Sunday, May 17, 2015

..What’s a “sparrow hawk”?

American Kestrel

It’s just an old, regional name for a kestrel. The American Kestrel is fairly commonly seen in north Texas at this time of year - especially hovering over treeless fields, hunting for small prey (although it’s here all year). It is actually neither a hawk nor a sparrow.

Other outdated names; Peregrine falcon was a “duck hawk”. Chipping Sparrow was called a “hairbird” for some reason. Today we sometimes hear a Goldfinch referred to as a “wild canary”.

Yes we have no bananas Butterflies love spoiled bananas – don’t ask me why. They also go for mushy fruit like pears and peaches. (but don’t leave them outside too long or you may have other visitors). This is what becomes of fruit if nature takes its course – animals eat some and the rest nourishes the soil.

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Take that you little interloper, masquerading as a sparrow!

As you may know, the house sparrow is an undesirable little bird in most areas. It’s not really a true “sparrow” either, actually being a weaver finch, and having been brought to this country against its will around the late 1800s. True sparrows migrate, and breed in Canada (mostly).

House Finch

It may take centuries, but a common backyard bird, native to the west coast, and common here, is gradually out-competing it. According to Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology, the House Finch is learning how to get the best nesting sites, food and such - things the pesky house sparrow needs. Neither is common in undeveloped grasslands or forests.

House Finch

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Does your yard have the stuff that a Mockingbird eats?

N. Mockingbird

About half the diet of a Northern Mockingbird (our state bird!) is fruits and berries. The other half is insects (including insect-flavored suet, sometimes). As a Landscape Architect in Texas, I’ve seen that they’re partial to native hollies, beautyberry, agarita, soapberry and Mexican plum. However, if all the bugs in your yard are killed, Mockingbirds (typically a very common bird here) will probably go elsewhere.

A moveable feast for birds Excellent plants for containers in north Texas, to attract birds and butterflies like crazy, are Lantana, Coneflower, Gregg’s Salvia and Mistflower. Large pots of these (odd numbers like 3 or 5 look best) work well on a patio, or anyplace else where lack of space is a concern (like an apartment balcony). In a large grouping of pots, I like to plant one with a decorative native grass like Sideoats Grama.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

It’s still a disaster for humans and birds

Meadowlark

Summer Tanager

The drought in north Texas is still bad – even with all the recent rains we’re not out of the woods by a long shot. Recent rains, though certainly welcome, only reduced what’s named an “Extreme Drought” to a “Moderate Drought” or better. We still have no “cushion” of water in ground and our lakes to get us through the next severe drought (which will come).

According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, native plants can withstand droughts, so our birds are genetically programmed to seek them out (for food, nest material etc. So if you like birds, plant native Texas plants.Conversely, if you don't give a #&*@? about water or birds, plant whatever's on sale.

Bell's Vireo

Dicksissel

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton

Sunday, May 3, 2015

TEXAS BIRDS PREFER NATURAL NEST MATERIALS

Birds prefer familiar, native plants for nest material. The fields and forests where they used to get it are disappearing, however.

A related problem is our tendency to “clean up” yards. Humans tend to put most natural nest material in a plastic bag, destined for a landfill.

Recently a friend brought me some old nests (a strange but welcome gift) and I analyzed their contents. About 80% of it was small twigs and bits of leaves. Another 15% (approximately) was lichens, bits of cobwebs, or stalks of native grasses. Only a very small part was artificial things like string or yarn. (of course, this is species-specific)

These particular nests came from an area with lots of trees. Nests in meadows, conversely, will probably have a much higher percentage of native grasses. So, the local environment of the nest-builder is important, but unnatural materials (like old candy wrappers) play a very small part. Plus, used drier sheets are a no-no for nests due to the chemicals remaining in them.

When available, birds seem to like fur/hair (whether from a coyote or your pet lab – it doesn’t matter). Nor do they seem to care much about the origin of the cavity, box or platform they build their nests on. Swallows may seek out an exterior beam of your house, and a few “cavity-dwelling” birds actually prefer artificial boxes.

The nests themselves, however, are largely natural materials – probably because wild birds genetically recognize them. The typical mowed lawn is a very unattractive and sterile habitat for most birds, and offers little if any nesting material. A lawn isn’t found naturally anywhere on earth.

Some favorite native grasses for nests are bluestem, muhly, threeawn and gramma (left standing through the winter). These are not lawn grasses ! Also, birds often use thin strips of bark from many types of trees native to the north Texas area. Thin bark stripped from young trees (like eve’s necklace, Mexican plum, redbud, red cedar, roughleaf dogwood or cedar elm) are sought by birds. Also, small chips of bark (oaks are a favorite) are used to cushion the bottom of nests.

Dangerous flight! During a long migration flight small birds can actually die from exhausted fat and protein reserves. Larger birds often succumb to dehydration, due to heat generation from all that activity, which leads to evaporation of the body’s essential water.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Aggressive Hummingbirds may be calmed by multiple feeders

Hummingbirds are one of the most aggressive, selfish birds we have in north Texas. They’re bullies. Thank heavens they’re so small or they might try to take over the world…or at least every tree and birdfeeder in it. Juvenile Hummingbirds, especially, seem to frequent feeders where they don’t get chased away.

If you have one nectar feeder, you know what we mean! But if there are two or more feeders in the yard, a “bully” usually has a tough time claiming them all. Particularly if the line-of-sight between the feeders is blocked by something like a shrub or corner of the house. The nectar at one feeder can’t be a lot better than the other, since no Hummingbird likes settling for second-rate food. Both feeders have to be filled with fresh nectar and cleaned regularly. In our heat, mold can grow easily and quickly. I refill our feeders about every 3 to 6 days (depending on the weather), running the parts under very hot water at the same time. Then, every two or three weeks, I’ll clean them with a solution of one part vinegar to 10 parts water.

Notice that I never said anything about adding food coloring. That’s a total myth. Red food dye can cause, according to several research studies, genetic defects in Hummingbirds. Most nectar feeders are bright-colored anyway, so it’s totally unnecessary and just not worth the risk.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

These bird invaders are crowding out our natural birds.

Eurasian Collared Dove

Several non-native bird species have moved into North America, most recently the Eurasian Collared Dove. This bird, originally native to the Indian sub-continent spread following an accidental release in the Bahamas in the mid-70s. These non-native species (due mainly to the lack of natural enemies) will out-compete our native bird species. Recent invaders likely to be seen in north Texas are the Monk Parakeet and the Nutmeg Mannikin. Actually, the House Sparrow (really a Weaver Finch), the Starling, the Rock Dove and the eastern population of the House Finch are “invaders” too – having been brought here against their will in the past.

Not hard to figure out what kind of bird it is.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Several times I’ve been asked to I.D. a bird. The query goes something like ”the average-size bird is black, but it has a yellow head”. I instantly know it’s a Yellow-headed Blackbird. They’re traveling through here now, having spent the winter in Mexico or the deep, deep south of Texas. Some will stay here all summer, but the majority will continue north. The male only is black and yellow – the female is all brown. YHBBs prefer wetlands and open, freshly-cultivated fields. That’s where their main food source is (insects). They eat seed sometimes, if insects aren’t handy. They feed and travel in mixed flocks, mainly with the slightly smaller Red-winged Blackbirds. An interesting phenomena is that YHBBs and other migratory birds are arriving about 5 days earlier than historical data indicate. What that means is to look sooner for the many warblers and such that will be moving through north Texas.