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!

Fall Migration Already?

 

US Migratory Flyways
USFWS Headquarters, Public domain,
 via Wikimedia Commons

The calendar continues to turn. It seems like Spring migration just ended with the arrival of the Mississippi kites, yellow-billed cuckoos, and common nighthawks, and Fall migration fixing to get under way. 

We have a few bird species which will leaving soon. Purple martins start leaving in July. I am looking around for a roost. A roost is a location where a bird species masses over some days before taking off as a group on their migration. For a few years, there was a reliable roost near my house, but that location hasn't been used the last couple of years. No idea why the purple martins decided it was no longer suitable.

We will soon start seeing migratory shorebirds passing through from their breeding season in the Artic, returning to winter in central and south America.

Spring migration is a little more exciting since it occurs over a shorter period of time as birds have a shorter timeframe in which to get to their breeding grounds, mate, and raise their young before the window closes.  Fall migration is spread over a longer period of time. Birds tend to take some time on the way to rest and fill their tank up, waiting for the next favorable front to move through. 

Although the "best" months for fall birding tend to be September/October, it's time to start paying attention. You never know what you might see.

Good birding!

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!

Lake Arrowhead Bird Outing Saturday

Canada geese enjoying the swim area
at LASP

The monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park is scheduled for 8:00 AM on Saturday, August 9. We meet in the parking lot adjacent to the Admin Building (between the swim beach and the fishing pier).

The hike is really a leisurely stroll of about a mile. It is level and (mostly) paved. For those with mobility issues, there is a paved surface adjacent to the short portion where we usually cut across the grass, so it is easy enough to stay on the pavement the entire route. How long we spend depends on the birds we see and the heat. Generally, we spend 1 - 1.5 hours walking the mile.

This outing is sponsored by the Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalist. Therefore, although birds are the primary focus of the hike, butterflies, spiders, plants, and any other interesting thing we come across are likely to be observed, discussed, and photographed.

The outing is open to anyone. Bring the kids, if you like. You don't need any experience or knowledge about the birds--this is an excellent way to get started with birdwatching. 

It's a good idea to put on sunscreen and to wear a hat. Bring water and binoculars. 

Granted, August is not the best month of the year for birds in our area, but Fall migration has started, so we may see some shorebirds.

There is a park entry fee of $4/person. Since the hike starts at the same time the ranger station opens, be prepared to stop at the self-pay station. Come a little early and bring correct change.

Good birding!

Listing

Field list

Bird people are notorious for their lists. Many keep all kinds of lists. The most significant list is their life list. As you might guess, a life list is a list of every bird you have seen in your lifetime, usually with the date and place you identified the bird first.

Before the advent of computers, everyone kept their life list on paper. Not ideal. I have lost my life list twice. Once you lose the documentation, you can't remember every bird you have seen, let alone when and where. Now, we have eBird, which protects your list. But I know I have seen a LOT of birds that are not on my current list, especially from the years I spent in Europe. I still have hope that I come across the list in one of the boxes in the garage that haven't been unpacked since our last move.

eBird does have a phone app. I have it on my phone, but I don't use it. It would make sense to do so, since I have to take my field notes and enter them into eBird when I get home, which means I have a lot of checklists that I haven't entered. And, as you can see in the photo, my field list is a little messy. I am working on entering some today.

If you would like to use eBird, you might consider taking the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology Bird Academy course eBird Essentials. It's free. There's a lot of things you can do with eBird besides keeping your lists.

In addition to life lists, birders keep yard lists, state lists, county lists, patch lists, etc. There is a Texas Century Club to encourage birders to find 100 birds in 100 counties in Texas (for those not familiar with Texas, we have 254 counties). There are several counties in Texas that are sparsely populated and bird records were few. The Century Club, and eBird, have greatly improved our knowledge of bird ranges. 

