.

    1. Casual River Oaks restaurant will shutter after 10 years. A neighborhood restaurant near River Oaks will soon serve its last meal — for now. Eloise Nichols is set to close after service on Sunday, June 29.

    2. Houston chef Tristen Epps dishes on his Top Chef victory — and what's next. For the first time, Houston is home to a Top Chef winner. In the final episode of season 22, chef Tristen Epps earned the title and a $250,000 cash prize.

    3. Intimate Houston cocktail lounge adds European-inspired outdoor patio. There’s a new al fresco destination for Houstonians this summer. Clarkwood, the chic cocktail bar in Montrose, has expanded with a 1,500-square-foot courtyard bar.

    4. Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, was named Best Chef: Texas at the 2025 James Beard Awards ceremony.

    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the BeastThomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner. Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

    5. Houston farmers market adds new indoor pickleball court with food and cocktails. The newest player in the city’s crowded pickleball court is Drop Shots HTX, opening today, June 21.

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