PRESIDENT’S
PEN
by
Lynn Barber
Let
me warn you—this column is a bit preachy, but I hope you read on. In my “chases” after rare birds this year, I’ve noticed
more often than I would like that some birders seem to put finding a bird
way before concern about the bird, the bird’s environment or other
birders’ possibility of finding the bird.
Although probably all serious birders have stepped over the line or
really close to it sometimes in their enthusiasm to find that wonderful
bird, we all need to remind ourselves that not everything is allowable in
the quest for that bird.
It’s
not just me who’s become concerned about this—if you are signed on to
the Texbirds listserve, you may have seen a number of comments by birders
who were upset with other birders’ behavior.
And the American Birding Association, in its attempt to keep
birders in line, has developed the Code of Birding Ethics, which may be
found in full at their web site and at http://www.americanbirding.org/abaethics.pdf
Before
I get to the code itself, let me entertain you with my poetic rendition
about it (please fast forward if you don’t like doggerel):
In
brief (in my words), the ABA Code provides that birders should:
1)
promote the welfare of birds and their environment by supporting habitat
protection, avoiding stressing birds or exposing them to danger (which
includes limiting use of recordings, staying back from nests, using
artificial light sparingly in photography), avoiding publicizing rare
birds if the presence of lots of birders could disturb the bird, and
staying on roads and trails where they exist and otherwise keep habitat
disturbance to a minimum;
2)
respect the law and rights of others (property rights and common
courtesy);
3)
ensure that feeders, nest structures and other artificial bird
environments are safe; and
4)
if doing group birding, take special care, including in some cases,
intervening if you witness unethical behavior of others, as well as a
number of other obligations.
I hope we can all work to follow the code and to encourage others to do so.
Thanks
to the following donors of door prizes for the January meeting
Bob
Ryan
Suzanne
Davis
George
& Marion Midgley
Wild
Bird Center-Watauga
Happy Birding
Practical
Green
by D. D. Currie
Brush
Piles—The Latest Recycling Craze
Although
a little unsightly to some, a brush pile can serve many purposes.
A brush pile provides great cover, protection, and roosting spots
for a
number
of birds including sparrows, cardinals, juncos, towhees, and wrens.
By building a brush pile, you can instantly create a new habitat in
your yard that may not be naturally occurring, while waiting for cover
plants to
mature.
It is also an excellent way to recycle yard debris rather than
disposing of this great resource in our local landfills.
Building
a brush pile is easy and can be done any time of the year.
You can and should periodically add items to the pile as you do
yard maintenance. I like to
put very small tree limbs and twigs, trimmings from shrubs, and woody
trimmings from the perennial garden.
You can also include things like old tomato plants, pepper plants,
etc., when you clean out your vegetable garden at the end of the season.
My
brush pile recently provided a group of House Sparrows and a couple of
Carolina Wrens a hiding place from a very aggressive Cooper’s Hawk. The
hawk actually landed on the brush pile and probed through it looking for
the birds to no avail.
Remember
to bring your books and magazines to the free Book Exchange at each
monthly meeting. Don’t put
them in the landfill. Give
them to, or swap them with, like-minded friends.
Beginning
Birdwatching Class - Grapevine
Classes:
March 15 & 19, 7:00-9:00 PM (Mitchell House)
Field
Trips:
March 19 & April 2, 8:00-11:00 AM (binoculars provided if desired)
Ages:
12 and up (children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult)—$30
Topics:
How to identify birds and use field guide books, how to choose binoculars,
where to find birds, how to feed backyard birds.
More information: Call 817.481.8381
Join
us for Birding in the Park
Foster
Park, Fort Worth 8:30-10:00
AM March 5, April 2 and May 14
Everyone
welcome. Easy walking.
Binoculars
available for use. Members of board present to bird with people who come.
Members,
come introduce friendly folks and families to the wonders of bird
watching.
On
Trail Lake Drive, 1 mile north of I-20
Mid-January
to
Mid-February
01/25/05:
Rufous-crowned Sparrow (2+): Reported
from yard on Lake Worth. Still
seen on 1 Feb. D.P. in Fort
Worth
01/27/05:
Anna’s Hummingbird and Rufous Hummingbird:
This morning both the female Rufous and male Anna’s Hummingbirds
are around. I noticed that
our neighbor has just put up a Hummingbird feeder, so they must have seen
the hummers around too. Still
being reported 3 Feb. Lynn
Barber, SW Fort Worth.
