Saturday, January 28, 2012

Jan 28; House Finches

House Finch
House Finch

One kind of bird that almost everyone in north Texas has seen, but few know by name, is the House Finch.

Its head and often part of the body are red (these are the males) so the House Finch is often erroneously called a "redbird". The females are not as colorful, having brown/tan markings that make them look sort of like a sparrow. The beak, however, is the same on both sexes.  It is black, thick and sturdy - ideal for cracking open seeds and small nuts.

The House Finch is not native to north Texas, but has spread into this area, and multiplied, to the point where it's extremely common year 'round. It's now plentiful in almost all parts of the country.

Originally, the species was found in northern California, but was trapped and shipped to Long Island, New York for re-sale under the more marketable name "Hollywood Finches". This was of course, illegal. So several retailers let their "Hollywood Finches" loose around 1940 to avoid prosecution. The birds, actually named House Finches, liked their new environment and spread and multiplied rapidly.


Easily make a "suet sandwich"
Ever noticed how a typical suet feeder for birds is just a little bigger than a slice of bread? Put that bit of trivia to work for you! In a pinch you can make an ordinary sandwich with two slices of bread (I use "heels") and a cheap brand of crunchy peanut butter. Slip the sandwich into an ordinary suet feeder; the birds will love it! As long as you don't feed peanut butter all the time, it won't do any harm.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

It's time to start saving nest material

Nesting season for birds will be here soon. To attract nest-building birds to your yard, start collecting bits of thread, yarn, string and such. Any color will do, but remember that birds don't want their nest to be obvious, so they seem to avoid bright, vibrant colors. "Sheddings" from your pet are also ideal.

When collecting, make sure nothing is longer than 3 inches. Longer strands can tangle birds' feet, making moving (& flying) difficult.

In addition I like to make sure there's plenty of now-dead prairie grass around. In my yard there are lengths of last year's Bluestem Grass and Inland Sea Oats. Birds seek out this dead prairie grass for nest material just as their ancestors have done for ages.



When nesting season starts (late February for north Texas) you'll want to put the nesting material where it won't just blow away. I use an old suet cage, which allows easy access for birds. A pan with 2+" sides works too, unless wind gusts are really bad.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Will your new landscape harm birds?

If you're thinking about a landscape project in your yard, think about the birds.  The stuff you put in your yard, plant material or something else, should be compatible with your yard's full-time, avian residents.
"weed barrier"

"erosion control netting"
One item that has actually killed birds goes by several names, and has several general purposes. But I'll lump them all together for clarity's sake. The products, each slightly different in design, might go by the name of weed barrier, erosion control netting, landscape fabric or weed controller.

Birds often try to make nests from pieces of the fabric, and get trapped in it. They starve to death!  I'm not saying never to use it - just make sure it's installed properly, several inches beneath the surface, where it will never see daylight. If it's put on or near the surface, it inevitably will tear and shred, becoming a real eyesore and danger to birds.


What's commonly called "poison ivy" is not an ivy at all. All seven species are in the sumac family and are unrelated to ivies.

That's not a lot of comfort, however, when you itch like crazy. Of course, some people (I hate them, don't you!) aren't affected at all. Others have widely varying degrees of sensitivity.

You may come in contact with it unknowingly. So it's a good idea to aggressively wash your hands and arms (and other exposed parts of your body) with soap and water immediately after being outdoors.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Discouraging "pigeons" (or whatever you call them)

Rock Pigeon
The birds typically called "pigeons" prefer to eat off the ground. They are technically called Rock Pigeons (formerly "Rock Doves") and were introduced to North America, from Europe, in the 1600s. They are in the same family as doves but are a different species. Wherever they can perch on a feeder, they will. Knowing this, two modifications in your birdfeeding practices are recommended to discourage them.  
First, most birds have types of seed(s) they prefer. Rock Pigeons do! So refrain from putting cracked corn or white millet in feeders where pigeons can perch.  This will discourage White-winged Doves too.
White-winged Doves

Second, lay down a bunch of branches ("thorny" is good) beneath feeders, to discourage Rock Pigeons and doves from foraging for whatever falls from your feeder.


