T hink of Taylor’s egrets, and certain regrets over a recent firework fiasco or even excessive excrement may come to mind.
But the folks at Good Life Taylor smell a different opportunity associated with the thousands of colonial nesters and other migratory birds who make their home in and around Murphy Park.
“A lot of people know about the bad stuff, you know that it (the rookery) smells bad, and that there are too many,” said Julie Rydell, a founder of the 10-year-old nonprofit. “There isn’t a lot that they can do about them, so we might as well celebrate them because they are really cool.”
Good Life Taylor will host its first ever Bird Parade & Birdwatching event from 10 a.m. to noon next Saturday, April 1 at Murphy Park, featuring a costume contest, activities for kids, as well as information from Texas A & M AgriLife Extension, Wildlife Services Program, Texas Master Naturalist, The Williamson County and Cities Health District’s Fight the Bite program, and more.
Rydell said Good Life received a $600 ecotourism grant to fund this event from Central Texas Network Weavers.
“I had proposed that we promote the egret heronry in Murphy Park because it’s really unique, and it is one of the largest inland rookeries in Texas, and it has got a lot of biodiversity,” she said. “We can have people from out of town come, and they can visit and stay and check our cool shops that we have here and eat at a restaurant. It’s just an opportunity to show off the natural features we have here in Taylor.
Highlights of the morning will include a performance from renowned professional storyteller Oba William King, who will share an original story poem he created especially for the Bird Parade, as well as live owl demonstrations from All Things Wild Rehabilitation.
But first, the event will kick off at 10 a.m. with a bird walk from Memorial Field Stadium, with loaner binoculars available for enhanced viewing, Rydell said.
“We will walk down Davis Street on the sidewalk down to the park at the lake and meet up at the lake with bird experts from A & M Wildlife Services and Master Naturalist,” she said.
In addition, attendees are encouraged to wear their best avian-themed costumes to compete for bird trophies and other prizes, organizers said.
“People enjoy dressing up, and here is another opportunity for people to wear a costume,” Rydell said. “So we are going to have secret bird watchers in the crowd that will pick out their favorite costumes, and we will award them.”
