Galveston Birding and Nature Photo Festival
Photography Field Trips
Events for Friday, April 17, 2026 › Photography Field Trips
Day Navigation
6:00 am
Join Ruth Hoyt on this unique experience on Galveston Bay to photograph birds in flight from a boat. One of the best ways to learn to photograph birds in flight is to practice and this trip will provide ample opportunities to do just that! The number of birds, Brown Pelicans in particular, is amazing, providing many photo opportunities as the birds come and go from the islands. In Galveston Bay, there are man-made islands where large numbers of breeding birds nest. This special trip, arranged by FeatherFest, allows us to approach these islands while following a special protocol to minimize impact on the colonial birds.
Find out more »Photographing shorebirds is fun and challenging as they are almost always in motion. Your leader Tim Timmis has mastered this! We will seek out the birds on East Beach or wherever they may be hiding, to capture the action. We may also head to the boat dock area behind the Strand to get close-up shots...
Find out more »6:30 am
Join Chris Rankin at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge near Anahuac, Texas, to explore Wildlife Photography from A Car. Chris will introduce you to photographing wildlife from a car/truck while exploring the beauty and diversity of the Anahuac National Wildlife Reserve. Established in 1963, Anahuac NWR’s primary focus is to protect and manage the coastal marsh for migrating, wintering and breeding waterfowl.
Find out more »8:00 am
The Texas City Dike is the longest man-made fishing pier in the world. It stretches 5.3 miles into Galveston Bay. This means that birds like sandpipers and turnstones can be found on both sides of the dike feeding in shallow water. In addition, gulls and terns are regularly flying along the dike as the hunt...
Find out more »4:00 pm
Chris will introduce you to photographing wildlife from a kayak. Enjoy paddling in a provided kayak while slowly exploring the marshes of Galveston Island State Park, one of the area’s premier ecological jewels. This 2,000-acre public park offers a multitude of habitats that support a wide variety of birds like herons, egrets, Roseate Spoonbill, shorebirds and possible overhead raptors like osprey looking for prey.
Find out more »Join Sean Fitzgerald on this unique experience on Galveston Bay to photograph birds in flight from a boat. One of the best ways to learn to photograph birds in flight is to practice and this trip will provide ample opportunities to do just that! The number of birds, Brown Pelicans in particular, is amazing, providing many photo opportunities as the birds come and go from the islands. In Galveston Bay, there are man-made islands where large numbers of breeding birds nest. This special trip, arranged by FeatherFest, allows us to approach these islands while following a special protocol to minimize impact on the colonial birds.
Find out more »4:30 pm
Here’s an ever-popular photography field trip that’s become part of our FeatherFest tradition! Join Sky King Falconry and Ruth Hoyt to photograph various captive raptors and other trained birds in natural settings and perches out on a private West End property. This is a great opportunity to see and photograph these birds. Kevin from Sky Kings Falconry will pose raptors in natural settings and possibly fly the birds while discussing the behavior of the birds.
Find out more »5:00 pm
Explore this small 6-acre sanctuary on Galveston’s west end. Coastal prairie and bayside shores offer a wide variety of opportunities to photograph birds. A small water drip with seating area is sure to attract some nice neotropic migrants. Come prepared to photograph birds at the drip, along the boardwalk, overhead, or along the shore. A...
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