I can recall many years ago, when I would update a sighting in Wichita County, I would get calls from the people who try to help keep eBird accurate, questioning my entry since the bird wasn't supposed to be here or not at that time or in those numbers. Since I don't carry a camera, I don't take a lot of photos to prove I saw what I saw. Fortunately, there are a lot of people who do carry cameras and provide photographic evidence, and now there is plenty of documentation that the birds are in our area, which has made challenges rare.

I do know (a very few) birders who do not list. They feel keeping lists detracts from the experience of observing the birds. And I get that. Some people do seem to just want to tick off a bird on their list and not spend any time enjoying the bird. But I don't think that's true of most.

Truly, the best thing about lists is the memories they bring back. When I look at sightings, I can often remember the place, the people I was with, or some other fact about the day. I was on a hike in Copper Breaks State Park this weekend, and one of the people I was with stopped in the middle of a trail and said, "It was at this exact spot that I heard a canyon wren..." I often stop at places I have seen a special bird just to remember how I felt at the time.

To list or not to list...it's a question only you can answer for yourself.

Good birding!

Purple Martins Heading Out!

Purple Martins are the first bird to migrate back to us in the spring and the first to leave.  They start showing up in February and leave the end of July/early August, although there are records in our area into September.

I haven't yet seen a roost. The purple martins tend to congregate in a large swarms after the young fledge before they leave on their way to Brazil for the winter. There is a tree in a field near me that was a roost site for several years, but it wasn't used last year. There were easily 1000+ birds in this roost. That is not overly large. I am keeping an eye on it though, because it is in a good spot. There are documented instances of roosts in other locations of 100,000 - 200,000 birds.  Birds disperse during the day to hunt insects and congregate back to the roost at sunset.

If you see a roost site, please let me know. txbirds@gmail.com.

Good birding!

Summer Bird Feeding

Male house sparrow at
sunflower feeder

Do you feed birds in the summer? Should you? Most people remove all of their feeders in the summer, except their hummingbird feeders. 

The reasons? Feeding the birds is expensive, and there is more available food from natural sources in the summer.

However, I do feed the birds in the summer, although I do feed a lot less. Why do I choose to feed in the summer? 

I still like to see the birds and the feeders do bring them where I can see them. Although I get mostly unexciting birds like the house sparrow pictured, I do get some of the birds I prefer.

Another reason to feed in the summer is to help out the parent birds. Although birds primarily focus on insects in the summer to feed their young, parents are run ragged trying to keep baby mouths full, so easy access to some seed helps the parents stay healthy.

I hang four feeders in the summer: a hummingbird nectar feeder, a sunflower (or mixed food) feeder, a shelled peanut feeder, and a safflower feeder. In the winter I usually have at least four more feeders going. Sometimes more. 

Why these four feeders? I think the hummingbird feeder is self-explanatory. I feed black oil sunflower because it appeals to more types of birds than other foods, and it tends to be less expensive than a seed mix. When I feed a mix, I choose one that is predominantly black oil sunflower. This is also the feeder that the squirrels like, and I do love to watch the squirrels. The safflower is for the cardinals, although house finches also seem to like it. Unfortunately, the white-winged doves also like safflower, and yes, the buggers can hang on to a tube feeder. The peanut feeder is for my woodpeckers. However, since the starlings have discovered the peanuts, they prefer that one. Fortunately, I don't have many starlings. And I love my woodpeckers. They will eat the sunflower seed, but in the summer, peanuts are their preference.

In the summer, I only add food once a day. When it's gone, it's gone. Sometimes, I may skip a day.

Don't forget water. If you don't want to feed, at least provide water. You may have to fill your bird bath multiple times a day when it is hot. If your bird bath is deep, then add some rocks to create some shallower pools for the smaller birds. The birds also appreciate a mister if you have one.

Keep your feeders clean. A good scrub once a week is good. As always, watch for any birds that appear to be ill. If you see sick birds, take your feeders down immediately and clean them thoroughly. Wait 10 days before putting them back up. 

