An encounter with a toucan while in Costa Rica is all it took for Ed Fair to catch the bug.

"Sadly it's an obsession that those of us, who bird, get" Fair said. "It messes up our lives [and] our relationships. We can't really go to work all the time because you're thinking about how can you get back out there and start chasing birds.”

It is that obsession which brought Fair to Commons Ford Ranch Park, in Austin, on Memorial Day weekend to lead a field trip for the Travis Audubon Society.

About a dozen people showed up Sunday morning for a walking tour around the park. Austin resident Suzanne Kho was one of them.

"It's a great sort of, sense of discovery," Kho said. "It makes you more aware of the things that are around you all the time."

Kho said she’s always loved birds. She became a bird watching enthusiast, or birder, about seven years ago when she attended a beginner birding class through the Travis Audubon Society.

Fellow birder and Travis Audubon Society Member Jane Tillman shares her enthusiasm.

"You get out ridiculously early in the morning, although you don't have to," she said. "You get to see things other people don't see. It's just a tremendous outdoor experience to see nature alive and at work."

Their organization is involved with more than just spotting birds. They have teamed up with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, among others as part of the Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Project.

The purpose of the project is to restore a 40-acre tract of land back to native prairie status.

"It sort of looks like it's harmless, but what it really is, it's comprised of invasive species," Fair said.

According to Fair, the invasive species have pushed out a lot of the native species which has affected the wildlife in the area.

"There's only one percent of tall grass prairies left of the original tall grass prairies, so we want to do everything that we can to restore that," Fair said.

As part of the restoration project, the invasive species will be removed from the area, and native wildflowers and grasses will go in its place.

"What this will do is it will increase the nesting, and feeding and safety sources for a number of species," he said.

Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Greater Roadrunner and Upland Sandpiper are a few of the native species Fair said.

"The hardest part of the process is trying to figure out how to take out these invasive species, They are strong and they've been here for years," Fair said.

They are working with other groups like the Austin Parks Foundation, Native Prairies Association of Texas, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to devise a plan on the best way to accomplish that.

According to Fair, the process of removing these invasive species will include at least a prescribed burn.

"We may cause a bit of damage right now, but the long term benefit for decades will be the native prairie again," Fair said.

For birders like Tillman who frequent the park, she said the initial change in scenery that comes along with a prescribed burn may take a little getting used to.

"After they do the burn, we might actually see an upswing in the number of chipping sparrows because they love to come in and feed on burned areas," she said. "But then it will be a little hard, you won't see this beautiful field of lemon mint."

However for Parks Grounds Supervisor Joan Singh, the project is a way for her to make a lasting difference.

"Sometimes you look in your life and you say well, I've done this and I've done that, but what was really meaningful," she said. "And this project is very significant for me that way."

The project is still in the survey process according to Fair. He said the removal process will begin next summer, and if things go well they will begin planting in the winter and fall of 2011.

Singh said the project is estimated to cost about $58,000. Organizations are in the process of collecting donations for the project.