Christmas Bird Count

National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Wichita Falls area is scheduled for December 14. We have a 25-mile circle to complete. We generally break up the circle into 3 sections, each with its own team to count every bird we can find. The team lists are then consolidated and submitted to the Audubon Society. 

The CBC is the longest running citizen science project in the U.S., starting in 1900. On Christmas day of that year, 27 people started the count, in various locations across the country, counting 90 different species. It is now conducted in 20 countries in the western hemisphere.

If I remember correctly, our CBC has be held since 1954.

I'll be starting at 7:00 AM and bird pretty much all day. It is a combination of driving and walking. The other two teams have their own schedule, but are similar to mine. People can also count at their feeders. The data compiler needs to know who is taking part in order to make arrangements to get the data to add to the report. If the weather is so bad that we are unlikely to find many birds or it is unsafe to drive, the count will be rescheduled to the following weekend.

If you would like to take part in this year's CBC, whether for an hour or an entire day, contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.

NO December Bird Outing at Lake Arrowhead SP

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for our area is scheduled for December 14. Since most of the people who regularly participate in the monthly bird walk at Lake Arrowhead SP will also be taking part in the CBC, the bird walk is cancelled for that date. Join us again Saturday, January 11, 8:00 AM.

Neighbors

FranzFranz,
CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>,
 via Wikimedia Commons

I was disappointed when we moved across town and discovered I had far fewer birds in my yard. None of my neighbors feed birds and all of them have the typical lawns with a tree in the front yard and maybe one in the back. However, in the last couple of years, things have improved. Until now.

My neighbor decided to cut down his two large, beautiful trees. One was a live oak and the other an elm tree. Why? Because they were messy and shaded his lawn grass, making patches. Also, he was concerned if there was a storm one of them could fall on his house or cars. Since he cut them down, I haven't seen any woodpeckers. I also haven't seen the chickadees or orange-crowned warblers I usually have at my feeders. My counts for Project Feederwatch are way down. Just white-winged doves and house sparrows. I hope Santa puts coal in his stocking.

I know he would love for us to cut down our trees, especially the pecans, because they are messy. Not happening. In the meantime, I'm depressed.

Good birding!

You Never Know

Photo (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man),
via Wikimedia Commons

You never know what you are going to see. I was driving on Fairway, between Johnson Rd and Midwestern Parkway and saw a large hawk diving toward the road. I slowed down when the bird landed in the road, trying to block the bird from getting hit.

Apparently, the red-tailed hawk successfully grabbed a squirrel out of a tree next to the road and landed in the street to readjust his hold before lifting off to find a spot for his snack.

Good birding!

Lifer!!

Black phoebe at Lake Wichita spillway

Getting adjusted to retirement is harder than I thought. I have a dozen posts in my head, but haven't managed to get them up. But a lifer can break through the logjam.

I got a text yesterday from a birding friend, Debra, that there was a black phoebe at the Lake Wichita spillway. She texted me later that she took her mother out later, and it was still there. Since it was Thanksgiving day, I wasn't able to get out there.

I decided to go out this morning, in hopes the bird was still there and I could score a lifer (for those who may not be birders, a lifer is the first time you see/identify a new bird). It took a little bit, but it made an appearance. A very pretty bird. It reminds me of a slate-colored junco, only with a longer tail and the typical flycatcher behavior.  I didn't get the greatest picture with my cell phone, but I did get one.

In addition to the black phoebe, there were a couple of rock wrens just below, in the rocks.

Other birds seen at the spillway were Eurasian collared dove, mallard duck, ruddy duck, American coot, double-crested cormorant, northern shoveler, Canada goose, killdeer, ring-billed gull, northern mockingbird, American robin, blue jay, and eastern phoebe.

I decided to go around to Lake Wichita park, near the veterans' memorial and walk the trail west behind the American Legion post 169. A good choice. Birds seen included mallard, northern shoveler, American wigeon, ruddy duck, American coot, pied-billed grebe, double-crested cormorant, white pelican, great blue heron, northern mockingbird, American robin, Bewick's wren, common yellow throat, orange-crowned warbler, ruby-crowned kinglet, American goldfinch, European starling, northern cardinal, blue jay, belted kingfisher, and song sparrow.

Good birding!

Where Did My Squirrels Go?

 In April, I was complaining in this blog about one of the squirrels eating my spider plant. My husband came in the other day and asked me, "Have you seen our squirrels lately? I don't think I have seen them in a few days."

