Backyard Bird Show

Did you get a bird feeder for Christmas?  If not, go “gift” yourself one now for a ticket to a daily show right outside your window, especially during this cold weather.  If you are going to have just one feeder, tube feeders are recommended by Audubon as the best choice.  Depending on your budget, go for the best constructed feeder for long-time use.

Fill your tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds, a seed mix, peanuts, or safflower.    A visitor like the Northern Cardinal can "make your day"!  Their favorite is the sunflower seeds; we have not had many takers for safflower at our house, although it is recommended for some birds.  The feeder should be hung no closer than 3 feet to your window, to prevent bird strikes, and at least 5 feet off the ground.  Baffles can be added to deter the squirrels.  Thistle feeders are a specialized tube feeder for finches and similar birds, offering the small seed through tiny ports.  The thistle seed has to be fresh; we have goldfinch swarming our regular tube feeder for sunflower seed, so we forego the thistle.

Another choice is the hopper type feeder; hang these 5 feet off the ground also, to feed seeds and cracked corn.   The hopper, looking like a little house, provides some protection for seed from wet weather.  Ground feeders, unprotected from wet weather, should have a bottom made of mesh, or other means of drainage and should be placed away from shrubs to eliminate “blinds” for birds’ predators.  You can put just about any type of seed other than the very fine thistle in the ground feeder. 

The bug eaters among your bird visitors will also enjoy a suet feeder, and we find they attract just about everyone during really cold weather.

Finally, add a birdbath to your feeding area to bring in birds not usually seen at backyard feeders.  Recently we have had an Eastern Bluebird and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet coming right outside our kitchen window for water.

We will discuss feeder sanitation in a later post.  Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the show!

Note:  The Friends of Hagerman Nature Nook, at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge has a number of books on backyard birds in stock.

Room for Wildlife

We have had night visitors at our backyard bird feeders several times this winter. The accompanying photo shows a young raccoon enjoying sunflower seeds one evening this week. We generally deal with this by bringing the feeders in at night for awhile until the “varmints” give up and go elsewhere, but the latest incident made me think about a recent article I read listing the loss of habitat as a major cause of bird deaths. "Elsewhere" is dwindling. Hence the importance of Hagerman and other national wildlife refuges whose mission is to provide protection, rest and shelter for migratory and other birds.

In the 2006 animated movie, Over the Hedge, a subplot shows the difficulty animals experience in the face of blind development. Think about the birds who travel the North American flyways - for years they follow a chain of a welcoming lakes, forests or prairies, then one year, oops, now a mall or housing development or major highway has taken over one or more links in that chain. You could liken it to your favorite vacation spot closing down or pricing you out! But survival, not simply enjoyment, is at stake here. Let’s support the national wildlife refuges and “leave the light on” for wildlife, as Tom Bodett would say.

To learn more about Hagerman NWR, its mission and birds of the Refuge, please go to the offical website, http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html; you can also learn about acitivites and events at the Refuge by clicking on the Friends of Hagerman link, http://www.friendsofhagerman.com.

Today's post by Sue Malnory, photo by Dick Malnory

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

Saturday Morning at Hagerman's Visitor Center

A gray chilly morning...wonder if we will have any visitors this morning...We did see two does in a field south of Refuge Road as we drove in, instantly making the whole effort worthwhile!

Then, shortly after we put out the "Open" flag, the first visitor arrived, out photographing wildlife. He showed us some of his pix on his camera view screen and voila, we saw that 18 American White Pelicans are now in at the Refuge.

Next a small group came in, members of Texoma Trails Alliance, gathering for a group hike. They were interested in the printed Refuge trail guides and looking at the various items in the nature exhibit area. Once everyone arrived, they walked the Harris Creek Trail and brought in some white goose feathers picked up on the trail before leaving for the day; they saw no geese but at least had "evidence" geese had been there!

Another photographer came in toting the largest lens we had ever seen! She was very excited about trying out this newest addition to her camera equipment, and received many admiring oohs and ahhs.

