Now is the time to get eggshells ready for birds

 

Spring is coming soon, and with it lots of bird-mothers and then baby birds. Though the exact time varies with the bird species, now is the time to start getting their  ”vitamin-supplements” ready. That means broken-up eggshells

 The females consume broken-up eggshells for the calcium they provide. During the egg-laying season, female birds need to replace calcium lost in egg production, and have a “craving”. Eggshells are a great source of this important mineral. However, don’t just give them “straight” eggshells, they’re not healthy. The broken eggshells should be heated in an oven for ½ hour at about 350 degrees to kill off nasty stuff that might make the birds sick.  When they cool, break them up into tiny pieces (no bigger than a dime), and put them out in some sort of small dish.

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at northwestern68@yahoo.com

Skip raking "leaf litter" now. Wait about a month

 

Homeowners typically face the urge to rake up their yards during cold weather. They’re ”cleaning it up” they tell themselves.

 

However, they’re also endangering their vegetation (everything from grass to trees) by doing it now.   Except in unusual spots, let the leaf litter stay where it is. Only remove it if it piles up due to a building’s shape, or where it hinders travel (such as a walkway).

 

You see, this yearly accumulation of dead material is nature’s way of insulating the things in the ground – primarily roots. Remove it and the fragile plant roots can be damaged or killed by extreme cold (In a forest, nobody ever rakes the leaves; and plants there do just fine; most weeds are discouraged too).

 

Instead, you could run a lawn mower over the leaves, cutting them into tiny bits which will  fall down between the grass blades and still cover the roots. A bonus is that many kinds of birds like to poke through the shredded pieces for food. In north Texas, wait until late February (after the last frost, probably) to rake it all away.

 

 

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at   Northwestern6782

The seasonal water needs of north Texas birds

 

Birds need water every minute of every day, all year long.  Especially when it’s cold out! Since they also need to fly, they can’t store water in body fat like most animals. They must constantly get water either in its liquid form or as a component of the food they eat. Since birds live an active life, they lose water at a rapid rate. The smaller a bird is, the greater its daily water loss.  Since a big part of water loss is due to the air temperature, north Texas birds need A LOT of clean water, all year long.

They need water in the winter to keep warm, believe it or not. They need to bathe to stay alive (the actual bath takes just a few seconds). Clean feathers trap air efficiently and help insulate from the elements.  Only clean feathers! In freezing weather, I’ll keep baths unfrozen by adding boiling water every few hours.

 In warm weather, a small, inexpensive “dunk” floating in the birdbath kills mosquitoes, but won’t harm birds or pets at all.

 If you’re planning to put out a birdbath, remember that birds frighten easily. They’re small and (except for a few species) swim poorly. They shy away from water that’s more than 2½-3 inches deep.  They also prefer a gradually sloping bottom, instead of a sudden dropoff to the birdbath’s full depth.

Use dead leaves the way nature intended; Don’t rake

Before long, you’ll get tired of moving fallen leaves from one place in your yard to another. Maybe you end up stuffing them into plastic bags or you decide to call a mound of leaves a "compost pile." Here’s an idea: instead of using a rake, use your lawn mower to improve your soil and get fallen leaves out of sight.

The easiest and most environmentally sensible thing to do is leave the leaves where they fall, and shred them up with your mower. That’s what I do, once or twice during the winter.  No special mower or blade is necessary; just do it like you’re cutting the lawn. By far the worst thing you can do is rake up all the fallen leaves, leaving bare ground exposed to the elements. Raking just encourages unwanted vegetation and erosion. A thin carpet of shredded, dead leaves protects the soil from compaction and erosion; and it’s free!  It also loosens the soil so it holds water better.

 After the leaves are shredded into tiny bits, the next rain will make them disappear. They’ll filter down between the grass blades and become part of the soil as they decompose, just as nature intended.

Most of the trees in north Texas are oak trees. All spring and summer, the leaves store up nutrients gathered from the soil. These nutrients are roughly equivalent to the nutrients in store-bought compost, which we'll gladly pay good money for! About now, however, leaves are dying and falling to the ground. Then they start decomposing naturally, releasing the nutrients and strengthening plants’ roots.  They’re also composting as they’re releasing all of that naturally stored nutrition.


Shredding them up with a mower simply increases their surface area, so they decompose a lot faster. (It's a natural, yearly cycle.) This coming winter, the dead leaves will protect fragile roots (which are usually near the surface) from the cold, and plants will green up faster come spring with the extra nutrition. 

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at northwestern68@yahoo.com

Squirrels dominating your birdfeeder?

DISTRACTING SQUIRRELS

There are some highly squirrel-resistant bird feeders around that work 99% of the time. We use several styles. But there is no such thing as an absolutely Squirrel-Proof feeder, and there probably won’t ever be one. The best bet is to place a feeder on a baffled pole (not a tree branch) away from any vegetation, railing or roof that squirrels could use as a launch pad. And never trap or kill squirrels - that just makes the problem worse after a couple of days. 

Also, offer squirrels their own food (corn, for instance) far from the bird feeder and out of sight, so they have something else to go for. Since they’re territorial, it’s unlikely you’ll attract more squirrels competing for the territory.

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is in Denton at northwestern68@yahoo.com

Why do Houses Finches seem to be everywhere?

 

House finches are small, often red-headed birds. Despite their great numbers in Texas, however, this region is not their natural home. They are native to the dry regions of the west. Because of the males’ red coloring, they used to be trapped and sold in the New York area as “Hollywood finches”. Being illegal and not wanting to get caught, the dealers released them around 1940, all in the Long Island area.  The House Finches liked it and adapted quickly! 

Within two decades, the species expanded to the Carolinas. Eventually, Texas. The rest is history. As you can see in the picture, the males are red & gray;  females are gray & black.

 

 Cut down the right tree.  Now is the time to mark those trees that need removing this winter; due to its death, disease or location. Winter is easily the best time; for one, you have far less chance of damaging neighboring trees.

I mark trees with bands of brightly-colored "flagging tape" which is used by surveyors. But you can use anything handy. That way, I'm not afraid of cutting down the wrong tree by mistake. 

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at northwestern68@yahoo.com

Molting birds aren’t sick or in pain…it’s natural

 

Around this time of year, lots of birds look shopworn, unkempt and raggedy. Don‘t worry about it! 

Birds lose some or all of their feathers on a regular basis. It’s called “molting”, and the regularity of it depends on the species. New totally-normal feathers grow back.

Feathers are NOT alive, but are keratin much like hair or fingernails on humans. When they get too worn, the birds’ bodies slough them off and new ones grow. This helps them stay warm when needed. Usually it’s simply due to the ravages of time, and our climate, that wear out feathers. But other causes may be at fault.

A common reason is microscopic mites which occur on all birds. Normally, a bird preens them off using his beak. But in areas that the bird can’t reach (like the neck or head) the mites may overpopulate and ruin a lot of feathers.  Winter weather will take care of mites, but the birds look bad for a time.

There’s no need for you to worry about it. There’s nothing for you to do but wait for cooler weather to solve the problem naturally.

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at northwestern68@yahoo.com