Birdfeeders do NOT create "dependent" birds

         Lots of people still buy into the old belief that providing wild birds with food gets them "hooked" on seed/suet from birdfeeders.    Not true!

The reality is this; food that wild birds get from feeders is less than 10% of their diet. Seed from feeders is not only convenient, it's often a matter of life or death - especially in bad weather when natural food is scarce.

Birds always prefer the absolute freshest food around. That's certainly seed from native plants growing in their vicinity.The seed these plants produce is totally fresh, of course, when birds get it. That's why the vast majority of a bird's diet is from live, healthy plants. It's also why I recommend that you plant "birdscape" plants in your yard right now.  In north Texas, now is the very best time to plant, even though you won't see any above-ground growth until spring.
    (For a list of "birdscape" plants native to this area, email me at Birdpoop@charter.net )

Monarch

WHERE DO THEY CARRY PASSPORTS?   The fall migration of Monarch butterflies is underway. Every fall they travel southward to fir forests in the Oyamel Mountains of central Mexico, funneling through north Texas. One particular butterfly may make it all the way from start to finish, but it's almost impossible for one particular Monarch to go on two migrations. They have short life spans, so when a Monarch dies during migratory flight, newborn ones (from eggs laid along the way) continue the flight - instinctively knowing where to go. These children, or the childrens' descendants will take part in the next annual migration.

 

ALL things in nature are interdependent. Including humans

John Muir

Everything in nature is affected to some degree by everything else in nature. Perhaps the naturalist John Muir said it best back in 1890-something: "There is a common thread winding through every part of nature.  Fiddle with one part and all the other parts are troubled".

Humans are a big part of nature. Bird migration is another good example. When it gets cold where birds are, and the snow or frozen ground cuts off the normal food supply, birds fly to wherever they can find food. It's a matter of survival - affected by a changing climate. Maybe that means flying all the way to South America or to north Texas  (depending largely on their diet) from a place that has no food available, like Canada or Minnesota.

Diet is important not just for a plant's yield, but for timing. Our native plants go to seed or make berries precisely when our native or migrating birds are looking for these things (exotic plants may look nice to you and me, but they produce food when our native birds aren't "in the market". Also, our native trees drop their leaves on schedule each fall, providing millions of protected hiding places for tiny bugs, which birds eat.

Also, all those fallen leaves, as they decompose they loosen the soil and add nutrients; making for more fruit/seed production in the following season.

See how every piece of nature works together with every other piece!
 

Robins have moved northward: 206 miles at last count

American Robin

There are Robins ("American Robins" technically) in north Texas all year long. But their population center is gradually shifting northward as the weather up north warms up and food is available all winter long.

Robins are so widespread that most of us haven't noticed, but Cornell's Lab of Ornithology has. In a 40-year study they proved that the center of the robin population is now in southern Kansas. The center 40 years ago was north of Gainesville - on the banks of the Red River.

So the Robins' reputation as the "first harbinger of spring" only applies, now, to northern states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and the Dakotas. In Texas, Robins are here all year; just more active and likely to be seen in the spring mating season.


PIGEONS AND DOVES ARE BIRDS OF A FEATHER.   They're pretty much the same; both members of the Columbida family. But the label "dove" implies a more refined, better mannered and less germy bird. Doves are also more slender. In common usage, the farther the bird is removed, genetically, from the pigeons we've all seen in parking lots, around dumpsters and on street lights, the more apt it is to be called a "dove".

Ages and ages ago, the wild pigeon was primarily dark blue and/or dark gray. Much of this coloration has been "bred away" in doves - the Mourning Dove, for example, is beige and light gray.

North Texas hosts more birds in cool weather than warm

Forgive me if I misled you, with all my talk recently of hummingbirds leaving, fall migration and so on. You may have gotten the impression that north Texas is empty of birds until spring. Not so!  A look out your  window may be enlightening. Clearly, there are more birds in this area in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer.

Some birds (like Hummingbirds and Buntings)have left us, and gone to their winter homes in South and Central America. Many other birds (like Juncos, Kinglets, true Sparrows, Towhees, Sapsuckers and Goldfinches) will be arriving in north Texas as the leaves fall from the trees; to spend the winter. After all, this IS the South - and our comparatively mild winters agree with them.

Many other birds stay right around here in north Texas, including Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Chickadees, Robins and most woodpeckers.

Sadly, wild birds have a high mortality in cool weather. This is mainly from exposure to weather, coupled with a lack of fresh, energy-producing foods. To combat this, they seek out "roosts" for the night - places to get out of the wind and weather. This can be almost anything; an evergreen tree or even an unused birdhouse. Provide plenty of good food too. And leave your birdbath out so the birds can get clean (helps them stay warm).

North Texans have been doing a good job of providing these basics, so we continue to have more birds here in cool weather, than in spring and summer. 

(Incidentally, other birds that usually come here for the cool weather include Cedar Waxwings, Pine Siskins, Nuthatches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers and Northern Flickers.)
 

How birds check out an unfamiliar bird feeder

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Before landing on a feeder that's not totally familiar to them (like a new one), a bird will land on a nearby branch (within about 5 - 8 feet), and watch it for a while, taking a good look. Some things that tell birds to go elsewhere are if the feeder's empty (OBVIOUSLY), if it's exposed to aerial attack by another bird (like a hawk), if a cat is hanging around, or if there's no escape route within a foot or so (if a predator suddenly appears the bird must escape quickly into dense vegetation), or if there's a lot of noise and human activity.

If there's no nearby branch to land on, the feeder won't be thought of as "safe" until next season when the bird will go through the very same inspection process.

Owen Yost & Nancy Collins

PROPER BIRDWATCHING ATTIRE   Small birds are scared away by even the slightest hint of danger. So wearing certain clothing is a tactic to see more birds, not to look stylish. Many birds of prey (hawks for instance) have white stomachs and/or breasts. So a smaller bird quickly leaves the area when he sees anything that's moving and white. Maybe you could be a huge hawk!

Try wearing dark green, blue, black, brown or grey instead. (Of course if you're inside, looking through a window, color doesn't matter. But glare does.)

 

North Texas birds, water and attracting owls

I ran across short videos by "Bird Man Mel". Unlike a lot of YouTube contributors, this guy seems knowledgeable, sane (and enthusiastic). Remember, though, that we live in north Texas, where birdbath heaters aren't needed and the seasons present slightly different situations than shown.

 

Foreign birdwatchers want to see WHAT while here??

Blue Jay

A survey of casual birdwatchers visiting here from other parts of the world was taken recently. They were asked which American bird they most wanted to see. For its striking appearance, unusual behavior and raucous songs, the winner (by quite a big margin) was the Blue Jay.

Blue Jays are throughout north Texas, and as Texans know, Blue Jays are particularly fond of acorns (we live in a "post oak savanna). This fondness is mostly responsible for the rapid spread of oak trees after the last ice age. They are able to hold several acorns at once, while flying.

Blue Jays

Do north Texas woodpeckers migrate?    Some do -- some don't. Muddy answer I know (but true). Of the 22 woodpecker species north of Mexico, only 15 migrate long distances.The others don't migrate at all, or are "partial migrators" - just moving into a nearby valley, or something like that. Non-migrators include the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and the Red-bellied Woodpecker. On the other hand, our local species of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a member of the woodpecker family) spends summers and breeds up north and migrates here for the winters.