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.

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 top 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!

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!

Report Out Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count was February 16 - February 19. I took part all four days, although I would have liked to have been able to get to more locations. But we do what we can, right?

The drought is obvious along the chat trail

 Day One

You don't often see the beavers, but you can see they've been busy!

The first day of the count was not promising. The temperature was in the low 80's the day before and the first day of the GBBC was low 40's with a bitterly cold north wind. I decided the Chat Trail in Lake Wichita Park would be my best bet as it has some shelter from the wind. But there wasn't much happening--the birds apparently had more sense than I. I only spent 45 minutes on the trail and at the end of the barrow pit.

Fourteen species:
Ring-billed gull
Canada goose
Gadwall
Downy woodpecker
Northern flicker
Red-tailed hawk
American robin
Northern cardinal
Blue jay
Fox sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Spotted towhee
Dark-eyed junco
Song sparrow

I went home and did a quick, 15-minute count at my own feeders: white-winged dove, Eurasian collared dove, house finch, American goldfinch, orange-crowned warbler.

Day 2

We had a little rain overnight and it seemed to make all the difference. It was a little warmer and there wasn't a lot of wind. I went out to Lake Arrowhead State Park and had a great couple of hours. The birds were out enjoying the beautiful morning. This is really a good time of year to bird. Some of our local birds are beginning to sing (most notably cardinals, eastern bluebirds, and Bewick's wrens) and there aren't many leaves in the trees, making it easier to find the birds. I ran into Robert Mauk, a local wildlife photographer, and he told me he had seen a golden-crowned kinglet on the Dragonfly trail, so I added that to my area (and found it!)

Forty species:

Red-tailed hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed gull
Great blue heron
Lesser yellowlegs
Canada goose
Double-crested cormorant
Mallard
Northern pintail
Blue-winged teal
Northern shoveler
American coot
Pied-billed grebe
White pelican
Red-bellied woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Northern flicker
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Carolina chickadee
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Golden-crowned kinglet
Orange-crowned warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Common yellowthroat
Bewick's wren
Eastern phoebe
Eastern bluebird
American pipit
Harris's sparrow
Song sparrow
Field sparrow
Fox sparrow
Eastern meadowlark
Dark-eyed junco
White-crowned sparrow
Red-winged blackbird
Great-tailed grackle
European starling
House finch

Day 3

On Sunday, the Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalist scheduled a public GBBC event. Apparently, those that went on the trip to Hackberry on Saturday were worn out. When I arrived, no one else was on the overlook behind Wild Bird Rescue. All I have to say is, "You snooze, you lose." I spent only 45 minutes there and had 21 species. I would have liked to stay longer, but it is the end of the semester for one of the universities I teach for, so duty called. My 21 species:

White pelican
Double-crested cormorant
Black-crowned night heron
Great blue heron
Killdeer
Ring-billed gull
Mallard
American coot
Canada goose
Pied-billed grebe
Sharp-shinned hawk
Eurasian collared dove
White-winged dove
Red-bellied woodpecker
Belted kingfisher
Northern cardinal
House wren
Red-winged blackbird
European starling
House finch
Goldfinch

Day 4

Overlooking the Wichita River

Construction of the next trail section underway

Monday was another beautiful morning. I didn't have President's Day off work, but did play hooky for a bit on the Wichita Falls Bluff Nature Park trail. This is my favorite park because it is intended to remain a nature area. I started out in a bit of a bad mood. When I parked, I noticed people are already trashing the park. I picked up beer bottles, a plastic water bottle, plastic shopping bag, and a hamburger wrapper before I even started my walk. I picked up napkins, a Whataburger bag and other assorted odds and ends when I returned to the lot at the end of my walk. Fortunately, the trail itself was clean. I spent an hour and a half enjoying this trail, which is not the level flat walk of most of the Circle Trail. They have started work on the next section of the trail, between the end of this one and Loop 11. Right now, it looks terrible, but when it is done, it should be another nice section along the river.

At the end of the current trail, where I took the pictures, there were a pair of red-tailed hawks on the other side of the river. It looked like they might be building a nest. I'll keep an eye on things.

