When it's super-hot out, what do north Texas birds do for water?

Since birds can’t turn on a faucet or escape to air conditioning during our summers, where do they drink, bathe and cool off? After all, just like us, they need water to stay alive. Considering the summer weather around here, they have to be truly ingenious.

They find it everywhere!  Street gutters. Ditches and tire ruts by the road.  Low spots in a field or yard. Leaking water faucets.  Drainage ditches. Run-off from sprinklers. Birds find water all over!  Some even drink the dewdrops from leaves.

For most birds, however, it’s the sparkling surface of a pond, stream, puddle or birdbath that signals the presence of water. Then, depending on the species, dozens may appear.  When a bird isn’t actually drinking or bathing, he’ll probably secret himself among some leaves or tall grasses nearby.

Wild birds do this, of course, to get in the somewhat-cooler shade. Not only is it cooler, but the water they just got on themselves isn’t quickly lost to evaporation in the hot, Texas sun.

The amount of water required varies from species to species. Hummingbirds, whose diet is high in nectar, rarely need to supplement with plain water. Nectar, whether from flowers or a feeder, is mostly water anyway. Birds that eat insects also get a lot of water in their normal diet. Bugs, worms and other crawly things have a high moisture-content, so eating a bug puts a little water into the bird.  Many birds will eat berries, getting some water from the berry’s watery pulp. In north-central Texas the berries could be from
hollies, agarita, beautyberry, native plums, soapberry and several others.

Birds that live in dry areas (very generally west of I-35W) make use of moisture released as a by-product of the normal metabolic process (a form of recycling, you could say). This lets them go long periods between drinks. Even fresh seed has some moisture in it, to keep their internal systems in balance. Most birds can tell the moisture-content of a seed just by picking it up with their beaks. If it’s no good, they’ll just throw it on the ground and keep looking for any good seeds.  This is why a lot of birdseed gets tossed on the ground beneath feeders.

As for bathing, most birds need relatively shallow watering sites, or they simply won’t get in. North Texas’ small songbirds (like chickadees, finches and titmice) prefer water about an inch deep. Our larger birds (like jays and doves) don’t like bathing in water more than 2 or 3 inches deep. Keep this in mind if you’re looking for a birdbath (or a “lawn decoration” as most should be called).

 Once located, visiting a water source usually becomes part of a bird’s daily routine. Especially since they lose so much water-weight during a typical summer day here. Birds have to replenish this water every day just to survive.

One of the best ways to bring water and birds together is with moving water. The sound of moving water is like the bell on an ice cream truck. And just about any birdbath can be modified to move water. [Mosquitoes can’t lay eggs in moving water either.]

The water in a birdbath can be made to recirculate, or cascade down a rock, with a tiny pump. A tiny pump can also spray a fine mist. The pump can be powered by your home’s electricity or by a solar panel.  The technology of small solar panels has been greatly improved in the last year. The cordless solar panels can now power a recirculating birdbath or fountain with just sunlight – something we have plenty of in Texas.

Every person reading this can do a little bit to help our birds get the water they need to stay alive. Plant the plants that provide water via berries, or that hold rainwater in their leaves. Feed fresh birdseed. Create lots of cooling shade by planting tall, bushy things and reducing the size of your lawn. And be sure to provide at least one safe, usable water-source.

The eastern House Finch is the one we see in Texas

House Finch

The "eastern" House Finch is very common here in north Texas. A 15-year study of all House Finches has been published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; dramatizing that House Finches are of two groups – western (as in “west of the Rockies”) and eastern. Originally, there was only a western population, but a few birds from the west were captured and brought to New York in the 1940s as “Hollywood Finches”. Some escaped and are now common everywhere east of the Rockies. (The western population still lives a rather isolated life). The two groups began as genetically identical; but the eastern group has diversified greatly as its range expanded.

The males are noticeably red around the head, but the females are drab – a brown and tan streaky appearance making nesting less obtrusive.

The eastern group (the one here) is far more susceptible to a common eye disease among House Finches, since the birds stem from just a few birds, and have very little genetic diversity. Cornell is working on a remedy to this contagious disease in check. Until then, however, keep your feeders clean, especially if you spot a House Finch with an eye/s that look swollen shut.

 

feathered insecticide        The colorful Flicker,  fairly common in north Texas is actually a woodpecker. However, it’s a woodpecker who, in addition to pecking on trees, gets quite a bit of food via seeds and berries, and probing the soil for bugs. One biologist opened the stomach of a dead Flicker (the “Northern Flicker” lives here), and counted more than 5,000 ants inside!

