Passport to Texas

Project FeederWatch

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The Christmas Bird count, which takes place from December 14 – January 5 is a project of the National Audubon Society where for three weeks volunteers count birds during a 24-hour period in a 15-mile diameter circle.

05—But there aren’t any on December 25th—you can’t compete with family time and ripping open presents.

Cliff Shackelford is Texas Parks and Wildlife non-game ornithologist. Volunteers submit their observations to the lead person, called a compiler.

05—That compiler then crunches all the numbers and turns in—nationally—a count for the whole circle.

Audubon isn’t the only organization counting birds this winter. The Cornell Lab or Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada offer a feeder watcher program for folks who prefer to count birds from the comfort of home.

23—That’s someone that just merely watches out their back window and looks at the birds coming to the feeder and just counting those things. It’s a really good niche for someone that’s not able to get out if it’s too cold, or you’re just not physically able to get out, or maybe you have a newborn at the house, These are people that might have their eyes open watching the feeder and can contribute.

Find links to more information on the bird count and feeder watch at passporttotexas.org.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… supports our series as well as conservation programs in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Christmas Bird Count, image Jerry Acton, www.audubon.org

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More than a hundred years ago people participated in a time-honored Christmas tradition.

06— People would go out and do what was called a side hunt, and the winning group would come back with the biggest pile of dead critters.

How festive. The majority of critters in those piles were birds. Cliff Shackelford, a non-game ornithologist with Parks and Wildlife, says conservationists had a better idea.

05—Early conservationists thought that we ought to count birds and not try to collect birds.

Today we have the nationwide Christmas Bird Count. Between December 14 and January 5, volunteers, armed with bird lists, head into the field and count birds over a 24-hour period.

15—What people do is they get into teams, and they have a defined 15 mile radius circle that they’re counting in, and that circle never moves. The hope is that you would count that circle for decades and decades and over time you would see trends.

Different groups pick different days within that three week period to count birds. Researchers use the census information to assess the health of bird populations, and to guide conservation action.

05—They might need a full year’s heads up to chew on it and figure out, hey, I want to do this next year.

Go to audubon.org for more information. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our program. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Whoopers in flight.

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According to Parks and Wildlife biologist Leeann Linam, sightings of migrating whooping cranes, which winter in Texas, started in October.

21— Mid-October is traditionally the early arrival time. By mid-December they should all be in Texas. So, from there, we’ll take a look and see where they’ve chosen to spend their wintering time this year. And they’ll remain on those wintering grounds until late February to early or mid-March, when some migration movements will start, and by mid-April they’re mostly gone from the state.

Some of the birds are still moving through Texas and depending on where you live – you might be able to catch a glimpse of them heading toward the coast.

23 – Well, the center of the migration path probably passes over Wichita Falls, western Tarrant County – Fort Worth area – down across Waco, just east of Austin, probably. Then, from there on down to Victoria and the Texas coast. So, that’s the center of the flyway. And from that center, 100 miles to the east and the west are the greatest possibilities of seeing them.

Look for a large white bird with black wing tips that’s flying in a group of three to six. If you miss them on the way here – you can always catch them on their way back to Canada in spring.

Learn more about whooping cranes and the Whooper Watch program 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.

Pair of Whooping Cranes

Wildlife: Whooping Crane Recovery Update Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Parks and Wildlife biologist, Leeann Linam, has a long history with Whooping Cranes.

11— [chuckles] well, I may age myself here, but we moved to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge when I was 12. And so I guess that means about 40 years or so I’ve been involved with whooping cranes.

Whoopers winter at the refuge, where Leeann’s father worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Yet, after 70 years of conservation—and a low of 15 birds—there are still fewer than 300 members in the migrating population.

24 – Part of it is the nature of the animal, itself. Whooping cranes are one of these birds designed to be around for a long time. They live 25 to 30 years and more (in captivity). They don’t reproduce until they’re four or five years old; they usually only raise one chick successfully per year. So it just takes a while. You just have to be patient and provide the right conditions for a long time and then the numbers start to add up.

As their population increases and becomes more widespread, maintaining an accurate tally of the birds becomes a challenge. Whoopers are moving farther up the coast away from their traditional wetland habitat.

07 – Some in the rice country in Horton County and most interestingly, in Central Texas, we’ve had some whooping cranes wintering in Williamson County.

Tomorrow: where to see migrating whoopers.

The Wildlife and sport fish restoration program supports our series and funds diverse conservation programs in Texas…

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

Nature Hike with Scouts

Conservation: Holiday Conservation Gifts Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Holidays challenge the creativity of gift-givers everywhere. However, if you have nature lovers on your list, gift giving is easy—and the giving is twice as nice.

A seventy-dollar Texas State Parks Pass is a thoughtful and sensible gift for your outdoor enthusiast. Pass holders enjoy twelve months of unlimited visits to more than ninety state parks and historic sites.

They also receive discounts on camping, park store merchandise and recreational equipment rentals. Money spent on the pass supports your Texas state parks.

For thirty dollars each, you can give the drivers on your list a conservation license plate. Twenty-two dollars from every sale goes directly to help fund conservation efforts in Texas. The horned lizard plate, in particular, funds research and conservation of non-game species such as the iconic horned lizard.

Give every outdoor lover on your list access to more than a million acres of public land—with the Limited Public Use Permit—for the ridiculously reasonable price of twelve dollars.

Permit holders receive twelve months of access to Texas’ wildlife management areas, where they can fish, hike, bird watch, cycle, and camp.

When you give one of these gifts, you delight the receiver, and help support state parks and conservation in Texas.

That’s our show…remember: life’s better outside… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.