Coming Soon: Geese at Hagerman NWR

Great flocks of waterfowl arrive at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge every fall from the Central Fly-way to find food, shelter and protection for the winter. Waterfowl are the Order Anderiformes, Family Anatidae. Geese are the Subfamily Anserinae. Geese are heavier and have longer necks than ducks. Their short legs are farther forward than those of ducks; an adaptation for more efficient grazing since they are terrestrial feeders.

Gaggle of Geese, by Ron M. Varley

Geese have broad, round tipped bills and feed on grains, seeds, aquatic plants and young grasses. They thrive in the wheat fields over the winter at Hagerman. The geese migration is best known for the large number of birds migrating and for the loud, noisy communities that spend the winter here.

Male and female geese look identical. They fly with deep, powerful wing beats. In November at Hagerman, listen for the noisy birds migrating and look for the V formations and long undulating lines. Some 7,500 - 10,000 geese will winter on the refuge feeding on green wheat shoots and aquatic plants. Rested and refueled, they return north along the Central Flyway to nest in the Arctic again next summer.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are the most widespread geese in North America with a black head and neck, white breast and chin strap and characteristic honk, bark or cackle, but the Snow Geese are the most abundant Hagerman winter residents.  Snow Geese are smaller than Canada Geese and migrate in to Hagerman in great numbers along with even smaller Ross’s Geese (Chen rossii).  Hagerman also has some Greater White Fronted Geese (Anser albifrons),  brownish geese with  white faces and orange legs.

Greater White-fronted Geese, Ross's Goose, by Carl Hill

 Snow Geese are white with black wing tips.  Ross’s Geese, also white, and Snows are difficult to distinguish by size when in a large mixed flock.   Distinguishing marks are on the head.  Look for the shape of the head and length of the bill.  Snow Geese have a long tapered bill, with a dark line between the upper and lower bill, called a “grin patch”, and sloping foreheads.  The bill of the Ross’s  is shorter or stubbier and lacks the “grin patch”; the head is more round, with a steeper forehead.  Ross’s are becoming increasing more common winter residents and mix well with Snow Geese.

Perfect Two-point, by Bert Garcia

Hagerman provides food, rest and shelter for the migrating geese that now depend on the 300 acres of planted wheat for energy to keep warm and build up reserves for the return trip north. Providing food also keeps the birds from foraging in farmer’s fields. Historically, waste grain from agricultural fields was the primary food source for migratory geese, but more efficient harvesting leaves less food available in the field. Without Hagerman management, there would not be enough food energy to sustain the numbers of geese over wintering here in north Texas.

ED Note: Adapted from an article prepared by Helen Petre that appeared in the Featherless Flyer, November, 2009.

On December 8, 2012, Dr. Wayne Meyer's Second Saturday topic will be Winter Waterfowl, and Geese, Geese, Geese will be the topic for Second Saturday for Youth.  Both programs will include a guided trip along Wildlife Drive aboard TAPS to see the winter waterfowl at the Refuge.

AND!  Book a seat for a tour aboard the new C&E Express, on Wednesday and weekends.  Call the Refuge for reservations.

For Second Saturday, September 8

In the spring of 2007 a new program was offered at the Refuge, by the Friends of Hagerman – Second Saturday.  Getting the word out was a challenge and for the first year or so attendance did not set any records, to say the least!  But gradually a lot of people found out about this great resource for nature information and you could say that Second Saturday had arrived.

Month by month a wonderful variety of program topics have been presented by interesting and knowledgeable speakers, many willing to come again and again to share their expertise and experiences with us.  Especially heavy hitters have been Dr. Wayne Meyer and his colleagues in the Austin College Biology Department.  And for September, Wayne has been instrumental in arranging for a “homecoming” for Second Saturday.

Dr. Charles R. Brown, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Tulsa, will present Social Behavior of Cliff Swallows: Insights from a 30-Year Study.  Brown is a native of Sherman, and became interested in birds at age 11 when he began studying Purple Martins.  He birded extensively at Hagerman through junior high, high school, and college.  Long-time residents may recall a bird column in the then Sherman Democrat, penned by Brown as a youngster.

Brown received a B.A. in biology from Austin College and a Ph.D. in biology from Princeton University.  He was on the faculty at Yale University before joining the University of Tulsa in 1994.  Brown has been doing a long-term study of cliff swallow social behavior and ecology in western Nebraska since 1982.  He is the recipient of the American Ornithologists’ Union’s Elliot Coues Award in 2009 and the Animal Behavior Society’s Exemplar Award in 2011.

Also set for September 8:

Second Saturday for Youth program, Learn About Fish, for ages 4 – 10, from 10 – 11:30 am, offering hands-on nature crafts and games.  Children under age 6 must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult.  Please make a reservation for each child by calling the refuge at 903-786-2826 by 3 pm Friday, September 7, or  by using  Contact on  the Friends website.

The Friends of Hagerman Nature Photography Club will meet at 12:30 pm, Audio/Visual Classroom, FOH Center, with a program by Sally Papin on using layers to create art from photos.  The theme for sharing is “Landscapes,” with the option of using HDR for your image.  

Thanks to our gracious volunteer presenters and to Friends memberships and donations, all Second Saturday activities are free of charge and open to the public.  Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma. 

For more information, call the refuge or visit www.friendsofhagerman.com.

Click Second Saturday to see a complete list of programs through the years.

