Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The four counties of the Rio Grande Valley; Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. There are more bird species have been recorded in those counties, than in 46 of the 50 United States.

Joshua Rose is a Natural Resource Specialist at the World Birding Center at the Bentsen Rio-Grande Valley State Park The Center is hosting a Christmas Bird Count on January 2nd.

Everyone that wants to conduct a Christmas Bird Count, they submit to the National Audubon Society. They draw out a circle and if they circle doesn’t overlap with any other count circle, then the Audubon Society approves it. Each circle is supposed to be fifteen miles in diameter. We divide the circle up into different zones and then we recruit a whole bunch of volunteers and we assign those volunteers each to one of those zones in the circle.

Birders can make the count as competitive as they want.

When we divide up our zones for the count and assign our teams, we also tend to assign the different teams different amounts of time. So certain teams will have a smaller area; they can cover the whole area and count all the birds in five or six hours. Where as the really hardcore, borderline insane people, like myself, will start before dawn and keep going until after dark.

More information on Christmas Bird Counts available at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

“Side hunts” were a popular Christmas tradition in the 1800’s; outdoor enthusiasts picked sides and whoever shot the most animals by the end of the day won. In 1900, a man named Frank Chapman proposed people should count birds, not hunt them…and the Christmas Bird Count was born.

The Christmas Bird Count is an event that goes on across the entire country. It’s coordinated nationwide by the National Audubon Society.

Joshua Rose is a Natural Resource Specialist at the World Birding Center at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park.

The fact is that birding has become not just a pleasant leisure activity, to go out and wander around seeing birds but has become something of a competitive sport.

Over fifty-thousand birders took part in last years count.

The real mission is conservation. We want to know how many birds of each species there are out there to know if one certain kind of bird needs some more focused conversation action. Or maybe some bird that was rare, for instance the bald eagle or the peregrine falcon, is getting more common and whatever we’re doing for them in terms of conservation seems to be working.

More on the Christmas Bird Count at the World Birding Center tomorrow. For more information visit passporttotexas.org

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Christmas Bird Count: The History Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

If you’re not a hunter, but you have friends and family who are, you probably get left behind when they go to public hunting lands to bag game. Not any more.

We offer a twelve dollar limited use permit, which is kind of a companion permit to the forty-eight dollar annual public hunting permit.

Vickie Fite is public hunting coordinator. While the permit is a type of companion to the annual public hunting permit, it is a stand alone document that’s good for an entire year.

With that permit, the only thing that you’re not allowed to do is any of the hunting activities. You can actually even fish with the limited use permit.

People who don’t know any hunters can still take advantage of this inexpensive way to access public lands.

If you’re not a hunter, you’re a birdwatcher or just a nature lover, you can spend that twelve dollars and you’ve got access to all of these areas. At times when hunting is allowed, you have to be careful and wear your hunter orange. But you’ve also got access tot his property at any other time also. For just doing the nature watching type things. Over a million acres of land. Ready. Right there. Waiting for you to come out and spend an afternoon watching nature.

Visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s web site for detailed information about public hunting and the limited use permit.

That’s our show…supported by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuels.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

A raptor hunts for food primarily using its talons. Think hawks and eagles.

Raptors are the birds that are living just almost the same level as we are.

John Karger is Executive Director of Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey Conservancy. He rehabilitates injured and orphaned birds and — when feasible – releases them back into the wild, where they play an important role.

The raptors are prime indicators. When they get sick, we’re going to be sick. Thus in the 1960s we realized that we put a lot of chemicals on the earth. We knew that we did that because the birds were disappearing.

Each October, Karger brings his raptors to Parks and Wildlife Expo to demonstrate their prowess, and more importantly, to stir in visitors a sense of stewardship.

If I could get them to do one thing – just take a moment – realize how incredible nature is, and that it can really give you a sense of awe…a sense of incredible. What I really want people to do it to come to the Expo and realize that the whole outdoor world is there, and it is ours for just enjoying tremendously if we just take care of it.

Learn more about John Karger’s Last Chance Forever Birds of Prey Conservancy at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Visit John Karger’s last Chance Forever Birds of Prey website: http://www.lastchanceforever.org/ (copy and paste into browser)

From their website: Founded in 1978 by Master Falconer and Veterinary Technician John Karger, Last Chance Forever is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned birds of prey, scientific investigation, and also just as importantly, the education of the public. Each year the project receives between 150-300 birds into the facility for care. An average of 65-80% of all cases are successfully returned to nature. Birds which are deemed non-releasable and are not suffering –when possible– are held to be placed in propagation projects, natural science centers for educational purposes, or humane research projects.

In addition to properly caring for the birds, Last Chance Forever has designed an educational program for presentation to children, civic organizations and interested individuals. This program is seen by over 500,000 people annually throughout the United States. It promotes a common sense attitude towards the interaction of mankind and our environment. Through this program, we also hope to encourage a change in attitudes concerning birds of prey such as hawks, owls, falcons, vultures and eagles.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

John Karger is not unlike the raptors he rehabilitates.

Well, I’m pretty sharp; I’m pointed. There’s no playing games with me. I’m right down to the business. You either like me or you don’t like me.

Karger is Executive Director of Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey Conservancy in San Antonio. I caught up with him at this year’s Parks and Wildlife Expo.

I got interested in birds of prey when I was about nine years of age because there was a man in my neighborhood who was a falconer. He actually used the birds of prey to hunt game. He flew the birds quite well, and I was just amazed by how these creatures that would fly away and come back to you. And that’s where my interest in birds of prey started.

Although life took Karger down varied career paths, the pull of the raptors was too great. His passion eventually led to the creation of the Conservancy.

At the conservancy, we are there as a pivotal point for birds that are injured, or sick, or orphaned. And we get these birds in, we repair them, we raise them, and we try to get them back into the wild, helping our own natural resources.

More on Karger’s Birds of Prey tomorrow.

That’s our show for today…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Visit John Karger’s last Chance Forever Birds of Prey website: http://www.lastchanceforever.org/ (copy and paste into browser)

John Karger's Birds of Prey Play Now | Play in Popup | Download