Purple Martins Released

We did find a purple martin colony with lots of birds on the outskirts of Wichita Falls and released three young into the flock. Of course, this morning, I saw a single purple martin perched on a wire outside Wild Bird Rescue's front door. Figures.

Good birding!

Looking for A Purple Martin Roost

Photo courtesy of Dori, Wikimedia Commons.

Wild Bird Rescue has three fledgling purple martins to release. The colony at Wild Bird Rescue is usually the group we release in, but for whatever reason, the colony disappeared immediately after fledging their own young this year.

So we are looking for a roost. If you are aware of a roost in or near Wichita Falls, TX please call Wild Bird Rescue at 940-867-9761.

Good birding!

The Earth's Cycle

Gardeners are highly attuned to the cycle of the seasons. So are birders.

I woke up earlier this week and thought, "It seems dark for this time of the morning." I had to check my clock to be sure it was my usual wake up time. It was; it's just the days are once again getting shorter. And fall migration season has started.

It seems we just finished talking about spring migration and now we're into fall. And that is true. Spring migration continues into May/June and Fall migration begins in July. The birds are constantly on the move.

The purple martins at Wild Bird Rescue fledged last week; I didn't see any purple martins yesterday while I was working there. I saw postings on OKBIRDS and TEXBIRDS about large martin roosts, which generally precede the birds' departure.

The fall migration is usually more drawn out, so we will have a chance to see birds for several months.

Good birding!

Water

Although the official thermometer in Wichita Falls (which must be in the shade) has not yet hit 100 degrees, it is HOT. Last I saw today, the official temperature was sitting at 99. We haven't had much rain, even with the clouds and showers that have popped up around the area all week. The birds need water.

If you have a birdbath, be sure to keep it full. Most bird baths are too deep for our song birds, so be sure to put some rocks in the bottom to make pools or very shallow places for the birds to stand or sit. I have a flat piece of rock propped on the edge that slants down to the center of the bird bath, and the birds often stand on it when drinking.

At this time of year, water is a no-fail way to get birds to your yard.

Good birding!

Double-crested Cormorants

Well, they're not supposed to be here in July, but there were two small flocks of double-crested cormorants at Lake Wichita on Sunday. They were on the pilings in the boat ramp and spillway areas. Of course, I was thinking I don't see them in the summer, but I didn't take a picture. They were too far off to get a good picture with my camera, but I should have made an attempt. I will go back to see if they are still there--probably not.

Good birding!

Do You Feed Birds in the Summer?

Photo by Jim Conrad, Wikimedia Common

I feed birds all year around, although I cut back substantially in the summer time, only keeping a couple of feeders going to attract birds to the yeard so I can see them.

It is just as important to keep your feeders clean in the summer as in the winter. We have been having doves (especially white-winged doves shown in the photo) coming in to Wild Bird Rescue extremely emaciated. We have checked for trich, but there is no sign. The best guess from the symptons is aflatoxin from a fungus that grows in seed when it is hot and humid--the perfect description of our weather over the past month. Although the humidity is starting to drop, it is still unusually humid for our area over the summer.

Store your bird seed in a clean, dry place if possible. Clean and disinfect your feeders weekly. This will help prevent aflatoxins and other diseases that pass from bird to bird.

Also, many of you are trying to attract hummingbirds. The sugar water mixtures we feed are very prone to breeding harmful bacteria, especially in the heat. Replace your nectar every three days. preferably before it develops a cloudy appearance. Clean and disinfect at least once a week. If you feel you are throwing away a lot of sugar water, mix only half as much at a time.

We all enjoy watching the birds in our yard. In return we should do our best to keep them healthy.

Good birding!

Save the Date: Texas Ornithological Society Meeting

An official "Save the Date" announcement was posted to TEXBIRDS this morning about the next TOS meeting, 13 - 16 Jan 2011.

I go mainly for the field trips; evening speakers include John Defillipo, Byron Stone, and Kenn Kaufman (I just bought Kenn Kaufman's field guide for my son-in-law for his birthday--don't tell him.)

Pencil date in. Registration information should be posted in November.

Good birding!