Week 6 2010 Natural History Speaker Series

The Valley Nature Center along with the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce presents the 6th Week of the 2010 Natural History Series at * 8:00 a.m. * on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at the Valley Nature Center located on 301 S. Border in Weslaco. This week’s presentation will be a “Bird Banding Demonstration” presented by Mark Conway.

     Mark Conway is a bird bander and teacher from Harlingen Texas. He moved to the Lower Rio Grande Valley twelve years ago and has been banding birds since he arrived. Mark has research stations at several locations in the Valley, including Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Texas Parks and Wildlife's Arroyo Colorado Unit, Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen and Los Ebanos Nature Preserve. During the summer he runs a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) station and monitors birds for avian flu. Mark's current areas of research are Seaside Sparrows, American Kestrels and winter site fidelity among passerines. He also compiles the Harlingen Christmas Bird Count, runs three Breeding Bird Surveys in the Valley and birdwatches as time permits.

      Admission will be $3.00, payable at the door and VNC members are free. The Series is sponsored by Thurmond Eye & Associates. For more information regarding the Natural History Series, contact the Valley Nature Center  at (956) 969-2475.

·        Please note earlier time.