Monthly Bird Outing

Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Dominic Sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0
 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

July in our area generally sucks for bird watching. Part of that is a "me problem." I absolutely hate the heat and once temperatures get above mid-80's, I'm done. The projected high for Saturday was around 100.

But it's also the birds. The nesting season is largely over, and although birds do still sing, it isn't with the exuberance of spring. This makes birds harder to find. They, too, are hot and sticking to cover and out of the sun. Many birds are also worn out and some are starting to molt. It is a better survival strategy to lay low and not draw attention to oneself. 

Therefore, as a rule, our monthly bird outings at Lake Arrowhead State Park tend to be more poorly attended, and we see fewer species of birds.

However, we had a fairly decent morning yesterday. A breeze off the lake helped keep the temperatures bearable, although by the time we wrapped up around 9:30, things were becoming uncomfortable. My favorite bird of the morning was the yellow-billed cuckoo, although painted buntings are always nice. Yellow-billed cuckoos are considered threatened but are fairly common in the park during the summer. Because they are relatively secretive birds, we hear many more than we see.

Birds observed this morning were: Canada goose, killdeer, great egret, snowy egret, cattle egret, Forster's tern, cliff swallow, purple martin, mourning dove, Eurasian collared dove, turkey vulture, ladder-backed woodpecker, northern mockingbird, American robin, painted bunting, northern cardinal, orchard oriole, yellow-billed cuckoo, great-tailed grackle, brown-headed cowbird, and red-winged blackbird. Not a bad morning.

Just a reminder that these bird outings are every month on the second Saturday at 8:00 AM. We meet in the parking lot of the admin building (for those familiar with the park, it is between the swim beach and the fishing pier). You do need to pay park admission of $4 if you don't have a park pass. Since the office doesn't open until 8, plan a few extra minutes to visit the self-pay station. We saunter about a mile. The surface is level and easily maneuvered by those with mobility issues. You don't have to be a bird expert. This is a good opportunity to learn more about birds in a helpful, friendly group. Hope to see you at an upcoming outing.

Good birding!

Time for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)!

One of my favorite birding activities is the Great Backyard Bird Count every February. Birders have several bird count activities, all of which provide data used to monitor population trends.

Basically, participants count birds in any location they wish (yard, local park, etc.) for a minimum of 15 minutes during a 4-day period. This year that is Friday, Feb 13 - Monday, Feb 16. Then you provide the information via Merlin or eBird.  Merlin is probably the app of choice for a new birder; eBird has more functions, but a little more complicated to learn for a newbie. You count every bird you see and you can count as long as you want, just at least 15 minutes.

Our monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park on Saturday, Feb 14 will be part of the GBBC. If the weather forecast is accurate, we might get a little wet. We meet in the parking lot near the fishing pier at 8:00 AM. You might arrive a little early in order to stop at the self-pay station, since the office doesn't open until 8:00. We saunter for about 1 - 1.5 hours (depending on the weather and the birds) and cover around a mile. We don't move very fast. We're there to watch birds, not set speed records. The route is paved and level. We do have people come with limited mobility, so don't let physical restrictions put you off.

I will also be birdwatching on the other days as well. Friday at Lucy Park, Sunday at Wichita Bluff, and Monday at Lake Wichita Park.  I may try to slip in a couple of other short observation periods at a few other locations, time permitting. It's a busy weekend already, so it will be a spur of the moment thing.

This is a fun activity to get kids involved. Since you only have to take part for 15 minutes, it isn't a challenge to keep them involved. If you have a budding birder, then you can stretch the activity as long as you want. Instructions for participating are available on the GBBC website.

If you have any questions or would like to participate in one or more of the counts, contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.

Good birding!

Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching

I was reading the December 2025 of Birding magazine and saw a mention of Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching in their Book and Media Reviews section. It's a quiet Sunday, so why not watch? This is a quirky documentary about two brothers, who are relatively new birders who decide the best way to learn about birds is to jump right off into the deep end with a Lower 48 Big Year.

This 2-hour film highlights their efforts, eventually documenting their 579 species for the year, placing them in 23rd place for this competition in 2024. At the beginning of the documentary, there is a "For Mature Audiences" warning. I didn't feel anything was too objectionable, but I know some of my neighbors would have some concerns (marijuana usage, a few swear words, and some low-grade crude commentary). The film is available for free on You Tube. I highly recommend a watch if you enjoy birding and have a sense of humor.