Among other visitors was a couple from New Mexico, who traveled to this area for a family celebration. They had recently been birding in Coast Rica and were awed by the birds seen there, but they also enjoyed watching birds at the Refuge feeder.

An Eagle Scout candidate came to check in before working on his project, replacement of benches along Harris Creek Trail.

Our last group for the morning was a youth group from West Sherman Baptist Church; they came to hike one of the trails. We were excited to see these young people interested in being outdoors and in learning about nature. Someday they will be the volunteers in the Vistor Center at Hagerman.

The Visitor Center hours are 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Saturday, and 1 - 4 p.m., Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day .

To download guides to each of the five trails at Hagerman NWR, go to http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/ - Click for NEWS and then About Hagerman. (Photo - American White Pelicans at Refuge, by Rick Cantu)

New Year's Resolution

For 2010, resolve to invite Mother Nature into your life! Ramp up the wildlife in your backyard! For bird feeder fun: purchase a new feeder and feeding supplies; it may take the birds awhile to find it if you are not already feeding, but they will come if you
a. Hang the feeder where birds will be safe from lurking cats
b. Place the feeder where birds can alight on nearby shrub, tree or other object and survey the scene before flying to the feeder
c. Keep feeders clean and supplied with fresh seed, suet, etc.
d. Don’t be too tidy – birds enjoy hunting for bugs and seeds among leaf litter under shrubs, etc.
e. You can squirrel-proof your feeder but why not enjoy the squirrels too?

Add a freeze-proof birdbath; yes they make them with heaters or pumps that keep the water moving! Again, keep it clean and full! Keep a brush pile for the enjoyment of the birds and rabbits. If space allows, add plants known to attract birds and butterflies to your garden.

Before the current cold spell our yard was visited by hundreds of robins! Now white-winged doves are vying with the songbirds for spaces at the feeders. Buy a bird book if you don’t already have one so you can identify your visitors.

Want to go further afield? When warmer weather comes you can enjoy wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies and more! Check out the parks in your area. Take your new bird book along, and binoculars if you have them. Visit the new Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas. Be a regular at Hagerman NWR! Explore each of the five trails at the Refuge for a variety of habitat and wildlife. Enjoy the Second Saturday nature programs and for youngsters, the new Second Saturday series for Youth, beginning January 9, at 10 a.m. in the Visitor Center. See you there!


To learn more about birds, visit

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

For information on programs and activities at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, see http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/

Christmas Bird Count

Time once again for the annual Christmas Bird Count. At Hagerman National WIldlife Refuge, birders of all levels of ability are needed for the 2009 count on Saturday, 19 December. Meet at the refuge headquarters, 6465 Refuge Rd., Sherman, TX, at 7:00 AM to divide into teams. Anyone interested in searching for owls is welcome to meet Dr. Wayne Meyer at the headquarters building at 4:45 AM. The Friends of Hagerman NWR will be hosting a compilation social at 5:00 PM. All participants are encouraged to attend as the day’s results are added. If you want to participate you can just show up on count day, but it would help in planning if you let Dr. Meyer know you’ll be coming ahead of time. He can be reached at wmeyer@austincollege.edu or you can leave voice mail at 903-813-2254.


Reporting for the 2008 count, Dr. Meyer said "The count wasn’t blessed with as many interesting species as 2007 but we got 112 species this year, which is a very high count in comparison to several of the previous years. Probably because of the number of participants, we managed to see pretty much everything that was around this year, only one species was found on the count circle during count week that wasn’t located on count day (Lincoln’s Sparrow). You can see our results at the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count page (and the results of previous years) at
http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/. A summary of the count for this year is also included below.

Our most unusual species was Barn Owl, our first since 1992. We also got Fish Crow, two on the Oklahoma side of the circle. We set record high numbers for Bufflehead, Common Loon, Great Egret, Cooper's Hawk, Barn Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Pine Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow and Vesper Sparrow. We had 21 participants, the most we've had in many years, plus we got 6 feeder watchers to join in.