In general, birds' nesting behavior coincides with the high availabilty of food, so they can be sure of feeding newborns. I'm writing this now because gardening in north Texas may be very different from your customary gardening practices.  You should be planting native "birdscape" plants now (instead of waiting for the spring) so they can be "edible" when nesting birds are in the market.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

There's not a single good reason for butchering Crape Myrtles

Crape Myrtles butchered into poor health

About this time of year, Crape Myrtles throughout north Texas are butchered mercilessly. Thick, healthy branches are cut off for no good reason at all. Many survive but some don't.

The typical "reason" given is that butchering promotes blooming.  This is absolutely, 100% not true, and there is not a shred of scientific evidence that it's in any way good for the Crape Myrtle. In fact, the only benefit derived is to the "landscape crew", who can  charge the owner for totally unnecessary and possibly harmful work.

Butchering trees is somewhat like the myth that frogs cause warts - it's an old way of thinking that needs to disappear. The most I'd recommend is to prune off last season's old seed heads - a purely cosmetic act.  I'd certainly never recommend cutting anything thicker around than a pencil. There's just no honest reason!

-G. Owen Yost, Landscape Architect emeritus

Keep your birdbaths full and clean! Birds need to bathe frequently in the winter to maintain insulation from the cold. Many of the birds at birdbaths are species that won't come to your feeders because they don't eat seed. Recently I've seen Cardinals, Goldfinches, Chickadees, Blue Jays, Thrushes, Brown Thrashers and several Robins in our birdbaths (we have three).

Sunday, January 8, 2012

A hawk is lurking around our birdfeeder. Help!

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

They'll do that - your feeder's clearly a place where birds gather (and to hawks, that's a few meals). My advice is to take the feeder down for a few days. The hawk will move on when he figures out the birds are elsewhere.

The most common hawks in north Texas are pictured here. The Sharp-shinned and Cooper's look very similar - the banding on the tails is the key. Both are about the size (although leaner and smarter) of an ordinary Dove. The Red-tailed is larger and the coloring is extremely variable.
Red-tailed Hawk

Contrary to what some store clerks will tell you, putting up fake owls and plastic snakes doesn't scare away hawks or any other bird for more than five minutes. Save your money! Things that move randomly are the only things that catch their eyes.


Friday, January 6, 2012

Double-scratching is a winter eating technique

Fox Sparrow
When there is leaf litter on the ground, birds that can (like sparrows, towhees, juncos and most blackbirds) will still search for food successfully. They do it by double-scratching the leaf litter, usually  uncovering tiny insects, eggs or forgotten seed.

Watch closely because it happens fast: The bird hops forward a tiny bit with both legs, then hops backward a little. He may have uncovered food!

Of course, if all the leaf litter has been removed ("the manicured lawn") forget about birds.


Downy Woodpecker

Woodpeckers have many tiny barbs on the end of his (or her) long, narrow tongue. So the tongue has sort of a bottle-brush shape. When the bird sticks his tongue into a suet cake, the barbs catch on the suet and, when bringing the tongue back, break off tiny pieces of it. Several of north Texas' birds peck, but only woodpeckers are adapted like this.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Look closely, it may be a Harris' Sparrow

Harris' Sparrow
Harris' Sparrow
Among the throngs of Juncos in north Texas this winter, there is likely to be a Harris' Sparrow or two. They're the same size as Juncos, they have the same feeding habits and they have similar colors (though in different areas of the body).

Both Harris' Sparrows and Juncos are in the sparrow family, but look closely. While a Junco's back is gray, the Harris' Sparrow back is not. It's finely striped like other native sparrows - tan and white. Nor is its entire head dark gray.



In Texas, astoundingly, NOW is the best time of year to plant native prairie grasses. They don't need fertilizer, They need very little water, and grasses require only once-a-year maintenance. They're also mostly free of pests and diseases.

There are several kinds to choose from, such as Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, Gulf Muhly and Windmill Grass. Just be very sure it's a native prairie grass or it could be a problem.