Archives 1: 2003

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="096d4c00dduajq.gif"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ro Wauer"><U>Ro Wauer</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003333" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Best of Texas Nature Writing . . . </B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Best of Texas Nature Writing . . . "><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id116.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Current Column"><U>Current Column</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Book Reviews"><U>Book Reviews</U></A>   |   <B>Archives 1: 2003</B>   |   <A HREF="id172.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archives 2: 2004"><U>Archives 2: 2004</U></A></div> <div> Archives 1: 2003</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>New Year's Resolutions for Nature Lovers</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> December 28, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>          Christmas has come and gone, and we all are about to turn the next page to a new year, 2004. Wow! Where did 2003 go? It seems it went faster than any other year I can recall. Of course, I am told that time goes by faster with age, and if this last year was any kind of a sample, I would fully agree. I am not, however, admitting to being older than last year, but it apparently has happened nevertheless.</div> <bR> <div>          Last New Year's, or was it the year, or two, before that, when I suggestions a number of resolutions for those of you who had not yet made any commitment. Such an effort is not always easy, partly because even those resolutions that I made in the past only last for a few weeks. Then I drift back to status quo. But I want to try again, at least to provide a few suggestions that you might consider. No, they don't include suggestions on being sweeter to your spouse; I assume we already are about at sweet as possible. It certainly is part of my nature. My wife doesn't read these notes until they appear in the newspaper, so who's to argue?</div> <bR> <div>          First, and I suspect that not many of my readers (smart and proper folks that they are) need to consider keeping the roadsides clean and neat. But one of my long-standing pet peeves has been finding garbage along backcountry roadsides, especially in adjacent creekbeds. For the few of you who do "Mess with Texas," grow up and start being a responsible citizen. Take your garbage to the dump.</div> <bR> <div>         Second, how many folks that place martin houses and other birdhouses out leave them in place all year? Such inaction is intolerable for several reasons! Most importantly, two nonnative birds - European starlings and house sparrows - will take advantage of the houses to produce more offspring. These two species replace many of our native songbirds, and come the next season they will be greater competition for housing and food. We already are seeing some incremental declines of some of our most attracting cavity nesters, such as bluebirds, martins, and crested flycatchers.</div> <bR> <div>         A closely related peeve is leaving feeders unattended. I am amazed at the number of folks who purchase feeders, both seed and hummingbird feeders, hang them out in a suitable locations, stock seed or sugar water once or maybe a couple times, but then totally ignore the feeders thereafter. Why spend the money and effort when they become little more than an eyesore?</div> <bR> <div>        And fourthly, what about house cats that are left to fend for themselves or are taken out to some country road and deserted? A few friends with cats claim that their cat never kills birds or any other wildlife. But house cats are marvelous creatures that have evolved into true killing machines. Anytime a house cat is left outdoors, unless it is within a closed yard of course, they automatically revert to what made them so successful. And turning cats out into the wilds is to show absolutely no respect for the natural environment that we all must eventually depend upon for our long-term survival.</div> <bR> <div>        Well, those are just a few ideas to consider when deciding on resolutions for 2004. I could come up with lots more, but those are foremost in my thinking as a nature writer. But if you still want more, how about establishing a butterfly garden. Almost any sized garden, from a single tub with flowering plants to an acre or more, would contribute considerably to butterfly's well being. Almost all butterflies must feed at flowering plants, and, like hummingbirds, they benefit our nature world in numerous ways.</div> <bR> <div>         Still more? How about selecting one of our more worthwhile conservation organizations and making a donation? My favorites include The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Wilderness Society, and Natural Parks Conservation Association. But whatever you decide, may we in 2004 begin to heal our Earth to where it is not continuing to decline. It is a long road, and your help is essential!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Should Santa's Reindeer Really be Caribou?</B></div> <div> December 21, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>         Christmas and reindeer became forevermore united with the memorable words of Clement Moore, "Twas the Night Before Christmas," that introduced the fleet-footed, high-flying companions of Saint Nicholas - Dancer, Prancer, Cupid, Vixen, and the rest. Rudolph with his red nose appeared on the scene long afterwards. No one is quite sure how Santa found his way before the appearance of the most magnificent reindeer of all.