This winter has been hard on north Texas birds

 

 



Yellow-throated Warbler

A Texas winter is comparatively mild. But just think how difficult it would be if you weighed an ounce or two, and that nearby field that used to be full of plants for you to munch on, is now a concrete parking lot.

Many birds have stayed in north Texas all winter. Many others have migrated to this area. Unfortunately, many birds succumb to even our winter weather.  Without a doubt, birds need your help to make it through to the end of a Texas winter, and recover from it.

To see what kind of help they need, take stock of your backyard as it is. Do you offer birds a variety of foods, shelter from winds and rain, and a usable water source? Are your birdfeeders in need of repair and/or replacement? Do you give your birds the high-calorie foods that they need to survive? ...and recover from the winter?  I suggest you refurbish your yard’s “bird appeal” now, and don't leave it all to mother nature to do when it warms up. Especially since we humans have eliminated much of the birds' living and eating places; turning them into parking lots, antiseptic housing developments, shopping malls etc.

 

To help them make it to the end of winter, and to recover to a healthy status quickly in the spring...I suggest you; 

1       Feed ‘em

Trees, shrubs, and other plants that used to be full of fruit and seed in the summer and fall are now bare. Insects and worms are mostly gone. Finding food in the winter can be particularly challenging for birds.  In a perverse way, however, winter’s paucity is good news for bird watchers. When food is harder to find, birds will zero in on your feeders. If your feeders are stocked with high-energy foods, such as suet and oil-rich sunflower, your birds will thank you by visiting often.

When a bird eats fresh suet and seeds that are high in fat and oil content, they convert it to caloric energy. All birds absolutely need a steady, dependable supply of this to stay warm. And if our winter left some birds sickly, lots of good food is what they need most to recover quickly.

 

2      Water ‘em

Don’t forget that birds, like all animals, need water the whole year-. It’s crucial as the weather changes.  Not just for drinking!  Bathing helps them preserve body heat, which they do by “fluffing up” their feathers and trapping tiny pockets of air. They can’t do this with dirty feathers, so they have to bathe frequently. Offering water in all kinds of weather is certainly more important to birds than offering it in the summer only. Also, if you keep your birdbath open for business throughout the year, it will attract some birds that do not regularly come to your feeders

 

3      Shelter ‘em

Plenty of fresh food and water will go a long way to help birds survive bad weather. But wild birds also require a third ingredient to survive - shelter. This means several things;  a place to escape from the chilling winds, to get out of freezing rain, or a dry place to hide from predators like cats. Putting up roosting boxes or nests will help, since most yards don’t have an adequate variety of vegetation (particularly natives) or other natural shelter.  Birds will retreat to the boxes you give them and huddle together during bad weather, chilly nights and spring storms.

 

4      Give ‘em nest material

Birds need nesting material, like short pieces of yarn, dead plant stems etc. Make them available to entice birds to nest in your yard.

 

Before the need arises, put up a birdhouse or two. Besides giving shelter, birdhouses have an added benefit: by putting them up now, you increase the likelihood that birds will stay in your yard and raise families in the spring since they’ve seen your generosity and have developed a familiarity with the surroundings.  After all, they lived here in Texas long before we humans did.

 

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 a 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.

 

Avoid putting birdhouses near birdfeeders

 

Both are good – necessities to most birds – but a very common misstep is putting a birdhouse near a birdfeeder. Feeders should be in very visible locations. When a bird sees it and it’s safe, they fly to the feeder and often eat neaerbny. Consequently, there can be a lot of activity near a feeder.

On the other hand, a birdhouse (sometimes called a nestbox) should be in a somewhat secretive, almost hidden place. This is where incubation takes place, and baby birds are raised. Lots of activity and high visibility are big negatives. A few species (like Wrens and Swallows) don’t mind this, but most avoid nesting near a high-activity area.

The main thing that prospective bird parents look for is the availability of insects.  After all, almost all nestling birds eat insects – not seed. So a nearby birdfeeder is definitely not a bonus.

Tufted Titmouse

Titmice’s high-protein diet

One of north Texas’ most common birds is the Tufted Titmouse. Primarily these medium-sized, mostly gray birds eat seeds.  But about 40% of their diet is ants, beetles, wasps, insect eggs, spiders, bees and their favorite - caterpillars.  If you spray your whole yard with bug poison forget about having Titmice or many other species of 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 a 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.

 

trees are the "anchor" of your landscape's look

When I started my formal education in Landscape Architecture last century (really!) my professor gave me some advice we can all use. “If you only have a modest bit of money to spend for a landscape design,” he told me “spend most of it on a large tree to serve as an anchor to the landscape design.”

Mexican Plum

In design terminology, a large tree is the “formgiver” that landscapes often crave. It’s the anchor around which all other landscape elements revolve.  In everyday terms, trees can reduce your heating and air conditioning costs considerably. Trees help clean the air. Trees add beauty and color.  Trees provide shelter from the rain and sun. Trees can be home to many different kinds of wildlife including birds. At the top of most lists, also, is that trees add considerable value to your home.

To that list I’d add that trees let us live. In one year, two healthy mature trees produce roughly the amount of oxygen breathed in by the average adult during that same year (Think of that the next time a tree is cut down).

Choosing the right tree for your north Texas yard is a decision not to be made hastily. Here are six guidelines to help you make the right choice;

MATURE SIZE – To the amazement of some, trees grow bigger every year. A large tree is called a “canopy” tree. Examples for the north Texas area are pecan, bur oak, cedar elm and green ash. Small decorative trees are called "understory” trees. They include redbud, Mexican plum and yaupon holly. Make sure the tree you select has a size that won’t have you cutting it back every year.

SHAPE – A mature tree has a very distinct shape. It may be tall & thin, spreading, oval, or several other shapes. Of course, a new, young tree (whatever the species) looks something like a stick. But this will certainly change. Also look at a tree’s branching habit. Some trees (magnolia for instance) have branches near the ground. Others (like cedar elm and most oaks) branch about eye-level.

COLOR – Sure, every tree is green at some time. But you may want one that’s perpetually green – or “evergreen”. Several species have vibrant fall color (like sweetgum, blackjack oak and persimmon). Maybe you want nice flowers?

DRAINAGE – All trees need good drainage (3 or 4 hours after a heavy rain, no water should still be puddled there). A few kinds can take poor drainage, but none thrive in it. So choose a location where water doesn’t stand.

Good drainage is particularly important during the first few years a tree spends in the ground – when it needs water frequently. After that, especially if you’ve planted a native tree like redbud, pecan, red oak, juniper etc., it should be watered only in extreme and prolonged drought. So avoid planting a tree in the middle of your lawn, which you’ll probably water frequently. Frequent watering stunts a tree's growth.

LIGHT – There’s not a tree alive that doesn’t need light. Different species, however, do best in differing light conditions. If you plant a species that likes full sun, in dappled shade, it may live. But it won’t grow much, and will look sickly all the time.

Printed tags on trees often say “full sun” or “partial shade”, but add your own common sense. Remember that the tag was a probably written by someone who lives somewhere else – where “full sun” means something other than what it means in Texas.

CARE – Most trees native to north Texas demand very little maintenance from you. Just the occasional fertilization (Maybe none, depending on your soil), perhaps a pruning of a branch that’s hanging over a sidewalk, or an occasional light watering (necessary in a drought only). Native trees have evolved to withstand most insects and diseases, thrive in our poor soil and require very little water.

Faddish, aggressively marketed, non-native trees (like austree and royal paulonia), on the other hand, often require a lot of ongoing, expensive care.

Why am I telling you this now? Since we’re in “the south”, an ideal time to plant any tree is right now, when it's dormant – up until spring. So get busy!

 

 

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.

