Monday, March 11, 2024

March Birding at Lake Arrowhead State Park

Snow geese
Photo by Raymond Eichelberger on Unsplash

Saturday was the monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park. The morning was beautiful. However, a
brisk wind, combined with 40 - 45 degree weather meant it was a little nippy to start. We had a new birder with 
us this month. She said birding was on her retirement bucket list. I can't imagine anything better.

This time of year is the beginning of the spring migration (although April should be even better). Purple Martins
are back, and our winter birds are still here. There have been reports of some summer birds showing up very early
(a summer tanager, for example). The highlight of my morning was a small flock of snow geese that flew over
our heads. A neotropic cormorant was also a good sighting. We also saw a beaver, and I saw some white-tailed deer.

I got to the park a little early and also birded West Arrowhead Rd that runs just outside the park boundary for a 
short time after we broke up, so my list includes those birds.

The birds I saw/heard included:

Canada goose
Snow goose
White pelican
Double-crested cormorant
Neotropic cormorant
Great blue heron
Ring-billed gull
Killdeer
Least sandpiper
Gadwall
Mallard
American Coot
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Eastern phoebe
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Carolina Chickadee
Eastern bluebird
Dark-eyed junco
Harris's sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Field sparrow
Brown-headed cowbird
Great-tailed grackle
Red-winged blackbird
European starling

Overall, a very good morning. You're invited to come bird with us on the second Saturday of each
month. We start at 8:00 AM in the parking lot near the fishing pier. Beginners and kids welcome. We look
at more than just birds--plants, bugs, etc. This is a leisurely stroll of about 1 to 1.5 miles.

Good birding!

Birding is Good for You!

 

Me birding at Lake Arrowhead 
State Park (several years ago)

I was reading an article in the March 2024 American Birding Association magazine, Birding, titled, "The Birding Prescription." Although the ABA posts its magazines online, the March issue isn't posted yet, and it will be in a members only area of the website. I am fairly certain this isn't a magazine carried by the Wichita Falls Public Library, although I haven't looked at their magazine selection for some time.

I know I always feel better after being outside birdwatching (or watching birds through the window on days I can't/don't want to go anywhere). However, this article outlines the author's anecdotal experience with birding (or ornitherapy, as she calls it) when she was fighting breast cancer. After this, she summarizes results from multiple studies which indicate birdwatching has many positive affects on people. Here is a summary of the main points:

  • Listening to bird song for 6 minutes can reduce anxiety and irrational thinking for up to 8 hours
  • Although not necessarily birdwatching, 20 minutes of exposure to green spaces lowers cortisol (stress hormone)
  • Participation in citizen science activities improves well-being (that's part of the reason members of our local Texas Master Naturalist chapter are such a positive group!)
  • People who live in areas with higher bird diversity experience fewer hospital admissions for mood and anxiety disorders
  • Birding can help restore attentiveness, reversing attention drain (attention restoration therapy)
  • Offer social connections. Feelings of isolation and loneliness and lack of connections may increase the risk of premature death.
The author provides a list of references to the various studies she cites, so if you want to do more study on your own, you can do so.

Whether you agree with all of the assertions in her article or not, it doesn't cost anything to watch the birds. Try it our for yourself. I know some time birdwatching is always a pick me up for me.

Good birding!

Friday, February 9, 2024

Purple Martins Arriving Soon!

 

Purple martin house at Wild Bird Rescue

I have not personally seen any purple martin scouts yet, but there have been reports in our area and it is about time for them to show up. If you have a martin house, it's time to ensure it is clean and ready for this year's nesting season. Clean up the house and block the entrance until you see scouts. Otherwise, you will have a house full of starlings and house sparrows.

Lake Arrowhead SP Birding

Painted bunting at Lake 
Arrowhead SP

Every second Saturday there is a bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park. We wander about a mile over an hour or two (depending on the birds we see). Debra Halter and I, from the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter, lead the walk. 

Don't know the birds? No worries--you learn by going out with others. Bring the kids! We love to introduce kids to the natural world. Interests expand beyond birds? No problem. Master Naturalists are into everything and we often stop to look at plants, and spiders, and mussels, and bugs, and deer, and more. Mobility issues? We can easily stay on paved surfaces.

