The following is the Friends of Hagerman NWR Press Release. For more information about these events, please email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com . All events are sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman and occur at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center: 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX 75092, unless stated otherwise.
Special Event Saturday, May 16! The Sherman-Hagerman Bird Festival is a multi-location, multi-activity celebration of our feathered friends in nature and art as spring migration is in full swing at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge on Lake Texoma. Events will take place at both the Refuge and throughout the Downtown Sherman Cultural District.
Hagerman NWR serves as refuge and breeding grounds for migratory birds and is well known for the diversity of birds that can be found here. In all, 338 species have been counted, including American white pelicans, warblers, hummingbirds, and nesting tanagers, painted and indigo buntings, and nesting bald eagles. Hagerman activities run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include bird walks, tram tours, children’s activities, three lectures, and book signing with Sam Crowe – Photographic Guide to the Birds of North America.
Sherman Cultural District will complement Hagerman activities by celebrating all things bird in fine art and avian-themed offerings starting at 8 a.m. Come for Breakfast with the Birds, then visit shops and restaurants for the Birds of a Feather Art Walk, gallery shows, fantasy birdhouse competition, bird merchandise, culinary specials and drink flights to finish the evening. Sherman Public Library will host family activities and bird talks. Five original bird sculptures will be dedicated, part of a new public art collection honoring Sherman’s unique connection to Hagerman NWR.
The festival is organized by the Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and Sherman Cultural District.
Schedule for the Day: Bird Festival
8:00 to 9:30 Early Bird Walk Visitor Center parking lot
10:00 to 11:00 Refuge Rocks - Birds! Ages 5-10
10:00 to 11:00 Tram Tour (Reservations Required) https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-6650032
11:00 to 12:00 Lecture: What Exactly is a Bird with Dr. Bryon Clark, Vertebrate Ecologist
Although birds display a remarkable diversity of colors, shapes, sizes and behaviors, they share a set of defining characteristics that distinguish them from other animals. This presentation will explore several key adaptations, such as feathers, beaks, lightweight skeletal structures, and, in most species, the ability to fly, that enable birds to inhabit almost every environment on the earth’s surface. From Antarctica to your own backyard, you are likely to encounter several of the more than 11,000 species of birds found worldwide. This presentation will also provide a few simple and practical tips on how to identify the birds you see.
11:00 to 2:00 Ice Hole Food Truck (carport)
11:00 - 2:00 Book Signing: Sam Crowe - Birds of North America
12:00 to 12:30 Master Storytelling with Doris Haynie (VC Patio)
12:00 to 1:00 tram Tour (Reservations Required https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-6650289
12:30 to 1:30 Lecture: Birds are Amazing Flying Dinosaurs with Dr. Tom Stidham, Evolutionary Biologist and Paleontologist Dr. Thomas Stidham will talk about some of the different lines of evidence from anatomy, behavior, and the fossil record that demonstrates that birds are very diverse living dinosaurs.
1:00 to 3:00 Butterfly Garden Walk
1:00 to 3:00 Children's Activities & Puddles Skins and Skulls of Mammals & Bats (Pavilion)
2:00 to 3:00 Lecture: Where are All the Birds Going - Current Trends in Population Size with Dr. Wayne Meyer, Ornithologist. Birds are a familiar and cherished part of life at the refuge—but many species are becoming harder to find. This Second Saturday program will explore current trends in bird populations and examine why changes are happening.
2:00 to 3:00 tram Tour (Reservations Required) https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-6650290
Volunteers Needed:
There is something for everyone at Hagerman! From Bat & Monarch monitoring to greeting visitors and being a tram tour guide, get more information at https://friendsofhagerman.com/Volunteer.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Greeters
Meet and greet people from all over the world while giving out information about the refuge and wildlife. Hand out maps and make sales in the Nature Nook. Come and join our team! For more information, please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.
Butterfly Garden
Like digging in your garden? Want to learn about native plants? Come join out Master Naturalists and Gardeners in maintaining the Butterfly Garden. For more information on volunteering, please email FriendsofHagerman@email.com for details.
Outdoor Crew
Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Join the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. The Outdoor Crew meets on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. Please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details and to join our team. Scouts welcome!
Activities & Events:
The Little Sit: May 2nd at 7:00am Pad-H on the West side of Hagerman NWR
If you want to learn how to identify the birds of North Texas, the "Little Sit" is the perfect way to start.
Meet the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, a group of dedicated birders invite you to join them at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed. Leaders will bring spotting scopes and will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see. This event lasts a couple of hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a chair, binoculars and water.
We meet on the first Saturday of each month, 30 minutes before sunrise to watch the birds come into the water and begin to feed. We usually stay out for 2-3 hours, but you are welcome for all or part of the Sit.
For more information, a map to Pad-H and to register to receive event updates (registering is recommended to be informed of location change) https://www.friendsofhagerman.com/event-6486768?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=12/26/2025
Or email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.