 

The "first Robin of the spring" is a total myth in Texas

American Robin

If someone you know is trying to spot “the first Robin of spring”, ask that he (or she) keep an eye out for the Easter bunny at the same time. Truth is, Robins live in Texas year ‘round. In addition to the native population, Robins from up north come down to the south (including Texas) when snow and ice up there deprive them of food. They’re calm all winter and live away from human activity, but Robins tend to get a lot more active now, as mating season approaches, territories are claimed and insects re-appear. They’ll strip a berry-shrub clean in no time!

 

RAT POISON KILLS MORE THAN RATS     Rat and mouse poison isn’t consumed just by rodents. When we see a rodent the impulse is to visit your local hardware store or big-box store and get some commercially-available poison (they’re all pretty much the same).  But what most of them don't mention on the label is that most of these poisons will kill owls, hawks, songbirds, pets and other non-target wildlife too. Maybe even children (or make them very sick).

These common rodent poisons are called “second generation anticoagulant rodenticides". They go under names like Hot Shot, d-Con, Generation, Talon, Spectrum and Havoc. The E.P.A. has declared them too dangerous for public use, and ordered them off the market. But many stores are selling off their huge, existing stocks. Some manufacturers are even defying the order and continuing to make it despite the EPA order (probably because they're making big profits).

There are rodent devices that are totally efficient, but far less dangerous to non-target wildlife, pets and youngsters. An internet search uncovers them. These, coupled with common-sense practices, effectively reduce mouse and rat populations ONLY.  Practices include putting tight lids on trashcans, not leaving pet’s food outside all night and the liberal use of ammonia as a deterrent.

soon-to-be-dead Screech Owl

Of course, the best rodenticide by far is owls (helped by coyotes, foxes, bobcats and hawks). Killing them off, along with the rodents, means that when the prolific rodents repopulate, you’ll be battling many more of them, but without natural allies.

 

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.

"Birds aren't coming to the birdfeeder I just put up. Why?"

 

Carolina Chickadee

One comment I hear a lot is the lack of visitors to a new feeder. Almost always, my advice is to…

 

Give it time.

It might take a week, or two, or even three before the birds in your area see a new feeder and feel good about visiting it. Try tying a piece of brightly-colored ribbon to it until the birds find it. Birds are curious about such things, but they're creatures of habit – slow to visit new things.

Freshness of seed?

Our wild birds are attracted by fresh, nutritious seed, and are repelled by seed that’s stale or dry (although it all looks the same to us). Seed starts to go stale the instant it's harvested. You may save a few cents getting seed that’s been sitting on a shelf or in a warehouse for a long time, but you won’t attract birds with it. Rats maybe!

Correct type of seed?

Birds in different regions of the country like different things. So, if the seed you use was mixed for wild birds in Ohio, California etc., the birds around here may prefer to try something else first.

    North Texas birds also avoid “filler” such as milo, whose sole purpose is to make the bag weigh more, at less cost (it's inexpensive). Some places might try to confuse buyers by calling it “canary seed” or something else. Don't be suckered in!

Safety for birds?

Songbirds are part of the food chain and are often hunted and killed (by hawks mainly). So it’s imperative that a feeder has a nearby escape route for small birds, or they won’t visit. A feeder in the middle of a big lawn will rarely be visited. A dense shrub or branch about 5 or 6 feet away is ideal as an escape route.  Just make sure a birdfeeder isn’t within leaping range (about 3 feet) of a cat hiding in a shrub.

No pesticides?

This guideline’s simple to remember’ Don’t Use Chemical Pesticides!  All birds eat bugs at one time or another. A bit in one location is OK if there's a stubborn bug problem, but NEVER use a pesticide or weed killer broadly (meaning, on everything). That includes a weed and feed fertilizer.  99.99% of all nestlings have to be fed insects ONLY.  If all the insects (including worms) are killed, wild birds just won’t stay in your yard.

No water nearby.

Just like us, birds have to drink water regularly. To fly well, they have to bathe often too. So a good feeder location should be close to water - at least a birdbath. That applies all year ‘round whether it's zero degrees or 100.