</div> <bR> <div>         Yet, much of the world, at least those folks living within the Arctic Circle, have been utilizing reindeer long before Clement Moore. The Northern Indians and Eskimos used reindeer much like the North American Indians utilized bison (buffalo); meat and bone marrow for food, hides for clothing and shelter, bones for tools, etc. Although there are no records of when reindeer were first domesticated, reference to a domesticated reindeer appeared in Chinese literature in AD 499. Siberians trained them to pull sleds and for riding.</div> <bR> <div>         Although the Old World reindeer were tamed, reindeer, known as caribou in the New World, could not be tamed. Yet, the two genetically are the same, both listed by mammologists in the genus Rangifer. It is unique in the ungulate world because it is the only deer in which both sexes bear antlers, although those of females are somewhat smaller. Even fawns have small spikes that appear two months after birth. Bulls drop their antlers in early winter; does drop theirs in May. And second, it is the only deer that socializes in tremendous herds; a herd of 25 million animals was once recorded in Alaska.</div> <bR> <div>          Caribou/reindeer antlers are rather unique in themselves. The beams and brow tines sweep out in almost a semi-circle, and those of the males are semi-palmated (like a spoon), especially the single, flat brow tine that extends down almost to the nose. Their hooves are splayed (like a moose) for walking on snow and ice. Such structures cause minimum damage to the moist tundra, especially important during mass migrations. Their coat is brown with white or gray on the lower parts and on a buttock patch. Height of North American animals is about 50 inches to the shoulder, and it can weigh up to 500 pounds. Old World reindeer are somewhat smaller.</div> <bR> <div>           Migratory caribou calve on the tundra in summer, and they winter in sparse forests to the south. They feed principally on "reindeer moss" that becomes covered with deep snow and ice on their summer range, the reason for making the mass movements southward in fall. They are able to dig through moderate snow and ice for food, principally with their feet, but are unable to dig through packed ice.</div> <bR> <div>         North American caribou are divided into three groups: Woodland caribou, from the boreal forests and alpine tundra, is the largest. Barren ground caribou uses tiaga forests and tundra and is medium in size. Pearly caribou from high Arctic islands is smaller with shorter legs, face, and ears, and lighter coloration. Woodland caribou once ranged as far south as the United States, but the last Maine caribou was killed in 1901.</div> <bR> <div>         Clement Moore, a bible professor at New York's General Theological Seminary, wrote his poem - "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" - as a gift to his children in 1822. But, the obvious question is why Old World reindeers and not New World caribou? Probably, Clement didn't know one from the other. But he was inspired by a plump, bearded Dutchman who took him by sleigh on his errands throughout the snow-covered streets of New York. And as a scholar, he probably drew on the Dutch-American and Norwegian traditions of a magical, gift-giving figure who appeared at Christmas time. And maybe he had read of the German legend of a visitor bearing gifts who entered homes through chimneys.</div> <bR> <div>         After all is said and done, Clement Moore was more familiar with reindeer than caribou.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Christmas begins with Bird Counts</B></div> <div> December 14, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>          For almost 56,000 nature lovers, scattered all across North America, the Christmas Season truly begins with Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs). These counts begin just before Christmas when groups of birders spend a 24-hour period tallying all the birds they can locate within a 15-mile diameter circle. The information obtained, including both bird species and the number of individuals, is later submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the official keeper of the data that has become the most extensive database for winter bird populations anywhere in the world.</div> <bR> <div>          Last year, participants tallied 49,456,347 birds of 660 species on 1,585 counts in the United States. Eighty of the U.S. counts produced 150 species or more. Nineteen of those high counts were conducted in Texas, including five of the top ten: Mad Island Marsh with 243 species, Freeport with 231, Corpus Christie with 223, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) with 199, and Bolivar Peninsula with 187 species. Other Texas CBCs with 150 or more species included Port Aransas (175), Attwater Prairie-Chicken NWR (171), Galveston (170), Houston (170), Rockport (165), Choke Canyon (163), Corpus Christie Flour Bluff (159), Kingsville (159), Sea Rim (158), Santa Ana NWR (157), Laguna Atascosa NWR (1560, Aransas NWR (155), Harlingen (152), and Austin (150). Victoria counters (22 participants) missed the 150 threshold with 135 species and 31,598 individuals. A grand total of 55,994 volunteers participated in the 2002-03 CBCs; 98 counts were undertaken in Texas.