Shangri La Presents Birds in Your Backyard by Clifford Shackelford,
July 26, 2010
Shangri La Presents Birds in Your Backyard by Clifford Shackelford
Shangri La will present "Birds in Your Backyard" free to the public on July 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the Discovery Theater. Clifford Shackelford, Non-Game Ornithologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife will present a program entitled “Birds in Your Backyard". This program will allow the novice to attract, keep and identify birds that might be found in the backyards in east Texas. Using his large collection of beautiful photographs, Mr. Shackelford will provide an eye opening and interesting program highlighting area birds. This program is family appropriate but not recommended for children under ten years of age.Call 409.670.9799 to RSVP for this limited seating event.
Clifford Shackelford is the state-wide non-game ornithologist at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin where he runs the Partners in Flight program. He presents programs on birds throughout Texas and is considered an expert on the ornithology of Texas. He is is one of the authors of
Hummingbirds of Texas. As part of his interest in all Texas birds, Mr. Shackelford was instrumental in developing a recovery program for the endangered Red Cockaded Woodpecker of east Texas. Clifford has also been a feature on
Passport of Texas, a program developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. His most recent enterprise is the development of Owl Shack, an owl house that you can set up in your own yard.
Shangri La is located at 2111 W. Park Avenue in Orange, Texas. For additional information, visit shangrilagardens.org or call 409.670.9113.
Clifford Shackelford completes bird research in swamps of Big Thicket.
Blue-winged Warbler
Red-Headed Woodpecker
About Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a private foundation whose mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas and encourage and assist education. The unique ecosystem of Shangri La presents an ideal opportunity to further that mission as well as carry on the vision of H.J. Lutcher Stark, the man who originally developed the gardens more than 60 years ago.
Amid nature's pristine ecosystems, the formal gardens at Shangri La reflect a use of more than 300 plant species to paint beautiful landscapes among a series of theme-based garden rooms. Around every corner a new vista awaits the visitor with exquisite sculptures, a great lawn, serene waterscapes reflecting beautiful colors and a Cypress Gate framing blooming plants and soaring birds. The Nature Center includes Adams Bayou boat excursions to educational outposts, a 15-acre Beaver Pond, a state-of-the-art bird blind, a bat house, and more up-close encounters with nature.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum Certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies that the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures. Shangri La was also named by the American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment as one of the top 10 green projects throughout the world.
Shangri La offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature, as it strives in its mission to Mentor Children of All Ages to Be Kind to Their World.
Other programs of the Stark Foundation include the Stark Museum of Art, The W.H. Stark House and the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts.