Northern Cardinals Cheer the Landscape

Northern Cardinals, or “redbirds”, are flocking to North Texas backyard bird feeders this week, and are an especially cheery sight with their red or reddish brown plumage contrasting so well with the winter-browned trees and lawns and occasional evergreens. The bright red color makes them a favorite subject for holiday cards also.  Bird Watcher's Digest points out that the  Northern Cardinal, also known as  Cardinal grosbeak and Virginia nightingale, is not the "reddest" bird in North America.  This honor goes to the male summer tanager; the male northern cardinal is not entirely red; notice the black around his bill. The male northern cardinal is the only bright red bird with a crest on this continent, however.

Northern Cardinals at HNWR by Charlie Hernandez

Cornell’s All About Birds has this to say about Cardinals:
The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents.

Northern Cardinals do not migrate and are found primarily in the Eastern half of the United States, as well as in Texas and Arizona, and in Mexico and Central America. During the 2015 Christmas Bird Count at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge,  185 cardinals were reported.


Cardinals mainly eat seeds and fruit and also insects. Hands down, sunflower seed are their favorite at the backyard feeder. While large numbers of cardinals may be seen in flocks much of the year, when breeding season begins they fiercely defend their territory. They will nest in shrubs in residential areas as well as in the wild; cardinals may have one or two broods in a season, with 2 -5 eggs in a clutch.


The cardinal is a popular choice as a mascot for athletic teams and has been chosen as the state bird for seven states. According to Bird Watchers' Digest, the bird's name comes from the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals. Its crested head is also said to resemble a bishop's mitre.


These colorful birds were once sold for caged pets but this became illegal with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.


This post was originally published in December, 2014 and has been updated.  A note about the photo - Hernandez always enjoys photographing the cardinals at the Refuge when he visits, as they are not normally seen in his home state of California.

Feather Wars

Snowy Egret in Breeding Plumage at Hagerman NWR, by Jack Chiles

When you visit a National Wildlife Refuge today, you may not know that the impetus for the creation of what has become our present day refuge system  came from the world of women’s fashions.

Investigating “Feather Wars” on the web, we found this from the Smithsonian Institute:

At the turn of the last century, stylish women wore hats with the latest feather-topped design from Paris, New York, and other centers of fashion. Millinery houses in Europe and America traded internationally and indiscriminately for birds and bird feathers. The more exotic or unique the hat design and feather display, the larger the sales.

By the 1890s, women were wearing whole bodies of birds on hats and clothing. In 1886, noted ornithologist Frank Chapman counted 40 varieties of native birds, or bird parts, decorating three-fourths of the 700 ladies' hats that he had observed in New York City.

Tens of millions of birds, particularly white egrets or herons and small terns, were taken at the height of the feather trade years, from 1870 – 1920.  One auction record alone listed more than one million bird skins sold in London, from 1897 – 1911.

Especially hit by the feather trade was the Florida Everglades, where hunters sought the largest rookeries, killing adult birds and leaving the young to fend for themselves.

According to the Palm Beach County Historical Society,

Plume hunting was an activity almost anyone could do if they owned a gun.  The beautiful down plumage of a Snowy Egret hen nursing her chicks was highly prized and brought the same price-per-ounce as gold.  Without alternative means of commerce of almost any kind, plume hunting became a lucrative activity for men, women, and children in both pioneer and Seminole communities, providing cash for everyday necessities.

As the fashion industry expanded its use of feathers, the scale of this cottage industry became monstrous, and spread globally.  The impact in Palm Beach County on individuals, families, and the natural environment was not reversible. For approximately fifty years, the birds were pursued to near extinction, and the phenomenon inspired some of the earliest and most critical legislation in the area of environmental protection.

Reports of these atrocities led to formation of the first Audubon and conservation societies, whose founders believed they now had enough evidence to change public opinion about hunting regulations. The social and political prominence of these individuals enabled them to promote the passage of laws that began to protect America's native wildlife

In 1896 two Boston women who had founded the Massachusetts Audubon Society, campaigned to convince prominent women that it was wrong to wear feathered or other bird related millinery, holding social events for their cause and also spearheading boycotts. They also convinced women to work with their group to promote the protection of birds.

