Summer Bird Feeding

Three birds feed at a tray feeder in Maryland.,
Mikey Lutmerding, Public Domain,
https://www.fws.gov/media/three-birds-feed-tray-feeder-maryland

Most people feed their birds only in the winter (except their hummingbirds, which are only here in the summer). After all, there is plenty of food available in the summer, right? In general, that is true.

I feed all year, although I do cut back on the number of feeders in the summer and feed less food. However, I do continue to feed my birds in the summer months.

Breeding season is tough for birds. Babies require constant food. They develop very quickly so they need a lot of protein and fats continuously. Most new songbird hatchlings need to be feed every 15 - 30 minutes. After a couple of weeks, the frequency goes down to 30 - 45 minutes, although the quantity of food does not. Let's say you are a cardinal parent. Most cardinals hatch 3 - 4 nestlings and may have as many as 4 clutches in the nesting season (I know the pair in my yard is on it's third clutch now). Not only do mom and dad spend all day running around catching insects for their young, they too have to eat.

Baby songbirds need protein--i.e., insects. They cannot eat seeds, and seeds don't have the type of nutrition they need anyway. However, their parents can eat seeds. It's an easy way for them to keep up their energy during this very trying time. Can you imagine the calories they are burning running around trying to find a meal and running it back to the nest for 4 babies every 15 minutes? In this heat? Summer feeding can give them a boost to get through the summer nesting season.

So yes, I feed in the summer. Besides food, I focus on keeping the bird baths full. If you don't have a bird bath, a large saucer or tray will do. Keeping that clean and full can be almost a full-time job when the weather is consistently above 100 degrees for days on end. One issue is bird seed tends to spoil faster in the heat. So, even though smaller bags of seed are more expensive initially, smaller bags help prevent having to throw food away, so it works out. It is also critical to keep the feeders clean. Ideally, you will want to clean them weekly.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a baby cardinal in the back yard. I looked out my kitchen window and there was a male cardinal at the sunflower feeder, getting a snack. I did find the fledgling cardinal on the ground. Although the fledgling seemed to be searching the ground for food, dad was still helping him. At this point in life, the young birds can eat seeds. Dad took a sunflower seed and took it down to the ground for the young one. 

Give you bird parents a hand by providing some fast food this summer. Besides, it gives you the opportunity to watch your birds.

Good birding!

Circle Trail Bluebird Boxes

Andy  Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK,

CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>,

via via Wikimedia Commons

The Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalists asked the city of Wichita Falls to allow them to put up bluebird boxes along the Circle Trail. The city agreed. The number of boxes will depend upon the chapter's ability to fund, install, monitor, and maintain the boxes. The intent is to start with a handful and gradually increase the number each year.

The chapter is currently fundraising for this project. The first boxes will be installed in September/October of this year (bluebirds start scouting next year's nesting sites in the Fall).

Eastern bluebirds were in serious decline some years ago, as were other small cavity nesting birds. People don't leave up dead snags as much as they used to, creating a shortage of nesting sites. However, these birds have bounced back since people have started putting up nesting boxes. Other birds in our area which use bluebird nest boxes are wrens, chickadees, titmice, and tree swallows. Invaders which can take over bluebird houses include house sparrows and European starlings.

The Texas Master Naturalists will build and install the boxes and monitor and report nesting success for the various species. They will also ensure non-native birds do not take over the boxes and make repairs as needed.

The chapter is currently fundraising for this project. Any amount is welcome, but a $100 donation will ensure you are recognized as a sponsor for a box. Donations may be sent to Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist, 1300 Lamar Street, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Since a state agency hosts the chapter website, the chapter does not have the ability to accept online donations.

If you would like more information about this project, you can email the chapter at rollingplainschaptertmn@gmail.com or you can contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.

Good birding!

Bird Outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park

 

Ómar Runólfsson,

CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>,

via Wikimedia Commons

The monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead SP on August 8 was, as is usual in August, a little slow. The birds don't like the heat any more than we do. We did have a nice breeze off the lake though, which helped a lot.

The best birds of the morning were a handful of black terns, which made the morning worthwhile. Black terns migrate through our area in the Spring and Fall.

I have trouble with tern ID, mostly because most terns look a lot alike and they are generally moving over the lake feeding, instead of sitting quietly to be observed. However, the black tern is easily identifiable, because it is dark gray/black, instead of the white of the other terns.

The birds seen Saturday included great egret, snowy egret, western cattle egret, double-crested cormorant, white pelican, killdeer, black tern, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, orchard oriole, yellow-billed cuckoo, Bewick's wren, ladder-backed woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, great-tailed grackle, and turkey vulture. Not a bad morning for early August.

The bird outings at Lake Arrowhead SP are the second Saturday of each month at 8:00 AM. We meet at the parking lot adjacent to the admin building (near the fishing pier). The park entrance fee is $4 per person, unless you have a TPWD park pass.

Migration should be picking up in September, so come on out on September 12.

Good birding!