Twenty species:

Canada goose
Turkey vulture
Red-tailed hawk
Rock pigeon
White-winged dove
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Blue jay
American robin
Bewick's wren
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Yellow-rumped warbler
Dark-eyed junco
Song sparrow
Field sparrow
Spotted towhee
American crow
Great-tailed grackle
Red-winged blackbird
House sparrow

All-in-all, a great Great Backyard Bird Count. I still need to upload my counts into the database, but that's happening in a few minutes. Put this event on your calendar for next President's Day weekend.

Good birding!

Great Backyard Bird Count

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is coming up this week. I hope you are planning to take part sometime between Friday, 16 February and Monday, 19 February.

Thousands of people submit checklists of birds they see in their yards or other places around town during this 4-day event. This is a great project to do with your kids/grandkids, as any period of observation of 15 minutes or longer counts. This is great way to introduce kids and novice birdwatchers to the hobby.

For those in the Wichita Falls area, the Texas Master Naturalist Rolling Plains Chapter will be holding a public count behind Wild Bird Rescue, 4611 Lake Shore Dr, from 8 AM - 10 AM on Sunday, February 18. You can come for part or all of the count. There is usually a good breeze coming off the lake, so I suggest wearing layers.

For those who cannot make this event, you are invited to bird with me. Here are some days/times/locations I plan to bird:

Friday, February 16, 9:30 - 10:30 (I have an earlier appointment, so this is later than I normally go). Lake Wichita Park, Chat trail.

Saturday, February 17, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM, Lake Arrowhead State Park ($4 entry fee applies). (I may also pick up a couple of other spots this day--weather and other commitments will determine)

Sunday, February 18, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM, Wild Bird Rescue, with the Texas Master Naturalist (I may also pick up a couple of other spots this day--weather and other commitments will determine)

Monday, February 19, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM, Nature Bluff Park segment of the Circle Trail (I may decide to do the trail section between Lucy Park and Williams Park, but time may be tight--work day!)

For more information, email me at txbirds@gmail.com or you can call 940-867-8761.

Good Birding!

Reporting Out Great Backyard Bird Count

Last week concluded this year's Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) event. I was happy to once again be able to schedule work around participating in this event, so I got to bird four days in a row! Life doesn't get much better than that.

I have finished filing all of the GBBC checklists into eBird, so I can finally report to all of you how it went. Overall, it was pretty good weekend.

On Friday, February 17, a group of us birded the chat trail and barrow pit in Lake Wichita Park. One of our group is fairly new to birding. I enjoy having new birders in a group--it really helps to go with others when you're first learning. Sue got a lifer marsh wren. One of the highlights was a hairy woodpecker. Although you don't see one every day, I don't think most of the regular birders in the area think of them as rare, but eBird does. Several of the group independently identified the bird, but no one thought to take a picture of it, so we'll see whether they accept the sighting. We had a good morning for woodpeckers overall, with the hairy, a couple of downy woodpeckers, a northern flicker, a ladder-backed woodpecker, a northern flicker, and a red-bellied woodpecker. We didn't do as well on the duck side of the house, but a quick sighting of a great-horned owl in flight made up for the lack of ducks.

Foggy morning at Lake Arrowhead SP

Disputed sandpiper

On Saturday, a few of us tackled Lake Arrowhead State Park. Thick soupy fog made visibility poor and prevented being able to scan the lake and opposite shore for birds. Since the picture to the left was taken with my cell phone, if you haven't been to Lake Arrowhead SP, you probably don't recognize how foggy it was. From this spot, we should be able to see over the lake, but there is just a wall of white. We saw some good birds regardless. The long-eared owls were still on site. There were a lot of people who traveled from elsewhere in the state to get a good look at the owls. One is remarkably mellow about all of the coming and going. Sue King, who had the lifer marsh wren on Friday, picked up another lifer with a golden-crowned kinglet here. We spent a great deal of time studying a flock of sandpipers. To all of us the legs appeared dark and we made an identification of semipalmated sandpiper. The editor for eBird thinks the legs are yellow in the photo. We are still in discussion at this point. The list at the end of this post is accepting the sandpiper as we identified it because the legs were definitely not yellow. But the editor has only the photo and range maps to go by, and semipalmated are not supposed to be here right now. But, as the saying goes, the birds can't read the field guides. However, it is possible the sandpiper is something else, so we will see. I sent out a call to those who were there to forward any clear pictures they might have.

On Sunday, several of us met out back of Wild Bird Rescue for a GBBC in a Big Sit format. It was pretty disappointing in terms of numbers, although James got a lifer with a yellow-rumped warbler. A Bonaparte's gull and a couple of Forster's terns were highlights for me.

River up in Lucy Park

Recent rains mean quishy areas in Lucy Park

On Monday, I birded the Circle trail from the entrance of Lucy Park on Sunset Drive to Williams Park. Lucy Park is not the bird mecca it was before, but there is still some good habitat on this stretch of trail for little dickie birds. As you can see in the photos, the recent rain made much of the park pretty quishy and the river was up and moving fast. I enjoyed seeing a white-throated sparrow--the first I have seen in Lucy Park since they tore out much of the understory. However, there is still a good stand of trees and vines near the footbridge, behind the sanitation building. Down the trail some, Lynn and I saw two brown creepers, which are always a highlight for me. A surprising find in town was the pair of eastern bluebirds behind the MPEC. I have seen bluebirds a couple of times over the past 20 years in Lake Wichita Park, but never here. A belted kingfisher flying up and down the river was also nice.

I am hoping by next year's, GBBC the Nature Bluff area will be ready for visitors.

So what did we see? I am hoping I don't inadvertently leave a bird out, but here goes:

Canada goose
Double-crested cormorant
Mallard
Northern shoveler
Ruddy duck
American wigeon
American coot
Pied-billed grebe
Ring-billed gull
Bonaparte's gull
Forster's tern
White pelican
Great blue heron
Killdeer
Semipalmated sandpiper
Belted kingfisher
Great horned owl
Long-eared owl
Turkey vulture
Red-tailed hawk
Northern flicker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Inca dove
Mourning dove
Eurasian collared dove
White-winged dove
Rock pigeon
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Blue jay
Tufted titmouse (both regular and black-crested)
Eastern phoebe
Eastern bluebird
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Golden-crowned kinglet
Orange-crowned warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Common yellowthroat
American robin
Great-tailed grackle
Red-winged blackbird
European starling
House finch
American goldfinch
Cedar waxwing
Song sparrow
White-thrated sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Field sparrow
Dark-eyed junco
Harris's sparrow
Brown creeper
Marsh wren
Carolina wren
Bewick's wren

If my count is correct, that's 58 species.

Good birding!

Some Weekend Bird Events

Two things coming up this weekend.

Saturday, 10 December, 8 AM - 9:00 (or 9:30, if we're seeing good birds). Lake Arrowhead State Park Bird Walk. Park entry fees apply. Meet at the firewood shed/dump station in the first campground on your left. (Take second left, first right, on left--look for the black pick up). I suggest you dress warm.

Saturday, 10 December,  11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Owl Be Home for Christmas. At Wild Birds Unlimited. Meet the some of the educational birds from Wild Bird Rescue. A $30 donation to Wild Bird Rescue will get you a $15 gift certificate to Wild Birds Unlimited. A win-win!

Just as a reminder, don't forget the Christmas Bird Count on December 17.

Good birding!

Birdy Weekend Coming Up!

It's October and a weather front passed through last night, so it should be an awesome weekend for birding. It's a happy coincidence there are multiple bird events happening.

The monthly bird walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park will be Saturday morning, October 8, starting  at 8:00 AM. We start at the firewood shed. Take the second left inside the park, then the first right. There is a firewood shed and dump station on your left. Look for a black pick up--that will be me. We usually take about an hour to an hour and a half walk. It is an easy, slow walk of about 1/2 mile total.

A line of pelicans flying over Lake Wichita during a previous

Big Sit (taken with my cell phone, so not a great picture.)