Second Saturday Programs for August 11, 2012

Invasives at the Refuge will be the topic for Second Saturday program at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, on August 11.  The program will begin at 10 a.m. in the Visitor Center meeting room.

An invasive species is non-native to a particular ecosystem and spreads or reproduces rapidly and causes harm to the environment, human health, and or the economy.  North Texas residents have all been reading and hearing about one invasive species, the zebra mussel.  Refuge visitors may see or hear large groups of feral hogs (see photo below, by Carl Hill) and their detrimental effect on the wildlife habitat.  Learn which other plants and animals are on the list of invasive species and what is and can be done.

Presenting the program will be Saul Petty, who is the Invasive Species Biologist at the Refuge. Petty moved to Hagerman in late July 2010 from Louisiana, where he worked for the US Forest Service.  He received a Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M – College Station in Horticulture and a Master’s degree in Forestry. Petty’s duties include providing guidance and technical assistance regarding invasive species management to refuges throughout Texas and Oklahoma.

Also on August 11, youngsters ages 4-10 are invited to the Second Saturday for Youth program, entitled Fun with Fossils.  The program includes nature crafts and activities and will be led by Katie Palmer; it begins at 10 a.m.  Children under age 6 must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult.  To assure adequate supplies for each youth, advance registration is required and can be made by calling the refuge at 903-786-2826.  The youth program meets in the Audio Visual Classroom, FOH Center.

All Second Saturday activities are free of charge and open to the public.  Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma, at 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, Texas, 75092.  For more information, call the Refuge or visit http://www.friendsofhagerman.com.

July 14 Second Saturday Activities

By Kelby Archer

Wildflowers will be the featured topic for Second Saturday at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge on July 14. Dr. Connie Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, will be the speaker for the program, which will begin at 10 am in the Multi-purpose Room of the Visitor Center at the Refuge.

Dr. Taylor, who now lives on her own prairie east of Durant, Oklahoma, retired after teaching at Southeastern Oklahoma State University for 28 years. She holds three degrees in Botany from the University of Oklahoma. Among her special research interests are the goldenrods of Oklahoma and Texas and Southwestern U.S.; the distribution of all the native and naturalized plants of Oklahoma, and study of the seeps and bogs in southeastern Oklahoma.

Dr. Taylor and her husband reported over 150 species of plants new to the Oklahoma Flora, and collected several plants new to science, including 3 in Costa Rica and 2 goldenrods in Oklahoma. Together they were named Oklahoma Scientist of the year in 1993. She is the author of several publications on Oklahoma flora.

Also on the calendar for July 14, early-birds can meet at 8 am at the FOH Center at the Refuge for a nature walk, led by Dr. Wayne Meyer and assisted by Vance Wolf. The walk will conclude in time for Dr. Taylor’s presentation.

Second Saturday for Youth at 10 a.m. will be about the Bald Eagle, with hands-on nature crafts and games for youngsters ages 4 -10. Reservations are required for the youth program, to insure adequate materials, and children aged 6 and under are to be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult. To reserve a spot, call the Refuge, 903 786 2826.

The FOH Nature Photo Club will meet at 12:30pm in the audio/visual classroom of the FOH Center.  “Bugs” is the theme for sharing for July.  Sally Papin will present a program on creating art from photographs using layered textures.  There will also be a presentation of the Spring Photo Safari!

These programs, sponsored by Hagerman NWR and the Friends of Hagerman, are free and open to the public. The Refuge is located at 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX, 75092. For more information, call the Refuge or see www.friendsofhagerman.com.

Butterflies Topic for June 9

Want to identify those beautiful butterflies visiting your garden this summer?  You can learn names and identification tips at Second Saturday at Hagerman NWR on June 9.  Butterflies of North Texas will be the topic, featuring Dale Clark, founder of the Dallas County Lepidopterists’Society.  The program will begin at 10 a.m., in the Visitor Center at the Refuge, located at 6465 Refuge Road in Sherman.  The weather forecast for Saturday is “sunny”, in which case the program will include a short field trip on the Refuge to identify resident butterflies, like the Fritillary, below, photographed by Karen Skogsbergh, May 2012 Photographer of the Month for the Friends of Hagerman.

Clark is the creator of Butterflies Unlimited, a butterfly farm south of Dallas.  He provides over 50 species of live butterflies and moths to zoos and other exhibits throughout the country, and is the editor of the News of the Lepidopterists’ Society, the international newsletter devoted to the study of butterflies and moths.

Birding expert Jack Chiles will lead a guided nature walk on one of the Refuge trails at 8 am Saturday morning, weather permitting.  To join the walk, meet at the FOH Center at the Refuge and wear sturdy shoes; insect repellent is advised.  Participants may bring binoculars, cameras and field guides if desired.  The walk will end in time for the Butterfly presentation.

Youngsters ages 4-10 are invited to the Second Saturday for Youth program on butterflies, also on June 9.  This will be led by Katie Palmer, and will start at 10 a.m. also, ending at 11:30.  Children under age 6 must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult!  To assure adequate supplies for each youth, advance registration is required; call the Refuge, 903 786 2826.

All Second Saturday activities are free of charge and open to the public. In addition to programs, the Refuge offers an 11,000 acre habitat for wildlife and wildlife viewing, with five trails and extensive driving possibilities, fishing, boating and more.  Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma.  For more information, call the Refuge or visit friendsofhagerman.com.