Thinking about it, I know it has been almost a week since I have seen any. We have three that regularly hang out in our yard, eating sunflower seeds from our feeder. I can see that one might get picked off by a predator, but three at once? Unlikely. The dogs still charge out the back door and look up in the tree where the squirrels hang out, but have been regularly disappointed. I miss watching the antics of the squirrels and the dogs.

I am hoping one of the neighbors didn't decide to poison the squirrels, since poisoned animals often end up prey of birds of prey, killing them as well. 

Of course, if the neighbors did kill the squirrels, others will move in at some point. In the meantime, the sunflower seed is lasting longer.

Good birding!

Project Feederwatch Starting Soon

 

Feederwatch Crowd

One of my favorite thing to do in the winter is participating in Project Feederwatch. This is a study of bird populations sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. According to the Project Feederwatch website, this will be my 27th season.

My primary reason for taking part is that I like to watch the birds. I feed them regardless, so why not provide information that can help up learn more about them? The picture at the left is one from my backyard a couple of years ago during a particularly harsh bit of weather. The interesting thing, although you can't see it without enlarging the picture, is that there are some yellow-headed blackbirds in this photo. I had never seen yellow-headed blackbirds in the winter here--I thought they were a migrant that passed through in spring and fall. Apparently, a few do hang around (or at least, did that winter).

Last winter was particularly disappointing. I didn't have many birds at all-neither in numbers of species or in numbers of individuals. Some of the other local people who participate mentioned they were having a disappointing season as well. I chalked it up to a relatively mild winter. However, recently I received the newsletter for the project summarizing some of the data from last year, and we were not alone. Last year was a bad year for every one--in fact the numbers of individual birds seen was down significantly everywhere.

Chart from Sep 12 Feederwatch blog

You might find the possible reasons for these low numbers interesting. Check out the blog post. However, bird populations are declining everywhere. The link takes you to the Cornell Lab's page highlighting a study showing that nearly 3B birds have disappeared since 1970. This is not good news for us. Another reason to do what you can to provide habitat for all species, not just birds.

The Project Feederwatch starts November 1 and runs through April 30. If you want to take part, there is a small charge. If you are a member of the Lab, the cost is $18. It is a few dollars more for those who are not. If you are new to the project or don't know your birds very well, Cornell will send you a poster of common birds.  It's also a good idea to have access to a field guide. Here's the link to sign up.

I hope you'll take part. This is a good project to do with kids as well. They learn more about birds and about the scientific method.

Good Birding!

Three Mornings in Lake Wichita Park

 

White-faced ibis at Lake Wichita Park

Fall migration is definitely underway. It started several weeks ago with the departure of purple martins, but many birds are moving, or preparing to, now.

I spent a coupe of hours in Lake Wichita Park three mornings this week. I tend to go to Lake Wichita Park more often than other locations because it is close to my house.

The barrow pit is now a mudflat, which does attract shore birds, like the white-faced ibis in the picture to the left. Right now, this nearly dry pond is hosting several species of herons/egrets, as they prepare to move south or pass through on their way. There are several individuals of various species there, forming the groups that will one day, leave together. (Great egrets, snowy egrets, little blue herons, yellow-crowned night herons, black-necked stilts, killdeer). 

I also saw several warblers passing through. I am not the greatest at warbler identification. The birds are tiny and they are usually moving constantly. But I am confident of a yellow warbler and a mourning warbler, but I saw one or two others that I couldn't be sure of in the extremely short time I was able to see them.

I saw some individual Mississippi kites earlier this week, but not this morning. One of my friends said she saw a group of about 15 circling over her house, so they should be gone soon. Usually, these birds head out the end of August/early September.

Between Thursday and today, I saw the following birds: mallard duck, great egret, snowy egret, yellow-crowned night heron, little blue heron, great blue heron. white-faced ibis, black-necked stilt, killdeer, Mississippi kite, turkey vulture, Eurasian collared dove, white-winged dove, mourning doves, downy woodpecker, barn swallow, Northern cardinal, blue jay, Carolina chickadee, northern mockingbird, Carolina wren, yellow warbler, mourning warbler, Baltimore oriole, American pipit, American robin, red-winged blackbird, great-tailed grackle, European starling, house sparrow. In addition, I did see some small peeps fly over that I couldn't identify and a couple of other warblers that stumped me.

