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Pam Smolen

Smolen

Pam Smolen was raised an army brat living in Alaska, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and finally settling in Texas. She grew up enjoying the outdoors, hiking, and camping. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Chemical Engineering. She discovered the wonderful world of birds over twenty years ago and has been hooked ever since.

Pam is Chair Elect of the Houston Audubon Board of Directors. Pam was recently Interim President & CEO for Houston Audubon while they searched for a new CEO.  She is an active volunteer for Houston Audubon and is Chair of the Bolivar Peninsula Nature Trail Committee.  She has been Chair of the Birdathon committee and participates in coastal workdays. She is a former Vice-Chair and Chair of the Houston Ornithology Group.

Upcoming Events

April 2026
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

  Join Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability, and Pam Smolen, chair-elect for Houston Audubon, on our first FeatherFest accessible field trip to Smith Oaks! From under an ancient sea, a salt dome emerged. After a few thousand years the dome reached 38-feet above a pancake-flat coastal plain; the highest point-of-land on the immediate coast from Mobile Bay to the Yucatan Peninsula. This is High Island, which is now a wooded beacon amongst the coastal marshland providing food, water, and places…

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Saturday, April 18, 2026 @ 7:30 am - 12:00 pm

Focusing on discovering migrating songbirds on Galveston’s West End, this trip will feature warblers, vireos, tanagers, orioles, grosbeaks, and buntings. Located at the intersection of two important migratory flyways, Galveston Island provides critical resources and cover for birds as they journey northward. During stormy weather, fallout events are common, as birds seek shelter and much-needed rest at the first sight of land. Our first stop will be at Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve, Galveston’s crown jewel during spring migration. We will…

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Saturday, April 18, 2026 @ 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

From under an ancient sea, a salt dome emerged. After a few thousand years the dome reached 38-feet above a pancake-flat coastal plain; the highest point-of-land on the immediate coast from Mobile Bay to the Yucatan Peninsula. This is High Island, which is now a wooded beacon amongst the coastal marshland providing food, water, and places to rest for weary Gulf migrants. The daily afternoon arrival of neotropic migrants often includes dozens of species, along with local and resident waterfowl,…

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Sunday, April 19, 2026 @ 7:30 am - 11:30 am

Back by popular demand, for this trip, you will be guided by one of our most experienced birders and all-around nature lover, Glenn Olsen. Glenn leads nature tours in the US and overseas but he calls the upper Texas coast home. His extensive knowledge of local birding areas is sure to yield excellent views of migrating warblers as they move through our area on their way to nesting habitat. As a bonus, Glenn is also a Texas Master Naturalist and has served as the president of the Native Plant Society of Texas. His knowledge in these areas should greatly enhance your trip experience. Our group will focus on techniques for improving field identification skills. We will be traveling by bus and places visited will depend on weather patterns and reports from the previous day’s birding activities.

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