Don't worry about ugly birds this time of year

molting Blue Jay

molting Cardinal

About this time of year, many people see scruffy-headed, bald or patchy birds. It's not their finest hour, cosmetically. But they aren't seriously sick, they don't need your help, and it's only temporary. Most likely it's molting;  a normal occurrence for many living things that live outside.

Birds constantly replenish their feathers when they become worn out. The head feathers, however, molt and regrow all together (so the head often looks much worse than normal). Also, birds often pick up microscopic, parasitic feather mites.

They're not a serious problem and birds usually get rid of them by preening their feathers with their beaks. But they can't physically get to the mites in their heads, so the feathers there get disheveled sooner. When cool weather arrives, however, the mites will die and the birds' feathers will have regrown.

IT'S JUST A THEORY   Woodpeckers have huge brains, relative to other birds. A recent gathering of the American Ornithological Union backed this up with measurements.

Nobody's certain why their brain is so big, but a leading theory has to do with their trait of hammering on wood. With the constant hammering, some of the woodpecker's brain cells are bound to be damaged, so woodpeckers are endowed with bigger brains to make sure they'll have enough left over in old age. (Sounds good to me!)

Does corn demand more than its fair share of space?

The unique topography of the Great Northern Plains was formed over 10,000 years ago, when ice-age glaciers scoured the terrain and, when retreating, left behind thousands of indentations, many of which can be called lakes. Today the area is known as the Pothole Prairies region. For many centuries, it has been the nesting and breeding grounds for millions of birds, including many that we see in north Texas during the birds' "off season".

The region covers the Dakotas, Iowa and Minnesota, plus bits of several other states. It also includes portions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Manitoba in Canada. But it's being diminished in size, due mainly to corn growing.

Tax subsidies promoting corn-based ethanol are hastening the area's destruction. Source: a recent study released by the National Wildlife Federation, with data gathered by researchers at the University of Michigan.

More than 3.2 million acres of the Prairie Pothole region in the U.S. have been plowed under in order to make room to grow more corn. Much of that corn is grown to meet America's questionable need for ethanol, an ingredient in fuel that allegedly creates cleaner combustion and lowers emissions when blended into real gasoline.

Eastern Meadowlark

Grasshopper Sparrow

The habitat's conversion to corn growing, however, comes at a very high price. In some areas the decline in bird populations has reached 30% - and it's still climbing. Seriously declining species include Meadowlarks, Upland Sandpipers and Grasshopper Sparrows (you can occasionally see a Meadowlark near Lake Ray Roberts Park, but it's rare).

The USDA provides corn-growing incentives, such as tax breaks, crop insurance and low-interest loans which virtually guarantee a grower's profit regardless of the crop yield. If the demand for ethanol remains steady, an additional 10.6 million acres of corn could be planted in the next year. Grower's will reap a profit without taking any risk, and bird populations will keep declining.


NOTE: I've used the term "grower" instead of "farmer" because most entities that now grow corn are corporations.

The close-knit world of Bats

A ton of myths surround bats, mostly due to old Hollywood movies and the absence of a fact-checker.  Fact is, a single, mature bat can eat about 5,000 mosquitoes per night. So they're great to have around, unless you like mosquitoes.

CORRECTED MYTHS:  There are absolutely no vampire bats on this continent. Bats do not get tangled in your hair. Bats constantly groom themselves, making them one of the cleanest animals in the world. Bats are not blind - they're "nocturnal" which is totally different. Bats are not rabies vectors, though a few (under 1%) get it; (if one gets the disease, it dies within about 24 hours, so it's unable to transmit it.).

Bats leaving Congress Ave. Bridge,
Austin, every night at sunset

I hope you'll forgive me for posting this blog a little late;  Nancy and I were down in Austin visiting relatives (and seeing bats).

There are over a million Mexican Freetail Bats in the Congress Ave. Bridge - all female. They all hunt and eat every night. We went on the Lone Star Riverboat Tour, which we heartily recommend for their knowledge and environmental concern. (And there were NO mosquitoes!)


HIGH-TECH BIRDING!   Times have changed!  Within the search area of the elusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a biologist discovered a large woodpecker feather. Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology was able to analyze the feather's DNA and compare it with an Ivory-bill's that they have on file. Unfortunately it was from a Pileated Woodpecker but it's amazing that the analysis was even possible!  

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.)