</div> <bR> <div>       The 2003-04 CBC period begins on December 14 and lasts through January 5. Local counts start with the Mad Island March Count on December 15, Victoria on December 20, and Aransas NWR on December 29. Count coordinators welcome participants, whether experienced birders or not. Anyone wishing to participate in any of these counts should contact the count coordinator: Brent Ortego (576-0022) for Mad Island Marsh, Bill Farnsworth (578-9745) for Victoria, and Barbara Bruns (575-5505) for Aransas. Feeder counters, those individuals that count only the birds that visit their feeders on count day, are also welcome.</div> <bR> <div>        For more information on CBCs, including individual counts, bird species, and how the data is used to better understand bird numbers and distribution, go to the Internet. I found tons of data at google.com by simple listing "Christmas Bird Counts." Although the resultant information obtained on CBCs during the last 100-plus years since the program was first established is important and is part of the reasons to help count birds, for many of the volunteers the CBCs are much more.</div> <bR> <div>          For many of us the CBCs are as much a part of the holiday as trees and presents. They offer an additional excuse to be outdoors, enjoying nature and our natural heritage. They are a significant part of Christmas.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Robins are Back!</B></div> <div> December 7, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div> Robins are Back! Robins are back? Such as announcement means something very different to folks living in the northern states than it does to those of us in South Texas. In the North it means that spring days have arrived, and the robins will remain until winter weather arrives. In South Texas, on the other hand, it means that the northern birds have begun to appear. And although robins probably will be with us throughout the winter months, they do not necessarily remain in a single location, but move about as available food supplies are depleted in one place and they search for another.</div> <bR> <div>         Although northern birds, especially those feeding nestlings, rely on earthworms that they find on lawns and in fields, wintering birds rely largely on fruit that they acquire from various shrubs and trees. And they gradually harvest these fruits from site to site. They may move into one area filled with fruiting yaupon and beautyberry, deplete those shrubs, and then may move elsewhere to where bayberry and sumac berries are more plentiful. Robins utilize a wide variety of berries; examples include bayberry, beautyberry, blackberry, greenbriar, hawthorn, various hollies, honeysuckle, juniper, mulberry, poison ivy, pokeberry, pyracantha, sumac, viburnum, and yaupon.</div> <bR> <div>         Some winters, robins are super abundant. But other years their numbers are minimum. Wintertime populations in South Texas depend on the available food supply and weather conditions further north; these hardy birds may remain far north of South Texas when berries remain available and mild temperatures prevail. But a good cold snap in the north can bring thousands of robins to our neighborhoods overnight. At times, a flock of robins, flying across the sky, can include many thousands. Christmas Bird Counts tally all birds found within a 15-mile diameter, and the highest number of robins ever was 1,620,000 individuals tallied on Burnet County, Texas, Christmas Count in 1981.</div> <bR> <div>           The robin, more probably known as American robin, is probably America's best known bird. It usually is one of the birds we learn as a child from books, toys, nursery rhymes, and even songs. Who has not heard the 1926 classic, "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along?' And there are several books written on this single bird. The best, of course, is the one that I wrote, simply called "The American Robin," published by the University of Texas Press in 1999. Here are some interesting robin facts that I included: Average estimated life span is 1 year and 2 months. Maximum know age is 17 years. Length is 10 to 11 inches. Weight is 14.75 to 16.50 ounces. Adult average body temperature is 109.7 degrees F. Flight speed is 17 to 32 mph. Number of feather is about 2,900. Song description is "cheer-up, cheerily, cheer-up, cheer-up, cheerily."</div> <bR> <div>          The American robin's nesting cycle is 27 to 38 days, including 3 to 10 days for nest building, 13 to 15 days for incubation, and 13 to 15 days of nest life. Nest size is 6 to 7 inches across the top and 3 inches high, with an inner cup about 4 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep. Clutch size normally is 4, but ranging from 3 to 7. Food for an average brood is 3.2 pounds in total or 356 feedings daily.</div> <div> The robin name was derived from the little red-breasted European robin, totally unrelated to our American robin. Early settlers to North America bestowed that cherished name on the red-breasted American thrush because of its friendly manner and close relationship with people, behavior that reminded them of the European robin back home.