Some excellent bird photos and videos (with identification) highlight the film. At the end of the year, they are much more proficient birders, but decide listing detracts from birdwatching. The real joy of birdwatching is to watch the birds.

Good birding!

Book Review: The Art of Bird Identification, Pete Dunne (2012)

 

This isn't a new book, but it's new to me and one of the books I received for Christmas, so it might be one that will be useful to others.

This isn't what I would call a hard-core birding book, unlike Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion (2006), which is squarely in the experienced category. This relatively short book is aimed more at those newer to the hobby, but certainly, there are some pointers that even more experienced birders could use a reminder about.

Many people start their birding journey with a field guide (which you do need), but those can be overwhelming for new birders. They contain hundreds of birds, many of which look a whole lot alike.

What this book does is focus birdwatchers on non-field guide identification clues. Sometimes, I'll be out with people and a bird may just flash by, and I can identify it. That seems like I am a real expert, but in most cases, I have watched a bird enough to pick out some aspect of the bird that tells me what it is, and sometimes, it is not a field mark shown in a field guide. The overall impression of a bird, referred to as "jizz" (an unfortunate term in current times), can allow a very quick identification. Where it is, its size, how it walks or flies, and certain easily visible field marks all help pull up an accurate ID fairly quickly.

However, when we are getting started, or if you are in an unfamiliar area, a more methodical approach is helpful. Usually field marks are not the most helpful clues until you can narrow the possibilities. Pete Dunne provides a framework to approach field identification.

Habitat is important. Not every bird will be in every habitat. Even if it is the right habitat, it might not be the right time of year. Then, what type of bird is it? If it's a duck-type birds, you can rule out a lot of possibilities and focus just on birds that are ducks, geese, and similar-appearing birds. How big is it? Compare it to some other bird you're familiar with. It's hard to identify size in inches, but you can probably say "It's smaller than a mallard." Again, that narrows your choices, giving you a manageable number to work with.

Now you look for field marks to find the bird you've observed. He doesn't get into this, but it does take practice to try to pick out the most useful field marks quickly. It's likely you won't have much time to look for them, so you get what you can. Songs and calls also can be useful.

Even with a good process, you can still misidentify a bird. I do it. Pete Dunne admits he does it. If bird identification was easy, birding would not be as challenging and interesting. But if you want to improve your odds, consider getting a copy of this book.

Good birding!

A Silent Christmas Bird Count

A book that started my journey to environmental awareness as a child was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. This book was instrumental in eliminating (mostly) the use of DDT in the U.S., allowing for the comeback of the bald eagle. However, other factors beside DDT are having a devastating impact on our birds today

Last Saturday (December 20) was our local Christmas Bird Count (CBC). This was the 50th year our count was conducted (except for 1983, which for some reason, there is no record of a count being done).

Although it was a beautiful day, the count was disappointing. We ended the day with around the normal number of species seen, but significantly lower numbers of each species. The CBC requires the participants to count every single bird seen. We had 81 species, but only 18,409 individual birds, with 8 participants counting. This is very low number. We have noticed this trend in previous years. Sometimes, you can chalk up low numbers to poor weather--not this year.

This isn't surprising. We have been losing birds for many years. In 2019 the Cornell Lab of Ornithology published an article in its publication, Living Bird, which highlighted a study, documenting that North America has lost almost 30% of its birds since 1970. The largest losses were in grassland birds, which are primarily what we see here.

Why? In the case of grassland birds, it is largely due to a loss of habitat, as the original grassland prairies have largely been exterminated. The prairie is the most endangered ecosystem on earth with less than 1% of the original grassland prairie in Texas still in existence. Yes, there are rangelands covering a large part of Texas, but that is not the same habitat.

In several parts of our CBC area, there is a lot of development happening. A subdivision in Archer County that is part of my area, has quail names for its streets. There were probably quail there when the houses were built, but I doubt many of the inhabitants see or hear many quail now. All of the houses have suburban-type yards, which are not the habitat quail need to reproduce and survive. Across the street from this housing addition, there is adequate habitat (but not the best), so some may still be in the area, but if that housing area expands, it will further reduce quail territory.

Another issue is insects and other invertebrates. Not that many years ago, a drive meant you had to clean your windshield regularly to get the bug guts off. That is a rarity now. Insect populations are plummeting. Although many adult birds eat seeds, baby birds eat insects. A lot of insects. Insects are high in nutrients, as baby birds grow fast. Fewer insects mean less food and less food means fewer baby birds, and fewer adults. Much of the decline in insect populations is due to the use of pesticides. However, even areas with little disturbance, insect populations are plummeting. One study showed insects declines 72.4% in 20 years in a relatively untouched area in CO. This decline appeared to be due to rising summer temperatures.

