Cowbirds don't do it intentionally

Red-winged Blackbird (l.) and
Brown-headed Cowbird (r.). Females

The Brown-headed Cowbird is found in 48 states; open country more than urban environments. The female (shown here) chooses the nest of another bird species. The Cowbird hatchling emerges sooner and is larger, than most other species. It will often shove unhatched eggs out of the nest.

The Cowbird is not intentionally being mean; it is in survival mode. For centuries, it followed herds of wild buffalo and cattle, eating the insects stirred up (hence the name "cow"bird). There was no way the female could incubate her eggs in her own nest, while the herd moved on. So it developed the practice of using other birds' nests.


Cowbirds avoid "parasitizing" the nests of House Finches. Why?? Most baby birds, including Cowbirds, are fed easily-digested insects by their parents. Not House Finches.  House Finches are one of the few birds that feed seeds to their nestlings. Baby Cowbirds cannot handle the all-seed diet.

a very common bird you'll rarely see / Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

It's one of the most common birds in the US - found in every state but Hawaii and North Dakota. It lives in large areas of Canada and Mexico too. But it's not really a "backyard bird". To see one, go for a drive in the country - Red-tailed Hawks commonly sit on fenceposts (trees, signs & phonepoles too).

Or you could check out the streaming "nestcam" of a RTHawk nest in New York, at
www.allaboutbirds.org/cornellhawks  As I write this, the female has laid two eggs, but who knows what has happened since!

On a recent trip to Austin, we saw 5 just between Denton and Ft. Worth, alongside I-35W. There were probably several more we didn't spot, or were flying overhead. A full-grown Red-tailed Hawk might weigh up to 3 lb., so they're hard to miss.

W. Asher Yost & Owen Yost

              On a personal note, Nancy and I were just down in Austin, seeing my (second) grandson for the first time. Beautiful boy and his   wonderful brother Carson.

Oh yes, we saw my son Creighton and his wonderful wife Lindsay too. And Lauren was a huge help.

                                          LIFE IS GOOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

empty nests: what to do with them

A question I often get  about now concerns "used" bird nests. My answer recognises the fact that we live in The South, with its longer summers and higher heat. 

These combine to spur the growth of microscopic mites, which can pester nestlings mercilessly. And we may even have more mites this coming season since our winter was relatively mild - even for Texas.

My advice is to remove the empty nest from wherever it was, soon after the newborn birds fledge. They will never return! But eggs of mites will hatch in time. So shred the old nest and just scatter the pieces on the ground. The exposed mite eggs will die, and the nest-builder can re-use the shreds if he/she wants.


Friends of mine, and me, will stop our cars and take action whenever we see a turtle making its way slowly across a road. Without being picked up and moved, it probably wouldn't make it across.


If you do this too, please make sure you relocate the turtle to the side of the road where it was headed. Otherwise it may just crawl onto the pavement again.

Bat reduction could make food cost more $$$$

Mexican Freetail bats

BATS SAVE US MONEY.  Pest control provided by bats save American agriculture as much as $53 billion a year, according to U.S.G.S. analysis. The flip side of that is: if our native bats didn't provide this service for free, our groceries would certainly cost a lot more.

On a cautionary note, there could be noticeable economic losses (and higher food costs) in the next 4 or 5 years as a result of threats to bat populations, including loss of habitat. Reason: bats eat a tremendous quantity of flying insects that would otherwise ruin crops

Red Yucca

A favorite plant in north Texas is the Red Yucca. Not only because it's colorful and relatively disease-free, also because its appearance is uniquely "Texan" - it looks like it should be growing in the wild west. Actually, it did!

It grew here naturally before the west was "tamed". It still does, in some small areas. But it's often used in landscapes with terrible soil in full sun. It requires almost no care, and lives through drought and temperatures of over 100.

Barn Swallows often make a home at your home

Barn Swallow

Barn Swallows, which nest around here, used to nest in natural caves, rock crevices, even splintered trees. These things are mostly gone from developed environments now. By the middle of last century they were only seen nesting in human-made structures like bridges, highway overpasses and so on. Around Denton (where I live) I see often under an overpass on Loop 288 - their mud nests lined up fastidiously. They even nest under the eaves of certain houses.The mud (which requires water of course) is a sure sign that there's a body of water nearby.

Barn Swallow

.............................................................................. Certainly Purple Martins (a type of Swallow) have a pleasant song. Adult males will fly into the sky around dawn for "dawnsinging".  Aided by the unique acoustics of that time of day, the Purple Martin's song may cover at least 30 square miles.

Purple Martins

Birds' eggs hide in plain sight

Killdeer eggs

Almost all ground-feeding birds have eggs that are difficult to see. They're camouflaged by nature. In north Texas, that includes the Killdeer (among many other ground-feeding birds). The Killdeer's eggs are speckled with random brown spots (see pic above) to blend with its customary ground "nest".

adult Killdeer

Thus, a predator (which includes humans) could walk right by the nest, and not notice it.

On the other hand, most birds that nest in cavities (like birdhouses) or in trees or shrubs, lay brightly colored eggs which could be easily spotted if they were on the ground. In this case, the brighter the egg, the healthier the chick; since an egg's brightness indicates plenty of nutritious food - hence a healthy mother.


BIRDS DINE ON COLOR. A bird's intensity of coloring (such as the bright red of a male Cardinal) usually comes from nutrients and pigments ingested in its food. That's a reason why birds seek out the freshest food. It's also a sign of the male bird's fitness to propagate, to rear baby chicks and to defend a good territory (thus, a nutritious food supply).

Hummingbirds are on their way to north Texas

Hummingbirds typically arrive in north Texas around Spring Break time - March 19 roughly. Of course, it could be earlier or later, depending on weather, winds and the availability of food.

A good web site for checking their latest location is the Migration Map at
www.hummingbirds.net  As of today, the nearest locations to us are along the Gulf coast.

So now's a good time to get things ready. Clean nectar feeders thoroughly, even if you cleaned them at the end of last season. I make up some clear nectar and freeze it for later (yes, it can be frozen!)

And forget about adding any red food coloring to the nectar. It has recently been proven, in several studies, that it can cause DNA damage in Hummingbirds. So make nectar with one part ordinary sugar and four parts water; and make it just the way nectar comes from plants...clear.


ARE YOU REALLY CLEANING YOUR BINOCULARS?   Please don't wipe your binocular lenses with just whatever's handy - like your shirt-tail or facial tissue. You'd be doing more harm than good.  Most lenses are coated with special materials to prevent stray reflections. Wiping them with any wood-based product creates tiny scratches...even avoid window cleaner or saliva!  Instead, use a special lens-cleaning cloth. It'll make binoculars last longer and do the job a lot better.