Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Spring is that ephemeral time between our unpredictable winters and our all-too-predictable summers.

The unrelenting heat and humidity of summer turns many of us into prisoners of indoor air conditioning. Yet, imagine… if you can… a place in our great state where in July, people wear sweaters and light jackets to protect themselves against the chill of the night air. Is this just some beautiful dream? No, my friends, it’s the Davis Mountains of west Texas.

03—One thing nice about the Davis Mountains is you can’t beat the weather.

David Bischofhausen (bish-off-howzen) manages the Davis Mountains State Parks Complex.

30—I see people on the fourth of July I the park having to wear sweatshirts because it gets so cool at night. It’s generally dry, and usually – you know – ten to fifteen degrees cooler up in the mountains than it is down I the flats. The lodge is right about five thousand feet in elevation. Park headquarters is about 49-hundred, so we go up from there. We’re in the foothills of the Davis Mountains. So, we’re definitely in a sky island, and lost of vegetation…and lots of wildlife…and just a beautiful place. And, some people don’t think there are mountains in Texas…you come out here and it’s just unbelievable. I mean it’s just gorgeous.

So when you can’t stand the heat…head to the mountains.

Learn more about Davis Mountain State Park when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…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

When it comes to housing, bats are adaptable. In Texas, for example, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats live comfortably in crevices under bridges.

06—We know from our studies of bats that there’s a very high percentage, especially in Central Texas that, if you build it they will come.

Bat attracting bridges go up annually in Texas, and Mark Bloschock (bloss-shock), says in order to accommodate bats’ needs, he would “listen” to them.

18—Bats can’t speak to us in English, so they can’t tell us whether this housing that they find in the made environment – or let’s say the man-made environment – is preferred housing or whether it’s desperation housing. But when they go in there to raise their young in these nursery colonies, we think that it must be preferred housing.

Bloschock retired from TxDot, where he was a civil engineer, and dealt with bats and bridges. It generally doesn’t cost more to construct bat friendly bridges, yet when bats colonize under them, especially in agricultural areas, everyone profits thanks to their voracious appetite for insect pests.

11—And that means the farmers have to spray less insecticides, or they spray significantly less insecticides. It’s good for us because we eat food with less use of insecticides and we eat food that’s produced cheaper.

You don’t have to build a bridge in your backyard to attract bats; a bat house will do nicely. Go to batcon.org for more information.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Millions of Mexican Free-tailed bats have begun their springtime return to Texas where they will bear their young and eat tons of pesky insects.

05—The Mexican free-tailed bat in particular is really valuable for agricultural purposes.

Meg Goodman served as Parks and Wildlife’s bat biologist.

13—Current research has shown that these bats can save farmers up to two sprays of pesticides per year because of all the insect pests that they’re eating. They’re eating things like the corn earworm moth and the cotton boll worm moth, among other crop pest species.

In addition to eating their weight in insects pests each evening, their nightly flights from inside caves and under bridges has become tourist attractions statewide.

14—Just their numbers and nightly emergences bring in a lot of tourist dollars to a lot of small communities and big communities like Austin. It’s one of our top tourist destinations right here in Austin. But they do provide a lot of dollars through nature tourism through a lot of our smaller communities throughout the state.

Certain bridges are favorite roosts of this flying mammal. And tomorrow we meet a man who builds bridges with bats in mind.

07—I would say that they type of bridges we build that would accommodate bats, we probably build about 30 of those statewide every year.

That’s our show for today…thank you for joining us…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

Despite improved public relations, some people remain terrified of bats.

04—A lot of people fear bats because of a lot of myths and superstitions associated with them.

Meg Goodman is the former bat biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife. She said bats would not purposely entangle themselves in your hair, or attempt to suck your blood.

08—We do a lot of work to get the message across that bats are actually very, very beneficial for us, and they’re very gentle creatures and very interesting to learn about and learn from.

Thanks to the work of people like Goodman and organizations like Bat Conservation International, we’re beginning to develop an appreciation for bats. In fact, we have even started to look forward to seeing certain bats—such as the Mexican free tail—that winters in Mexico and summers in Texas.

12—The Mexican free-tailed bat is probably one of our most common bats in the state, and people know it because it lives in such large numbers in places such as bridges and caves and makes nightly emergences that many people can come out and watch.

Tomorrow how these furry fliers benefit man.

05—The Mexican free-tailed bat, in particular, is really valuable for agricultural purposes.

That’s our show for today…thank you for joining us…we record our series at Block House Studios in Austin… the bat capital of Texas…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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