At-a-Glance

Join us March 25, 2017, for fun, education, and friendship!

General Public and Members Invited!

At-a-Glance

[ NOTE: The 2017 event is over - the following is for reference only and the links to various items may no longer be active. ]

Limited Number of Lunches Available. No Door Prize Tickets.

At The Door Registration opens at 8:30am on March 25th at the Waco Convention Center McClellan Hall

Limited Number of Lunches Available. No Door Prize Tickets.

At-the-door registration will be available at 8:30am on March 25th

Email eventplans@txblues.org

Click here to view photos from the 2017 kickoff.

Click here to view some of the 2017 Silent Auction Items.

About

2017 Bluebird Season Kickoff and FUNdraising Auction

Bluebird Season Kickoff

Our annual kickoff promotes the conservation of bluebirds and teaches the public how to attract and provide quality habitat for bluebirds across Texas. Guest speakers will cover topics that bluebirders, new and experienced, will find interesting and entertaining. Registrants have the opportunity to win door prizes and attendees can bid in our silent auction for many wonderful items. Additionally, members who pledge to NestWatch at least two nestboxes will receive a FREE TBS nestbox.

FUNdraising Auction

Our FUNdraising Auction, allows attendees to bid on items, donated by Texas Bluebird Society members and supporters. Each year many beautiful, handy, and fun items have been donated to this good cause. All funds raised by the auction are used to purchase materials to build TBS Bluebird nestboxes!

Date and Time

Saturday, March 25th, 9:00 am-3:00 pm.

Doors open at 8:30 for registration and the silent auction

All of the same good stuff as our previous events -

✓great presentations ✓nestwatching nestboxes ✓member networking ✓informative displays ✓expert advice ✓Silent Auction FUNdraiser!

Location

Waco Convention Center

100 Washington Avenue Waco, TX 76701    

Lodging and Friday Night Social and Dinner

Our host hotel, the highly reviewed Springhill Suites, Waco/Woodway, just 6 miles from the Waco Convention Center, offers our conference registrants a $99 + tax rate, subject to availability, for reservations made through February 25th.

Phone hotel directly, 254.732.7979, and request the "bluebird" rate.

Hot breakfast included.
Free Parking.

The hotel is making the discounted rate available before and after the event, beginning on Thursday.

Consider extra days in order to enjoy some of Waco's "tourist" spots!

200 Colonnade Pkwy, Woodway, TX 76712    

Friday Evening Dinner & Social at Vitek's BBQ Beer Garden
1600 Speight Avenue, Waco TX 76706
Reservation Deadline: March 11th
6:30-Social, 7:00-BBQ Dinner $20.00
Outdoors with fire pit. Wear appropriate clothing. No outside alcohol allowed.

Sign up for the Friday Night Dinner when you register.

Registration Fees

Limited Number of Lunches Available. No Door Prize Tickets.

Cancellation Policy

If you cannot attend, notify our registrar, Linda Crum (linda@txblues.org, 281.744.1228) as soon as feasible. Up until February 25th, we will refund in full. From February 26th to March 11th, we will refund minus a $5.00 administrative fee. After March 11th, no refunds. Still, we will appreciate a heads up so we can make necessary adjustments

Date and Time

Friday Night Social and Dinner: Friday, March 24th.
6:30-Social, 7:00-BBQ Dinner $20.00
Reservation deadline of March 11, 2017 has passed.

Bluebird Season Kickoff: Saturday, March 25th.
9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Doors open at 8:30 am for registration and the silent auction.

Location

Waco Convention Center

100 Washington Avenue Waco, TX 76701    

Guest Speakers

Alec Wyatt - American Birding Association Young Birder 2014

Alec Wyatt is an 18-year-old birder from San Antonio, Texas. Alec developed a passion for birds while watching nesting bluebirds during a wildfire near his home in Colorado, and since then he has been birding in 29 states. He enjoys all kinds of birds and his greatest passion is conservation. In 2014, Alec was named the ABA Young Birder of the Year, and in 2015 he was awarded the honor of Outstanding Youth Environmental Leader by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education. He is eager to continue his passion as he looks toward college next year.