 

 

The most important thing for hot weather care of your landscape

 Now that we’re into the season of dry, relentless Texas heat. it’s an especially good time to mulch your landscape plants if you haven’t already. It's the single best thing you can do for your yard in hot weather.  Even mother nature knows the value of mulching: the concept is as natural as you can get. For as long as shrubs and trees have grown on this earth, their leaves have fallen to the ground yearly and formed an organic layer of mulch.  As the leaves decompose, they become extremely fertile, water-retentive organic matter to naturally augment and enrich our soil.

       I’ve had the best results with organic mulches, by far. These are mulches derived from natural materials (usually plants) that were once alive. Over time, organic mulches will decompose and become part of the soil. Inorganic ones like gravel or rubber fibers won't. Decomposition adds “humus” to your soil, helping it retain water and nutrients.  

 

Shredded leaves. When dead leaves are shredded they're often used as a mulch; they decompose quickly and improve the soil. I use them exclusively on my own yard. You’ll never see shredded leaf mulch advertised or sold because it’s 100% free and abundant.  I just run a lawn mower over my leaf-covered lawn every fall (ignoring the quizzical stares of neighbors).  Whole leaves can be used, but they sometimes mat together and slow water movement into the soil.

Bark.  Bark mulches are made from the by-products of logs. Most common are shredded bark and bark chunks. Bark mulches resist compaction, will not blow away easily, are very attractive, and are readily available. Pine bark tends to float away, but bark mulch made from native trees is highly prized.

Wood chips. Wood chips are made from trees and shrubs. They stay in place, and weather to an attractive gray color. The process is the ultimate in recycling, since mulch is made from trimmings and old lumber that you and your neighbors throw out. Several sizes are available. 

Cedar chips. These are a popular kind of wood chip, but I steer people away from them. The harvesting of the cedar trees is often done at the expense of dwindling wildlife habitat.

Sawdust. Sawdust makes a poor mulch for most situations since weed seeds easily sprout in it. It also tends to cake, making it harder for water to soak into the ground – a big disadvantage in our climate. It also robs nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes, so more fertilizer may be needed. 

Straw.   Straw makes a good mulch for gardens. It is inexpensive, suppresses weeds, conserves moisture, and insulates well. On the other hand, it is not very attractive, may contain crop seeds, and is extremely flammable. Some may even contain growth-retarding chemicals. It’s important to use "straw" rather than "hay," since hay contains many weed seeds. 

Pine needles. Pine needles are attractive, decompose slowly, resist compaction, and are easy to work with. However, they are notorious for washing away in a rainstorm. They are often available commercially or are free if you have pine trees on your property.

 

For newly-planted trees and shrubs, spread mulch evenly about 3 inches deep. For trees and shrubs that have been in place a long time, I’d recommend a 2 inch layer of mulch. For trees and shrubs within a lawn, I’d strongly suggest reshaping the lawn if you can. (Lawns and trees have very different water needs.)  Otherwise, mulch a wide ring (extending from 3 to 6 feet out from the trunk) around each tree. 

 For areas of flowers or ground cover, mulch should be applied up to 2 inches deep (after settling), but should not come in contact with any plant stems. Any unwanted plants that grow through the mulch layer can easily be pulled out by hand.

Avoid any "colored mulch".  Ground-up wood from a wide variety of sources is dyed all sorts of strange colors. For the coloring to stick, some sort of chemical must be added - this is the sort of thing that you don't want around. Also, the chemical may stain your house, driveway etc. and colored mulches don't support the beneficial microbes your plants need. Keep in mind that mulches rarely stay in place. A "displaced" piece of red or white mulch will look very odd in your green landscape.

 When is the best time to put down mulch?  There’s no season or time when it shouldn’t be done, so the very best time is to do it today! Especially if there's hot weather coming.

Try owl-watching during the day.

Great-horned Owl on nest

 

Screech Owl

Owls are hard to watch for one very simple reason; they're active at night. But seeing one during the day is well worth the effort. Try daytime "owling'.

 

Owls sleep and take it easy during the day, so look for them in several places. They are masters of camouflage, so look for an owl very carefully. Then look again. I've "re-looked" up and down a tree, and spotted a resting owl that I missed the first time. Look for a well-secluded perch, often in the fork of a mature tree. Often there will be "whitewash" marks on whatever's below the place where an owl rests. This is because the owl goes to the bathroom ocaisionally - the more whitewash, the more it's used as a perch.