The bird in the photo top the left is a painted bunting. We won't see one this month, but it won't be long until they are back for the summer. (Of course, I say that and June McKee had a summer tanager at her feeder this week and posted a photo on Facebook. So, one never knows!)

The walk starts at 8 AM at the admin building parking lot (between the swim beach and the fishing pier). Just look for a small group with binoculars and cameras. Park entry fees apply ($4 per person). The park office doesn't open until 8:00, so give yourself a little extra time to stop at the self-pay table just inside the entrance.


Happy birding!

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Great Backyard Bird Count Coming Up!

One of my favorite birding events is coming up February 16 - 19. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint citizen science project of the Cornell Lab of OrnithologyNational Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. It has found its way worldwide since tallies are now submitted through eBird.

The idea is to watch birds at home, your local parks, or wherever you happen to be for 15 minutes (or more) and submit your checklists through eBird. I usually try to hit up several local parks since I do Project Feederwatch in my yard every week. I might change my mind, but right now, I am thinking I will bird Lake Wichita Park on Friday, Lake Arrowhead SP on Saturday, Wichita Bluff Park on Sunday, and Lucy Park on Monday. I might throw in some short times at Williams Park and the Circle Trail at a couple of spots that are sometimes good birding.

This is a great project for kids. Since you only need to spend 15 minutes, even the little ones can stay focused. This would also be a good project for homeschoolers.

Good birding!

Just Ducky!

 

Prasan ShresthaCC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We've had a couple of decent rains lately so I decided this morning I would go out looking for ducks. With the lack of water, I haven't had much luck recently.

As it turned out, it was a good morning. I have a number of chores that need to get done today, so I didn't take a lot of time. I started at the Lake Wichita spillway. The lake is still far from full, but it is coming up some. There were lots of ruddy ducks, some buffleheads, coots, gadwalls, mallard, Canada geese, and a lone northern shoveler.

Then I went down to the boat ramp and picked up some green-winged teal.

I took a run down W. Rathgeber Rd to get to Crestview cemetery. Although this road is a dump for glass bottles, there are a few small tanks along that road and the largest one had several ring-necked ducks. At Crestview I saw my favorite duck, the northern pintail (see the photo). They are such an elegant looking bird. Unfortunately, there was only the one, but I was happy to see him. That's the first one I have seen this winter.

Then I took a quick swing by Stone Lake. Not much going on there this morning, but I did add pied-billed grebes. Overall, a good morning.

Good birding!


Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Williams Park Surprise

Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
I went over to Booker T. Washington elementary school this morning to meet with my Read 2 Learn 1st grader. Unfortunately, he wasn't at school today. Since I had some extra time, I went to Williams Park, which is just across Holliday Creek from the school.

Williams Park is not very big, but it has good understory for little dickey birds, and that was my focus for a quick stop. I was heading over to a brushy area near the Circle Trail. I had my eyes down, looking for little birds in the brush, and out of the corner of my eye, I say a large bird flush from a tree right on the trail. Initially, I thought it was probably a great horned owl as they are common in our area and it isn't uncommon to flush one out. It's a good thing I looked up, because it wasn't an owl, it was a mature bald eagle. We do get bald eagles here in the winter, although not in large numbers. I see them at Lake Arrowhead State Park most often, but I have seen one flying over SW Parkway, so you can observe them most anywhere.

Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for this bird and he flew down the creek too quickly for me to get a picture with my cell phone. I did walk a ways down the trail in the direction he flew, but he apparently did not alight nearby. I did look at eBird and there is a record last year (with pictures) of a bald eagle in Williams Park.

I was at the park for 30 minutes. In addition to the eagle there was a Carolina chickadee, some dark-eyed juncos, blue jays, cardinals, great-tailed grackles, a savannah sparrow, white-winged dove, and a mourning dove.

I picked up more litter than saw birds. The main portion of the park looks good, but the edges are full of trash. I forgot to pull one of the trash bags I keep in the car to pick up litter on walks since I didn't plan to be there long, but easily picked up enough trash to fill at least one bag. There is still plenty of trash there is someone has some spare time.

BONUS: Like to draw? The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology had a webinar this week on drawing birds. I am totally incompetent when it comes to anything more complicated than a stick figure, but for those with a modicum more talent, you can see the recorded webinar here.

Good birding!