Passport to Texas

A relaxing wildscape for wildlife and humans.

Wildscaping for Wildlife Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Putting out feeders is one way to attract wildlife to your yard. A better way is to create a wildscape.

04-What a wildscape is, is landscaping for wildlife.

Ornithologist, Cliff Shackelford, says this includes native plants that provide food and shelter; most urban yards, however, traded native habitat for lawns.

18- So, any little help you can [give] by putting in a wildscape really helps. And even if you don’t have a yard, you can do a wildscape on your patio with pots. I have seen hummingbirds go up to the 6th floor balcony of condos where someone has showy plants that say, “hummingbird come up here.”

A variety of berry and nectar producing plants will draw wildlife to your yard–or balcony.

17- You want to always stick to natives because they’re acclimated to the soil and the weather and the rainfall that you’re going to give them. And then, you want to make sure that they have some value to wildlife: that they’re going to give you the nectar to attract butterflies; they’re going to have
berries at the right time when the cedar waxwings come, and so forth.

Fall is the best time to plant native trees, woody shrubs and perennials. But you can start planning your wildscape now.

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

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

The woman behind the gun, by Gordon Ross, 1873-1946, artist. Library of Congress.

The Women Who Saved Migratory Birds Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

At the turn of the 20th century fashionable women wore hats decorated with feathers, wings and even entire taxidermied birds.

08- What began to happen was, a huge amount of hunting of specific migratory birds for their plumes–and their plumes only.

Urban Wildlife biologist, Kelly Simon, says unregulated market hunting to meet the demand led to destruction of whole bird breeding colonies.

13- And people began to realize that the effect of this unregulated taking of wildlife was putting a lot of pressure on the natural populations of these animals. So, they were declining at an alarming rate.

In 1896, after reading an article describing the plume trade, Boston socialite Harriet Hemenway, convinced women of social standing to stop wearing feathered hats, and to join the society for the protection of birds. Their efforts led to The Migratory Bird Act of 1918, which outlawed market hunting and interstate transport of birds.

09- We decided it was important for us to have wildlife as a resource that was available to everyone: to feed their families, to enjoy, to watch.

Other conservation laws joined the Migratory Bird Act, including the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, whereby hunters asked Congress to impose an excise tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition products to help fund wildlife conservation in the US.

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

Black-capped Vireo

Great Texas Birding Classic Winners Fund Conservation Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Who would pay an entry fee to compete in a tournament in which the winners must agree to give away their prize money? Birders: that’s who. More specifically, teams of birders that take part in the Great Texas Birding Classic.

15-This year we raised $25,000 for conservation grants. And those will be given as a 10-thousand dollar grant, and three 5-thousand
dollar grants. So we’ll give four grants total throughout the state of Texas. And this is what teams are participating for: winning teams are who get to select what projects get funded.

Shelly Plante coordinates the event, and says it’s a win-win for birds and birders. Birding classic winners fund habitat projects that, in turn, create better birding opportunities for everyone.

04- That’s their privilege, that they’re vying for the chance to pick the project.

In the 19 years of the tournament, winning teams have donated more than eight hundred and forty-four thousand dollars to habitat projects throughout the state.

18- These grants have definitely gone to some well-known projects for birders. And if you go to birding hot spots throughout the state, you’ll see that birding classic money has been spent at many of these areas. From High Island Sanctuaries to Pakery Channel near Corpus Christi in the Coastal Bend, at Estero Llano Grande State Park.

Find out what birds the Great Texas Birding Classic teams saw this year, who won, and which projects the winners designated to receive grant money when you go to birdingclassic.org.

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

Great Texas Birding Classic

Great Texas Birding Classic Breaks Records Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The Great Texas Birding Classic, which wrapped up on May 15 following a month of non-stop, statewide birding action, was a huge success, says Texas Parks and Wildlife nature tourism coordinator, Shelly Plante.

16-This year’s Great Texas Birding Classic was absolutely the best yet. We had a hundred teams for the first time ever, and with that we were able to raise more money than we’ve raised in a long time. So, we will donate $25,000 dollars in conservation grants this ear–which is a 40% increase over last year’s donation.

Grant money goes to projects that enhance or preserve native bird habitat statewide, and winning teams designate which projects receive the funds. Plante says while birders find it rewarding, she rewards birders that make her smile, with the Make My Day award.

13-While all of these teams are out in the field and having a really great time, a lot of my job is behind the desk, taking care of data entry. And so, if a team name crosses my desk that just made me laugh out loud, or giggle a little bit–I felt that I should reward that because they brightened my day.

Teams like the Double-Stuffed Orioles, Hot Wings, and the Bird Dogs–a team that actually brought their dogs with them–among others got this recognition from Shelly Plante.

Find a list of conservation projects that received grants at passporttotexas.org.

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

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

Black vultures (shown) use their sense of sight to find their meals,
whereas turkey vultures use their sense of smell.

Vultures: Nature's Clean Up Crew Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Vultures get a bad rap: maybe it’s because they aren’t “pretty birds”, or because they eat road kill. Texas Parks and Wildlife non-
game Ornithologist, Cliff Shackelford, says they deserve our respect as they are a helpful, interesting species.

15-Vultures have a role to play, what we call “ecosystem services”. These are benefits to us; it’s unfortunate that our
cars hit animals, but think about what’s left behind. The vultures are cleaning up all the mess and we have to commend
them for that.

How do vultures eat decaying carcasses and not get sick?

08- Vultures don’t get sick because they have certain bacteria and other flora in their guts that help them break down these
carcasses.

Although a migratory species, vultures live year-round in Texas. When road kill freezes up north, those vultures
travel south.

10- Because of our location, we not only host a lot more vultures in the winter season, we see a lot more passing
through in the spring and fall migration.

Vultures are social birds and roost together, preferring tall structures that allow an easy entrance and exit.

09-They like cell phone towers, rocky outcrops and ridges, an old tree that’s standing up really high. They like the tallest roof
in the area.

Yet, they nest on the ground under fallen trees, and are excellent parents. Now that you’re better acquainted, we
hope you’ll view vultures in a new light.

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