Good birding!

Lake Arrowhead SP Monthly Bird Outing

Yellow-billed cuckoo
Dominic Sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Saturday, 12 July, was our regularly scheduled bird outing at Lake Arrowhead SP. It's July, and typically, not the best month to be out birdwatching. That held true this month. Not the best month we've had, but not the worst either. Hot and humid though.

Birds seen included Canada goose, killdeer, great egret, great blue heron, snowy egret, double-crested cormorant, Eurasian collared dove, mourning dove, ladder-backed woodpecker, cardinal, eastern phoebe, cliff swallow, painted bunting, yellow-billed cuckoo, common grackle, great-tailed grackle, red-winged blackbird, and house sparrow.

Remember these outings are the 2nd Saturday of each month at 8 AM, regardless of the weather (unless the roads are icy). There is a $4 entry fee per adult to the park. We meet at the admin building parking lot, which is just on the other side of the building from the fishing pier. The walk is fairly level. We don't walk fast--we're looking at the birds (and other interesting plants and animals. The walk is about 1 mile--sometimes a little more if every one is up to it. Depending upon what we're seeing, the circuit can last from 1 hour - 2 hours. Beginners are welcome!

Good birding!

Catching Up

Pretty mourning dove

I may not have been telling you about it, but I have been birding. Not as much as I would like, but it is July in Texas, so neither the birds not I are all that keen to spend a lot of time in the heat.

I was at 3 Rivers Ranch with some Texas Master Naturalists a couple of times in the last few weeks. The first time, we were looking for horned lizards, although nothing says you can't look for birds at the same time. I went with a group again last week. The rest of the group went out to look for more lizards and I stayed to do some much needed weeding in the pollinator garden we have there (and did see a horned lizard while doing so).

Horned lizard

Between the two trips, I saw/heard the following birds: killdeer, red-tailed hawk, mourning dove, Eurasian collared dove, ladder-backed woodpecker, golden-fronted woodpecker,  common nighthawk, bobwhite, barn swallow, dickcissel, mockingbird, eastern phoebe, painted bunting, blue grosbeak, roadrunner,  Bell's vireo, northern cardinal, yellow-billed cuckoo, scissor-tailed flycatcher, great crested flycatcher, brown-headed cowbird, lark sparrow, house sparrow.

I also visited Copper Breaks State Park. It doesn't get enough attention. It's well worth a visit. I was again there to look for horned lizards, so wasn't focused on birding, but did see a few birds. Burrowing owl, mourning dove, Eurasian collared dove, turkey vulture, bobwhite quail, roadrunner, ladder-backed woodpecker, Bewick's wren, cardinal, mockingbird, scissor-tailed flycatcher, painted bunting, lark sparrow, and brown-headed cowbird.

I also went with a group to do a quail call survey in Wilbarger County. In addition to some quail, we did see some other birds. Among them cattle egret, killdeer, mourning dove, cliff swallow, painted bunting, dickcissel, cardinal, yellow-billed cuckoo. red-winged blackbird, brown-headed cowbird, lark sparrow, eastern meadowlark, western meadowlark, and Cassin's sparrow.

Good birding!

Like to Be Outside?

 

Do you like to walk and perhaps learn about nearby places  you haven't been to? If so, the Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalist is sponsoring monthly hikes for the public throughout their 10-county area.

So far, the chapter has sponsored hikes in Wichita, Archer, Clay, Foard, and Wilbarger counties. Next month will be Hardeman County at Copper Breaks State Park on August 2. Copper Breaks is a pretty park that tends to be overlooked because of its location near Quanah.

The hike is free, although participants will need to pay the park entrance fee (13 and up $3; children under 13, free). The hike is scheduled for 4 hours, beginning at 8 AM. Generally, the hikes aren't difficult and the pace is slow, allowing everyone the opportunity to look at and learn more about the flora and fauna seen. Several Texas Master Naturalist members will be available to answer questions about what participants see. Depending upon the temperature, it is possible participants may see some Texas horned lizards during the hike.