Strange, exotic plants?

Put native plants in your yard. For thousands of generations, wild birds here have learned when the plants in north Texas go to seed, when they open pollen-rich flowers and so forth. So the birds’ are genetically motivated to look for plants that grow here natively, and their activities are synchronized with the plants. If they see plants from some other part of the world, they’re confused. So plant natives!

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 a 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.

 

 

 

 

the all-important direction of the entrance hole on a birdhouse

Tree Swallow

You could put up a birdhouse at a good height, with the right design and in just the right place, but birds still may turn down your invitation to nest there. Maybe it’s the direction that the entrance hole faces. That's hugely important.

Avoid facing it into the prevailing winds, or the direction from which most spring storms come, or where hot sun shines in. In the north Texas area that means the hole should face generally easterly – anywhere between north-northeast and south-southeast... In Texas’ extreme heat, you don’t ever want the hot, west sun to shine inside a birdhouse.

What’s the “correct” height? It’s not precise at all; almost any height will do. A “bad” height, however is one that offers easy access to a predator, or leaves the nest on view much of the time. For most birds, anything above about 6-feet works.

Tree Swallow

            The Cornell Lab of Ornithology did research, proving that the most birds fledge from boxes that face east. In fact, a few readers have reported that Bluebirds have laid eggs in well-protected birdhouses already. I’m reminding you early, but it’s certainly never too late to put one up since many Texas birds produce several broods – all spring and summer long.

Birds gotta fly!       Clearly, without the ability to fly, almost all birds would quickly become extinct. Birds’ anatomy, however, is designed appropriately. The large flight muscles, anchored on the breastbone, make up from 30 to 40 percent of a bird’s body weight. This weight is necessary, but weight from fat isn’t. All excess fat does for a bird is weigh it down, making flying (escaping predators) difficult.

 

 

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.

Start now on an easy-to-maintain Darwinian landscape

The second-to-last word in home landscaping that’s simple to maintain is the Darwinian landscape, where everything is done as nature intended and you take all your cues from the natural world. The result is a lush, attractive landscape that doesn’t demand constant maintenance. (The “last word” is the yard that’s just left totally alone, and becomes an overgrown, trashy eyesore.)

The guidelines and practices of a Darwinian landscape are too numerous to cover here, but an example is what I did yesterday. After letting fallen, dead leaves accumulate on my yard for almost three months, I went over them with a lawn mower. This chopped them up into millions of tiny pieces, which are still on the lawn, but are hardly visible and will filter down to become actual soil in the first rain.  This is exactly what happens in nature with decomposition; but in nature it takes many years, and I get it done in a day. It also releases all sorts of natural chemicals into the soil, so I can skip a regular artificial fertilization.

Yes I have a small patch of grass sometimes called a lawn, in recognition of the fact that human beings use the yard, and sometimes feel the need to sunbathe, play catch, or have an outdoor barbecue. My weekend can now be devoted to things I actually like to do. It is NOT like the perfectly manicured yards you see in magazines. But now I let nature guide my decisions, and I have lots of free time.

When I bought the house about 15 years ago the yard was nothing but a sickly looking expanse of grass, with a few trees. Now it is a wildlife haven full of wildflowers and native flowering trees. Lots of birds too. I try lots of things in my landscaped and see what happens. Sometimes, my experiments fail, and I learn something from it (not to do it any more). Sometimes they succeed, and I’ll inevitably do more of the same. I see what grows well. I see what the birds like to eat and where they nest, and what they ignore, etc.

And that’s where Darwin’s observations of natural selection and evolutrion have led me.

 

Do I dare to eat a cactus?       During the winter, Roadrunners are often forced to feed on cactus plants (in north Texas, the Prickly Pear is most common), since insects and lizards are scarce. They break off a piece of cactus and repeatedly smash it into a rock or tree trunk, softening the needles, to make it edible.

Greater Roadrunner

 

 

 

 

 

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.