Many of these seem issues might seem to be beyond the scope of any one person's ability to impact. Although it is true that many issues require the collective efforts of large communities, there are still things we can do to help our birds.

• Build habitat. Ditch the lawn or most of it. Plant native plants--they feed more of your local area insects and birds. For ideas, see Homegrown National Park.
• Use poisons on your yard sparingly, if at all. They aren't good for you, your family, pets, or the habitat.
• Keep your cats inside. I love cats, but they love to hunt, hungry or not. Cats kill between 1.3 and 4 billion birds annually in the U.S.
• Reduce the use of plastics. Plastics kill wildlife. As they break up into smaller pieces, they are often eaten by birds (whether directly or indirectly in the intestines of their food), filling their stomachs with undigestible food, until they starve to death. I do know it is very hard to avoid plastic, so what you do have, dispose of it carefully.
• Introduce people to birds. People don't develop strong attachments to things they are not exposed to. The more people observe and learn about these fascinating birds, the more likely they are to advocate on their behalf.

Good birding!

Sick Birds?

 

ChatGPT  Image of house finch
with conjunctivitis

If you feed birds or provide water, at some point, you are going to see sick birds. 

A fellow birder mentioned this week she had some house finches with conjunctivitis, so had removed her feeders for a time, which is exactly what you should do.

How do you know you have sick birds? There are two primary diseases our birds get in this area that are very contagious between birds. 

The first is conjunctivitis. This is prevalent in house finches (House Finch Eye Disease), but can be spread to other songbirds, such as gold finches, purple finches, and occasionally, grosbeaks.. If you are looking at your birds and they have crusty, runny eyes, this is conjunctivitis. Birds can't see well and the disease can cause blindness, if the bird isn't predated first.  The bacterium that causes this disease is spread by direct contact between birds or contaminated surfaces (such as feeders). This disease can be treated fairly easily with the right medication. If you can catch the affected bird, you can take it to Wild Bird Rescue.

Another disease I haven't seen for some time primarily infects doves. You'll have doves sitting on your feeders just gorging themselves, but the bird will waste away because they can't swallow the food. You may notice the birds because it will stay fluffed up like it's cold. Trichomoniasis can be transmitted to birds of prey when the bird eats the dove. Infected birds starve or suffocate. This disease is not easily treatable and generally, birds are immediately put down because the disease spreads so easily.

What you can do. Keep your feeders and bird baths clean as a preventive measure. If you have seen sick birds, immediately take down your feeders and empty your bird bath. Thoroughly clean them, using a 1:10 bleach solution. Leave them down for at least 10 days. Why? You are basically allowing the sick birds in your area to die off to stop the spread of disease. If you put your feeders/bird baths back in operation too soon, any infected birds will once again contaminate your feeders and continue to spread the disease.

These diseases do not infect people.

A Typical August Morning

Least sandpiper
Clinton & Charles Robertson from RAF Lakenheath, UK & San Marcos, TX, USA
& UK, CC BY-SA 2.0  via Wikimedia Commons

The bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park last Saturday was typical for August. Hot, and not a lot of birds. However, since several attendees were Texas Master Naturalists, we still saw some interesting critters, especially spiders and insects of various types.

Fall shorebird migration has begun, with some least sandpipers foraging along the shoreline. Next month should be better. Least sandpipers are one of what is referred to as "peeps", the very smallest and the hardest to identify of sandpipers. However, the least sandpiper is the easiest of the peeps to ID. If you look at the picture, you can see that the sandpiper has a black bill and yellow legs. The other peeps have a black bill and black legs. It can sometimes be difficult to see the color of the legs, depending upon the light (and the legs are teeny, tiny). It is easiest to tell by getting a picture and then enlarging it on your computer when you get home.

I usually get to the park early on bird outing days, so I can scope out the route to see if I want to make any adjustments. The birds in August are quiet. I did get an excellent view of a male painted bunting sitting on a bare branch at the top of a tree. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find one once everyone else arrived. Usually they are singing all over the park.

It was a decent morning for egrets/herons.

Birds seen/heard included great egret, snowy egret, cattle egret, great blue heron, green heron, Canada goose, killdeer, least sandpiper, mourning dove, ladder-backed woodpecker, northern cardinal, cliff swallow,  Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren, red-winged blackbird, and great-tailed grackle.

It should be a much better outing next month.

Good birding!