Hagerman
Reports: by Lee Lemons
01/18/05:
We had a good day at Hagerman, especially in species of ducks:
Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Canvasback (unusual here in winter, though we
found it on the Christmas count), Ringneck, Greenwing Teal, Wigeon, Lesser
Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, and 200+ Redheads.
Lots
of sparrows: Fox, Field, White-crowned, White-throated, Harris, Song,
House, and Chipping. We also
saw all the geese. On Sunday while picking up trash I saw the Cackling
Geese (new for me). We had
several Bonapartes and Forsters Terns. The
big flock of Brewers Blackbirds that has been here since December has now
been joined by grackles, cowbirds, and starlings. The flock must be around
1,000 now. I keep scanning,
hoping for a Rusty or Great-tailed.
01/25/05:
Today in five hours we got 69 species. Nothing exciting but the
Bufflehead and Hooded Merganser. The Purple Finches are still around.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge will be having the Red River
Valley Birding and Nature Festival Apr. 21-24, 2005, at Pottsboro.
This should be good news for North Texas birders because it’s
close to home. For more
information, visit www.redriverbirding.com or phone 903-893-1184.
Or if you want a bulletin, send me your address; I’ll be happy to
send one to you. Seminar/Trade
show location: Tanglewood
Resort Hotel and Conference Center, 800-833-6569, www.tanglewoodresort.com.
Recreation and campground at Lake Texoma: www.laketexoma.com.
02/01/05:
Today in five hours we saw 59 species.
Highlights were two Canvasbacks that have been here since CBC.
Lots of Pintails and Redheads.
Purple Finch on “L” pad. I
got a Rock Dove on the way, so it was 60 total.
02/06/05:
On Friday, February 4th, Jerry and I decided to go up to Hagerman
NWR. The weather was great, with no wind, and birding was very good. Our
best birds of the day were a pair of Marsh Wrens, scoping a Merlin and a
pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. Also, 13 different sparrow species completed a
great day of enjoying the outdoors.
Tawakoni
Reports
01/25/05:
I spent a couple of hours birding the marsh at Grand Saline in Van
Zandt County. It was very slow, mainly due to the wind.
I did hear five or six Soras and two Virginia Rails.
I also saw several Marsh and Sedge Wrens.
Very few Swamp Sparrows, which was a surprise since the place
generally has 50 or 60. I did
hear one Lapland Longspur flying north.
I was surprised to miss American Pipits, and I saw very few Crows.
Richard Kinney, Edgewood
01/30/05:
Today at Lake Tawakoni State Park, I saw a flock of about 250 Rusty
Blackbirds. Although an
occasional visitor, this is by far the largest flock I have seen in North
Central Texas. There were
also good numbers of Pine Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and several Golden-crowned Kinglets, as
well as a couple of Purple Finches just outside the park. About a mile outside the park, I observed a stream of
Red-winged Blackbirds for about 15 minutes that I estimate at about 10,000
birds. Seems to be a good
year for Blackbirds. Ron
Baltzegar, Greenville
Richland
Creek:
01/18/05:
On Sunday, Jan. 16, two Least Grebes were still in the south unit
of Richland Creek WMA, which is in Freestone and Navarro counties. They
were very close to the road and quite confiding. The wind kept down bird
activity, and there were only small numbers of waterfowl present. Other
birds of interest were one Greater White-fronted Goose and two male Common
Goldeneye in the north unit. Note
that the south unit is closed to public access until March 1. However, it
is likely that the Least Grebes will still be there by then.
Peter Barnes, Northeast Texas Field Ornithologists
TEXBIRDS:
1/18/05,
Argyle: Several recent
sightings of interest: This
past week on Old Justin Road we spotted a flock of longspurs, tentatively
ID’d as Chestnut Collared. They
alternated between a field of stubble on the north side of the road and a
field of winter wheat on the south about three quarters of a mile from
where OJR crosses over I-35W. Yesterday
I spotted a Short-Eared Owl on Bonds Ranch Road about one mile west of
Business 287.
Our
neighborhood (Country Lake Estates on Crawford Road in Argyle) has become
a magnet for Great Horned Owls, probably due to all the critters being
stirred up by new home construction.
Most nights it’s possible to hear at least two soon after dark.
I’ve heard as many as four.
We’ve also had them land on nearby houses and street signs and
have been able to get decent looks with street light illumination.