 

 

 

 

 

Keith Kridler - Author and Naturalist

As a Charter Member of the North American Bluebird Society and co-founder of the Texas Bluebird Society, Keith Kridler loves bluebirds! His passion for bluebirds began in 1979, when he and his wife established what is now the oldest and most productive bluebird trail in Texas. In fact, upwards of 1,200 bluebirds have fledged from this trail per year! Keith is considered one of today's foremost authorities on bluebirds and is the co-author of "The Bluebird Monitor's Guide."

 

 

 

David Kinneer - Nature Photographer

You might say David Kinneer has moved around a bit. Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Kentucky, he left home at 14, finished high school in Missouri, the first two years of college in Arkansas and had hitch-hiked across the Country four times and had been in 45 of the 50 States before he was 20. In 1958 he joined the Marine Corps and they kept moving him. Before he retired in 1980, he had been stationed in California, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Rhode Island and Virginia, and had visited several European countries and such exotic Asian destinations as Okinawa, the Philippine Islands and Viet Nam. While in Service he picked up a college degree, a law degree and a couple of cameras. Totally retired since 1997, and living with his wife just south of Quantico, Virginia, he spends most of his days taking photos of the eastern bluebirds that nest in their back yard. He has found he gets much better photos when he doesn't move around so much.

 

Other Topics

Bluebird Basics

NestWatch

House Sparrow Control

Door Prizes

Texas Bluebird Society offers Door Prizes (donated by each Board Member) to encourage early registration.

Standard Advance Registration: 2 Door Prize Tickets. Deadline: March 11th

At-the-door Registration: No Door Prize Tickets.

Door prize chances are only available to early registrants.  Unlike the Silent Auction items, there is no opportunity to bid on these items at the event.

 

FUNdraising Auction

Click here to view some of the 2017 Silent Auction Items.

Our annual fundraiser allows attendees to bid on a variety of items, donated by board members, members, registrants, and other supporters. Every dollar raised, through this auction, goes toward buying lumber for our volunteers to build nestboxes!

As soon as feasible, please send donations (or notification of donations that will be hand-carried to the event) to:

Auction Coordinator:
Beverly Davis
(281) 660-0521
2411 Stableridge Drive
Conroe TX 77384
auction@texasbluebirdsociety.org

With shipment or email, please include contact information with street address and approximate retail value.

Donations (or notifications of donations) received after March 4th must be processed manually, one-by-one, and will miss the program publication deadline.

TBS is recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 "charitable" organization. Donations are tax deductible, as allowed by law.

Hotel

Highly reviewed Springhill Suites, Waco/Woodway, just 6 miles from the Waco Convention Center, offers our conference registrants a $99 + tax rate, subject to availability, for reservations made through February 28th.

Phone hotel directly, 254.732.7979, and request the "bluebird" rate.

Hot breakfast included.
Free Parking.

The hotel is making the discounted rate available before and after the event, beginning on Thursday. Consider extra days in order to enjoy some of Waco's "tourist" spots!

200 Colonnade Pkwy, Woodway, TX 76712    

Recreational Vehicles

There are numerous RV Parks are located in the Waco area, CLICK HERE for more information.

Friday Night Social

Friday Evening Dinner & Social at Vitek's BBQ Beer Garden,

1600 Speight Avenue, Waco TX 76706    

Reservation Deadline: March 11th
6:30-Social, 7:00-BBQ Dinner $20.00
Outdoors with fire pit. Weather appropriate clothing.

No outside alcohol allowed.

For More Information

Email: eventplans@texasbluebirdsociety.org

P.O. Box 40868, Austin, TX 78704

Phone:

• Pauline Tom (512) 268-5678
• Judy Ray (972) 217-1516

Registration Information and Form

Registration Fees

Limited Number of Lunches Available. No Door Prize Tickets.

Cancellation Policy

If you cannot attend, notify our registrar, Linda Crum (linda@txblues.org, 281.744.1228) as soon as feasible. Up until February 25th, we will refund in full. From February 26th to March 11th, we will refund minus a $5.00 administrative fee. After March 11th, no refunds. Still, we will appreciate a heads up so we can make necessary adjustments.

eventplans@txblues.org

Local Attractions

Waco Heart of Texas

Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau

Visiting Waco Texas