A native Texan, Megan graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior as well as Psychology. She originally set out on a career focused on animal behavior, doing behavioral research with chimpanzees. In 2014, she started working as a naturalist at Kleb Woods Nature Center in Tomball. She made the leap from primates to birds and hasn’t stopped birding since! In addition to Kleb Woods, she also worked as a naturalist at John Paul Landing Park near Katy, where she helped get the new Environmental Education Center open and running. As a naturalist in Harris County, Megan leads bird walks, educational programs, birding trips, and a Young Birders Club. She is a co-compiler for the Cypress Creek Christmas Bird Count and helps organize the Red-vented Bulbul Census in Houston. She also helps private landowners with bird surveys and habitat management plans. Besides birding, she enjoys rock climbing, camping, hiking, cycling, and just being outdoors!
Galveston Birding and Nature Photo Festival
Megan Ahlgren
Upcoming Events
Boy Scout Woods, Smith Oaks, The Rookery, and more! 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…
Find out more »Galveston’s West End has drawn birders from all over the world for nearly 100 years. In addition to estuarial saltwater marsh, it contains freshwater ponds, pockets of scrubland, mudflats, and sandy beach habitat. This combination attracts a wide variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, and more. We will begin the trip by viewing tidal pools on the Gulf of Mexico side and work our way to the estuaries on the edge of West Bay, stopping at freshwater ponds along the…
Find out more »Join author Jennifer Bristol on an exploration of the historic cemeteries of Galveston. These unexpected birding spaces offer easy walking and quality bird watching, while diving deep into the human history of the island. Participants will explore three cemeteries on this outing, each offering a variety of habitats attractive to birds and birders alike. There is no better time to explore these spaces than spring when the bold colors of the wildflowers showcase the stark white and gray headstones. Please wear…
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