Passport to Texas

Cute and cuddly, but deadly to birds.

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This is Passport to Texas

As cute and as cuddly as they are, cats are born killers.

Some people estimate that cats will take a total of 39-million prey animals per year.

Prey animals include invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and birds. Kelly Simon is an Urban Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

From a wildlife management standpoint, we really should be keeping our cats indoors…
Indoor cats are safer, healthier and live longer than outdoor cats.

If your cats roam free, place bird feeders and baths in open areas away from places where they can hide and ambush birds.

 …and realize that by not spaying or neutering our cats, we are producing an awful lot of predators each and every year.

Finally, do not release your unwanted cats in rural areas. It is NOT more humane than taking them to a shelter where they will be housed, fed and with luck—rehomed.

Released in an unfamiliar setting, former housecats are confused, terrified and vulnerable. If they survive, that’s when they become a threat to wildlife…and it’s not their fault.

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

Formerly feral cat, now indoor only kitty.

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This is Passport to Texas

It’s estimated there are more than 100-million cats in America—both housecats and feral cats.

A feral cat is not under the direct care of humans…they are the ones out roaming around.

Kelly Simon is an Urban Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Feral cats regularly compete with wildlife predators for the same food sources…

They outnumber them and they out-compete them. So they are using the same kinds of prey animals that our native predators, like hawks, are using; and they’re exerting pressure on them.

Small mammals, like mice, account for about 70 percent of a feral cats’ prey, while birds account for at least 20 percent. A single cat can kill up to 1,000 animals a year.

They can even cause the endangerment of some species, especially those species that are already under pressure from habitat loss or habitat derogation.

Feral cats aren’t the only feline predators decimating small wildlife. Even well-fed housecats—whose owners allow them outside—hunt and kill prey with precision and skill.

From a wildlife management standpoint, we really should be keeping our cats indoors.

We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Find information on cats and wildlife on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

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

On the lookout for birds during the Great Texas Birding Classic.

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This is Passport to Texas

During The Great Texas Birding Classic, birding teams raise money for conservation while they compete for bragging rights against other teams…if there are other teams.

If you wanted to know where I really feel like people need a challenge, I think the Panhandle. They want some competition up there.

Shelly Plante is Nature Tourism Manager for Texas Parks and Wildlife. While the coast hosts a multitude of birding teams during the classic, regions like the Panhandle barely have any, and they aren’t alone.

Far west Texas—they want some competition. The DFW area only has a couple of teams participating. They could use some great competition. It would be wonderful to see those areas grow by leaps and bounds this year, and to see a real shift in people seeing birdwatching as an activity that they can do with their friends and family in spring as the Birding Classic.

There are tournaments suitable for nearly every experience level. So, c’mon Panhandle, Far West Texas and DFW Metroplex, step up to the challenge and put together a team. You other regions, too. I’m not trying to bird-shame anyone, but you can all do so much better.

When you register, the fee you pay supports conservation, and you’ll have fun outdoors with friends and family. Doesn’t that sound better than watching The Real Housewives of wherever?

The Birding Classic is April 15 through May 15, and the registration deadline is April 1. Do it for the birds.

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

Members of a big sit circle.

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This is Passport to Texas

The Great Texas Birding Classic continues to attract seasoned and beginning birders to its flock.

It’s really crazy. We keep seeing amazing growth. I keep wondering when we might plateau, and it hasn’t happened yet.

Shelly Plante is Nature Tourism Manager for Texas Parks and Wildlife. The tournament had a growth spurt beginning in 2013 after it became statewide.

We had the largest participation in over ten years in that first year that we were statewide. And that was 58 teams. Since then, we’ve grown every single year; last year in 2016, for our 20th anniversary, we had 113 teams.

The money raised funds conservation grants. Birders have fun doing it, when they participate in various tournaments. One of the most popular is the Big Sit.

And it is what it sounds like. You are sitting in a 17-foot diameter circle for 24 hours (or parts of 24-hours), to see how many birds come through that area. In 2016 of the 113 teams that were registered for the Birding Classic, 40 of those teams were Big Sit teams. And they took place in every region of the state.

Register a team before April 1, at birdingclassic.org.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation supports our series and helps keep Texas wild with support of proud members across the state. Find out more at tpwf.org

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti

2018 Great Texas Birding Classic Poster.

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This is Passport to Texas

Twenty eighteen marks the 22nd anniversary of the Great Texas Birding Classic. Shelly Plante, Nature Tourism Manager for Parks and Wildlife, has been involved for 21 of those years.

In the beginning, Plante says most participants were “hard core” birders. Since becoming a statewide event, she says it’s evolved into a tournament for everyone.

We have a lot of different categories. There are categories for beginners; categories for kids who are just getting started; categories families can take part in—or bird clubs can take part in. And so, I’ve seen this really huge growth in the generalist, which I think is fantastic. That’s who we would love to connect with nature. They may not have a connection. So, we’re hopefully making that connection for them with an event.

The Great Texas Birding Classic is April 15 through May 15; registration deadline is April 1st. Money raised through fees and sponsorships goes toward conservation grants.

The more money we raise through registration fees and sponsorships, the more money we are able to award to conservation grant projects throughout the state. So las year, we gave out 36-thousand dollars’ worth of grants. And, some of the winning teams got to pick which projects received that funding. So, it’s really a fun way to take part in conservation, and maybe even get to choose who gets those conservation dollars.

Put together a team and register before April 1, at birdingclassic.org.

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

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti