Did you know that 240 of the 596 native bird species in Texas call Beaumont home? It’s true, you can even spot a family of Bald Eagles!

For the second year, the Beaumont CVB participated in the 19th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic by hosting a BIG SIT team on May 8, 2015 at Cattail Marsh. The Big Sit is a 12 hour competition where shifts of birders select a 17-foot diameter circle and team members count birds they either see or hear from within the designated spot. Our team of expert to beginner birders counted 62 species including a verified sighting of a rare American Wigeon!

This year’s birding circle was right at the entrance to Cattail Marsh so all visitors can be on the lookout for dozens of native birds only a few feet from their cars. Cattail Marsh is located inside Beaumont’s Tyrrell Park. This 900-acre scenic wetland is how the City of Beaumont cleans its water. A necessary utility, Cattail Marsh has created a haven for birds, alligators and plants. Birders, nature lovers and photographers travel from all over the U.S. to experience the outstanding assets found right here in Beaumont.

The Great Texas Birding Classic is a project of Texas Parks & Wildlife and is held annually April 15 – May 15 all across Texas. We invite you to “Geaux Explore” Beaumont’s Wild Side by visiting Cattail Marsh this summer, it offers free admission and open daily following Tyrell Park’s hours of operation. (Click here for the Cattail Marsh Trail Map) Please observe the rules and warnings posted at the Cattail Marsh entrance to insure a safe and enjoyable visit.

Beaumont's 2015 Big Sit Birding Results (62 Species total)

  1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
  2. Fulvous Whistling-Duck
  3. Gadwall
  4. American Wigeon - one lone bird viewed by everyone and verified by Audobon members of team; grey head, green and white on wing
  5. Mottled Duck
  6. Blue-winged Teal
  7. Neotropic Cormorant
  8. American White Pelican
  9. Least Bittern
  10. Great Blue Heron
  11. Great Egret
  12. Snowy Egret
  13. Little Blue Heron
  14. Tricolored Heron
  15. Cattle Egret
  16. Green Heron
  17. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
  18. White Ibis
  19. Glossy Ibis
  20. White-faced Ibis
  21. Roseate Spoonbill
  22. Black Vulture
  23. Turkey Vulture
  24. Osprey
  25. Swallow-tailed Kite
  26. Bald Eagle
  27. Red-shouldered Hawk
  28. Swainson's Hawk
  29. King Rail
  30. Purple Gallinule
  31. Common Gallinule
  32. American Coot
  33. Black-necked Stilt
  34. Killdeer
  35. Lesser Yellowlegs
  36. Stilt Sandpiper
  37. White-rumped Sandpiper
  38. Long-billed Dowitcher
  39. Wilson's Phalarope
  40. Laughing Gull
  41. Ring-billed Gull
  42. Least Tern
  43. Caspian Tern
  44. Black Tern
  45. Forster's Tern
  46. Mourning Dove
  47. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  48. Chimney Swift
  49. Red-headed Woodpecker
  50. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  51. Eastern Kingbird
  52. Fish Crow
  53. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  54. Tree Swallow
  55. Barn Swallow
  56. Northern Mockingbird
  57. European Starling
  58. Northern Cardinal
  59. Red-winged Blackbird
  60. Common Grackle
  61. Boat-tailed Grackle
  62. Great-tailed Grackle
Tyrrell Park--Cattail Marsh, Jefferson County, Texas, US, Fri May 08, 2015 7:00 AM
Protocol: Stationary Party Size: 5 Duration: 12 hour(s)
Observers: BeaumontEagle Eyes, Great Texas Birding Classic List