Female Ladder-back Woodpeckers. Never seen ones with such brilliant black caps.

Cattle Egret- 1st time we’ve seen one on the yard and another tick on Rhonda’s Yard Bird List!

Hubby and Best Birding Mate, Oscar
with one of our favorite new guest, Mr. David

WLF Encourages Birding for Surprising Reason

Wild Life Federation gives Birders, Bird Watchers, and Nature Lovers even more reason for conservation and bird watching

Having been a long time organic gardener here in South Texas at the Birds Nest B&B and HomeStay I am thrilled to to have another reason to provide adequate habitat for the Lower Rio Grande Valley specialty birds. The World Birding Center, host to close to a dozen well maintained, top-notch parks and refuges, also offers plentiful opportunities for watching birds and providing the necessary habitat for bird lovers and gardeners.  

Aug 2013 WLF NEWSLETTER- For a gardener it can be a helpless feeling to watch hoards of destructive insects attack the plants you’ve worked so hard to grow. But, you can use your wildlife garden to your advantage — by attracting local birds to help control pest populations.

Of course, certain insects are beneficial to a healthy garden. So while birds won’t rid your garden of all insects — and you wouldn’t want them to — these four feathered friends can help with pesky and destructive bugs. Plus, here are some tips on how to attract them!

Purple Martin: As aerial feeders that forage over land and water, purple martins eat a variety of winged insects, including mosquitoes. West of the Rockies, purple martins often nest in tree cavities and building crevices — while in the East they typically nest with as many as 30 pairs in hotel-like boxes or hanging, hollow gourds. House Wren: Ranging throughout most of the lower 48 states during parts of the year, these birds have diets that consist almost exclusively of insects and spiders. House wrens may nest in nest boxes, building crevices or even mailboxes. Include low-lying shrubs (such as American beautyberry) or brush piles in your yard, as well as sources for cover, nesting materials and food. Common Nighthawk: Not hawks but members of the nightjar family, common nighthawks cover most of North America and eat a variety of flying insects. They nest on level surfaces, such as the ground or flat rooftops in suburban and city areas, so they are the perfect visitor for urban gardens. Baltimore Oriole: Beautiful and helpful, Baltimore orioles eat insects, fruit and nectar. These songbirds range from the central Midwest to the Northeast and nest in hanging pouches in deciduous trees. Plant blackberry, serviceberry and cherry for food, as well as elm, sycamore, tupelo and other shade trees as nesting spots. When you go above and beyond for the birds in your neighborhood, they’ll thank you by providing free pest control and even a beautiful song or two.

Oh Those Juveniles

Typically, I am a Citizen Scientist with Cornel Labs and one of the studies I take part in is “Nest Watch”.  It is a fun thing  to share with our South Texas birding guests, especially if they are staying with us during fledging season as our on site birding is out of this world.

We have had Green Parakeets nesting in our yard for several years and always eagerly await their appearance.  This year we where able to ID the nest site and we kept close watch all Spring and Summer wondering how many, if any, baby parakeets would survive.  On Thursday  I was up very early in the morning and I noticed one baby parrot right off of our main patio.  The parents where in the tree nearby making a lot of racket.

I had my camera nearby and took a few clicks and then went back to bed (insomnia, ugh) after telling my husband about the fledgling.  I did not know, but he was so concerned about the bird being on the ground – granted he did look brandy-new and a bit unstable — that he gently got it on a perch and placed it high in the nook of the tree.  He checked on the bird when he got home and was glad to see him still clinging there in the same spot then and again the next morning.

The following day, still struggling with insomnia, I woke *late* in the day and let our dog out and forgot her, until my husband came home.  He walked in asking about the bird and I was, uncommonly less than helpful and he said that the poor parrot had two strikes against it, the dog was loose and the yard and been mowed.  Needless to say he was not happy.  The very next day, bright and early I saw the three parrots, ‘rents & fledging, flying out of the yard and the baby, well he looked just about perfect.

I’ll let the other Juves tell their own tales with pictures, too.

Yellow-Crested Night Heron

Doves

Grackles

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

I also got this birders view of the universal deep field …  weird!

Cornell Lab Honors Ted Parker & Other News

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Ted Parker, a collaborator and friend to many at Cornel Lab and perhaps the best field Ornithologist in living memory.

Check out ways to honor Ted and get lots more birding news from the newsletter

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=b35ddb671faf4a16c0ce32406&id=c00da08568&e=2814d54474

 

FB Gets Urban Birder in San Antonio

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.573942852669398.1073741835.100001610647105&type=1&l=497a2f4a9c

Best New Books for Birders

From Birders Digest

http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/blog/2013/07/25/four-new-books-sure-to-help-you-id-birds-of-prey-birds-of-the-east-and-west-and-bird-song/

Mid Summer Fledging

Male and Female House Sparrow

Female

House Sparrow Nest, babes getting ready to fledge

Why Did House Sparrow Numbers Rise, then Decline?

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Spring2007/sparrow_numbers.html

Audubon Advisory

Updates of interest

Nesting Birds of the Birds Nest HomeStay

In deep South Texas we have many species of native birds.

Click to access CKWRI_BirdGuide-092011.pdf

Next to running our homestay for birders, nesting and fledging season is one of our favorite things about living in McAllen, Texas.  This Spring we had a major fallout on South Padre Island and overall we have noticed more birds migrating then usual — my husband and I saw several other minor Spring fallouts at our home that practical drove us mad with bird fever.

This year we hosted four obvious nest, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker, the Western Screech Owl, the Green Parakeet, and the Yellow-crowned Night Herons.

                      

 

Ghost Town Cave Swallows

   

   Notice any special visitors at the alter?

Cliff Swallows On the Cross

Terlingua Texas

Church Restoration