Since it will be the height of the summer, hats, sunscreen, bug spray, and water are highly recommended.

The town is named after Quanah Parker, the last Comanche Chief, and those interested in history will find a couple of small local museums of interest after the hike.

Sign up through Eventbrite. There is no cost, but it helps to know how many plan to attend. Here's the ticketing link.

If you are interested in the upcoming hikes, more information is on the group Facebook Page as well as on Eventbrite.

Exploring New Places

 

Wildflowers and more by the lake

It's fun to explore new places. The Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalist decided this year to host public hikes in all 10 counties we cover. April was Archer County. We originally planned the hike for the 5th, but we had that wonderful rain, so rescheduled for this Saturday.

I was responsible for selecting the place for this month's hike so decided to check out Archer City to see what I could find. I thought about a few other locations in the county, but I have been meaning to check out some other things in Archer City and just haven't gotten around to it, so decided to make it a day.

I checked out Burkett Park. Initially, it looked like a typical community park with a playground, a picnic pavilion, and a ball field. However, after some exploration, I found the entrance to a hiking path and decided this would be a good short hike for this event.

Saturday turned out to be a nice morning for a hike, although it was very windy, which for me was disappointing, since it reduces the number of birds seen. We had 15 people participate in the hike. Because the wind was so strong, the lake was very choppy, so other than a couple of Canada geese flying by, there were no waterfowl. However, there were still some nice birds. Canada goose, turkey vulture, black vulture, cedar waxwing, Carolina wren, blue jay, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, scissor-tailed flycatcher, western kingbird, barn swallow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, European starling, and house sparrow. A couple of the hikers saw a roadrunner cross the trail, but I missed it. Nothing striking, but any day birdwatching is better than housework. I will need to come back when I can explore more of the trails behind the park.

After the hike, I decided to try Murn's Cafe. I have seen it many times when driving through Archer City, but I have never stopped. If you haven't been there, I would recommend it. Good food and very economical. 

I also stopped in Booked Up. Formerly, Larry McMurtry owned the bookstore, which was housed in multiple buildings. Currently, it is a rare and fine book store. If you are a collector, or a Larry McMurtry fan, you definitely need to stop in to browse. Many of the used books are overpriced (in my opinion), but there are some interesting collectibles, and they do have signed copies of Larry McMurtry's books as well as many books from his personal collection with his bookplate in them. It also houses the Larry McMurtry Literary Center and book sales are considered a donation. I did find an Encyclopedia of Nursery Rhymes I felt I had to have.

Archer City is known for the filming location for The Last Picture Show and Texasville, both based on novels by Larry McMurtry. The courthouse on the square is an interesting building. I need to go back and explore some more another time.

Next time you are driving through Archer City, take a little extra time and stop.

Good Birding!

Rainy Morning at Lake Arrowhead State Park

Snowy Plover

Well, this morning wasn't the nicest for a bird outing but a couple of us braved the rain to see what we could find for the monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead SP. The best bird of the morning was a snowy plover, which is considered a rarity for our area at this time of year. I did get an admittedly poor picture (left). I am sure Debra got a better one.

Like I said, it was raining, windy, and in the low 40's when we started out, so we didn't expect much. However, we had a good walk and saw a fair number of birds. 

In addition to the snowy plover, we saw and/or heard American coot, double-crested cormorant, neotropic cormorant, gadwall, norther shoveler, white pelican, killdeer, ladder-backed woodpecker, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, spotted towhee, Harris' sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, ruby-crowned kinglet, dark-eyed junco, American pipit, western meadowlark (and some others that could have been either eastern or western), red-winged blackbird, and great-tailed grackle.

We need the rain, so no complaints, especially since we saw some good birds. This is a good time of year to bird, so get outside, wherever you are.

Good birding!