Results for 2008:
Checklist
Species Number or cw Flags, Max Number, Number of counts
Greater White-fronted Goose 82, 1120 in 100 23
Snow Goose (white form) 5510, 10480 in 102 12
Snow Goose (blue form) 800, 1611 in 102 23
Ross's Goose 1400, 3100 in 104 23
Cackling Goose 162, 553 in 107 4
Canada Goose 609, 4249 in 86 15
Wood Duck 2 LC, 41 in 105 20
Gadwall 58, 632 in 101 23
American Wigeon 13, 88 in 108 20
Mallard 379, 3523 in 99 23
Northern Shoveler 59, 356 in 89 23
Northern Pintail 79, 2172 in 99 23
Green-winged Teal 385, 3081 in 106 6
duck sp. 2, 954 in 106 22
Canvasback 7, 69 in 107 13
Ring-necked Duck 55, 1227 in 106 23
Lesser Scaup 9, 81 in 96 22
Bufflehead 29 HC, 29 in 107 18
Common Goldeneye 2 ,10 in 90 15
Hooded Merganser 14, 48 in 89 23
Ruddy Duck 5, 27 in 107 12
Wild Turkey 8, 61 in 99 12
Common Loon 83, HC, 35 in 99 20
Pied-billed Grebe 7 LC, 35 in 87 23
Horned Grebe 1, 128 in 87 18
American White Pelican 11 LC, 285 in 108 23
Double-crested Cormorant 462, 2199 in 102 23
Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 69, 142 in 99 23
Great Egret 14 HC, 8 in 108 10
Black Vulture 320, 268 in 108 23
Turkey Vulture 242, 305 in 103 23
Bald Eagle 6, 32 in 99 23
Northern Harrier 6, 31 in 101 22
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3, 10 in 105 22
Cooper's Hawk 3 HC, 3 in 105 16
Red-shouldered Hawk 15, 24 in 105 23
Red-tailed Hawk 62, 101 in 95 23
Krider's Hawk 1, US, 0
American Kestrel 37, 63 in 93 23
Sora 3, 9 in 108 4
American Coot 143 ,724 in 106 23
Killdeer 23, 252 in 100 23
Greater Yellowlegs 19, 74 in 104 20
Least Sandpiper 34, 118 in 99 16
Wilson's Snipe 8, 35 in 103 5
Bonaparte's Gull 105, 3540 in 87 23
Ring-billed Gull 855, 31568 in 97 23
Herring Gull 7, 18 in 99 20
Forster's Tern 61, 338 in 107 23
Rock Pigeon 1, 43 in 108 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1 LC, 13 in 108 5
Mourning Dove 102, 297 in 97 23
Inca Dove 8, 9 in 106 4
Greater Roadrunner 2, 19 in 88 20
Barn Owl 2 HC, US, 1 in 93 1
Great Horned Owl 1, 7 in 86 12
Barred Owl 5 ,16 in 87 22
Belted Kingfisher 8, 23 in 105 23
Red-headed Woodpecker 4, 16 in 94 15
Red-bellied Woodpecker 54, 88 in 99 23
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 17, 39 in 105 23
Downy Woodpecker 57 HC, 55 in 99 23
Hairy Woodpecker 4, 7 in 87 21
Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker 90, 157 in 93 23
Pileated Woodpecker 5, 10 in 105 20
Eastern Phoebe 16, 22 in 105 21
Loggerhead Shrike 12, 87 in 87 23
Blue Jay 116, 343 in 102 23
American Crow 394, 8492 in 95 23
Fish Crow 2 US, 3 in 103 3
Horned Lark 73, 196 in 93 22
Carolina Chickadee 243, 341 in 99 23
Tufted Titmouse 132, 92 in 86 22
White-breasted Nuthatch 11, 15 in 102 20
Brown Creeper 9, 19 in 91 23
Carolina Wren 59 HC, 69 in 95 23
Bewick's Wren 6, 15 in 89 22
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2, 36 in 87 21
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 45, 78 in 108 23
Eastern Bluebird 293, 480 in 102 23
Hermit Thrush 5, 23 in 86 22
American Robin 572, 16763 in 93 23
Northern Mockingbird 77, 154 in 105 23
Brown Thrasher 5, 23 in 88 23
European Starling 783, 101388 in 87 23
American Pipit 10, 104 in 95 19
Cedar Waxwing 333, 1710 in 93 23
Orange-crowned Warbler 4, 9 in 105 10
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 162, 730 in 93 22
Pine Warbler 9 HC, 6 in 101 9
Spotted Towhee 2, 8 in 89 16
Eastern Towhee 3 HC, 3 in 107 9
Chipping Sparrow 272 HC, 184 in 108 21
Field Sparrow 45, 287 in 100 23
Vesper Sparrow 27 HC, 23 in 96 21
Savannah Sparrow 46, 252 in 108 23
Le Conte's Sparrow 1 LC, 22 in 96 16
Fox Sparrow 14, 72 in 100 23
Song Sparrow 27, 211 in 99 23
Lincoln's Sparrow cw 25 in 93 21
Swamp Sparrow 3, 42 in 87 21
White-throated Sparrow 103, 289 in 86 23
Harris's Sparrow 90 512 in 93 23
White-crowned Sparrow 151, 278 in 93 23
sparrow sp. 69, 275 in 96 19
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco 693, 933 in 94 22
Northern Cardinal 381, 521 in 93 23
Red-winged Blackbird 149, 13332 in 87 23
Eastern Meadowlark 2, 892 in 94 23
Western Meadowlark 1, 8 in 103 19
meadowlark sp. 254, 3125 in 92 23
Brewer's Blackbird 40, 639 in 93 19
Common Grackle 5, 21230 in 88 22
Brown-headed Cowbird 77, 1132 in 88 22
blackbird sp. 305, 9895 in 88 23
House Finch 2 LC, 177 in 99 16
Pine Siskin 6 LC, 83 in 108 12
American Goldfinch 438, 960 in 102 23
House Sparrow 95, 260 in 88 23
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS COUNTED 19304
TOTAL SPECIES REPORTED 112 +1 cw
cw = Reported count week;
US = Flagged as an unusual species;
HC = Flagged as an unusually high count.
LC = Flagged as an unusually low count.