 

Owls and hawks like the same habitat and prey. So a home to Red-tailed Hawk by day may be home to a Great-horned Owl or a Barred Owl by night - and the owl is probably resting nearby during the day.  Or Mississippi Kite by day - Screech Owl by night, and so on.

 

During the day, if you a see "mobbing" action by smaller birds (lots of small birds flying at and screeching at something) they may have spotted a sleeping owl and are pestering it. Investigate!  

 

Parks, ball fields, big gardens, railroad and utility rights-of-way and farmer's fields are all potential owl habitats. Especially if there are large trees nearby for roosting. If there is water nearby (stream, marsh, swamp etc.), so much the better.

 

What I'm saying is look very, very carefully. And look in the appropriate habitat. Owls are all around us - they have to be somewhere during the daylight hours.

  

 

 “country-mouse” has it better than “city-mouse”    Owls that hang out in developed urban areas capture more prey than their rural counterparts. This may be because there’s more prey in urban areas, and more places to perch.  Ideally, the distance from an owl’s perch on a branch, fence-top or roof edge, to its prey, is 20 feet. Sometimes they even hover over the location of hidden prey (mouse, rat?) flapping their wings to flush it out

 

 

Birds and landscaping; the new normal in the 21st Century

American Robin

Scarlet Tanager

We’re in the 21^st century. Water is scarce. Utility prices are rising fast. Undeveloped land is scarce. Science has made a ton of discoveries about damaging artificial chemicals.  We can adapt to this new reality without sacrificing all the little things that make life pleasant, like birds.

A few people in north Texas still try to take care of their yards the same way they did twenty or thirty years ago...as if nothing has changed! But, clearly, times have changed dramatically!

Several practical ideas have been crafted by the Audubon Society, for landscape care in the reality of the 21^st century; which is "bird-attracting" also. (They’re not trying to sell you anything, so motives are honorable)  It’s doubtful if anyone can make the changes overnight, so you might look at these items as long-term goals for over the next few years;

·       Reduce your lawn’s size: Lawns are by far the biggest user of water and are a huge demand on your time and money. A manicured lawn, as we should all know, is avoided by birds. Just think about how much of your valuable time is given to your lawn – getting it to grow, then cutting it back. I’d bet you can reduce the size of your lawn by about 25% this season, and attract more birds! And lower utility bills.

·       Plant native, Texas plants: Native plants are accustomed to our weather extremes, the drought, the heat and our miserable excuse for soil. Texas birds are attracted by Texas plants because they know how they can be used. Foodwise, nesting wise, etc. There are hundreds of native plants – including at least one that’s a thriving, rugged substitute for a troublesome BLANK you’ve been trying to grow unsuccesfully for years.

 ·       Use biological pest controls: Ninety-nine percent of the lawn chemicals sold have effective (but unpatented) biological alternatives. Domestic ladybugs and lacewings, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), pyrethrum, certain kinds of fungus, beneficial nematodes, to name just a few, take care of pests the way nature planned it. In addition; you could just prune out an infestation of insects, or use a blast from a hose to get insects off of a plant. Birds have a feeding frenzy with an overabundance of things like aphids or grasshoppers.

 

·       Respect your neighbors: Notify your neighbors (and ask them to do likewise) before using any pesticide or herbicide that could remain on vegetation, could drift in the air to another yard, or could settle in water. Children and pets (and most wildlife) are easily affected by pesticides, even if adults are not. Hopefully, most local governments do this already.

·       Leave room for wildlife: Make room in your yard for the birds, toads and rabbits (and, yes, the armadillos, squirrels and raccoons too). They’re all part of nature’s plan. Armadillos eat grubs, birds eat aphids, toads eat mosquitoes and so forth. These creatures are just waiting to do for free what we’ve been paying your hard-earned money to do artificially.

 

 

Make a genuine effort to adapt to, and live within the current realities of the 21^st century. Not the 1970s, 80s or 90s. You’ll spend less time, waste less money, pollute the soil, air and water less, attract more songbirds and be a far better neighbor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first "backyard bird" is native to north Texas

Purple Martin

 

        Purple Martins were probably the first “backyard bird”. That is, the first wild bird to become primarily dependent on humans for both its food and housing.  American Indians were the first to recognize their insect-eating ability. They set up hollowed-out gourds near living areas to entice Martins (members of the swallow family) to nest there, eat insects, and reproduce. The humans' habits scared up a lot of insects from the prairie floor - Purple Martins' primary food.