 In 1901, William Dutcher, chairman of the American Ornithologists Union committee on bird protection traveled to Florida and assisted Florida Audubon in persuading the legislature to pass the Audubon Model Law outlawing plume hunting in the state. Knowing that the protection of Pelican Island would require more legislation, Frank Chapman, curator of the American Museum of Natural History and his fellow advocate, Dutcher went to President Theodore Roosevelt at his home in New York. The two appealed their case to Roosevelt’s conservative ethics. In 1903, President Roosevelt signed an executive order that established Pelican Island as the first federal bird reservation. This was the first time that the federal government put land aside for the sake of wildlife. 

The US Fish & Wildlife Service history site notes that

Theodore Roosevelt set aside over 234 million acres of the country as national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges. Most of the “Feather War” battles were conducted at the legislative level of government. Conservationists pushed legislatures to enact laws that would protect birds and thus end the feather trade. In 1911 New York passed the Audubon Plumage Bill which banned the sale of native bird plumes and closed domestic trade of feathers, in 1913 the Underwood Tariff Bill banned the import of wild bird plumes from other countries into the United States, and in 1916 the Migratory Bird Act ensured the protection of migratory birds through an agreement between the United States, Great Britain, and Canada.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Since we cannot visit Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge due to lake flooding, we are wondering how the Butterfly Garden is faring!  The garden suffered a little washing of mulch and some granite had washed out in one area of the walk, but we had been able to repair that before the flooding began.  The flood water came right up to the foot of the garden but did not cause a problem and should have receded by now.

The water feature has held up well and we have learned to eliminate algae with a safe product, barley extract.

Some of the plants were not happy with the continual rain, but we expect them to take off now that the sun is shining.  A few had begun to bloom, Salvia greggi, Texas lantana, Calylophus (below), Winecup, Giant Black-eyed Susan and Standing cypress. 

At home we have a number of pots of pass-along plants, shown below, just waiting to be transplanted, Turk’s Cap, Fall Aster, Maximilian sunflower, several very small oak trees and a redbud.  We found a mail order source, after searching local nurseries and plant sales, for a hop tree, Ptelea trifoliata, to be delivered this week, hope it travels well!  The hop tree is a host plant for both the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and the Giant Swallowtail.

The garden docents have been working on identifying plants, making labels, and are putting together a notebook with one page devoted to each plant in the garden, giving common name, botanical name, brief description and indicating benefit to wildlife, i.e. nectar and/ or host plant and for which species.  The book will be at the information Desk in the Visitor Center as a reference.  A number of these volunteers attended the butterfly symposium with Dale Clark last weekend, sponsored by the Bluestem Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists.

Due to rain  we were not able to host school groups as planned in May; those who came in April participated in Butterfly College in the garden, learning the life cycle of the Monarch and Butterfly Fun Facts, in addition to enjoying a nature hike, a slide presentation/overview of the Refuge, and the fourth learning station, Little Grass on the Prairie.  We are sharing one of the thank you letters received from a group of second-graders:

Once Refuge Road dries up and is safe to travel we will resume garden work days and Butterfly Walks!  And the Grand Opening for the Garden has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 11. Watch the Friends Facebook Page and the Featherless Flyer for updates.