Another option this weekend is the Big Sit. On Sunday morning, beginning at sunrise, members of the local North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club will be hosting a sedentary bird watching event on Lake Wichita on the little area behind Wild Bird Rescue (4611 Lake Shore Dr.) You'll be able to see cars parked at the back side of the parking area. Dress in layers and bring a lawn chair. You may also want to bring something warm in a thermos. Generally, we bird until around 10:00 - 10:30, depending upon the birds and the weather. You don't have to stay for the entire event--it is come and go.

Both of these are fun for both new birdwatchers and experienced birders. I hope to see you at one or both of these activities.

Good birding!

Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue Wrap-Up

Sitting Ducks and Raven Lunatics run into one another at
the Chat Trail and compare notes.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hawley.
L to R: Joy, Penny, Chuck, Warren, Sue, and Janet.
Not pictured: Katherine and Elizabeth

Sunday, March 6 was the Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue. Three teams covered Wichita, Archer and Clay counties to find the highest numbers of species of birds for the day.

It's not just about the birds. Beautiful giant swallowtail seen
on the Chat Trail in Lake Wichita Park.

It started out a beautiful morning, but about 10 AM a front moved in with high winds, greatly increasing the difficulty of the task. However, in spite of that, we had a good day. This year, the Sitting Ducks took bragging rights with 75 species for the day. The Raven Lunatics had 74 and the Chickadees, 67 species. The combined total of species was 97.  We still can't quite break that 100 species total. It's possible, but not easy.

Many thanks to Dianne and Chuck Thueson for hosting a post-count dinner at their home so the teams could compare lists and relate the day's happenings. Our team, the Raven Lunatics, logged over 150 miles driving and over 20,000 steps walking. Good exercise, birding.

I haven't heard the final fundraising totals. It isn't too late to donate--the baby birds will be coming into Wild Bird Rescue all too soon, so your support is important. You can mail a contribution to them at 4611 Lake Shore Drive, Wichita Falls, TX 76310 (be sure to put "Big Day" on the memo line.) You can also donate on line at their website. Again, please put "Big Day" in the comments. If you really want to make my day, you can add: "Raven Lunatics." But in the end, the important thing is the donation. All of the teams worked hard.

Here is a consolidated list of birds from all three teams.

American coot

American goldfinch

American kestrel

American robin

Bald eagle

Belted kingfisher

Bewick's wren

Black vulture

Blue jay

Blue gray gnatcatcher

Blue-winged teal

Bonaparte's gull

Brewer’s blackbird

Brown thrasher

Brown-headed cowbird

Bufflehead

Canada goose

Canvasback

Carolina chickadee

Carolina wren

Cedar waxwing

Chipping sparrow

Clay-colored sparrow

Common grackle

Dark-eyed junco

Double-crested cormorant

Downy woodpecker

Eastern bluebird

Eastern meadowlark

Eastern phoebe

Eurasian collared dove

European starling

Ferruginous hawk

Field sparrow

Gadwall

Golden-fronted woodpecker

Great blue heron

Great egret

Great horned owl

Greater scaup

Greater roadrunner

Greater yellowlegs

Greater white-fronted goose

Great-tailed grackle

Green-winged teal

Harris' sparrow

Herring gull

Hooded merganser

House finch

House sparrow

Inca dove

Killdeer

Ladder-backed woodpecker

Least sandpiper

Lesser scaup

Lesser yellowlegs

Lincoln's sparrow

Loggerhead shrike

Mallard

Mourning dove

Northern cardinal

Northern flicker

Northern harrier

Northern mockingbird

Northern shoveler

Orange-crowned warbler

Pied-billed grebe

Pine siskin

Purple martin

Red-bellied woodpecker

Redhead

Red-shouldered hawk

Red-tailed hawk

Red-winged blackbird

Ring-billed gull
Ring-necked duck

Rock pigeon

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Ruddy duck

Sandhill crane

Savannah sparrow

Sharp-shinned hawk

Song sparrow

Spotted towhee

Swainson’s hawk

Tufted titmouse

Turkey vulture

Vesper sparrow

Western meadowlark

White pelican

White-crowned sparrow

White-faced ibis

White-winged dove

Wild turkey

Wilson's snipe

Yellow-rumped warbler

All I have to say it, "Wait Until Next Year!"