</div> <bR> <div>          But back to South Texas and our wintertime robins. They will remain in our general area, moving about in search of fresh berries, until early spring when the urge to return to their ancestral nesting grounds takes them northward. But they are here for now, so enjoy this cheery, red-breasted songbird.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Chipping Sparrows are one of our </B></div> <div> <B>Smallest Winter Visitors</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> November 30, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>            This little winter sparrow has already become a fixture in my yard, consuming an unbelievable amount of seeds for such a tiny bird. On returning home from a week in Utah, visiting my 82-year old mother, it was the very first bird found at my feeders; it had not yet appeared before my trip. Its appearance is one more reliable sign that winter is really with us.</div> <bR> <div>         Chipping sparrows are tiny birds, especially in comparison with most of the other feeder birds, such as cardinals, Inca doves, house sparrow, and such. Yet, at least adults, are one of our most distinct species, readily identified by their small size, red cap, gray collar, and black line that runs from the top of the bill back to the nape. Young birds can be confusing, however, as they are very nondescript with fine streaks on their breast and somewhat heavier streaks on their back. But youngsters and the adults usually occur in small to large flocks, and usually feed together at feeders. They prefer to feed on the ground, but will also take advantage of whatever small seeds are available at feeders at any height.</div> <bR> <div>         Although chippers do not nest in South Texas, they do nest in the Texas Pineywoods and a portion of the Hill Country, as well as in the Davis and Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. On the breeding grounds they are very vocal, singing a trilling songs throughout the daytime. On their wintering grounds, including South Texas, they rarely sing early on, but by early spring they begin to utter partial songs. And just before they depart they can often be heard singing almost full songs. Many of the partial songs apparently are practicing juveniles.</div> <bR> <div>         Chipping sparrows are most closely related to Brewer's, clay-colored, and field sparrows, also little birds that occasionally spend their winters in South Texas. Field sparrows, in particular, can be expected in weedy areas most winters. It looks very different with a pinkish bill, gray collar, and white eye ring; it does not possess the black line that runs from the bill to the nape of the chipping sparrow. Field sparrows also nest in Texas, including most of the Hill Country, where their sing very distinct descending trills that sound like someone holding a paddle over a ping pong ball.</div> <bR> <div>          Chipping sparrows will be with us throughout the winter months, but begin to move northward by March. Some remain until mid-May; probably those individuals that can depend upon a steady food supply at feeders. While they are with us, they can be fun to watch, as they are one of the most aggressive of all of sparrows. Maybe because they are so small, like hummingbirds, they seem to spend an amazing amount of time bickering with neighbors. They will even charge another chipping sparrows if it gets in the way or agitates it for some reason. They are real characters and worth watching.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Turkey is our Symbol of Thanksgiving</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> November 23, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>       <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >  The turkey, that huge, ungainly bird of the oak woodlands and barnyards, has become a common symbol of Thanksgiving. No "Turkey Day" would be complete without it.</FONT></div> <bR> <div>          We are told that turkey is one of the most nutritious and healthy foods; we are encouraged to eat it year-round. For me, however, except for that marvelous smell from the oven, freshly cooked turkey is rarely as appealing as it is two or more days later. I like it best when I can pick the remaining meat from the bones or eat it in a sandwich or in enchiladas.</div> <bR> <div>          The vast majority of the frozen turkeys we purchase at the grocery stores are mass-produced and are a far cry from the critters that occur in the wild. Harry Oberholser, in The Bird Life of Texas, provides a marvelous comparison: "A wild gobbler has an alert eye in a slender blue head, a streamline body covered with highly burnished feathers, and long legs; the domestic bird has a dull eye sunk into a swollen red head, a flabby body clothed in dirty feathers, and dumpy legs. The former bird runs better than a race horse through the woods and flies as lightly as a ruffed grouse; the latter can scarily walk about its pen, much less fly." Wild turkeys can be separated from feral turkeys by the tuftlike beard hanging from the wild male (occasionally female) bird's chest.</div> <bR> <div>           Wild turkeys are magnificent birds, especially a courting male that struts about in a pompous manner with a fanlike tail display and expressive gobbling. The polygamous gobbler maintains a sizable harem, fending off rival males. The hen hides her nest with great care and protects it and a dozen or so eggs against predators and other invaders. Incubation takes about twenty-eight days, but the poults are so precocial that the hen and young leave the nest immediately after the last egg has hatched. Within three weeks, they are able to fly well enough to perch overnight in trees. By fall, when acorns are ripe, several families may congregate into huge feeding flocks.