Passport to Texas

Caddo Lake

Mysterious Caddo Lake State Park Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When mist cloaks Caddo Lake it’s easy to understand how the lore and legend about this east Texas water body came to pass.

Native American legend says a giant flood created Caddo Lake. Others say an earthquake was responsible.

Meanwhile, scientists believe the lake formed when floodwaters, blocked by massive log jams on the Red River, backed up into the Cypress Bayou watershed, forming the lake.

One thing that is true: Caddo Lake’s beauty. And visitors to Caddo Lake State Park/Wildlife Management Area not only experience nature at her most beguiling, they also have a plethora of recreational opportunities — from hiking to hunting – to choose from.

With an annual public hunting permit, hunters may harvest deer, eastern wild turkey, and quail during appropriate seasons. Licensed anglers find largemouth bass, catfish and brim plentiful in the lake.

Find more on Caddo Lake SP/Wildlife Management Area on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series. Through your purchases of hunting and fishing equipment, and motorboat fuels, over 40 million dollars in conservation efforts are funded in Texas each year.

For Texas parks and wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Ground level birdbath in a backyard wildscape.

Best Backyard Birdbaths Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Attracting birds to your backyard is as simple as adding water…to a birdbath.

05— They’ll use that birdbath year-round. They’ll use it for drinking. They’ll use it for bathing…

Cliff Shackelford is a non-game ornithologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Decorative ceramic birdbaths often make better art than they do watering stations for birds.

09—The simpler the better. What I found, is the basin needs to be a little rough and not smooth. It needs to have a gradual dip to it.

Concrete pedestal birdbaths can be too deep for birds, and the porous material encourages algae and sediment buildup. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says a good birdbath mimics shallow puddles, which are nature’s birdbaths. They suggest digging a shallow hole in the ground, lining it with plastic to make it watertight, and then putting sand in the bottom so birds can get their footing. Place a few plants around the perimeter, and you have a bird spa.

The only thing that could make it better is dripping water, says Cliff Shackelford.

12— Bird drips are really good; you can hang a milk jug up with a little pin prick hole in it. Just the sound of the water dripping could be attractive to birds. And also, they may like to get under that drip a little bit.

Find more birding information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Birdbath in a wildscape. Photo courtesy of Sheryl Smith-Rodgers.

What's Better for Birds: Feeders or Birdbaths? Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Which would you rather have in your yard: a bird feeder or a birdbath?

05— A birdbath to me is way more important than a bird feeder.

Cliff Shackelford is a non-game ornithologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Why add a birdbath? Enjoyment: yours and the bird’s.

11—You’ll get much more enjoyment watching your backyard birds if you put up a birdbath than a bird feeder. They’ll use that birdbath year-round. They’ll use it for drinking. They’ll use it for bathing.

Sounds like easy, inexpensive entertainment that helps wildlife. Yet, Cliff says there’s more to a birdbath than just keeping it filled.

21— You want to make sure you keep it clean. Now, I don’t mean you have to get out there every day and scrub it. But, every couple of weeks, you want to probably hose it out and let the sun bake and dry it. You don’t want to use harsh chemicals. But, a birdbath is a welcome sight. And especially if you’re in areas where you don’t get a lot of rainfall—or in times of drought—a birdbath is going to be essential for our birds.

Not all birdbaths are created equal. I’ll have tips on the best kinds of birdbaths tomorrow.

For birding and wildscaping information, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Website.

That’s our show… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

A healthy deer Morgans Point, Texas

Parasites and Skinny Deer Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If spring rains made food plentiful for wildlife—and it did—then what’s up with all the skinny deer?

10—We had a lot of reports this year of thin deer, and some of our initial testing showed that a lot of these deer have a very high load of quote/unquote—stomach worms.

Dr. Bob Dittmar, a veterinarian with Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the wet, warm spring and humid summer created ideal conditions for a parasitic worm-a-palooza that’s affecting white-tails.

15—Most of the ones that have been reported to me have been in more suburban type settings. The habitat may not be really good because there are lots of deer there. And there are lots of eyes on those particular animals and they’re observed much more frequently and closely.

I asked Dr. Dittmar if suburban homeowners should be concerned for their family pets if skinny deer roam their neighborhoods.

18— These parasites are for the most part, pretty host specific. So, there’s not a great danger of passing anything from deer to dogs or other domestic pets. One of the things I always caution people: dogs like to eat deer poop. And there can be other things in deer poop besides parasites that could cause some illness in those pets.

Dr. Bob Dittmar says the agency wants to know about these deer, so if you see skinny deer, contact your regional office of Texas Parks and Wildlife or your local biologist. Find information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Whitetail deer in snow.

Rain was Good and Bad for Deer Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Spring rains improved habitat in Texas. This is good, of course, except for the resulting population explosion of…

02—Worms. Stomach worms…

Moisture and high humidity create an ideal environment for the worm’s survival, which is bad news for white-tailed deer. Dr. Bob Dittmar, a veterinarian with Texas Parks and Wildlife, says initial testing indicates a high level of worm infestation within the deer population.

07— A lot of these deer were eating close to the ground, and were picking up these parasites which were out there in very high numbers this year.

There are several types of the parasite on the landscape; weight loss in deer is one potential sign of infestation.

14— The really bad ones are bloodsuckers. So, they debilitate the animal by sucking blood, making them become anemic, week, and eventually maybe predisposing them to other things. But they’re just debilitating, and that accounts for the weight loss we’re seeing.

Where are these deer showing up, and what to do if you see one. That’s tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series, and through your purchases of hunting and fishing equipment, and motorboat fuels, funds more than 40 million dollars in conservation efforts in Texas annually.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.