Good Birding!

Big Day Team One Has a Name!

Chihuahuan Raven

For the past few years, a group of birders has been doing the Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue. Since originally there was only one team, we didn't have  a name. Last year, we had three teams. Two of the teams came up with names--my team was just called Team One because we were the first team. That was a little blah, but we just didn't take the time to come to an agreement on a name.

This year, it appears we will have four teams. Team One decided to take the plunge and come up with our own name. So we will be the Raven Lunatics. Suits us, I think.

Two of the other teams are the Sitting Ducks and the Chickadees. No idea yet what the fourth team will call themselves.

So when you send in your donation to Wild Bird Rescue, be sure to put "Big Day--Raven Lunatics" on the memo line. You can also donate online. Again, be sure to put the same memo in the comments section in PayPal. And of course, I will be happy to pick up any donations from you. Just email me at txbirds@gmail.com.

Good Birding!

Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue is March 6

The Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue will be held on Sunday, March 6. This is a fundraiser for Wild Bird Rescue.

Currently we have 3 teams lined up to participate. The Big Day is a marathon 12-hour competitive birding event. The goal is to find as many species of birds in the allotted 12 hours as possible. We have yet to have a single team make 100 species, although that is possible. We made a combined total of 106 species between the 3 teams last year, but no single team has been able to break the 100 bird barrier. My team has been in the 90+-species range every year, but just can't quite get over the hurdle of 100. The teams may go anywhere they wish during the 12-hour period. Last year, the team I was on drove over 400 miles and walked several more.

Teams compete to find the highest number of species and to collect the highest contribution total. Teams are looking for sponsors. Individuals and companies may pledge a lump sum amount or may pledge per species.

Want to take part? No problem! You can join one of the three teams already made up or you can put together a team of your own. You do not have to be an experienced birder (although it helps.) Someone needs to drive, keep records and help spot birds, so don't think you cannot take part because you don't have a lot of knowledge.

If you have questions, would like to take part or to pledge, feel free to contact me at txbirds@gmail.com. Put Big Day for WBR in the Subject line, so I won't think your email is spam.

Good birding!

Additional Public GBBC Count

In my last post, I mentioned I did not know if the Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalist were planning their usual public Great Backyard Bird Count. The answer is, yes, they are.

For those who may want to hone their skills in a group setting or don't want to walk, the Master Naturalists will be hosting a GBBC public event on Sunday, February 14 from sun up to around 10:00 AM behind Wild Bird Rescue at 4611 Lake Shore Dr, Wichita Falls, TX.  Anyone is welcome for part or all of the time.

You don't need to RSVP, just show up. You may want to bring a lawn chair if you would like to sit. I would suggest layers as the wind coming off the lake makes it feel colder.

Now you have 4 possible days and times to participate in the GBBC, if you want to take part with someone else.

Good birding!

Happy National Bird Day!

Blue Jay

Who knew?

I didn't realize there was a National Bird Day. In reading through the website, you can see that it seems devoted to better treatment of pet birds, although it is obvious their thoughts are that birds are not pets and should live life "outside the cage." Their focus is on the conservation of birds that are used in pet trade.

However, I am not one to quibble. I am just happy that there is any effort to show people how intriguing and how important birds are in our ecosystem. But, as far as I am concerned, every day is Bird Day!

Why not celebrate Bird Day with a donation to some bird-related cause? Some local 501(c) options:

  - Wild Bird Rescue rehabilitates wild birds and returns them to the wild for all of us to enjoy. They are hosting 11 barn owls right now in addition to some other birds--these are very expensive to feed and house to release.
  - River Bend Nature Center, which does not focus on birds, but does help our community better understand the ecosystem as a whole.
  - Texas Master Naturalist, Rolling Plains Chapter, which trains volunteers to help others learn more about the environment. The group does many projects gathering and reporting information useful to learning more about the birds in our area as well as providing programs and events to connect people with our local plants and animals.

