If We Build It...

Post and photo by Kathy Whaley

If we build it, will they come? We hope so! The Hagerman Refuge/Ducks Unlimited wetlands restoration project has started. In mid-December, Refuge employees Jay and Rusty set elevation posts and began using heavy equipment to move dirt to elevations that will allow us to manage the water level in MSU 10.

This is the first of three impoundments that will eventually be restored to provide emergent wetlands for ducks. When completed, the three wetland areas (surrounded by dikes) on the northwest side of Wildlife Drive will be floodable to 12” - 18” deep and have gently sloping bottoms and properly placed water control structures. Our goal is to attract dabbling ducks such as mallards, pintail, teal, shovelers, and gadwall who paddle around in shallow water searching for seeds, insects, and small aquatic invertebrates to eat.

Once completed, a new pump (recently ordered by Ducks Unlimited) located on Big Mineral Creek will provide a reliable water source through underground pipe that will allow flooding of all wetlands on both sides of Wildlife Drive for almost a mile. This will ensure that ducks arriving for the winter have shallow water to land on. Our hope is that - long term - more ducks will find Hagerman a good place to spend the winter and the numbers will increase.

Note: Free pamphlets on wildlife including the wintering ducks and geese are available at Refuge Headquarters during office hours. For more information about Hagerman NWR please see http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html and for information about acitivities and events of the Friends of Hagerman, visit http://www.friendsofhagerman.com.

Kathy Whaley is the Refuge Manager at Hagerman NWR.

Twelve Days of Winter at the Refuge

On the first day of winter, at Hagerman we see - a Cardinal in an oak tree.

On the second day of winter, at Hagerman we see - two eagles soaring and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the third day of winter, at Hagerman we see - three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the fourth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the fifth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the sixth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree

On the seventh day of winter, at Hagerman we see - seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the eighth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the ninth day of winter, at Hagerman we see- nine sparrows “chipping”, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the tenth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - ten pintails dabbling, nine sparrows “chipping”, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the eleventh day of winter, at Hagerman we see - eleven vultures waiting, ten pintails dabbling, nine sparrows “chipping”, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

On the twelfth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - twelve geese a-browsing, eleven vultures waiting, ten pintails dabbling, nine sparrows “chipping”, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a cardinal in an oak tree.

The holidays are a perfect time to visit the Refuge, where you can see all this and more. The official Refuge website, http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html and http://www.friendsofhagerman.com give directions to the Refuge and information on activities there.

Best wishes to all for a very happy holiday season, from the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Post by blog editor, Sue Malnory; photo collage by Sue and Dick Malnory.

Add a New Dimension to Your Visit to Hagerman NWR

By Kathy Whaley, Refuge Manager, with photo by Chris Jennings

Calling all nature explorers! Ever see an animal track and wonder what made it? Do you like to look at birds, but don’t have a pair of binoculars? What kind of snake is that lying across the trail? Would a field guide to birds help you determine if you are looking at a Snow Goose or Ross’s Goose?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, or just enjoy digging a little deeper into the great outdoors than a ride down the wildlife drive, the Friends of Hagerman have a new tool to help you. Four backpacks have been stuffed with items including (1) field guides to birds and other species such as trees, reptiles, or amphibians, (2) laminated photos with tracks of a few species of common Refuge wildlife, (3) a note pad and pencil to write down what you found on your visit, (4) binoculars, and (5) even a hand-held, Earthmate GPS to help you find your way to new places on the Refuge!

The best part is….. these backpacks are available for you to check-out and take with you for the day FREE OF CHARGE. All you have to do is stop by the headquarters to pick it up. The only think you will need to provide is a copy of the driver’s license for the person driving the car, and a contact phone number. Come on out and explore Hagerman! There’s a whole natural world out there just waiting on you.

Headquarters at Hagerman NWR is located in a temporary office/trailer on Refuge Road, and is open Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4 pm; Saturday, 9 am - 3 pm, and Sunday, 1 - 4 pm. Holiday hours: open Dec. 24, 10 - Noon; closed Dec. 25. Open Jan. 1, 10 am - 3 pm. Visitors are welcome; please stop and sign in. Free maps, guides and brochures are available in addition to the backpacks.