A runner went by me today and asked what my best bird seen was this morning. For me, it was the little blue heron, although it is tough to beat the black-necked stilt, but I had to make a quick decision, since he was running off.

Many of our summer birds are gone (or I just haven't seen them in the last week or so). I haven't yet seen any of the birds that come in here to stay for the winter, but I am sure they are coming. It does seem like there are more robins than are here in the summer, but it could just be they are starting to form up their winter flocks (more on that behavior in another post soon).

Fall migration is more drawn out than the spring migration, when the birds are rushing to get to their breeding grounds and get the best spots. We should have a few more weeks of prime birding coming up, so get outside.

Good birding!

How Do Birds Stand the Heat?

 

Patrick_K59, CC BY 2.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>,
 via Wikimedia Commons

I don't know about you, but it is way to hot for me. How do the birds stand it?

First of all, birds already maintain high body temperatures, so the ambient heat in this 100 degree weather isn't all that far from the temperature they usually maintain (106 -109F). So when it gets hot outside, they reduce their metabolic rate, since they don't need the energy to keep themselves warm. 

But sometimes they do get too hot. Since birds can't sweat, they have other adaptations to keep from overheating. You have probably seen pictures of birds "panting"  as seen in this photo (not one of our birds). This allows for some evaporative cooling. 

You will notice birds usually don't have feathers on their legs. Obviously, some birds wade or spend time swimming in the water. Bird baths are also helpful, so be sure to keep your bird baths full for a cool drink and a nice bath. Even a warm bath will cool down the bird as the water evaporates.

Evaporative cooling can also be achieved in some other ways. Some birds will defecate on their legs. The water in their waste cools their legs when it evaporates. Not very appealing to us, certainly, but it works.

Birds are generally more active in the morning and evening, all year around. This is especially true in the hot summers, when they stay in the shade and move as little as possible. People are not the only ones who take a siesta!

Good birding!

Summer Bird Feeding

 

Carolina chickadee

Most people don't feed birds (other than hummingbirds) in the summer, but I do. I get it. There is plenty of food available for the birds in the summer and quality bird food isn't cheap. But it's not about the birds, it's about me. I enjoy seeing the birds and having some food available brings the birds to me.

I do reduce the amount of food I provide. In the winter, I have 6 - 10 feeders out, depending upon the weather. In the summer, it's 2 - 4. 

To the left, you can see a Carolina chickadee at one of the feeders. If I have to choose just one feeder, it would be black oil sunflower in a wire tube feeder like this. Black oil sunflower is less expensive than most feed mixes and is enjoyed by almost all songbirds. In addition to chickadees, this feeder attracts cardinals, blue jays, house finches, common grackles, as well as house sparrows and starlings. I don't get many starlings, so it isn't a big deal for me. This feeder also attracts squirrels. You can see the feeders is bent up. That is courtesy of the squirrels. But the squirrels are fun also, and they aren't stealing food out of the birds' mouths, so it's all good.  I fill this feeder once a day in the summer. When its gone for the day, it's gone. The little moochers can go forage after that.

Peanuts for woodpeckers

My other favorite feeder is a heavier metal feeder that I fill with shelled peanuts. The chickadees also like this one, but I have it out mainly for the woodpeckers. I have downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and occasionally, ladder-backed woodpeckers that visit the feeder every day. Blue jays, wrens, and starlings also are fond of this feeder. Shelled peanuts are expensive, but I use much less of this feed. What you see remaining in this feeder will last at least a week. Probably two. The squirrels don't bother this feeder--no idea why as they do like peanuts. Perhaps it's because this feeder is harder to get the peanuts out of and the feeder is much sturdier, making it harder to get open to pillage as they do the sunflower feeder.

I do throw a handful or two of mixed seed on the ground, more because it is amusing to watch the dogs go crazy than the birds it attracts (My husband calls this me "feeding the chickens" because of the way they go nuts.) Ground feeding does attract doves and great-tailed grackles and occasionally, a robin. The blue jays and cardinals also find this easier than pulling the sunflower seeds through wire mesh.

With temperatures holding around 100 degrees for weeks now, water is much more important than food. We'll talk about that another time

Good birding!

Doing the Spider Dance

When you've got your eye on a bird and trying to identify it, you can get so focused, you're not paying attention to much of anything else--not a good thing. 