Two other options for you out-of-towners:

  - Texas Ornithological Society
  - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Even better, watch the birds in your backyard, on the Circle Trail or at one of our local parks.

Good birding!

Upcoming Birding Opportunities

The fall is a great time to bird and there are a few opportunities coming up to bird with others, which is a great way to learn more about identifying birds in the field.

Saturday, October 10: Bird Walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park. 8:00 AM - (approximately) 9:00. We bird longer if we are seeing good birds and people want to. This is one of a continuing series of bird walks that takes place on the second Saturday of each month. $3 admission to the park applies. Meet at the firewood shed in the first camp ground to the left after entering the park (second left turn, first right, on the left--look for a black pickup.)

2014 Big Day 

Sunday, October 11: Big Sit. Sunrise - approximately 10:00 AM. A sedentary birdwatching experience on the shores of Lake Wichita behind Wild Bird Rescue. Bring a lawn chair, a drink and your binoculars and enjoy a leisurely morning of birding, hosted by the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club.

Saturday, December 19. Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club will again sponsor the CBC. This is an all-day bird count that has been going on for over 100 years, contributing a ton of data on bird populations. Our count is broken up into three areas and are a mixture of driving and walking. At the conclusion of the count, participants are welcome to the count supper (a spaghetti pot luck) where the teams compile their information into a single report. Contact Penny at txbirds@gmail.com or Terry at dgm59@aol.com
if you would like to participate with one of the teams.

In addition to these birding activities, be sure to bring the kids out to the Wild Bird Rescue Owl-O-Ween on Saturday, October 10, 4:00 - 11:00 PM. This is a fundraiser for our local bird rehabilitation facility. Lots of games, crafts and candy. The education birds (especially the owls) will be present to meet the visitors. $5 entry/$20 for a family of 4 or more.

Lots of interesting and fun bird-related activities, so be sure to take part!

Good birding!

"Amazing Hummingbirds" at Home and Garden Festival

Our annual Home and Garden Festival is this weekend, February 21 and 22, at the Multi-Purpose Event Center (MPEC).

On Sunday at 1:00 PM I'll be making a presentation, "Amazing Hummingbirds," in the main auditorium. I hope you can make it.

Wild Bird Rescue will also be participating in the Home and Garden Festival in the main exhibit hall.

Good birding!

Great Backyard Bird Count Highlights

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was February 13 - February 16. I was traveling on the 13th, so didn't have the opportunity to bird that day(airports don't try to attract birds.) However, I did take part in two group counts on Saturday and Sunday and did a solo count on Monday.

I was very happy to see 13 people join me for the GBBC at Lake Arrowhead State Park on Saturday. Since the Rolling Plains Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist counted this as volunteer time, it did help our numbers, and we had several members there. We had some very experienced birders with the McKees and also some very new birders. Our new birders were able to add some life birds to their lists--that always makes for a great day.

It was really a beautiful morning. During our 2-hour walk, we saw several good birds. I am sure I captured all of the species we saw, although I may have missed some of the numbers. Our list:

Canada goose
White pelican  11
Double-crested cormorant   4
Killdeer    10
Greater yellowlegs  1
Great blue heron   1
Ring-billed gull   31
Mourning dove  2
Ladder-backed woodpecker   3
Red-bellied woodpecker   1
Golden-fronted woodpecker   1
Northern flicker  1
Roadrunner   1
Northern mockingbird    5
Bewick's wren    4
Northern cardinal  10
Eastern phoebe  2
Eastern bluebird   2
American crow  3
Red-winged blackbird  2
Western meadowlark  13
Meadowlark species   9
Brown-headed cowbird   5
White-crowned sparrow  8
Fox sparrow   1
Harris's sparrow   13
House finch  15
House sparrow   2


On the way home from Lake Arrowhead, I did see a red-tailed hawk and a couple of kestrels (just nice for me--they didn't count for the GBBC.)

GBBC participants at Wild Bird Rescue trying to locate
the ruby-crowned kinglets

On Sunday, we had a group count that started behind Wild Bird Rescue. However, with no water at that end of the lake, the birding was rather flat, so we moved to the Chat Trail in Lake Wichita Park. We spent an hour at Wild Bird Rescue and another 1 hr, 25 minutes on the Chat Trail.

