Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

You don’t have to travel to the Rio Grande Valley to log some respectable bird watching this winter, says TPW non game ornithologist, Cliff Shackelford.

10— We have the wildlife viewing trails all across Texas. These are hot spots that you can find easily that might be close to you or near where you’re going. And they’re available for people to go an look at birds [and other wildlife].

Find the wildlife viewing maps on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Cliff Shackelford, a non-game ornithologist for Parks and Wildlife, says Texans can plan a birding “staycation” with a little planning.

30— You can attract a lot of winter birds to your backyard. You can do something as simple as putting out a bird feeder and a birdbath. Or better, creating a wildscape, which is gardening for backyard wildlife. And we do that in our yard and we get so many white-throated sparrows that stay the winter with us because we have provided them with the cover that they need. We have a lot of berry giving shrubs, so we get a lot of cedar waxwings, and American Robins wintering with us. So, you can attract a lot of things in your backyard and have a really good time.

Find birding information and the wildlife viewing trail maps on the Parks and Wildlife website.

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