Migratory Bird Treaty Act - something of a misnomer.

protected!

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) became federal law way back in 1917, and has been amended and refined many times since. Protection, however, is not just given to "migratory" birds, it covers many birds found year-'round in north Texas (like Cardinals, Robins, Jays, Wrens). It not only protects the birds themselves, but in most cases protects their nests, eggs, feathers and extends to their habitat, during active nesting periods.

While almost all birds are protected, non-native birds aren't. These include European Starlings and House Sparrows which were brought to this continent against their will. Grackles are protected though! The most violations (unknowing, probably) occur from cutting down dead trees, which often contain nests. (cutting in late fall or the winter is probably OK)   

The MBTA is the legislative version of the four treaties that the U.S. has signed (with Russia, Canada, Mexico and Japan).  It acknowledges that birds don't recognize international boundaries, and several countries often share responsibility for protecting a single species. The treaties were the products of destructive trends to adorn womans hats and other clothing with large feathers, almost resulting in the extinction of several species.

The MBTA is enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whose local agents are called Game Wardens, and in north Texas are under the auspices of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.  Game Wardens are federal officers and can enforce TPWD regulations too.

Dragonflies and damselflies were here first

They're called "odonates" collectively, but I'll just call them all Dragonflies (note the capital D).  The botanic order of Dragonflies is composed of dragonflies (lower case d) and damselflies.  They've inhabited the earth for over 300-million years, so they must be happy and well-suited in their little ecological niche.

There are over 5700 species of them, and almost all eat mosquito larvae voraciously, so they're good to have around. They can go from, 0 to 30 mph in about a second, particularly in pursuit of food, like a flying insect. North Texas has a lot of them, especially around water sources. For example, look for them perched above a birdbath, atop a branch, stick  or blade of grass.

WATERING PLANTS WHEN IT'S SUPER-HOT OUT. Plants suffer when it's extremely hot. Duh! Your bank account will suffer, too, if you water your plants  at the wrong times. Much of the water won't be available to help the plants either. On average, 50% of outdoor water can be wasted.

The reason is something we all understand and can't live without - evaporation (part of the concept of air conditioning). Watering your landscape at the hottest part of the day;  noon to about 5:00, leads to evaporation of much of the water. Far less water than you plan on will actually reach the plants, but it shows up on your water bill anyway. The very best time to water your north Texas landscape starts at around 5:00 a.m. (which usually calls for an automatic timer) to about 10:00 a.m. The next best time is between 6 and 8 in the evening.

Also, mulch your plants heavily. It can be done with dead leaves you raked up last fall, or store-bought mulch  Mulch slows evaporation and cools the soil for optimum growth in hot weather.

Yes, fall migration for birds has started

Red-winged Blackbird & Swallowtail Kite

Here we are in late July. Actually "fall migration" starts about now. It spans roughly three months so it's not a spectacular event like spring migration. But every bird species that flies south-to-north in the spring, flies north-to-south in the fall - some time in the next three months.

Most migrating birds travel at night, but not all. At night, headwinds are weaker, predators are fewer, the air temperature is more comfortable and birds can navigate reliably by the stars.

The species that travel during the day are generally those that rely on soaring and gliding flight, using warm air "thermals". Mostly these are Cranes and raptors;  some songbird species (which need to find insects for food) also migrate during the day. 

HOW CAN A GOLF COURSE BE BIRD-FRIENDLY?   Golf courses have earned a bad name over the years for being unnatural and inhospitable to birds - often with good reason because of a very liberal reliance on artificial chemicals and pesticides. 

The Audubon Society's Sanctuary Program started in 1991 to help develop better bird habitat within golf courses, while still being challenging and fun to play. Most participating courses report increases in bird activity, and huge reductions in pesticide and water use. 

The nearby treasure of Hagerman

Canada Goose family

Canada (not "Canadian") Geese

One day recently, a birding group at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge saw approximately  3,500 Snow Geese, 3,000 Ross's Geese, 125 White-fronted Geese, 125 Green-winged Teal, 125 White Pelicans, 100 Canada Geese, 100 Pintails, 22 Buffleheads, 30 Great Egrets, 16 Canvasbacks, and one adult Bald Eagle.  Plus lots and lots of the usual resident songbirds.        

