Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Drought doesn’t just affect how green your lawn is. It also affects wildlife.

Robert Perez, the parks and Wildlife’s upland game bird program leader, says ground nesting birds like the endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken are vulnerable during droughts.

11—Even winter rain is important for those species to get their greens and get their vitamins and get their body ready to get into the breeding season. Once they breed they need soil moisture in the form of rainfall on the mostly native grasses.

Agency water resources branch chief, Cindy Loeffler, says sometimes the drought can become worse when people use too much water. And animals in Texas springs are some of the most affected.

12—There are plans in place to go in and remove endangered species from these springs and put them in locations for safe-keeping in case the springs do go dry.

Drought can also cause coastal waters to have high salt-concentrations. That means species like oysters suffer.

11—The predators that prey on these oysters do better in higher salinity conditions. So that’s one indicator of how we’re doing in our bays and estuaries is how the oysters are doing.

And right now, says Loeffler, the oysters aren’t happy.

We receive support for our series from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program, funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuel…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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The official state bison herd—at Caprock Canyon SP—may be the last true example of the great southern bison.

08— They have roamed this area for centuries, and they have never had any outside influence.

No outside influence as it relates to genetics, says Park Superintendent Donald Beard. The herd will roam freely again with the completion of phase one of a park restoration project.

27—We are in the process of doing a lot of restoration work to return a lot of this park back to what it looked like 300 years ago before European man settled this area. Turning it back into grasslands and giving these bison some area to roam. We’re going to start with the park—fence it off—and turn them back loose again, and hopefully have a wild herd. The management will be as limited as possible, where we don’t have to interact with them, and they are truly wild again.

Park visitors get to experience these examples of true living history up close and personal, says Beard.

23—The way it’s set up is kind of like a Yellowstone type experience. You drive into the park and you are in the boson range, You are on the same side of the fence with them. It’s not like going to a wildlife park where they’re behind another fence—you will be in the area with them. You may have to stop and wait for the herd to cross in front of you. It’s a unique experience to be able to see these animals they once were—roaming the range free.

Celebrate the bison herd this month; we have details on tomorrow’s show.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas

While the mockingbird might be the official state bird of Texas, every July it’s the hummingbird that earns a place of distinction in the state.

08—July is usually the start of our hummingbird migration when we’ve got thousands of ruby-throated hummingbirds heading this way from the northern regions.

Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Mark Klym heads up the annual Hummingbird Roundup Survey in Texas, where some 18 different species of hummingbirds have been documented.

07—The round-up really provides us with information about the hummingbird population here in Texas and gives us an idea of where they’re being found.

While the bird count takes place year-round, the birds are more prevalent in the state from July to October.

19—This would be a good time to start looking at possibly increasing your number of feeders if you have a yard that is going to be actively used by hummingbirds…the best way to get hummingbirds in your yard is to prepare a good hummingbird garden. Lots of plants that will feed the birds, salvias, Turks cap, trumpet vine.

Take part in the annual Hummingbird Round-up and receive your own survey kit…find out how… when you visit the outdoor learning page on the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…remember: Life’s Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti

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This is Passport to Texas

[SFX – hummer]

Summer is a great time for hummingbird viewing in Texas.

03—Obviously the places people see them most often is around feeders.

Mark Klym is in Wildlife Diversity and a hummingbird enthusiast. You can attract hummingbirds to your yard with a hummingbird feeder filled with a solution of one part sugar to four parts water. And once you’ve put up a feeder, Klym says it’s imperative to keep the contents fresh.

08—During the summer months you want to change that every two to four days. During the winter months, you might get away with four to six days, but certainly no longer than that.

If you’d prefer to see hummers in the wild, you’re in luck: we have eighteen species of the bird in Texas, but you have to know where to look for them.

18—If you’re looking in the wild, you’re going to want to look in areas where there are a number of flowering plants available. The do require shelter, so they’re going to be around evergreen or well-leaved trees – depending on the season. And they’re also going to be found where there’s water. Water is a critical element of their environment, and they’re going to be found where there’s water.

Post your hummingbird sightings and pictures on the Texas parks and Wildlife Facebook Fan Page. You’ll find it www.facebook.com/texasparksandwildlife.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

With more alligators spotted by the public in residential areas, you might think you’d be better off selling your home. Greg Creacy says there’s no need to panic.

10—We’re just trying to help people put it in perspective. People will begin to see more and more alligators in the future and not every alligator is going to be a problem.

Creacy is a wildlife biologist with Parks and Wildlife. He says horror movies and attacks by the more dangerous, and non-native crocodiles have caused people to fear Texas alligators.

16—The number of attacks by alligators in the US each year is less than injuries and fatalities from dogs, scorpions, snakes and sharks…all of those are much more dangerous to people than alligators.

So what do you do if you see an alligator? Respect the animal, and keep a safe distance between the two of you. Also, keep pets away from gators, or they could become a snack. Don’t swim in an area where there are alligators…and don’t feed them.

05—Because people have fed that alligator they’ve broken down their natural fear that alligator has for people.

Find information on living with alligators, research reports, and basic natural history, on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Website.

That’s our show for today…we receive support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program… funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels.

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

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