Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Until recently, I did not know hummingbirds ate insects.

Well, if you think about it, an animal that’s swinging it’s arms at 72 times a second, needs something to rebuild those muscles that it’s exercising in there. And, without protein, they’re not going to build muscle.

So, if you find insects, such as bees, snacking at your hummingbird feeder, Mark Klym says, don’t panic.

People get all excited when bees get around their hummingbird feeder. And, bees are a great food for hummingbirds. I’ve watched them take bees out of the air.

Klym coordinates the Texas Hummingbird Roundup, a citizen science project where folks like you help biologists take stock of hummers.

We ask people to have a look out in the backyard once a week, about fifteen, twenty minutes a week, and give us a count of what birds [hummingbirds] you’re seeing out there. How many? What Species? What are they using? And then, if you see anything unusual—you find a nest, you see mating behavior—we ask you to record it and let us know about it. Once a year we have these forms sent back in and right now we’re reviewing the data from the 2007 season.

Download an information packet about the roundup, and find out where you can purchase a hummingbird identification wheel at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

If you’ve never seen a hummingbird in your part of Texas, it’s not because they aren’t around.

There’s not a county in Texas where you won’t see at least two species of hummingbird. In fact, there’s not a state in the United States—with the exception of Hawaii—that doesn’t have at least two hummingbird species.

Okay, maybe that is not a lot of hummers, but they are out there. Mark Klym coordinates the Texas hummingbird Roundup. He says Texas has 18 species of hummingbirds, and one region boasts the most.

Certainly the greatest variety would be in the David Mountains area. The David Mountains and the Chisos Mountains—out in West Texas.

If you want to attract hummingbirds passing through the area, you could put up feeders, but Klym says there is a better way.

That feeder, even in a good garden, is nothing more than a fast food stop. You want to provide plants that these birds can go to for nectar. But also, you want to provide plants that will attract insects, because these birds are heavy insect eaters.

At passporttotexas.org, find links to hummingbird appropriate plants, as well as information on how you can participate in the Hummingbird Roundup.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Find the top hummingbird plants as recommended by About.com: http://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa053001a.htm

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Amphibians are good indicator species because they live on land and in water during their lifecycle.

Amphibians, because of their very lifestyle, you can imagine are sensitive to a lot of changes in our environment. They’re kind of canaries in the coal mine.

Lee Ann Linam coordinates the Texas Amphibian Watch program. Because of their land/water lifestyle and semi permeable skin, amphibians experience the best and worst of both worlds.

They’re affected by habitat loss, by broader changes in the world around them. Things like climate change that may shift rainfall patterns. Or, they’re sensitive to UV radiation, so those kinds of changes can affect them. They’re sensitive to environmental contaminants that can be absorbed through their skin. So, you can see that they’re kind of a good picture of the overall ecosystem health.

If that’s the case, humans better pay attention.

A recent assessment by an international group of scientists showed that somewhere between one-third and one-half of all the six thousand amphibian species in the world are in trouble. One hundred and twenty-two of them are already extinct as far as we know. And so this is a rate of extinction that perhaps is unprecedented in this period of time.

Help monitor the health of amphibians. Find out how at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Most kids don’t believe they can have as good a time outdoors in nature as they can indoors with the computer and TV. Convince them otherwise by sending them into the wild with a digital camera, and assignment to document the natural environment.

There’s so many of nature’s own beauties to see that you want to just take a piece of it with you—you can’t [be outside and] look at it all the time. So, it’s nice to have a beautiful picture of nature on your wall. It’s documenting life. It’s a way of capturing a moment, and it’s your forever.

Ebony Williams is a graduate student in photojournalism at UT Austin. She says nature and photography are a winning combination, and can inspire other creative pursuits.

I think that you can get your child a disposable camera, or digital camera. Make a little photo book—my nature walk. And just take pictures and then there will be a memory that get to keep for themselves. It will be creative and educational, because then they can write their own book.

Find ways to get your kids involved in the outdoors when you log onto passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Links to help connect your kids with nature and photography:
http://www.forestwander.com/news/2008/01/28/young-nature-photo-competition-winners/
http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/tips/photo/nature.html
http://www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp
http://www.biglearning.org/treasure-photography-for-kids.htm

Kids & Photography Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Most kids don’t believe they can have as good a time outdoors in nature as they can indoors with the computer and TV. Convince them otherwise by sending them into the wild with a digital camera, and assignment to document the natural environment.

There’s so many of nature’s own beauties to see that you want to just take a piece of it with you—you can’t [be outside and] look at it all the time. So, it’s nice to have a beautiful picture of nature on your wall. It’s documenting life. It’s a way of capturing a moment, and it’s your forever.

Ebony Williams is a graduate student in photojournalism at UT Austin. She says nature and photography are a winning combination, and can inspire other creative pursuits.

I think that you can get your child a disposable camera, or digital camera. Make a little photo book—my nature walk. And just take pictures and then there will be a memory that get to keep for themselves. It will be creative and educational, because then they can write their own book.

Find ways to get your kids involved in the outdoors when you log onto passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
______________________________________________________
Links to help connect your kids with nature and photography:
http://www.forestwander.com/news/2008/01/28/young-nature-photo-competition-winners/
http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/tips/photo/nature.html
http://www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp
http://www.biglearning.org/treasure-photography-for-kids.htm

Kids & Photography Play Now | Play in Popup | Download