2013 in Review – Hagerman NWR and the Friends of Hagerman

• January - The Friends of Hagerman excitedly opened online registration for BirdFest Texoma on January 1.  A grant was received from the Fort Worth Audubon Society for the purchase of binoculars to be used on Refuge tours. Pamela Porter was the Photographer of the Month; the Second Saturday program was “Amphibians of Grayson County”, presented by Dr. Michael Keck; for  Second Saturday youth the topic was was “Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit”.  Nest box monitors held a work day to refurbish boxes for the 2013 season.
• February - Hagerman NWR celebrated its 67^th birthday this month.  The new handicapped-accessible portion of Harris Creek Trail was completed, including a photo blind, and the printed Harris Creek Trail guide was updated for the Featherless Flyer, February edition, by Doug Raasch.    Dr. Wayne Meyer’s Second Saturday program on Owls was SRO; the youth topic was “Who Pooped in the Woods?” led by Andrea Gowans.   Bob Brown was the February Photographer of the Month.
• March - Dr. Steven Goldsmith took Second Saturday participants on an armchair tour of Hawaii with his program, Birds of Hawaii.  Andrea Gowans led “What a Boar” for the youth. Karl Haller was honored by the Refuge for 50 years of birding at Hagerman NWR.  Kathy Whaley presented the State of the Refuge to the Friends at their annual meeting, March 23.  Outgoing board members Kay Casey, Peggy Harlan, Susan Knowles and Sue Malnory were recognized.  Harris Creek Trail entrance was improved.  Lee Hatfield was the March Photographer of the Month.  Special programming offered activities for children and families during Spring Break, March 11 – 15. Two weekends were set aside for the first permitted feral hog hunt at the Refuge. Jan Beckert became the new editor of the Featherless Flyer.
• April - Plans for BirdFest Texoma ramped up during the final month before the event. Dr. David Baker presented “Extreme Weather on Earth and Beyond” for Second Saturday. Katie Merrick led the yout program, Fossils, Rocks and Minerals.  Charlie Hernandez was the Photographer of the Month.    Officials from the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Southwest Region traveled to the Refuge to present a plaque to the Friends, represented by Dick Malnory FOH Board president, board members and Friends,  as the inaugural honorees of the Friends Recognition Program.  Two weekends were set aside for the first permitted wild turkey hunt at the Refuge. Twelve interpretive signs were installed along the new loop of Harris Creek Trail.
• May - BirdFest Texoma, featuring David Sibley and the popular Jonathan Woods Raptor Project was a huge success, thanks to Cathy Van Bebber, the fest committee, Refuge staff, presenters,  and generous sponsors.  Sibley led a field trip, signed books and presented a painting demonstration; the painting was sold at auction and the considerable proceeds went to the Friends for Refuge projects.  Plans were in the works for a floating tern “island” to facilitate nesting success for Interior Least Terns.  John S. Mead was the photographer of the Month. An all-time monthly record was set when 2122 folks were counted at the Visitor Center, and another records-breaker was the 108 bird species counted during the 5 hour bird census on May 7, reported by Jack Chiles.
• June - Acres of glorious wildflowers and the nesting Pied-billed Grebes and Gallinules in the marsh areas were the big wildlife news this month. The first of two planned tern nesting floating platforms was set in place this month.  New directional signs showing the way to the Refuge were added on U. S. Hwy 82 and Hwy 289. John Scruggs was the Photographer of the Month.  For Second Saturday, TPWD Biologist Bruce Hysmith spoke on “Lake Texoma, Uncommon Fishery”; youth topic for the month was SSSsnakes, led by Master Naturalist Donna Rogers. A volunteer orientation and training was held on June 10 and five new volunteers stepped up to work in the Visitor Center. Jesse Trujillo, college student from Roswell, New Mexico, arrived to intern at the Refuge and assist in Dr. Wayne Meyer’s Grassland Research project and TPWD Dove Banding project.
• July -Dr. Keith Kisselle presented “Global Warming” for Second Saturday while KXII Meteorologist Steve Lanore taught the youth some basic weather facts, assisted by Carol Hix.  The 4^th annual Hagerman Nature Photography Contest, coordinated by Nature Photo Club chair Laurie Sheppard,  began accepting entries this month. Kevin Vaughn was the July Photographer of the Month. Visitors continued to enjoy watching the nestling Grebes and Gallinules thanks to the wetlands improvements made over the past two years at the Refuge.
• August - A reporter from National Public Radio visited the Refuge to interview Karl Haller about his 50 years of birding there, and a KXII-TV reporter joined in also for a day of birding with Karl.  Dr. Wayne Meyer spoke at Second Saturday on “Bird Migration”.  No more Second Saturday for Youth; due to the need for additional meeting space for eht large number of attendees, the program was organized into two age groups meeting for parallel topics, as Youth FIRST and the August 3 topic was “Going Batty” led by Carol Hix and Sue Malnory.  Monica Babin Muil was named Photographer of the Month.  Refuge staff began spreading crushed red granite along Wildlife Drive, which should make it practically dust-free. 
• September - September 8 marked the two-year anniversary of the Grand Opening for the New Refuge Office and Visitor Center.  Workampers Bill and Carol Powell, who made a special trip to the Refuge to assist with BirdFest, were welcomed back for the 4^th year.  Geology instructor Rick Lynn spoke on Texoma Geology for Second Saturday, while the youth topic was Monarch Migration, led by Cindy Steele,  which brought out a record number of children and families.  Rick Cantu presented a Bowhunting Hagerman Seminar for archery deer hunters this month, also.  Photographer of the Month was Maggie Goodman. A Fall Volunteer Orientation and Training was held with a large number in attendance.
• October - Shutdown!   Super Saturday and other planned events were cancelled, however the Refuge re-opened in time for the Fall Photo Safari, held October 26, and awards were presented to winners of the Nature Photography Contest following the safari – Donna Niemann received Best in Show, First Places went to Donna, Bob Brown, Carl Hill and Bill Powell.  Brian Kaylor was Photographer of the Month.
• November -The topic was Deer for both Second Saturday, led by Rick Cantu, and the youth program, led by Martha Floyd and Andrea Gowans.  A record number attended High on the Hawg, led by Chair, Ron Varley, on a beautiful fall evening.  Roger Sanderson was on hand with plans for the proposed Butterfly Garden,  with dinner proceeds going into the project fund.  A major cold front led to cancellation of the Heard Photo Club trip to the Refuge the following weekend. Geese began appearing at the Refuge in mid-month.  The Friends gained a new Life Member, Trey Neal.
• December -The month began with balmy weather which ended on December 5 with the Big Chill – the Refuge was iced in for a week, and Youth FIRST and group visits were cancelled.  Dr. Wayne Meyer presented the Second Saturday program, Winter Waterfowl at the Refuge, but very few stuck around during the week-long ice spell. Finally on December 13 the geese began returning to the Refuge.  The annual Christmas Bird Count was held on December 21.