I took a bit of time on Thursday morning to take a walk in Lake Wichita Park and twice walked into a spider's web. In my rational mind, I know there is no harmful spider in our area that builds a web that I am going to walk into, but as soon as I feel that spider silk on my skin, the reptilian brain takes over and I'm doing the spider dance trying to get it off me and to reassure myself the web resident is NOT crawling on me.

Safety should be a big concern for every birder, especially those, like me, who most often are out by themselves. Spiders are not a huge safety concern, but in years past I have had other near misses. A few years ago I was peering intently through my binoculars and moving forward, nearly stepping on a rattlesnake. He was nice enough to rattle to let me know I was getting too close, and allowed me to back away. However, most commonly, I stop to watch bird and don't notice I am standing in or close to a fire ant bed. They are not nice enough to give a warning before biting.

Although other critters are a hazard, it is more likely for me to twist an ankle or fall because I stepped into a hole I didn't see or off the edge of the trail with a bigger level change that I expected. Fortunately, other than some bumps and bruises (mostly to my pride), I haven't had any serious injuries. But I carry a cell phone and a duress alarm, just in case.

My Mom used to say, "I shoulda named you Grace." Sarcasm was her strong suit.

Get out and enjoy your birding, and be safe.

Good birding!

 

Monthly Bird Outing This Saturday

We have a bird outing the second Saturday of each month at Lake Arrowhead State Park. It is generally a small group and open to anyone who wants to see some birds.

We used to call this a "bird walk", but changed the name to "bird outing" last year to encourage anyone to come. Calling it a walk (although we do walk) discouraged those with mobility challenges. This is not a strenuous walk at all. Most of it is paved and the small portion that isn't, is level. If the ground is wet, there is still pavement not far away. We do occasionally have people in wheelchairs or using a cane participate, which is great. This is also not a strenuous walk. It is more of a saunter and can last anywhere from an hour to two hours, depending on the weather and the birds we see.

Members of the Rolling Plains chapter Texas Master Naturalist lead the walk, which means we look at more than birds--at this time of year, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, spiders, and plants are among the sights the group take a look at, and photograph. If we are lucky, we may get a good look at a painted bunting (picture, left). We hear them frequently in the summer, but we don't always get a good look.

Kids are welcome, as are other newcomers to the hobby of birdwatching.

There is an entry fee to enter the park ($4 per person). Since the office doesn't open until after the walk starts, come a little early to have time stop at the self-pay station. We meet in the parking lot of the admin building (previously called the dining hall). Not sure where that is? It's adjacent to the fishing wharf. We meet in the part of the parking lot on the other side of the building. If you have never been to the park, take the third right after entering the park, go to the right at the stop sign into the parking lot, and look for a small group of people with binoculars. We start at 8 AM. See you there!

Good birding!

What's the Deal With Lists?

List, Parque Edwardo VII

Many people who enjoy birds keep lists. Most keep a life list. Others keep all kinds of lists (patch list, county list, etc.) Why list?

First, some birders do not keep lists. They feel that focusing on listing interferes with enjoying the birds because you are recording your sighting instead of truly looking at and absorbing the experience. And that can happen, although I don't think listing and observation are mutually exclusive.

For those who list, there are various reasons.

• Competition. Having large life lists can be a big deal and people can become competitive. And yes, there are birding competitions, both formal and informal. If you haven't seen it, watch The Big Year. It's a comedy, and most birding people do find it funny. My husband, who has little interest in birds, didn't find it funny at all. He just didn't get some of the jokes. People do engage in big years. I followed the blog of a person doing an ABA-area big year (The ABA area is the 49 continental United States, the Hawaiian Islands, Canada, the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, and adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less.. Excluded by these boundaries are Bermuda, The Bahamas, and Greenland.) It wasn't a formal competition, but he was trying to see the most birds he could in a year in the area he selected and compare it to others who did the same thing in previous years. I also had an acquaintance who did a Texas big year. Big years are expensive projects. There are also Big Days (we used to do one of these as a fundraiser for Wild Bird Rescue), which is the number of birds you can find between midnight and 11:59 PM on a given day. I participate with the Wichita Wingmen in the Great Texas Birding Classic each year, which raises money for Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation Grants. And yes, the focus is on the quantity, not the quality, of observations.
• Contributing to our knowledge of birds. We submit lists for the Christmas Bird Count and the Great Backyard Bird Count, for example. I also submit checklists to eBird when I go birding on my own (if you see a list of birds in a blog post, that list, which the specific numbers of each bird seen, is being submitted to eBird). Over time, lists submitted by many people in many locations, adds to our knowledge of bird populations and ranges.
• Memories. I like to look back at my lists to remember places I have been. For example, the illustration at the t op of this post comes from eBird. When I visited my son in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this year, we visited Parque Edwardo VII. Although I didn't go with the express purpose of watching birds, I did see some and recorded them. Now, when I look at the list, I can revisit the area in my mind.