Touring Hagerman N.W.F. by car, on their park roads, is free.  It's located about 45 minutes north of Denton on I-35, and about 15 minutes east of Gaineville - on the shores of Lake Texoma.

Snow Geese

Hagerman N.W.R.

For all but a few of us, West Nile Virus ("WNV") is not a big deal.  It's nowhere near as universally scary as the news media have hyped it to be. It's only a major concern if your immune system is poor, and/or you have a serious, underlying medical condition.

No, I'm not a physician (nor are news reporters), but I read voraciously and try to get the true facts behind things, not just accepting the media spin and hype.

I'm absolutely sure that there have been a few serious cases among the millions of people who live in north Texas (as there have been with colds). But the proven fact is that about 80% of the people who contract WNV, don't even know they're sick (they may just feel a bit tired or achy for a few days). Most don't even do anything like stay home from work or take some aspirin. (There have been just 13 cases this year in Denton County - a county of around 690,000 people)

Silly things like mosquito-spraying from trucks has dubious results and, some say, does more harm than good. However there are two things you can do to lessen the chance of getting WNV. First, make sure your immune system, and general health, is good. So your body can resist WNV naturally. Second, constantly empty any containers in your yard that hold even the slightest bit of water. Watering cans, flower pot saucers etc. Mosquitoes breed in still water. (Just put a non-poisonous "mosquito dunk" in birdbaths to keep them from breeding there.)

Texas woodpeckers that look identical, but aren't

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Both these birds are common in north Texas yards, live in the same habitat and have very similar markings. So it's often difficult to know if you're looking at a Downy Woodpecker or a Hairy Woodpecker. Look closely. The Hairy's body is slightly longer, but unless you're incredibly lucky you aren't going to see them side by side.

The clue that takes less than a second to think through is the relative sizes of the head and bill.  A Downy has an unusually small bill, noticebly shorter than the length of the bird's head. It doesn't look like it could put a dent in anything. The Hairy's bill, however, is at least as long as its head. It looks like it could do some real damage.

Maximilian Sunflower

Asteracae (or "composite") is a large family of native plants, almost all of which are particularly good at producing lots of tasty, rich food for north Texas birds.  Several should be in your yard. The most notable species are aster, coneflower, several daisies, coreopsis, blanket flower and about a dozen species of sunflower (Maximilian Sunflower is very durable, and one of my favorites since it has a lot of flowers instead of one big one).     

Why do some birds have wing markings?

Common Nighthawk

Some birds have developed distinctive wing markings over the ages.  If the species is often the target of aerial predators, it develops "false targets", visible from behind. A pursuing bird (eagle, hawk, osprey etc.) hopefully aims at the false target, which is mostly feathers. Not at the prey's body.

Red-winged Blackbird

Blue Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Northern Flicker

Northern Mockingbird

Birds normally don't die close to your house. But it happens. Usually they get far away from any activity and "become part of the food chain" with help from some scavenger.

But in case you run across a dead bird, how you handle it is your choice; the bird won't care. Burying it in the ground is about your emotions and traditions. This may prevent disease, but a raccoon (or other scavenger) may dig it up. A better way is double-bag the carcass and simply put it in an outdoor garbage can.

The bird that disappeared for several years

Baltimore Oriole

For a while there was no such bird as a Baltimore Oriole (like there was originally). In the seventies, it seems, ornithologists determined that the Baltimore and Bullock's Orioles (the two most widespread orioles) were a single species. They grouped them together as the somnambulently-named Northern Oriole. But further research (including then-new DNA testing) proved them to be two separate species all along, so the separate names were reinstated.

The Baltimore Oriole is a summer resident here. A
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Orchard Oriole

more common oriole in north Texas yards, however, is the Orchard Oriole.




Yes, birds can carry ticks. But ticks are very "host-specific". So it's extremely unlikely that a bird-borne tick will latch onto a human, cat or dog. Also, birds  groom themselves a lot and actually eat ticks.

If you like to be "one with nature" occasionally, you may pick up unwanted hitchhikers in the form of ticks. To rid yourself of the vast majority of them, try a lint roller - with wide tape. Unless they've dug in, it will collect them effectively.