For more information, please visit the official website for the Refuge, http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html and for the Friends of Hagerman, http://www.friendsofhagerman.com.

This Recipe is for the Birds

Last week we blogged about the thousands of geese that have arrived at Hagerman NWR to spend the winter. Today we are narrowing the focus to our own backyard, where winter weather is bringing more birds to our feeders; all the songbirds we get love this homemade bird food. The recipe originally came from a co-worker, years ago, who showed me how to take a section of tree branch, 1-1/2 inches or more in diameter, drill some holes in it, add a screw eye on one end, and hang near your other bird feeders. Then you pack the holes with the mix. For a time we also spread it on an old flat plastic grater with a handle for hanging - that worked well until a raccoon or possum departed with it one night. And some people simply slather it on the rough bark of a tree trunk.

The easiest method to make the bird food is to use a food processor, but you can use a mixer or simply work with your hands to blend the ingredients in a large bowl:

Basic ingredients: flour, cornmeal, lard, peanut butter

Optional add-ins - peanuts or other nuts, raisins or other dried fruit (chop these before adding, if not using a food processor)

Start with about 1 cup each of flour and of cornmeal, 1/4 cup each lard and peanut butter and mix well. Add more of the fats if too dry, or more dry ingredients if too soft. Blend in optional add-ins once you have the desired consistency, a "dough" that is not sticky. Store in a sealed container. We use it quickly enough that we have no problems with the mix becoming rancid but you could make smaller batches until your bird visitors get “hooked” on it.

Making the feeder and a batch of the mix for a gift is also a good holiday project for children. Similar feeders and dough can also be purchased ready-to-use in specialty bird retail stores.

Winter birds abound at Hagerman NWR, witness the bird survey highlights posted each week on the Friends Facebook page and website. The annual Christmas Bird Count for Hagerman NWR will be held Saturday, December 18; for details and to participate, see the December edition of the Featherless Flyer, http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/images/articles/20101201124109_foh_flyer_dec__2010.pdf

The official site for Hagerman NWR is http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html ; for information about activities and programs of the Friends, please visit http://www.friendsofhagerman.com .

This week's post contributed by blog editor, Sue Malnory. Photo of Carolina Wren at feeder, by Dick Malnory

Name That Goose

Ten thousand or so geese spend the winter at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and are a popular sight for visitors to the refuge. Here are two questions frequently asked by visitors, related to the geese, and answers to help identify the various species.

“What do you mean, Snow Goose or Ross’s Goose? They all look the same to me!”

That’s true, until you start looking more closely. Ross’s Geese are smaller than Snow Geese, but the relative size can be hard to distinguish when you are looking at a flock of a thousand or more white geese. Instead, look at the shape of the head and bill.

The Ross’s head is more rounded, with a stubby bill which appears thicker at the base. The border at the base of the bill is straight and vertical.

The head of the Snow Goose is more wedge-shaped, with a longer appearing bill. There is a black line between the upper and lower mandibles, or bill, known as a “grin patch”; the base of the bill is more curved that on the Ross’s.

“Okay, but what are those dark colored geese in with ‘Snow Geese’”?

The dark colored geese with white heads are dark phase Snow Geese. These were once called the Blue Goose. They will not become white over time, but are a variation. Dark phase is rare with Ross’s Geese.

Next time you go out to see the geese, take your binoculars, or borrow some from the Refuge Headquarters, so that you can take a close look at the head and bill shape and you will find that you can identify the different species!

This week's post written by Dick Malnory.

AND - on Saturday, December 11, Dr. Wayne Meyer and Rick Cantu will give a presentation for Second Saturday on Wintering Waterfowl at Hagerman, then accompany you on a guided tour, aboard a TAPS bus, along Wildlife Drive. The bus will hold 29 passengers, so for those who are awaiting their turn, a special slide presentation of pix from the Fall 2010 Photo Safari will be shown and Derek Miller will demo use of the new handheld GPS that can be checked out at Refuge HQ for use on the Refuge.

For more information about activities at the Refuge, please check our website, http://www.friendsofhagerman.com . The official site for Hagerman NWR is http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html.