My husband finds the whole listing process humorous, although he does help me. I had him out with me looking for a Whooping Crane which had been reported in Wichita County a few years ago. Looking at my life list on eBird, I found it on January 1, 2011. Once I explained what a "lifer" was, he asks me when I go on trips if I found a lifer, because he knows it's a big deal. And when we travel together by car (because he does not fly), he'll help me keep track of counties, since I count by county in Texas (Texas Century Club).

Listing can be a great way to add to your enjoyment of birds, as long as it doesn't become the be-all and end-all of your experience.

Good birding!

Hummingbird Presentation Slides

At the River Bend Sip 'n Science program on hummingbirds on the 19th, some of the attendees requested a copy of the slides I used. Here is a link to those slides.

Hummingbird Presentation

I Am Over Summer

Dominic Sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 I am not a Summer fan. The prediction for today is 106 degrees. Ugh! Come on, Fall!

However, I did get out this morning early and did a short bird walk in Lake Wichita Park. I spent almost an hour, going down the chat trail, around the barrow pit, and most of the way around to Murphy's Mound. It was 80 degrees with a light breeze at 7AM when I started out and too darned hot by the time I got back to my car.

July is not the best time for birdwatching in Wichita Falls. The birds are finishing up raising their broods and most have ceased their territorial singing, making them harder to find in the foliage. Since we had more rain than usual so far this summer (yeah!), the foliage is fairly full. The birds are also too darned hot and not expending more energy than necessary and hiding out in the shade. Fall migration has now started. Our first spring migrant, the purple martin, has departed the area within the last week.

Having explained all the reasons birding sucks in late summer, I had a good morning. My favorite bird was the yellow-billed cuckoo (shown above). These birds are considered a threatened species and are secretive. I didn't see it this morning, but I heard its distinctive call. My birds this morning: double-crested cormorant, cattle egret, great egret, yellow-crowned night heron, green heron, mallard duck, Mississippi kite, Eurasian collared dove, mourning dove, yellow-billed cuckoo, northern cardinal, Carolina wren, blue jay, western kingbird, robin, scissor-tailed flycatcher, barn swallow, chimney swift, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, and great-tailed grackle.

Good birding!

More Hummingbirds!

The hummingbird presentation at Wild Bird Rescue went fairly well. I'll be doing an expanded version for the River Bend Nature Center Sip 'n Science program this Friday, July 19, 6:30 - 8:30 PM. Register at their website. You must be 21 to attend.

Amazing Hummingbirds!

 

I've never met anyone who didn't love hummingbirds. These amazing little birds are so fascinating.

If you would like to know more about these tiny birds, I will be doing an educational program at Wild Bird Rescue at noon on Thursday, June 27. The program will be about 45 minutes.

What will we talking about? We'll discuss some interesting things about this family of birds. We'll talk about how to identify the two most common species of hummingbirds in our area. Feeding hummingbirds, and what you can do to encourage hummingbirds to come to your yard

I hope to meet you then.

Good Birding!

Finally! Almost There!

I was supposed to retire at the end of 2023, but things did not go as planned. However, we're moving along and at this point, I am about 90% retired and should be 100% by mid-September.

That's my excuse for not keeping up as well as I should with this blog. I have several items to talk about so, we should be good for a while.

In the meantime, Good Birding!

Anyone with a Good Squirrel Recipe?

Momma Squirrel at Feeder

In general, I love my squirrels. I know many birdwatchers don't like squirrels because they eat a lot of bird food, which isn't cheap. However, I enjoy watching their antics, and they ensure the dogs get plenty of exercise trying to catch them.

Having said that, I have one squirrel that may find itself in a stew pot soon. I looked out my window the other morning, and there was one of my squirrels, sitting right in the center of my spider plant, munching away on one of the leaves. Since then, I have found leaves and sprigs of baby spiders on the ground under the planter. My spider plant is looking mangled at this point. I am rooting the babies in hopes that if the big plant succumbs to mistreatment, I'll be on the way to replacing it.

