Why Ducks are big on north Texas / Toxic birdseed?

Wood Duck (male)

Wood Ducks  (male, female)

Mallard & chicks

Wild Ducks, particularly Wood Ducks, must love north Texas. They love to eat acorns, and north Texas is naturally covered with Oak trees. Every fall, the Oaks produce millions and millions of delicious acorns.

Muscovy Duck

Nestboxes for ducks can be rewarding; just make sure they're protected from tree-climbing predators. Ideally, putting it on a tree over water, or on a small island, works well. In Texas, avoid plastic boxes - they get very hot here, and the inside temperature can kill the embryos in the eggs.

Scotts Miracle Gro Co. has agreed to plead guilty to charges in federal court and pay $4.5 million in fines in two incidents
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/01/27/scotts-to-pay-4-5m-in-fines.html
The complete article from the Columbus Dispatch can be read by pasting the above address into your browser. Or by doing an internet search using the words "Scotts  guilty  pesticide  fine"

The Scotts company, makers of Songbird Essentials, will plead guilty to violations including knowingly selling birdseed coated with toxic pesticide. Charges also included falsifying E.P.A. pesticide registration numbers on their products, although the E.P.A. hadn't cleared them.

Why do Crows hang out in such large flocks?

Crows are extremely social animals. Same goes for many other animals such as most fish, wolves, caribou, lemmings, and (to a certain extent) humans. They see value in large groups for two main reasons: 1. There are many more eyes to watch for predators, and  2. There are many more eyes when searching for food.

When a member of the group spots a safe food source (like your neighborhood?) you might see several hundred Crows. This behavior is common to lots of birds. Grackles, Starlings and sparrows come to mind.

Conversely, there are anti-social animals that see value in going it alone, or hunting in very small (often related) groups.

We've all known for years that playing outdoors benefits children. Now it's been shown to be true. Outdoor play improves kids' bodies, lets them think more realistically, improves sleep, reduces obesity, increases attention and enhances learning abilities.

The National Wildlife Federation has just completed a pilot project on childrens' play in backyards, as well as in public sites like parks, playgrounds and preserves. You can read more about it at www.NWF.org/playspaces

Jan 28; House Finches

House Finch

House Finch

One kind of bird that almost everyone in north Texas has seen, but few know by name, is the House Finch.

Its head and often part of the body are red (these are the males) so the House Finch is often erroneously called a "redbird". The females are not as colorful, having brown/tan markings that make them look sort of like a sparrow. The beak, however, is the same on both sexes.  It is black, thick and sturdy - ideal for cracking open seeds and small nuts.

The House Finch is not native to north Texas, but has spread into this area, and multiplied, to the point where it's extremely common year 'round. It's now plentiful in almost all parts of the country.

Originally, the species was found in northern California, but was trapped and shipped to Long Island, New York for re-sale under the more marketable name "Hollywood Finches". This was of course, illegal. So several retailers let their "Hollywood Finches" loose around 1940 to avoid prosecution. The birds, actually named House Finches, liked their new environment and spread and multiplied rapidly.

Easily make a "suet sandwich"

Ever noticed how a typical suet feeder for birds is just a little bigger than a slice of bread? Put that bit of trivia to work for you! In a pinch you can make an ordinary sandwich with two slices of bread (I use "heels") and a cheap brand of crunchy peanut butter. Slip the sandwich into an ordinary suet feeder; the birds will love it! As long as you don't feed peanut butter all the time, it won't do any harm.

It's time to start saving nest material

Nesting season for birds will be here soon. To attract nest-building birds to your yard, start collecting bits of thread, yarn, string and such. Any color will do, but remember that birds don't want their nest to be obvious, so they seem to avoid bright, vibrant colors. "Sheddings" from your pet are also ideal.

When collecting, make sure nothing is longer than 3 inches. Longer strands can tangle birds' feet, making moving (& flying) difficult.

