Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Have you ever spent time outdoors only to come upon wildlife that seems to be injured?

Our first reaction is usually to assist. But Richard Hilebrun, with Wildlife Diversity says not everything is what it seems. Take mother birds, for example.

18—A lot of birds will fake injury to draw you away from their young—and their nest. And so it’s actually a really neat adaptation. You’ll spend 30 minutes, 45 minutes following this –quote—injured mother around, and in the process she’s led you well away from her young.

Sometimes you really do come across an animal in need. In those cases you must exercise reason and caution.

16—If you know that it’s injured—because you know what you’re looking at—you can take it to a wildlife rehabilitator. In Texas, the only people that can nurse young back to health are licensed, permitted wildlife rehabilitators.

Because it’s summer, most of us are outdoors more, which increases our opportunities to come into contact with wildlife…tomorrow…how to get the most out of these close encounters.

07—The best thing to take with you when you go out into wildlife habitat is something to enjoy wildlife with. A digital camera..a pair of binoculars…

Find contact information for wildlife rehabilitators on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and sport fish restoration program supports our series and is celebrating 75 years of funding diverse conservation projects throughout Texas…

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

This is Passport to Texas

Texas’ first state park just grew by more than half again its size, when Texas Parks and Wildlife purchased adjacent land along the Leon River for Mother Neff State park. Bryan Frazier has details.

62—Mother Neff State Park is literally named in honor of Governor Pat Neff’s mother, Isabella. And in 1928 you had this burgeoning SP board set up by Governor Part Neff to start a state park system here in Texas. And Isabella Neff donated six acres of land, which has now become Mother Neff State Park. It’s grown significantly, and recently we’ve just now added more than a hundred more acres to the park. It’s got river frontage along the Leon River, these beautiful scenic bluff overviews; it will be awhile before there’s accessible trails and things into that area. But there are even some ancient archeology resources in this new part of the park. Mother Neff State Park is a unique place. It’s a jewel. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, And was finished in the 1930s; it’s the flagship for us. It was where we started as a park system and what we’ve grown into today with 94 state parks and historic sites. And it all began back with Mother Neff, right there on the Leon River, southwest of Waco, about 30 miles. And it’s a place that’s worth the trip.

Thanks Bryan

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

[SFX – hummer]

Late summer is a great time for hummingbird viewing in Texas.

03—Obviously, the places people see them most often is around feeders.

Mark Klym is in Wildlife Diversity and a hummingbird enthusiast. You can attract hummingbirds to your yard with a hummingbird feeder filled with a solution of one part sugar to four parts water. Once you’ve hung a feeder, Klym says it’s vital to keep the contents fresh.

08—During the summer months you want to change that every two to four days. During the winter months, you might get away with four to six days, but certainly no longer than that.

If you prefer your hummers in the wild, you’re in luck: eighteen species of this popular bird live in Texas. But you have to know where to look.

18—If you’re looking on the wild, you’re going to want to look in areas where there are a number of flowering plants available. The do require shelter, so they’re going to be around evergreen or well-leaved trees – depending on the season. And they’re also going to be found where there’s water. Water is a critical element of their environment, and they’re going to be found where there’s water.

Find more information about hummingbirds when you log onto the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

We record our series at The Block House in Austin, Texas and Joel Block Engineers our program.

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

This is Passport to Texas

Hummingbird enthusiasts look forward to July, because that’s when these tiny, enigmatic birds start their migration into Texas, beginning out west.

08—July is usually the start of our hummingbird migration when we’ve got thousands of ruby-throated hummingbirds heading this way from the northern regions.

Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Mark Klym heads up the annual Hummingbird Roundup Survey in Texas, where scientists and citizens have documented some 18 different species of hummingbirds in the state.

07—The round-up really provides us with information about the hummingbird population here in Texas and gives us an idea of where they’re being found.

While the bird count takes place year-round, the influx of birds beginning this month, and peaking in August and September, makes it an ideal time to participate in this citizen science project.

19—This would be a good time to start looking at possibly increasing your number of feeders if you have a yard that is going to be actively used by hummingbirds…the best way to get hummingbirds in your yard is to prepare a good hummingbird garden. Lots of plants that will feed the birds, salvias, Turks cap, trumpet vine.

If you love watching hummingbirds, sign up to participate in the Hummingbird Round-up and receive your own survey kit…find out how… when you visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti

This is Passport to Texas

Ask any birder what they like better—Christmas or fall migration—and there’s no contest. Sorry Santa. The August issue of Texas Parks and wildlife magazine offers readers a bird’s eye view of Texas cities at the center of two migration superhighways. Editor Louie Bond has details.

50—And they’re both, officially, nationally—birdiest cities. Corpus Christi is the national birdiest city, and Port Aransas is the national small coastal birdiest city. Both have really just been in the nature tourism business in the last decade or two. They’re lucky enough to have this wonderful parade of birds. And so now birdwatchers are flocking there to see 50 to 100 birds in a day. And the towns have benefitted from this; there’s increased jobs and just a general happiness amongst these folks who are now getting outside and enjoying nature. And along with that great article, we’ll have a birding calendar, so no matter what part of the state you live in, you can go out and see birds yourself. And we’ll take a birding trip down to the valley and seeing what’s going on with birding down there. Whether you’re interest is birding in the panhandle or birding in the Valley, check out what’s happening across Texas this month at Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Thanks, Louie.

That’s our show for today. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series, and is celebrating 75 years of funding diverse conservation projects in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti