Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Spring has sprung, and birds are everywhere making a glorious racket. Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine Editor, Louie Bond, says the May issue captures this fine feathered fun.

63—You know, every morning you wake up and the first thing you hear are those wonderful birds singing outside our window in a buzz of activity with nest building and fledglings leaving the nest. It’s a great time of the year to get outdoors and take a look at those birds. One of the things I think we do best is bring in experts to write about what they love best. So, this month, we have a couple of experts—one who has been a regular contributor, and one who’s brand new. Our regular contributor is Noreen Damude, and she writes about her favorite birding hot spots. And these aren’t really the traditional ones; this is akin to a fisherman telling you where the best places to fish [are]. Our other writer is a new writer for us, Manny Carasco, who is a great wildlife artist, but is also an expert falconer, and trains his own birds, and takes out a variety of birds in a variety of settings for a variety of prey. And his first hand account of how that goes down is some pretty fascinating reading. We’ll also provide the birding calendar, so if you want to try it on your own, you’ll know all the great places to go in your neck of the woods, or to take a trip. So, we hope you’ll get out and bird in May.

Thanks, Louie.

Don’t miss an issue. Subscribe at www.tpwmagazine.com.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Not all birds nest in trees.

[sfx….bluebird song]

In fact, bluebirds are actually a cavity dwelling species in need of holes to build their homes. Habitat loss has diminished their housing opportunities, but bluebird enthusiasts are rolling out the welcome mat with man-made nest boxes.

16—It’s a rectangular box. In Texas we make it with a large overhanging roof, to protect from the sun. The dimensions are a little larger, that’s because our birds need more air because it’s so hot. Our birds need to be protected from the heat.

Pauline Tom is with the Texas Bluebird Society. The hole of bluebird nest box is about one and a half inches…perfect for a bluebird, not so great for a European Starling.

16—These birds came over from England in the mid 1800’s. It was like bringing fire ants in, a terrible, terrible pest. And so they’ll take the cavities that our native birds need, and they’ll actually destroy the eggs and the nestling.

For information on how to build you own nest box, log on to the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site. If you do take on the responsibility of a blue bird nest box…

09—You would clean out the nest box when the birds fledge. The nest box is used over and over.

That’s our show for today. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Build a Bluebird House
[illustrated instructions for building a bluebird house]
Materials List

• 1 x 10-inch lumber–33 inches.
• 6’/2 inches of ‘/2-inch wood dowel or metal hinge.
• One 1-1/2-inch wood screw with washer.
• 20 to 25 l’/2 to P/t-inch nails.
• Wire or ring-shank nails to attach box to post.

Construction Notes

• Dimensions given are for 3/4-inch thick lumber.
• Make entrance hole precisely l-1/2 inches in diameter and l-1/4 inches from the top.
• Provide space between top and sides for ventilation.
• If possible, use 1-3/4-inch galvanized siding nails or aluminum nails.
• Round comers on bottom of box for drainage, and recess bottom 1/4-inch.
• Roughen inside of front board by making notches with a saw or holes with an awl or drill, to assist young in climbing to entrance hole.
• Top of the box should be attached at the back by a 1/2-inch wooden dowel or metal hinge, and in front by a 1-1/2-inch wood screw to facilitate easy opening for inspection and cleaning.
• Drill two or three holes in the back panel of the box above and below the enclosure, to aid in quick, easy attachment to pole or post.
• Do not add any type of perch to the box; it will only serve to attract sparrows.

Site Selection
Site selection is the single most important step in having a successful bluebird program. Bluebirds utilize only a very specific type of habitat for nesting and only rarely will deviate from it. In general, bluebirds prefer open areas with scattered trees where the ground is not covered with tall undergrowth.

There are three general areas that should be avoided when selecting a nest site:

1. Avoid placing nest boxes in towns or within the immediate area of farm yards. House sparrows invariably will occupy every such nest box.
2. Do not place boxes in heavy timber. Bluebirds prefer sites associated with timber, but more at the edge of a clearing rather than in the timber stand itself.
3. Do not place boxes in or near areas of widespread insecticide use. Bluebirds feed almost entirely on insects during the nesting season.

Installation and Maintenance

• Place boxes at 150- to 200-yard intervals.
• Mount boxes about five to seven feet above ground level. Fence posts make excellent mounting sites.
• Clean boxes as soon as possible after a successful hatch. Bluebirds will not utilize the same nest box unless it is cleaned.
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This is Passport to Texas

Texas is home to hundreds of bird species, and Texas Parks and Wildlife TV Producer, Alan Fisher, explains how a couple of segments in March programming are for the birds.

We are featuring a story on quail—Northern Bobwhite quail are in decline across the US, faring better in Texas than some places, but it’s still a concern. Um, and we meet with some landowners and biologists who are trying to help the quail stay around.

It’s a small park with a whole mess of birds.

Thanks, Alan.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…providing funding for boat ramps in Texas.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Each year the Great Texas Birding Classic donates habitat conservation money to projects on the Texas coast.

14—To date we’ve donated well over 700-thousand dollars to on the ground habitat conservation projects. That’s acquisition projects, restoration projects, and enhancement projects. The Texas coast is a better place for birders as a result of the birding classic.

I’d wager it’s a better place for birds, too. Shelly Plante oversees nature tourism for Texas Parks and Wildlife, and coordinates this event with the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. Teams of birders compete to identify the
most birds during various tournaments.

25—There is a tournament for blind or visually impaired birders called the Out of Sight Song Birder Tournament—we’d love to have more teams for this. These are people who are going to bird by ear. We have a new tournament this year—it’s going to have a trial run—and it is called a human powered tournament.
And this is birding only by foot, canoe or kayak, bicycle—anything human powered. The minute you step into a motorized vehicle, your count it done.

There’s also a tournament called The Big Sit that’s perfect for beginning birders.

08—This is just kind of a tailgate party for birders. It is birding from a single location, a 17-foot diameter circle—for 24 hours.

The event is April 9 through 17, and deadline to register is March 7. Find detailed registration information
www.birdingclassic.org.

We receive support from the Wildlife Restoration program…providing funding for habitat restoration in
Texas.

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

2011 Birding Classic, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

You can help improve bird habitat in Texas by organizing a team to compete in the Great Texas Birding Classic.

06—Winning teams pick what habitat conservation projects receive funding from the birding classic grants.

Shelly Plante oversees nature tourism for Texas Parks and Wildlife, and coordinates the event in tandem with
the Gulf Coat Bird Observatory.

10—The birding classic is a great competition for seeing as many species of birds as you can during a one day or five day tournament with your friends and family on the Texas coast.

Birders of all ages, abilities, and locations participate in this yearly spring event.

11—We had a team one year called the transatlantic vagrants, and they were from Spain, Ireland, Canada and England. So, you know, we’ve had kind of a mixed bag. We’ve had people from all over the world as well as people from all over the nation.

If you think this is something you’d like to do, you need to shake a tail feather, because the deadline is near.

14—You need to start getting your team together because registration deadline is March 7, and the event, itself, takes place April 9-17. It’s best to go to our website at www.birdingclassic.org to get more information.

Hear about a couple of special tournaments at the birding classic tomorrow.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration program…providing funding for habitat restoration in Texas.

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

2011 Birding Classic, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download