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!

Finally! Almost There!

I was supposed to retire at the end of 2023, but things did not go as planned. However, we're moving along and at this point, I am about 90% retired and should be 100% by mid-September.

That's my excuse for not keeping up as well as I should with this blog. I have several items to talk about so, we should be good for a while.

In the meantime, Good Birding!

Anyone with a Good Squirrel Recipe?

Momma Squirrel at Feeder

In general, I love my squirrels. I know many birdwatchers don't like squirrels because they eat a lot of bird food, which isn't cheap. However, I enjoy watching their antics, and they ensure the dogs get plenty of exercise trying to catch them.

Having said that, I have one squirrel that may find itself in a stew pot soon. I looked out my window the other morning, and there was one of my squirrels, sitting right in the center of my spider plant, munching away on one of the leaves. Since then, I have found leaves and sprigs of baby spiders on the ground under the planter. My spider plant is looking mangled at this point. I am rooting the babies in hopes that if the big plant succumbs to mistreatment, I'll be on the way to replacing it.

I am not sure what brought this on. That same plant hung outside all last summer with no problems. So far, they haven't bothered with any of the other pots on the patio. Right now, there are 7 pots out there and this is the only plant they have messed with. Any ideas? Anyone else having a similar issue?

By the way, note the bent up sunflower feeder. Something is pulling the feeder down at night (only this one) and bending it up trying to get into it. Raccoon, maybe?

Good birding!

March Birding at Lake Arrowhead State Park

Snow geese

Photo by Raymond Eichelberger on Unsplash

Saturday was the monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park. The morning was beautiful. However, a

brisk wind, combined with 40 - 45 degree weather meant it was a little nippy to start. We had a new birder with 

us this month. She said birding was on her retirement bucket list. I can't imagine anything better.

This time of year is the beginning of the spring migration (although April should be even better). Purple Martins

are back, and our winter birds are still here. There have been reports of some summer birds showing up very early

(a summer tanager, for example). The highlight of my morning was a small flock of snow geese that flew over

our heads. A neotropic cormorant was also a good sighting. We also saw a beaver, and I saw some white-tailed deer.

I got to the park a little early and also birded West Arrowhead Rd that runs just outside the park boundary for a 

short time after we broke up, so my list includes those birds.

The birds I saw/heard included:

Canada goose

Snow goose

White pelican

Double-crested cormorant

Neotropic cormorant

Great blue heron

Ring-billed gull

Killdeer

Least sandpiper

Gadwall

Mallard

American Coot

Black vulture

Turkey vulture

Eastern phoebe

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Northern cardinal

Northern mockingbird

Carolina Chickadee

Eastern bluebird

Dark-eyed junco

Harris's sparrow

White-crowned sparrow

Field sparrow

Brown-headed cowbird

Great-tailed grackle

Red-winged blackbird

European starling

Overall, a very good morning. You're invited to come bird with us on the second Saturday of each

month. We start at 8:00 AM in the parking lot near the fishing pier. Beginners and kids welcome. We look

at more than just birds--plants, bugs, etc. This is a leisurely stroll of about 1 to 1.5 miles.

Good birding!

Birding is Good for You!

 

Me birding at Lake Arrowhead 
State Park (several years ago)

I was reading an article in the March 2024 American Birding Association magazine, Birding, titled, "The Birding Prescription." Although the ABA posts its magazines online, the March issue isn't posted yet, and it will be in a members only area of the website. I am fairly certain this isn't a magazine carried by the Wichita Falls Public Library, although I haven't looked at their magazine selection for some time.

I know I always feel better after being outside birdwatching (or watching birds through the window on days I can't/don't want to go anywhere). However, this article outlines the author's anecdotal experience with birding (or ornitherapy, as she calls it) when she was fighting breast cancer. After this, she summarizes results from multiple studies which indicate birdwatching has many positive affects on people. Here is a summary of the main points:

• Listening to bird song for 6 minutes can reduce anxiety and irrational thinking for up to 8 hours
• Although not necessarily birdwatching, 20 minutes of exposure to green spaces lowers cortisol (stress hormone)
• Participation in citizen science activities improves well-being (that's part of the reason members of our local Texas Master Naturalist chapter are such a positive group!)
• People who live in areas with higher bird diversity experience fewer hospital admissions for mood and anxiety disorders
• Birding can help restore attentiveness, reversing attention drain (attention restoration therapy)
• Offer social connections. Feelings of isolation and loneliness and lack of connections may increase the risk of premature death.

The author provides a list of references to the various studies she cites, so if you want to do more study on your own, you can do so.

Whether you agree with all of the assertions in her article or not, it doesn't cost anything to watch the birds. Try it our for yourself. I know some time birdwatching is always a pick me up for me.

Good birding!

Purple Martins Arriving Soon!

 

Purple martin house at Wild Bird Rescue

I have not personally seen any purple martin scouts yet, but there have been reports in our area and it is about time for them to show up. If you have a martin house, it's time to ensure it is clean and ready for this year's nesting season. Clean up the house and block the entrance until you see scouts. Otherwise, you will have a house full of starlings and house sparrows.

Lake Arrowhead SP Birding

Painted bunting at Lake 
Arrowhead SP

Every second Saturday there is a bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park. We wander about a mile over an hour or two (depending on the birds we see). Debra Halter and I, from the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter, lead the walk. 

Don't know the birds? No worries--you learn by going out with others. Bring the kids! We love to introduce kids to the natural world. Interests expand beyond birds? No problem. Master Naturalists are into everything and we often stop to look at plants, and spiders, and mussels, and bugs, and deer, and more. Mobility issues? We can easily stay on paved surfaces.

The bird in the photo top the left is a painted bunting. We won't see one this month, but it won't be long until they are back for the summer. (Of course, I say that and June McKee had a summer tanager at her feeder this week and posted a photo on Facebook. So, one never knows!)

The walk starts at 8 AM at the admin building parking lot (between the swim beach and the fishing pier). Just look for a small group with binoculars and cameras. Park entry fees apply ($4 per person). The park office doesn't open until 8:00, so give yourself a little extra time to stop at the self-pay table just inside the entrance.

Happy birding!