For more information about Hagerman NWR, see http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html, and for information about programs and activities at the Refuge, see http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/.

One Very Large Bird Feeder

Do you feed the birds who come to your backyard? What if your backyard was over 11,000 acres and full of hungry birds!
The mission of Hagerman NWR is to provide for migratory waterfowl, so each fall crops are planted to meet the needs of thousands of geese who will winter at the Refuge. The geese will browse on the tender green shoots of wheat and the goal in planting is to have a more than ample supply so that the geese stay on the Refuge rather than visit nearby farms! Other crops such as corn and soybeans are planted for both visiting and resident wildlife.
The Refuge wetlands are managed to provide for the ducks and other waterfowl. In the spring and summer marshes are drained and native vegetation allowed to grow; then each fall the marshes are flooded, creating an ideal “soup” for the ducks.
Periodic controlled “burns” are conducted to keep unwanted vegetation such as cedars and honey locust from taking over the prairie landscape, helping to maintain a habitat for the many seed- and bug-eating birds.
The next time you shop for birdseed or a new feeder for your backyard, think about stocking over 600 acres “for the birds”.

BIRD SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM NOVEMBER 17TH - 72 species seen: 1,300 snow geese, 700 Ross' geese, 125 white fronted geese, 300 pintail, 120 white pelicans, 1,200 Franklin's gull, 75 green winged teal, 70 mallard, 50 shoveler, 35 gadwall, 27 great egret, 60 meadowlark, 25 junco, and 15 bluebirds.

For more information about activities at Hagerman NWR, please see http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/