Winter Waterfowl Coming In

With cooler weather and a little rain, plants are starting to bloom and the insects are coming out. I haven't been bitten by a mosquito but once the entire summer until this past week, and they have been making up for lost time. Fortunately, the cooler mornings do keep the mosquitoes down to tolerable level. The monarch butterflies are migrating through and seem to enjoy the sunflowers.

This morning I saw my first white pelicans on Lake Wichita--two rafts of approximately 50 birds altogether. I also saw some American coots and American wigeon on the barrow pit, in addition to some northern pintails that have been there most of the time for the past couple of weeks. A pied-billed grebe was also grooming itself along the reeds. I am glad to see a little more water in the barrow pit; hopefully that will mean more ducks.

I ran across a small flock of clay-colored sparrows in the weedy area on the south side, between the barrow pit and Lake Wichita. A belted kingfisher flew over my head on the chat trail. Overall a good morning.

Good birding!

Signed Up for Project Feederwatch?

Project Feederwatch season starts November 12. I have been participating for several years. The Lab of Ornithology is getting ready to mail out the participation kits, so if you want to take part, sign up now. If you wait, you may not get your kit until after the beginning of the season.

Project Feederwatch is a good way to combine your birdwatching hobby with contributing to the knowledge of birds. It doesn't require a lot of time and you don't have to be an expert birder. You just watch the birds at your feeder and update the information.

Check out the website. If you want to ask questions, feel free to post here in the comments section or email txbirds@gmail.com.

Good birding!

Roadrunner Song

Went out birding for a little while this morning. There were about 30 greater yellowlegs on the barrow pit. My best sighting was a yellow-billed cuckoo, although the Loggerhead shrike was also nice. Otherwise uneventful. However, Burr Williams of the Sibley Nature Center shared a short little video of a roadrunner singing on Facebook. I thought others might enjoy it.

Roadrunners sometimes sound like a little puppy whining to me.

Good birding!

The Big Sit--October 9

The annual Wichita Falls Big Sit is scheduled for October 9 on "the penninsula" overlooking Lake Wichita behind Wild Bird Rescue, 4611 Lake Shore Drive. Although traditionally the Big Sit is a 24-hour event, the Wichita Falls birders are far more laid back about the whole thing and usually bird for 2 - 4 hours, depending upon the weather and the birds.

The Big Sit is ideal for those who can't (or just don't want to) walk far or for novice birders who would like to meet some more experienced birders and learn more about the birds in our area in a more relaxed environment. Bring a lawn chair, binoculars and drinks/snacks if you want them. You are welcome to bring your field guide although there will probably be a few there. Dress for the weather. Although it has been extremely hot and dry this year, the Big Sit has traditionally been cold, windy and wet in our location--and we will welcome that type of weather this year! Since we are on an exposed point on the shore, the wind is usually more brisk and the weather colder than it is at the house when you leave, so bring a jacket, even if you don't think you need one and dress in layers.

We meet shortly after sunrise and bird until we feel like stopping. People come and go, so there is no requirement to stay the entire time. This is as much a social event as a birding event. If you would like more information, contact Terry McKee at dgm59@aol.com or you're welcome to contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.

The Hawk and the Owl

Saturday morning I decided to see what the chat trail and barrow pit at Lake Wichita Park would turn up with migration underway. The weather was a muggy but bearable mid 80's, ahead of a cold front and cooler weather (hallelujah!)

I was very happy to see a little blue-gray gnatcatcher along the chat trail. I haven't seen a lot of these little guys in town, but when I do come across one, it is almost always along the chat trail. A little further along the trail, seven white-faced ibis flew over my head, calling, on their way to the barrow pit.

The barrow pit still has some pools of water, so there were birds, to include the usual peeps I couldn't positively identify. But as I was watching the white-faced ibis and black-necked stilts, a small flock of 11 American avocets circled the barrow pit and landed. They stayed for all of maybe two minutes before heading out to Lake Wichita. They are very pretty birds that migrate through in the spring and fall. In addition to the mallards, blue-winged teal and the redhead ducks that are usually there, a small group of 8 northen pintails were dabbling in one of the pools. It is a little bit earlier than usual to see these ducks, but not by a lot. They are such an elegant duck--one of my favorites.

Throughout my time in park, I kept hearing a red-tailed hawk in several locations. I didn't see him, but periodically heard him calling. On my way back to my truck I heard him again near the chat trail, so looked into some nearby trees to see if I could locate him. I checked out a tree based upon where it sounded like the call was coming from and saw what sure looked like a great horned owl. I couldn't see the head clearly, but the stocky build of the great horned owl is distinctive and not at all like the sleeker build of the red-tailed hawk. But I could hear the red-tailed hawk cry right in the same area. While I was trying to decide if I was trying to turn a red-tailed hawk into a great horned owl, the owl (seemingly irritated by the constant calling of the red-tail) flushed from the tree. A couple of seconds later, the red-tailed hawk flew in pursuit. All I have to say after being around both is that the red-tailed hawk had better hope the great horned owl didn't turn on him--he'd be toast.

The warblers are coming through with a few black-and-white warblers and several yellow warblers along the chat trail. I was also fortunate to get some good views of a hairy woodpecker (I've always wondered, why "hairy?"). There was also a single purple martin soaring overhead--I haven't seen any purple martins in a couple of weeks.

Before going home, I drove to the other side of Lake Wichita to the spillway to see if there was anything special there. With no water going over the spillway, I didn't expect much and didn't get it. A few snowy egret and a greater yellowlegs was about it, although there was a fairly good bunch of killdeer as well.

When I got back to the house, I was pleased to see some black-chinned hummingbirds at the feeder. I think anyone who has a stocked hummingbird feeder is going to see hummingbirds this fall.

Overall a good morning. I am looking forward to the Labor Day holiday. The weather is supposed to be much cooler with a cold front coming through. Fronts usually bring along a good bunch of migrants, so I plan to be out looking for them.

Good birding!

Help Migrating Hummingbirds

Hummingbird migration has started and with the drought, the little guys will depend even more on our feeders than usual.Photo above is of a patient at Wild Bird Rescue, so you can see how tiny they are.

I had the opportunity to do a short interview for Channel 6 today to talk about the impact of the drought on hummingbirds in migration. The segment may air tomorrow, depending upon other news. If you get a chance to watch, don't tell me. I try never to watch myself on TV.

Anyway, that made me think this would be an ideal time to talk about hummingbirds. We have black-chinned hummingbirds and ruby-throated hummingbirds here in the summer. During migration in September and October, other species of hummingbird may pass through, although not in large numbers.

All birds use a lot of energy in migration--hummingbirds are no exception. They consume a lot of food to keep their energy levels high for the trip to central America. They eat primarily nectar in flowering plants as well as small insects. With the severe drought there is a scarcity of flowering plants and the insects have not been plentiful either. This year more than most, hummingbirds will need the extra food provided by those of us who hang out hummingbird feeders.

If you don't already have feeders out, this would be a good time. You can make your own sugar water cheaply by mixing 1 part cane sugar with 4 parts water and boiling. Let the sugar water cool and pour it into a clean feeder. It is important to keep the nectar clean. Usually, you should clean out the feeder every 3 days, but in this heat, you may need to change the sugar water daily. If you see any cloudiness then change the water right away.

Hang the feeder out of the sun and preferably where the birds have a view of the sky. For best results, place your feeder near other flowering plants (if you have any.)

Let's help these wonderful birds have a safe trip.

Good birding!

Donations for Wild Bird Rescue Garage Sale Being Taken Saturday

Wild Bird Rescue has taken in over 1000 wild birds so far this year. The drought has really hit wildlife hard. This year the center took in over 50 purple martins and over 80 Mississippi kites due to the heat and the lack of insects. Most of those birds have been released back into the wild, with many still in care. A dozen newly released Mississippi kites were circling over Wild Bird Rescue last weekend.

Needless to say, operating expenses have been high. Insectivores and predatory birds are expensive to raise and Wild Bird Rescue is planning a garage sale to help raise funds. Volunteers will be taking donations this Saturday at 9:30 AM at the National Association of Letter Carriers building at 5310 Southwest Parkway. No clothing please.

The sale itself is September 17. So, please help the birds by donating items this weekend and by stopping by on the 17th and shopping.

For more information, call Wild Bird Rescue at 940-691-0828.

Good birding!