In addition I like to make sure there's plenty of now-dead prairie grass around. In my yard there are lengths of last year's Bluestem Grass and Inland Sea Oats. Birds seek out this dead prairie grass for nest material just as their ancestors have done for ages.



When nesting season starts (late February for north Texas) you'll want to put the nesting material where it won't just blow away. I use an old suet cage, which allows easy access for birds. A pan with 2+" sides works too, unless wind gusts are really bad.

Will your new landscape harm birds?

If you're thinking about a landscape project in your yard, think about the birds.  The stuff you put in your yard, plant material or something else, should be compatible with your yard's full-time, avian residents.

"weed barrier"

"erosion control netting"

One item that has actually killed birds goes by several names, and has several general purposes. But I'll lump them all together for clarity's sake. The products, each slightly different in design, might go by the name of weed barrier, erosion control netting, landscape fabric or weed controller.

Birds often try to make nests from pieces of the fabric, and get trapped in it. They starve to death!  I'm not saying never to use it - just make sure it's installed properly, several inches beneath the surface, where it will never see daylight. If it's put on or near the surface, it inevitably will tear and shred, becoming a real eyesore and danger to birds.


What's commonly called "poison ivy" is not an ivy at all. All seven species are in the sumac family and are unrelated to ivies.

That's not a lot of comfort, however, when you itch like crazy. Of course, some people (I hate them, don't you!) aren't affected at all. Others have widely varying degrees of sensitivity.

You may come in contact with it unknowingly. So it's a good idea to aggressively wash your hands and arms (and other exposed parts of your body) with soap and water immediately after being outdoors.

Discouraging "pigeons" (or whatever you call them)

Rock Pigeon

The birds typically called "pigeons" prefer to eat off the ground. They are technically called Rock Pigeons (formerly "Rock Doves") and were introduced to North America, from Europe, in the 1600s. They are in the same family as doves but are a different species. Wherever they can perch on a feeder, they will. Knowing this, two modifications in your birdfeeding practices are recommended to discourage them.  



First, most birds have types of seed(s) they prefer. Rock Pigeons do! So refrain from putting cracked corn or white millet in feeders where pigeons can perch.  This will discourage White-winged Doves too.

White-winged Doves

Second, lay down a bunch of branches ("thorny" is good) beneath feeders, to discourage Rock Pigeons and doves from foraging for whatever falls from your feeder.


In general, birds' nesting behavior coincides with the high availabilty of food, so they can be sure of feeding newborns. I'm writing this now because gardening in north Texas may be very different from your customary gardening practices.  You should be planting native "birdscape" plants now (instead of waiting for the spring) so they can be "edible" when nesting birds are in the market.

There's not a single good reason for butchering Crape Myrtles

Crape Myrtles butchered into poor health

About this time of year, Crape Myrtles throughout north Texas are butchered mercilessly. Thick, healthy branches are cut off for no good reason at all. Many survive but some don't.

The typical "reason" given is that butchering promotes blooming.  This is absolutely, 100% not true, and there is not a shred of scientific evidence that it's in any way good for the Crape Myrtle. In fact, the only benefit derived is to the "landscape crew", who can  charge the owner for totally unnecessary and possibly harmful work.

Butchering trees is somewhat like the myth that frogs cause warts - it's an old way of thinking that needs to disappear. The most I'd recommend is to prune off last season's old seed heads - a purely cosmetic act.  I'd certainly never recommend cutting anything thicker around than a pencil. There's just no honest reason!

-G. Owen Yost, Landscape Architect emeritus

Keep your birdbaths full and clean! Birds need to bathe frequently in the winter to maintain insulation from the cold. Many of the birds at birdbaths are species that won't come to your feeders because they don't eat seed. Recently I've seen Cardinals, Goldfinches, Chickadees, Blue Jays, Thrushes, Brown Thrashers and several Robins in our birdbaths (we have three).