"Bird Poop" of north Texas

Sunday, June 1, 2014

The Loggerhead Shrike has a unique way of saving its food for later

The Loggerhead Shrike is a small bird, found in much of north Texas. then it can kill with one bite, probably skewering it on something like a thorn or barbed-wire fence for its later dining pleasure! The Shrike is a mostly gray bird with a black “mask” and lives mainly in rural areas.

Loggerhead Shrike

Ounce-for-ounce it has the strongest beak (and most powerful bite) of any bird around here. It needs it, since its natural prey consists of things like lizards and large insects – maybe even small mice. It can spot something as small as an insect from 70 yards away;
Check thorny trees in the area for impaled bodies of lizards, insects etc. That means there's a Shrike around!

Hummers eat insects?! Feeding clear nectar to hummingbirds is a given. It mimics the sugary nectar they'd naturally get from flowers. But diets of pure nectar lack much-needed protein, and most species regularly consume small insects in addition to nectar. So a yard with several nectar feeders, but no insects, might be avoided. It could lack the protein-rich insects that hummingbirds need to consume with nectar.

Usually, insects are feed to nestlings, which need the protein to grow. Insects and nectar give them the long-lasting energy they need.

North Texas hummingbirds eat various insects, from tiny mites and gnats, to small spiders. They use many foraging techniques, including gleaning them from surfaces of the feeders themselves. Mostly, however, insects are plucked from the air, mid-flight by the agile, speedy birds.

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 28, 2014

Knowing the facts about poison ivy helps you avoid it

Poison ivy

Living in north Texas, you should be acquainted with poison ivy and poison oak – and what to do if you happen to run across them. So here’s how to avoid them. And what to do if it’s too late.

First, know that most folks will feel refreshed after an encounter with nature. But a few will feel itchy afterwards, having encountered poison ivy or oak. Knowing how it looks is the first step, because many people mistake the common, native vine Virginia Creeper for poison ivy. Big mistake! The old adage “leaves of three- let it be” is valid. The leaves on poison ivy are fairly shiny. Also, Virginia Creeper has five leaves, not three.

Five species of similar rash-inducing plants are found in North America: two species of poison ivy, two species of poison oak and poison sumac. All of which contain the same essential oil that irritates skin, although some individuals (for some unknown reason) are affected only mildly or not at all. Poison oak is relatively rare, and poison sumac is only found in wetlands, so I’ll concentrate on regular old poison ivy.

Urushiol is the offending chemical’s name, and it’s found in all parts of a plant; leaves, stems, berries etc. Plants spread their urushiol if they are cut, cruised, rubbed, or opened up in any way, even the process of burning it.

Skin can be rid of urushiol immediately after exposure. Wash the area with lots of water without soap. Soap has no affect on urushiol. Scratching it is a no-no, since scratching can easily spread the itching to other parts of your body, and may cause disfiguring infection.

You could also swab the area with rubbing alcohol, which can render it harmless even as long as four hours after exposure. Either way, don‘t scrub the skin energetically or use very hot water.

Several commercial products will do the same things (but they’re no better than the ones mentioned). Also, many folk remedies exist, which have varying success.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Keeping ants out of your Hummingbird feeder.

KEEP ANTS OUT OF HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS

An “ant moat” is fiendishly simple and 100% effective. You may be able to make one yourself, or good birding supply stores carry them. It focuses on the principle that north Texas ants don’t cross water.

It’s just a special cup, with a center-post. Hang it above the feeder, and fill the cup with water. Since ants don’t cross water, none will find their way to the nectar. (I fill mine with ice cubes, which quickly become water. Prevents spillage!)

Let them eat bugs!

All but one species of wild bird (even those that eat seed, like Cardinals and Chickadees) feed their newborns insects, exclusively. Insects are easier for nestlings to digest. The young birds learn to find and eat seed as they leave the nest and mature. Possibly at your nearby birdfeeder. The sole exception is Finches; for some unknown reason their nestlings eat seeds. If you use pestiocidesd liberally, birds are likely top go el;sewheree.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Caring for your landscape during north Texas' hot, hot summer

When the weather in north Texas lingers around 100 degrees, and won’t budge, it’ll undoubtedly take a toll on your landscape. This inhumane heat is usually accompanied by relentless drought too, which can spell doom for plants. There’s not much you can do to change the temperature, but you CAN help your plants survive, although tender, non-native plants are likely to wither away.

Red Yucca (native)

Make sure that plants in your yard are native (or well-adapted) to the Texas heat. (You probably should have considered this several months ago, when selecting your plants.) The plants you have now, that die, should just be left in place. The “remains” will naturally mulch adjacent plants, helping them survive.

Resist the temptation to plant new plants right now, unless you’re prepared to give them extensive daily maintenance. Many plants are nearly dormant in highhis heat anyway. (As a Landscape Architect, I tell my customers who want to plant now just to thow them right into the trash, after buying them. They’ll probably end up in the trash anyway, and you’ll be saving a step.)