Jeff
Scott, Argyle, jmscott7bird@aol.com
01/28/05:
Although the original plan was to go to pick up my mail this
morning, my car veered south toward Johnson County, where Charles Easley
had e-mailed me that there were Rusty Blackbirds on Jan. 18.
The location is Byron (or Buddy) Stewart Park, which is on US 67,
on the right, just past the hospital on the northern end of Lake Cleburne
in Johnson County. And, yes, there were Rusty Blackbirds in a couple of small-
to medium-sized flocks, for a total of 25-40 birds, I estimate.
They were right along the road in the park on both sides at various
times, especially at the edge of puddles of water, which were everywhere.
There was no need to even get out of the car to see and photograph
them (I’ll try to get the pictures on my website, www.lynnbarber.com,
soon). Also there were huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds,
primarily along the road as you drive in, but sometimes mixed in with the
Rusty Blackbirds.
After
seeing Rusty Blackbirds to my heart’s content, I got out of the car and
wandered along the river (rubber boots recommended), looking for
Golden-crowned Kinglets, and lo and behold, after seeing lots of Harris
Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Carolina Chickadees, American Robins
(you never used to have to specify which kind of robin you saw), a couple
of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a Brown Creeper, there was a single
Golden-crowned Kinglet working the branches of a couple of trees along the
river. It did not call, which
I had been listening for, so the only way I found it was to check out
every little bird. That makes
286 for the year in Texas (but who’s counting?).
Lynn Barber, Fort Worth
02/01/05:
After an initial four-day stay, followed by a four-day absence, at
least one of the Rufous-crowned Sparrows has returned to the back yard
here on the west end of Lake Worth. Four to five Purple Finches remain,
most predictably through the late morning hours; a couple Pine Siskins;
Red-breasted Nuthatches; an occasional very yellow variant House Finch;
all the American Goldfinches you aren’t getting are here instead...a
smattering of typical winter sparrows but no Harris. I’ll take the two
pair of Hooded Mergansers on the lake, though. Wood Ducks are starting to
check two of the nest boxes, and a Neotropic Cormorant made an appearance
for Joe C a couple days ago...then for both of us yesterday.
Rain continues to gradually inch the water level up. Things are
looking good for the martin house pole to still
be
surrounded by water for the next few weeks. I’m betting I’ll be glad I
moved it out there last fall! Stay
dry! D.P. in Fort Worth
2/6/05:
This morning I had two male and four female Purple Finches at a
sunflower feeder in my yard in Highland Village.
There was also a male and a female House Finch with them.
Keith Lockhart, Highland Village
02/09/05:
I was surprised Saturday morning about 9:30 to hear (and finally
see, though too far away to identify) from my backyard in Benbrook a flock
of 40-50 geese headed north. Can
spring be far behind? Gilbert
Wade, Fort Worth
E-Mails:
1/21/05: Blue-headed
Vireo in Fort Worth Botanic Garden woods yesterday, Jan.20.
Observed at close range by Bill Edwards and me.
Additionally, but maybe too late or not significant enough: I had a
Red-breasted Nuthatch in my yard 12/21 and a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
12/25. Joann Karges
Report
your sightings to
THE
TRAVELING BIRDER
Guest
columnist and FWAS Secretary, Gail Morris, shares her adventures in
Minnesota in January 2005
Four
“hardy” members of FWAS headed north to the Minnesota Owl Invasion
with amazing results. More
than 150 Great Gray Owls (many within 15 feet at eye level) were seen by
the group, more than 15 Northern Hawk Owls doing their classic pose atop
trees, one very cooperative Boreal Owl (lifer for all!) and the smallest
of them all, the Northern Saw-whet Owl was seen in the Minneapolis area.
Phil
Craighead, Charley Amos, Ann Hoover and I stopped in Minneapolis on the
first night in hopes of locating the Northern Saw-whet being seen in a
residential yard. With great
directions, the owl was found sitting above a designated trash bin.
It was very cooperative and allowed not only gawking by us, but
pictures taken at close range. The
owl had been roosting at the site for several weeks, and the homeowners
have generously shared their yard with other birders.
This location gave us a taste of the temperatures to come over the
next several days of birding.