GPS Coordinates to Pad-H: 33.734961, -96.780582
Free and open to the public, funded by donations.
Photo Club Meeting: May 2, 1pm – Everyone welcome! Have you ever admired some of the great photos posted on Friends of Hagerman NWR Nature Photograph Group and wondered where to find these great creatures? Join our photographers to learn the many photography opportunities at the refuge, where to find them and the best time to see them.
Early Bird Guided Walk. Come walk on the wild side with Jack Chiles! Saturday May 9th at 8am to 9:30am Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead this Early Bird Walk, weather permitting. Participants will view birds and wildlife along Harris Creek Trail, walking about two miles, and returning to the Visitor Center in time for the Second Saturday program. Register to receive event updates https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-6514720?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=5/9/2026
Second Saturday: Saturday May 9 at 10:00 a.m. Initial Results of Bat Monitoring on Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and around Grayson County, Texas with Bryon Clark and Margaret Avard.
The Friends of Hagerman (FoH) National Wildlife Refuge was awarded the O’Brien Prize by the National Wildlife Refuge Association in July 2025 for their application titled “Music of the Night: Citizen Science Bio-acoustic Bat Monitoring at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.”
The primary goal of this project is to help address key gaps in understanding local bat species and their distribution on the refuge and in Grayson County, Texas. Such information may then be used to inform refuge management decisions and contribute to broader conservation efforts for bats across the region.
Another major goal of the project is public engagement. Through hands-on educational programs and citizen science opportunities, this initiative aims to inspire both youth and adults to learn more about these often-misunderstood mammals and, hopefully, become bat advocates.
Bryon Clark and Margaret Avard serve as the project leaders and will provide an update on this initiative, discuss challenges encountered, and share preliminary results from acoustic bat monitoring conducted on the refuge and throughout Grayson County, Texas. To date, analysis of the acoustic data suggests the probable presence of at least eight bat species across area.
Bryon Clark and Margaret Avard are both nature enthusiasts and live southeast of Sherman, Texas. Their son, Gerald, is a master’s student at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara. After retiring from Southeastern Oklahoma State, both have become active members of the Friends of Hagerman NWR and are certified Texas Master Naturalists. Dr. Avard served as a Professor of Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences and Dr. Clark was a Professor of Biological Sciences before moving to administration and retiring as the Interim President of the University.
Bryon has been interested in bats for almost 5o years and completed his master’s thesis and a post-doctoral experience on bat ecology. Margaret developed her interest in bats through the Texas Master Naturalists and listening to Bryon’s presentations. Together, they enjoy camping and often take their personal bat detectors along to record bat calls; needless to say, this activity has sparked some interesting comments from other campers. They have conducted acoustic bat monitoring in Texas, Iowa, West Virginia, Nevada, Utah, and California.
The O’Brien Prize awarded by the National Association of Wildlife Refuges has expanded opportunities for Bryon and Margaret to share their enthusiasm for bats with others. As project leaders for the Bat Monitoring Project at Hagerman, they hope to recruit others to become interested in bats and assist with bat monitoring efforts on the refuge and their own property. Bats play a critical role in the environment, and these collective efforts will help promote a greater understanding of this remarkable group of mammals.
Refuge Rocks: Saturday May 16 at 10:00 a.m. Refuge Rocks – Birds – Our Feathered Friends. (Ages 5-10). Birds are everywhere, and each one has a story to tell! Young nature explorers are invited to spread their wings at Birds, Our Feathered Friends, an interactive children’s program at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. This hands-on class will take place Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10:00–11:30 a.m. and is designed for youth ages 5–10. This youth program takes place during our day-long Bird Festival at the refuge. This festival is in conjunction with the Sherman Bird Festival. See the Hagerman Bird Festival schedule here: https://friendsofhagerman.com/BirdFest
BioBlitz & Mothing Event: Friday Evening May 22 and All Day Saturday May 23. All are Welcome! Friday evening at sunset with Sam Kieschnick and a full day on Saturday – Exploration, advanced training, nature hikes, bug hunts and more! Contact trainingclassdir@bluestemtmn.org
Butterfly Garden Stroll: Saturday, May 9 and May 23 from 10am to noon and May 16 from 1 – 3pm.
Mother’s Day Garden Stroll will be Sunday, May10th from1:30 – 3:30 and we’ll be serving cookies and get the kids picture taken with Puddles. Garden docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies. Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.
The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.
Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.
Tram Tours every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Enjoy a 60 – 90-minute tour along Wildlife Drive at the Refuge. Enjoy learning about the history of the displaced town of Hagerman while watching for wildlife. Lots of stops for birdwatching and photography. Reservations required. Standbys are accepted if space permits. Free and open to the public. Funded by donations. https://www.friendsofhagerman.com/Tram-Tours.