Right now, mulch is essential. Just about the worst thing you can do is rake up and remove all the “leaf litter” of dead leaves, small twigs and dead plants that currently serve as a natural mulch, keeping moisture from evaporating rapidly and providing a bit of much-needed shade to the root-zone of plants.

For a grassy lawn, cut it as high as possible. Grass won’t grow much in high heat anyway - so you may be able to cut your grass just every other week. The lawn mower I have is now set at “4” (as high as it will go). The logic behind this is that the millions of grass blades provide shade for the root-zone of grass plants; and more shade means more green grass and lower water usage.

When you do water, try not to let the water run off – the object is to allow it to soak into the soil, encouraging roots to grow deeper. Exactly how you accomplish this depends on the watering system and the topography of your landscape. Some folks water for a just a few minutes, every hour or so. Others water in the early morning. The method is not crucial, just keep the goal in mind.

For potted plants and hanging baskets, try putting lots of ice cubes on top of the soil. As they slowly melt they’ll thoroughly water the plant, instead of letting much of it pour out the drain-hole, as it does when liquid is dumped on all at once.

Speaking of water, put out as many birdbaths as possible during the heat. Temporarily use anything that can hold water, and refresh it daily. (an upside-down garbage can lid is more enticing to birds than many “birdbaths” I’ve seen sold in stores.)

Despite everything, some plants are bound to die. That’s the natural process. But remember, the cooler days starting in mid-September aren’t very far away.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Why Hummingbirds (unlike fighter pilots) don't pass out under the immense "G forces" of flying.

As a Hummingbird speeds downward it’s flying, every second, almost 400 times the length of its body. To slow down, it spreads its wings like flaps on an airplane. At that moment its body is “pulling 10 Gs” - equivalent to ten times the gravitational pull of the earth (this is actually deceleration).

Fighter pilots often pass out above 7Gs since their blood gets unevenly distributed in the pilots’ circulatory system. Hummingbird’s relatively small size and high heart rate, however, prevent this.

Save your money for things that work A large number of birds can be a bother. Things like fake owls and fake snakes don’t scare away birds – except for maybe the first half-hour after you put them up. It’s well known that birds quickly get accustomed to inanimate objects, whatever they’re shaped like. Pictures of things like hawks are useless too

What an effective “shoo” devise needs is a second component, in addition to the visual - irregular motion. Balloons or old CDs hung on a string have movement when they blow in the wind, which birds take notice of. Another effective thing is long strips of ribbon (4 feet or more) fastened at one end only, so they blow around a lot.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Why John Muir said that all things in nature are intertwined

The pioneering naturalist John Muir said it best back in 1880-something: “There is a common thread winding through every part of nature. Fiddle with one part, and all the other parts are troubled. “ He said it because it's a truth we often overlook.

Bird migration is an excellent example. Migrating birds should arrive here just as the native plants begin growing and blooming; so they can "live off the land". (a good reason to plant native plants)

When it gets cold, and frozen ground cuts off the normal food supply, birds fly to wherever they can find food. That means leaving wherever they are, just as the weather gets bad, and flying to a place with a more dependable food source. Maybe that means flying all the way to South America, or maybe they fly to Texas from a place that has no food available during the winter, like Canada.

Birds’ diets figure in too. Our native plants go to seed or make berries precisely when our native birds are looking for these things. (exotic plants may have nice flowers & nectar, but they’re produced when our native birds aren’t “in the market”) Our native trees drop their leaves each fall, providing millions of warm hiding places for tiny bugs (which arriving birds eat), and providing nourishment for the soil as leaves decompose. Also there are more insects in the spring, when bird nestlings emerge from eggs. Their tender, undeveloped stomachs can only handle insects (not seeds) since they're so easy to digest.

See how it all works together!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Are a "buzzard" and a "vulture" the same thing?

Black Vulture (L) and Turkey Vulture (R)

In North America, a vulture is purely a scavenger (road kill and such), never killing a live animal. A similar word grew out of European mythology; and the word “buzzard” probably originated (improperly) from “buteo” – a Latin term for a soaring hawk. The early settlers of this continent knew only the improper term “buzzard” and applied it to any large soaring bird, including our Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture and Eagle (which certainly isn’t a “buzzard”).

In north Texas, we see the Turkey Vulture primarily. The Black Vulture less often. Neither enjoys being called a “buzzard”. That’s a nickname that old Hollywood movies popularized without getting the facts.

Turkey Vulture soaring

Who’s getting fooled? Everyone knows that squirrels bury nuts to eat later. Researchers in Pennsylvania and Connecticut found that, interestingly, squirrels often dig a hole, then don’t bury a nut in it. When a squirrel knows something is watching, and digging up nuts a moment later, he may dig these fake burial holes to get the follower to give up (maybe a Blue jay, another squirrel or even a human). A squirrel may even re-bury a sloppily buried nut to make it harder to pilfer.