Northern Cardinals Cheer the Landscape

Northern Cardinals, or “redbirds”, are flocking to North Texas backyard bird feeders this week, and are an especially cheery sight with their red or reddish brown plumage contrasting so well with the snow and ice covered trees and lawns.  The bright red color makes them a favorite subject for holiday cards  also. 

Northern Cardinals at HNWR by Charlie Hernandez

Cornell’s All About Birds has this to say about Cardinals:  

The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents.

Northern Cardinals do not migrate and are found primarily in the Eastern half of the United States, as well as in Texas and Arizona, and in Mexico and Central America.   During the 2012 Christmas Bird Count at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge,  213 cardinals were reported.

Cardinals mainly eat seeds and fruit and also insects.  Hands down, sunflower seed are their favorite at the backyard feeder.  While large numbers of cardinals may be seen in flocks much of the year, when breeding season begins they fiercely defend their territory. They will nest in shrubs in residential areas as well as in the wild; cardinals may have one or two broods in a season, with 2 -5 eggs in a clutch.

The cardinal is a popular choice as a mascot for athletic teams and has been chosen as the state bird for seven states.  According to Word IQ  the bird's name comes from the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals. Its crested head is also said to resemble a bishop's mitre. 

These colorful birds were once sold for caged pets but this became illegal  with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

A note about the photo - Hernandez always enjoys photographing the cardinals at the Refuge when he visits, as they are not normally seen in his home state of California.