Arriving
in Duluth, we found a central hotel location and settled Ann’s
four-wheel drive SUV close to the outside electrical outlet, just in case
we needed a boost in the a.m. On
the side of the parking lot, more than a couple of feet of snow were
piled. Ann’s SUV started up
with a little moaning, and we headed off in search of the invasion we had
been reading about for weeks. We had forewarnings of temps below zero, and we were not
surprised when the morning temperature reached WELL below zero.
Several birders we spoke with said their car thermometers stopped
reading at -20°. Radio
stations reported -40’s temps and we had no trouble believing it to be
true as we stood in the middle of a snow-covered road north of Duluth
watching three Spruce Grouse (lifer for all!) forage the grit from beneath
the snow. Since the oblivious
grouse allowed us to come as close as 20 feet, the photographers of the
group (ALL but me) snapped away.
We
then drove east toward Isabella and the “Moose” stop.
The Moose turned out to be a birdfeeder in a moose shape, which
held a lifer Boreal Chickadee. We
were lucky enough to be at this stop when local guide, Kim Risen, showed
up with special sweatshirts announcing the 2005 Minnesota Owl Invasion and
generously provided us with information on local spots for our target
birds. What we didn’t find
via the Minnesota list serve, we gained by visiting with Kim.
The feeders at Isabella also provided good looks at Common
Redpolls, Black-capped Chickadees and Pine Grosbeaks.
We were hoping for an Evening Grosbeak, as they had been reported
at this site, but leaving without this bird left it for another day.
We drove the scene-filled route from Isabella to the Two Harbors
Lighthouse spot in hopes of Boreal Owl and Yellow-billed Loon, which had
both been reported. Although we struck out on both birds, the mist hanging over
the water made the views worth the drive.
We also picked up two Harlequin Ducks, which provided close viewing
in the Agate Bay area. Ring-billed
and Herring Gulls and Canada Geese were added to the list.
It’s a good thing we recognized each other’s coat colors
because the breeze off the bay made us bundle up a little tighter,
achieving the Eskimo look that is so flattering and makes us barely
recognizable. Getting back
into the warmth (?) of the car allowed the eyeglasses to de-ice before we
headed to town for lunch and a hunt for the Boreal Owl.
Striking out at the reported location, we later were fortunate
enough to run into friendly birders who led us to a Boreal Owl by the
local high school. Another cooperative bird ended our day before we returned to
Duluth.
The
next morning we headed to the infamous Sax-Zim Bog area for what we were
hoping was an owl-filled day. There
was light snow falling, and an estimated 3" predicted. Although not in high numbers, we saw a few Great Grays before
the wind picked up. On an
isolated road, we ran into birders who provided us our next life bird. They had previously located a Three-toed Woodpecker in a
woodsy area the previous afternoon. Eight
of us
traipsed into the two-foot-plus snow where they had forged a path
the day before. In this area,
we were able to call in a Black-backed Woodpecker.
Once again, an oblivious bird allowed great photo ops and the
gathering of wood chips beneath the busy bird by a research botanist from
the co-group we had met up with. With
the wind picking up and views becoming more and more limited, we headed
back to the Duluth area to look for Bohemian Waxwings that Kim had
reported. After seeing a flock of approximately 40, we headed to the
hotel for pizza, warmth and sleep.
The
following morning before sunup we headed to a lek area in Sax-Zim Bog in
hopes of Sharp-tailed Grouse. Within
a quarter of a mile of the lek area, the road got the better of us and we
bulldozed the car into a snowbank as one tire went into the 12"
drop-edge hiding beneath snow. Within
10 minutes, a local hero appeared and quickly pulled us out.
From then on, the driver’s mantra became “middle of the road,
middle of the road.” I’m
sure several locals wondered why there were Texans playing chicken on
their roads, but adhering to the mantra saved us from further mishaps.
The lek proved unfruitful despite reliable reports, and we ventured
further into the bog, picking up Black-billed Magpie, Northern Shrike
(Charley’s 600th lifer!), and Gray Jay.
We then made our last unsuccessful attempt at Three-toed
Woodpecker. But with less
wind and more birds during the day, we added Snow Bunting, Northern Hawk
Owl, Spotted Ruffed Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse sitting in trees, and a
possible Hoary Redpoll (our one debated trip-bird).
Sorry Phil, I’m counting it!
Our busiest day brought us to a narrowed list of target birds, and
we decided to head closer to a “guarantee” and a night of sleep.