At Wild Bird Rescue we counted:

Canada goose   2
Mallard duck   2
Ring-billed gull    9
Killdeer    1
White-winged dove   9
Eurasian collared dove   7
Northern harrier   1
Northern cardinal  2
American robin  1
Ruby-crowned kinglet   2
Blue jay   1
American crow   6
Great-tailed grackle   1
Red-winged blackbird   5
European starling    3
House sparrow   6

On the Chat Trail we had the following birds (and I am quite sure the cardinal numbers are low--they were everywhere!)

Canada goose   6
Mallard duck  18
Double-crested cormorant  10
Killdeer  7
Turkey vulture   1
Eurasian collared dove  2
Downy woodpecker   1
Ladder-backed woodpecker  1
Carolina wren   1
Northern mockingbird  2
Blue jay  3
Northern cardinal   13
Eastern phoebe   1
Yellow-rumped warbler  3
Orange-crowned warbler   1
Ruby-crowned kinglet  1
Cedar waxwing   8
American robin   30
Dark-eyed junco  1
White-crowned sparrow   5
Song sparrow   3
Lincoln's sparrow    1
Harris's sparrow  2
Red-winged blackbird    3
Brown-headed cowbird  2
Great-tailed grackle  5
American goldfinch   6
House finch   1

On Monday, I headed to Lucy Park for a count. The temperatures took a nose dive between Sunday and Monday, so I was fairly certain that I would be the Lone Ranger for this walk, and I was right. I've noticed that Texans don't like cold weather much (which here, means anything much below 50 degrees.) My thermometer read 26 degrees when I headed out the door. However, there was very little wind, so it was a fairly pleasant morning.

How do you like the new trail signs? I think they are great--many thanks to the Parks and Recreation Department.

I didn't take the entire route I normally take as Monday was a work day and I always feel like I am playing hooky. If the birding had been stupendous, I would have sucked it up, but it was average at best, so I kept my walk down to 1.25 hour.  The birds found included:

Northern shoveler  2
Mallard duck  28
Ring-billed gull  37
Rock pigeon   14
Mourning dove  1
Red-bellied woodpecker  2
Northern flicker   4
Brown creeper  1
Blue jay   6
Northern mockingbird   1
Northern cardinal  4
Ruby-crowned kinglet  1
Carolina chickadee  4
Tufted titmouse  1
Dark-eyed junco  12
American robin  43
Great-tailed grackle  17
Red-winged blackbird  22
House finch    5

Overall, a fairly good few days of birding. I'm already looking forward to next year's count.

Good birding!

Great Backyard Bird Count This Weekend

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count is February 13 - February 16. This is a great opportunity for new birdwatchers to learn more about the birds and is also an excellent way to introduce young people to birdwatching in a painless way.

Participation can be for as little as 15 minutes. The idea is to watch birds in your own backyard--literally or figuratively. Usually I make it a point to count all four days, but will be out of town on the 13th. However, I plan to count the other days. On Saturday and Sunday there are some special events to help people get involved.

On Saturday, Lake Arrowhead State Park will host the GBBC with their monthly bird walk. The walk starts at 8:00 AM. It usually lasts an hour--more if the participants want to bird longer. Meet at the firewood shed in the first campground to the left after you enter the park (take the second left and first right--the firewood shed will be on the left.) Look for a black pickup.

On Sunday, Wild Bird Rescue and the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter will host a GBBC event out behind Wild Bird Rescue at 4611 Lake Shore Drive in Wichita Falls, TX. Again the count will start at 8:00 and will last as long as people want to count. This is a come-and-go, so you can stay for as long or short a time as you wish.

There are no group counts scheduled for Monday, February 16, however, I will be birding Lucy Park on my own and am making an open invitation to others who might want to take part. Meet at the main entrance to the park in that first parking area to the left as you enter the park at 8:00 if you are interested in taking part. This parking area is adjacent to the picnic tables and River Bend Nature Center. If you want to contact me ahead of time, email txbirds@gmail.com. I expect I'll be birding for about 2 hours, if I follow my usual route.