I am not sure what brought this on. That same plant hung outside all last summer with no problems. So far, they haven't bothered with any of the other pots on the patio. Right now, there are 7 pots out there and this is the only plant they have messed with. Any ideas? Anyone else having a similar issue?

By the way, note the bent up sunflower feeder. Something is pulling the feeder down at night (only this one) and bending it up trying to get into it. Raccoon, maybe?

Good birding!

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!

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!

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 Ornithology,  National 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 Shrestha, CC 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!

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!

Feast or Famine

Chat Trail

The objective of birding is to see birds, but some days you have better luck than others. You can bird an area one day and see birds everywhere and the next, you get skunked. On Saturday, the 6th, I went out to the chat trail in Lake Wichita Park. As a rule, the chat trail is one of the best locations to see a variety of birds in Wichita Falls.  Not on Saturday. Winter is close and as you can see, there are few leaves on the trees. However, I didn't see much when I was there, partly because I went later than usual (11 AM - Noon). In the hour I was walking the trail, I saw: mallard ducks, Canada geese, rock pigeons, a red-tailed hawk, a northern flicker, northern cardinals, a blue jay, a house finch, a Lincoln's sparrow, white-crowned sparrows, and Harris's sparrows. Not the longest list, but I was happy with the exceptionally good look at the Lincoln's sparrow.

Circle Trail in Lucy Park

The next day, I decided to try Lucy Park. This used to be my favorite place to bird before the city tried to control flooding by denuding the park several years ago. I won't say I don't see some good birds on occasion, but it is no comparison to what it used to be. The loss of almost all of the understory and many of the older trees greatly impacted the bird habitat. But it is worth a walk now and again. The best areas now are the 3rd Street entrance to the falls and the fence line between the park and River Bend Nature Center. I turned in the other direction, toward the log cabin. Again, I was there later than my usual time (10:40 - 11:40) and saw just a few birds: a northern cardinal, a couple of blue jays, some Carolina chickadees, robins, dark-eyed juncos, a great-tailed grackle (yes, just one) and a solitary cedar waxwing. Initially, when I saw the waxwing in the cedar tree, I thought it was a titmouse, but once I got my binoculars on it, it was definitely a waxwing. I listened and looked around for more, but didn't see or hear any.

Standing water in the barrow pit

I skipped Monday, as it was raining (hurray!), but walked the chat trail again Tuesday. Work sucked up my morning, so since I didn't get to the park until around 3 PM, I decided just to walk and if I saw any birds, great. Since I decided to try the Conqueror Challenge for 2024 (365 miles), I focused on walking, but did see some incidental birds. And with the decent rain on Monday, there was a pool of water in the barrow pit--I haven't seen any standing water in there for months. Proof is in the picture to the left. A northern harrier was hawking around the pit, looking for a snack. There was a group of northern flickers hanging around also--both yellow-shafted and red-shafted. Besides those birds, there were several Eurasian collared doves, some white-winged doves, some robins and a cardinal. 

All-in-all, this week has been a bird famine, but it's still better than working.

Good birding!
 

ABA's Bird of the Year

By Andy Reago &amp; Chrissy McClarren - Golden-winged Warbler, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63976506

The American Birding Association (ABA) names a Bird of the Year every January. This year's bird is the Golden-winged Warbler. A pretty bird, although not one that hangs out in our area. But that's ok. The bird does range through much of the eastern part of the country, to include Sabine Woods, a Texas Ornithological Society sanctuary in east Texas. 

I bring this up to highlight the ABA. I am a member because they do a lot of bird conservation. The magazine is beautiful and interesting, although it tends to be more technical than many other birding magazines. ABA also has an interesting bird podcast. I try not to read the book reviews--I would have to get another job to support my bird book habit. And more shelf space.

Warblers are challenging birds to identify, mostly because they are constantly on the move. I have a hard enough time catching a glimpse of them, let alone identify or take a picture of one. I used to go birding with a lady named Dorothy when I lived in Virginia. She could see a warbler for a second and tell  you what it was, but she had spent decades banding birds and had written a book about warblers, so there was a good reason for that. We were out one day and I asked her the identity of a duck out on the lake. She said, "It's a duck." She said she hadn't spent much time working on her identification skills with ducks, so she had a difficult time identifying them. I can honestly say, I do reasonably well with ducks, but other than a few very distinctive species, warblers stump me much of the time. But I enjoy watching them anyway.

Good birding!