Use caution when buying a birdhouse, and make sure you get the pole that comes with it too. (Most lumber stores don't sell a decent pole, and you might be in for a lot of extra work yourself). You'll need to raise & lower it frequently for maintenance. A new Martin house might be unused for a year or so, until Martins (returning from their migration) have a need for housing.

 

Nowadays, many homeowners put up things that look like apartment buildings, and are used quite well by Martins. If you're considering a Purple Martin house, remember that they need a CLEAR 100-foot (dia.). The circle should be centered on the birdhouse itself, and contain no buildings or big trees. By far the best color for a Martin house in Texas is white, since it reflects the heat.

 

 

A low-cost, safe organic herbicide    Like many of you, we try to garden organically. It saves money in several ways, and it doesn’t kill every living thing (including birds) in your yard. Nor does it make the chemical companies richer.

 

I’m certainly no botanist, but here’s what I use to kill unwanted vegetation with success; one gallon of 10% vinegar (undiluted, from grain alcohol), mixed with 1 ounce of citrus oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid horticultural molasses. I just spot-spray the mixture straight, using an old spray bottle, without adding water. It works best when the unwanted vegetation is growing actively;  in north Texas it is ineffective after about the first week of July.

 

Part 2, more places around here to see birds

 

Denton neighborhood trails

Denton has at least 8 trails that are very ”birdy”. North Lakes Park, North Lakes Park - south, Avondale/Nette Shulz Park, Cooper Creek Park, Greenbelt Trail, Fred Moore/Phoenix Park, Southlakes Park, and Cross Timbers Trail. They tend to have plenty of water and native vegetation for birds. Maps are on the City of Denton’s web site.

Dimension Tract (Carrollton)

The "Dimension Tract", new to Carrollton’s park system, is on the south side of Beltline Road from the main preserve. The Trinity River flows through it. There is an area of woods and meadow and a large pond. The woods are old and untouched and contain many large old trees as well as young ones and underbrush,

River Legacy Park (Arlington)

This is a very natural park that’s not far away. Here is the URL for directions and so on: http://www.riverlegacy.org/ . Most of the trails are along the Trinity River, so you get both the riparian AND woodland environments. There are wildflowers and wildlife, in addition to the birds.

Pilot Knoll Park (Highland Village)

A 75-acre, underused park on Lake Lewisville’s far west end, where Hickory Creek flows into the lake. Much of the bird activity can be seen from the car, including an abundance of Bluebirds, Warblers and shorebirds. The entrance is off  Orchid Hill Ln.

Denton Municipal Landfill

Yes I said “landfill” but was thinking “dump”. A variety of birds like to forage amid the garbage. It’s particularly good for gracefully-flying vultures. Plus there’s a lushly planted buffer strip along Mayhill Rd.

Little Elm Park

Maintained by Little Elm, it’s a naturalistic park that takes in most of a peninsula jutting into Lake Lewisville, on the northeast shore.

 Prairie Creek Park (Richardson).

This is a relatively small, easy to walk park. It’s an excellent place to spot our native Texas birds, plus it attracts seasonally migrating birds as they take a break during a long flight. The park is between Custer and Collins, north of Campbell Rd. The actual boundary roads are Prairie Creek East and Prairie Creek West.

Spring Creek Nature Area (Richardson)

A natural park just off Central Expy. (US75), entered via a parking area on Renner Rd. and ending at Plano Rd. (although you can walk either direction, of course). In addition there is a half-mile inner loop trail that’s a little hard to get to, but well worth it.

Lewisville Lake Park (Lewisville)

A 350-acre park near the center of Lewisville - on the southern shore of Lake Lewisville. Enter at the corner of Lake Park Rd. and Mill Street.

Hickory Creek Parks

The town of Hickory Creek has several small parks on the northern shore of Lake Lewisville. Two of my favorites are Sycamore Bend Park and Hickory Creek Park.

White Rock Lake (Dallas)

This is a man-made lake (like all but one lake in Texas) but one of the oldest. Just east of the downtown area, it’s particularly good for water and shore birds, as well as an excellent waystation for migrating birds.

L.I.S.D.O.L.A.

An interesting site because it has a variety of ecological systems - wetlands, forests, grasslands etc. The 80-acre nature area (administered by Lewisville School District) has almost 5 miles of trails, and a wide variety of birds