After
a restful night in McGregor, Minnesota, we headed to Kim Risen’s house,
where he had reported Evening Grosbeaks at his feeder every morning for
several weeks. As is bound to
happen, the guaranteed bird never showed at his feeders during our hour of
vigilance, so we headed out to scour the neighborhood feeders that Kim
recommended. At our first yard, the desired birds were sitting, waiting on
us. Happy to have found the
neighborhood flock, we headed out for looks at more owls (Aitkin County
upped our count quickly), and an unsuccessful attempt at Crossbills at the
tree farm where they had been reported.
Charley saw a lifer mammal—a porcupine—slothing in a tree and
“grouse girl” (a.k.a., me) spotted more Ruffed Grouse in a tree beside
the road during our travels through the Tamarack Bog area.
Debating
on staying longer or being happy with our bird counts, we chose to head
south to warmer temps and a possible Varied Thrush in Falcon Heights. In route, we found out the bird had become dinner for a cat
during the previous week, and our plans changed.
Allowing us to bother him with several phone calls, Arlington
birder Greg Cook gave us information on a Varied Thrush in a Rochester
backyard. Upon arriving well
after dark and spending more than 20 minutes searching for our target
hotel, we discovered the Best Western had changed to a Ramada during the
previous week. Ironically,
the local map that the hotel desk clerk provided us was labeled “Holiday
Inn.” We decided that “location, location, location” should
have been this hotel’s mantra!
The
following morning, we awoke to no new snow despite predictions of
5-8". Heading into the
close-by neighborhood and parking on what could be termed an “unsafe”
curving slope in the road, we sat behind the reported house, gazing into
the backyard of brush, trees and feeders.
The homeowner had previously said she welcomed gazing into the
yard, for which we were grateful. Within
30 minutes the Varied Thrush came out, posed, flew, and then headed
towards a spot behind a large trunk near the feeder.
We were off for home—the long route.
Iowa
City/Corralville had been reporting Iceland and Thayer’s Gulls.
Iceland Gull would be Phil’s last target bird of the trip,
allowing him to exceed his wish list by one for the trip.
Arriving at the river, hunting for a place to park,
bundling up against the wind, walking toward the University of
Iowa, and navigating the traffic whizzing over the bridge, we were finally
able to scan a flock of gulls, finding a Glaucous Gull among many Herring
and Ring-billed Gulls. A Bald Eagle soaring overhead spooked up the crowd
and when the gulls put down with nothing new to see, we decided to make
the trek to the other side of the bridge, added more coins to the parking
meter, and navigated the busy street.
Within 15 minutes, Ann and Charley spotted our Iceland Gull gliding
overhead. It was our final life bird for the trip.
Four tired, happy birders headed back to warmer climes, evading the
predicted blizzard. Charley,
always the determined driver, decided to get us back home by driving
through the night. He and Ann
switched out with Phil and Gail, keeping them awake between sporadic
catnaps, until we arrived in Fort Worth at 6 a.m., ecstatic with our
Minnesota run!
Final
counts:
Black
Vulture
Canada
Goose
Mallard
Harlequin
Duck
Common
Goldeneye
Bald
Eagle
Northern
Harrier
Cooper’s
Hawk
Red-tailed
Hawk
Rough-legged
Hawk
Am.
Kestrel
Ring-necked
Pheasant
Ruffed
Grouse
Spruce
Grouse
Sharp-tailed
Grouse
Wild
Turkey
Ring-billed
Gull
Herring
Gull
Iceland
Gull
Glaucous
Gull
Rock
Dove
Mourning
Dove
Great
Horned Owl
N.
Hawk Owl
Great
Gray Owl
Boreal
Owl
N.
Saw-whet Owl
Downy
Woodpecker
Hairy
Woodpecker
Pine
Grosbeak
Purple
Finch
House
Finch
Common
Redpoll
Hoary
Redpoll (at least some of
us are counting it!)
Pine
Siskin
American
Goldfinch
Evening
Grosbeak
Black-backed
Woodpecker
Northern
Shrike
Gray
Jay
Blue
Jay
Black-billed
Magpie
American
Crow
Common
Raven
Black-capped
Chickadee
Boreal
Chickadee
Black-crested
Titmouse
Red-breasted
Nuthatch
White-breasted
Nuthatch
Brown
Creeper
American
Robin
Varied
Thrush
European
Starling
Bohemian
Waxwing
Snow
Bunting
Dark-eyed
Junco
N.
Cardinal
Great-tailed
Grackle
House
Sparrow