Take advantage of the many opportunities to get outside and watch the birds this weekend!

By the way, this weekend is also the education weekend at Wild Bird Rescue. 10:00 AM on Saturday will be the hawk/owl program. A special program on "Birds in Love" will be Sunday at 1:00 PM on Sunday (at least one education bird will be present at this program as well.)

Good birding!

This Coming Week's Bird Events

The Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue is really happening Saturday, January 17. We had so many teams members drop out because they already had plans for the 10th, we needed to move it once again. But we are at full strength for Saturday and were even able to add a third team, so it should be a great day. The weather promises to be decent (it is January, after all!)

Next Tuesday, January 20, is the monthly meeting of the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club at 7 PM at the NALC building at 5310 Southwest Parkway (next to Wichita Valley nursery.) We'll be discussing the Great Backyard Bird Count coming up in February.

Do you know that another way to keep up with birding events in our area is to check out the bulletin board in Wild Birds Unlimited? Katherine Smith posts details in her store.

Good birding!

Birdy Weekend

A little slow getting to this post, but I wanted to post a summary of the birds last weekend.

Saturday, January 10, was the monthly bird walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park. Jenny, June and Mike came. It was a chilly morning out at the Park--I was surprised so many came out. The morning started out with some good sightings, but then tapered off.  But for an hour walk, we did well on birds. I think we all enjoyed the eastern bluebirds most. We watched a flock of 10 - 12 for some time. Birds seen included: Canada goose, hooded merganser, bufflehead, white pelican, double-crested cormorant, ring-billed gull, ladder-backed woodpecker, northern mockingbird, cardinal, eastern bluebird, white-crowned sparrow, eastern meadowlark, junco, and red-winged blackbird.

On the way home, I noted an American kestrel on the wire.

On Sunday, I had Wild Bird Rescue, so while feeding the birds there, did see a few birds. A male ladder-backed woodpecker was calling and working hard at excavating the mulberry tree. I am hopeful that means he might decide to nest there. In addition, the feeders hosted dozens of goldfinch, house finch, house sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, red-winged blackbird, starling, Eurasian collared dove and white-winged dove. I did not see my Inca dove, which was disappointing.

Leaving Wild Bird Rescue, I decided I would check out the Nature Bluff as I haven't gotten there since a dirt trail was put in. Well, I still haven't had a chance to walk it--a construction sign greeted me when I arrived and the trail was torn up and muddy. If I had been birding with someone, I probably would have just struck out cross country, but the terrain is very uneven and my balance is very poor. Another day. The only birds I saw from the parking lot were a great-tailed grackle and a cardinal. So I decided to go to Lucy Park.

For the most part, local birders have written off Lucy Park since the city tore out all of the excellent habitat as an attempt at flood control. Although it is true that Lucy Park is not near the birding hotspot it was a few years ago, it is still as good or better than many of the other local places. If you don't remember it as it was, you can still have a decent morning birding. There are still a lot of nesting sites for cavity nesters, so it is still a good spot for woodpeckers and titmice. However, I noted a lot of the best trees for cavity nesters are marked for removal, so I expect the habitat decline to continue.

Pair of common goldeneye (you'll have to enlarge the pic--I am not good at
editing photos on my new computer yet.)

The highlight for me was a very shy pair of common goldeneye on the river. The list of birds there included: mallard, common goldeneye, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, ladder-backed woodpecker, northern flicker, white-winged dove, northern cardinal, blue jay, American robin, tufted titmouse, house finch, goldfinch, eastern phoebe, spotted towhee, junco, and song sparrow.

Although I didn't have a lot of time to bird this weekend, the time I had yielded some good birds and I had a good time. All in all, no complaints.

Good birding!

Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue This Weekend!

Because of the ice on New Year's Day, we postponed the Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue until this Saturday, January 10.

We are still looking for people to donate in support of this fundraiser and for people to fill holes on the teams that have opened up due to the change in dates.

Remember to watch the Twitter feed associated with this blog throughout the day on Saturday to track progress of the teams.

Good birding!