</div> <bR> <div>           The Native Americans had already domesticated wild turkeys by the time the first Europeans reached North America, and it was one of the very few animal imports to the Old World. The abundant wild turkeys of the New World (estimated at 10 million) became all important to the settlers. They were so important, in fact, that when our "national bird" was chosen, the turkey was second only to the bald eagle. Benjamin Franklin defended the turkey as his choice because it was "more respectable" than the "thieving, scavenging bald eagle."</div> <bR> <div>          As Europeans moved westward, wild turkeys were plentiful throughout the eastern half of the continent, but by the late 1800s, only remnants of the original populations remained. So, today, the Texas turkey population is largely a product of reintroductions from other localities. But because of its adaptable nature, it has become commonplace again in our fields and woods. No other creature is so representative of our natural world, as we prepare to give thanks for our many blessings, as our wild turkey.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>A Favorite Wintering Yard Bird </B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> November 16, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      Everyone probably has a favorite wintertime yardbird, one that spends its winter months in your yard. These can be winter-only species, such as the eastern phoebe, ruby-crowned kinglet, or yellow-rumped warbler, or full-time residents, such as the Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren, or northern cardinal. </div> <bR> <div>      Those who pay attention to their wintertime yardbirds may already have a favorite, but I honestly don't. If forced to make a decision, I would have a difficult time of it. But I'll try, nonetheless. Maybe I will first select a top five or six species. That might include the buff-bellied hummingbird, yellow-bellied sapsucker, eastern phoebe, Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren, orange-crowned and yellow-rumped warblers, and Lincoln's and white-throated sparrows. Opps, that's nine species instead of five to six. Oh well, but how to pick just one?</div> <bR> <div>      Buff-bellied hummingbirds could well be a favorite. A year-round colorful resident that readily comes to feeders for great views, and a personality that is one of a kind. And it is a tropical species at the northern edge of its range, kind of special in anyone's perspective. But the yellow-bellied sapsucker is also special. It is a keystone species that keeps sap wells open all winter that attract and help feed other birds and insects. Pretty special indeed. Besides, these woodpeckers may have come a long way from their northern breeding grounds to overwinter in my yard.</div> <bR> <div>      The eastern phoebe has not traveled so far, since some nest in the northern half of Texas. This flycatcher does just fine even during cold weather when insects are few and far between; it is an extremely adaptable species. It gets high marks for its persistence, in addition to its usual abundance in winter. And who can slight the Carolina wren? For no other reason that it has entertained me all the rest of the year. No other songbird builds its nests in my flowerpots. </div> <bR> <div>      Warblers are always special, especially those that winter north of the Mexican border; most of their relatives seek more tropical habitats with easier pickings. Orange-crowns are tough little birds; fellow birder Mark Elwonger and I once watched one individual kill another one trying to take over a feeder during a freezing rain in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Besides, orange-crowned warblers breed in some of my favorite habitats, spring sites in the highlands of the Rocky Mountains. Yellow-rumps also are breeding birds of the northern highlands and all of northern North America, and they are one of the few warblers wintering in numbers in the United States. This little yellow-rumped bird even sings partial songs in my yard on sunny winter mornings.</div> <bR> <div>      Then there are the two sparrows mentioned above, Lincoln's and white-throated. Lincoln's sparrows are skulkers that are never very obvious, but they stay close to sheltered areas along the edge of my yard. They only occasionally come to my seed feeders; really gutsy for such a small bird. They also possess a subtle beauty in the own right, buff breast and a contrasting facial pattern. White-throated sparrows are also colorful, with the adult's snow-white throat and black-and-white crown with a golden spot in front of each eye. In addition, anyone who has spent time if the northern forests, cannot help but have a special appreciation for its' marvelous song - "pure sweet Canada Canada" or "sow wheat peverly, peverly, peverly, peverly" - that can often be heard in sunny winter days.</div> <bR> <div>      Which one is my most favorite? What a decision! But I forgot two other favorites, American kestrel and American robin. - Maybe I had better leave such a major decision up in the air. After all, cedar waxwings, Carolina chickadees, chipping sparrows, and American goldfinches are pretty special wintering yardbirds, too. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Changing Leaf Color even in South Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> November 2, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>          Almost everyone admires the beautiful mountainsides and hills of the Western and Eastern states in fall. That is when the leaf colors change from greens to red, browns, and yellows. Golden-colored aspens in the Rocky Mountains can be so spectacular that they become a long-lasting memory. And the changing colors of the eastern maples, oaks, and other broad-leaf trees can beckon us back time and time again. But, even those of us that live in South Texas can get a tiny taste of color from a few of our broad-leafs, representing a change in season that is rather subtle.</div> <bR> <div>        Chemistry is most responsible for the color changes. Tree expert Robert Bartlett explained the process this way: "As summer wanes a band of tiny cells at the end of a leaf stem, where it looks like a twig, begin to dry and harden. This stops up the plumbing system inside the leaf. The manufacture of sugar slows down and the green chlorophyll no longer reached the leaves. Now yellow pigments that have been masked within the leaves all summer are revealed. The red pigments are manufactured and the trees take on a kaleidoscope of hues and tones, a harmony of color."</div> <bR> <div>         Locally, the nonnative Chinese tallow tree may provide us with considerable color change when its dark green leaves turn to red, yellow, orange, or purple. Color change is also evident in a number of our native species, such as Mexican buckeye, cedar elm, soapberry, sycamore, willows, and a few oaks.</div> <div>   Location and genetics also are significant factors in leaf colors. The southwestern side of a tree usually has a deeper color since it gets more sunshine. Trees in lower places may show color earlier than those in higher spots if cold air settles in the low spots on still nights and the cooler temperatures trap sugar earlier. Generic differences are also important. Typical red leaves are found in maples, dogwoods, and red and scarlet oaks. Browns and oranges are typical for white and black oaks, hickory, and hornbeam, while yellows are more prominent in cottonwoods, pecans, redbud, and elm trees.</div> <bR> <div>          Some eastern Native American tribes claimed that leaf changes were due to celestial hunters who killed the Great Bear and that his dripping blood fell onto the forest trees, gradually changing the leaves to various shades. And although "Jack Frost," or the actual occurrence of frost, has little to do with the changing colors, weather is involved. If the fall is rainy, cloudy, or very hot, the foliage generally becomes bland, yellowish, or less vivid. Sugars, which are manufactured by the leaves, are transported down into the trees where they have little effect on fall foliage.</div> <bR> <div>         Even though our fall colors are less dramatic than they are to the north, they still represent a change in season, a time to appreciate the end of hot weather and the beginning of mild winter days.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Harris's Hawks are Something Special</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> November 2, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      On a recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley, I was once again impressed with the numerous Harris's hawks found along the way. Although these marvelous raptors can often be found as far north as Victoria and Jackson counties, they are far more numerous to the south. And they often are seen on utility poles along the main highways. Sometimes they will allow a good close view. Then their contrasting plumage of a black-brown back, front, and head, chestnut shoulders and feathered legs, and a white tail marked with a broad black band, can be admired. Slightly smaller than our red-tailed hawk, they are one of our most colorful and fascinating raptors.</div> <bR> <div>      Its flight is sometimes slow and sluggish, and usually fairly low over the ground. But they also can soar high overhead, especially when the thermals are good, and may even soar out of sight from the ground. Vocalizations are usually rather weak "eee eee eee eee," but they also possess a loud harsh "karr" call.</div> <bR> <div>      Harris's hawks, most closely related to the common black-hawk of the Southwest, ranges from coastal Texas west through most of southern Arizona. They are found among the saguaros of Arizona's Sonoran Desert and within the Big Bend Country of Texas, but they are most abundant in South Texas. They prefer semiarid woodlands and brushlands. Prey species include a variety of creatures that utilize these habitats, including various rodents and snakes, lizards, cottontails, and even insects on occasions. Wood rats and mice are favorite prey.</div> <bR> <div>      Harris's hawks are highly social birds, usually found in family groups and known to hunt cooperatively. Ornithologist James Bednartz reported on "social foraging" as a common technique for this species. Groups of four and five Harris's hawks often pursue prey as a relay team. He found this hunting method produced higher success than when hunting alone or in pairs. And ornithologist William Mader found that Harris's hawk nest not only in pairs (twosomes) but also in trios (threesomes). He reported that the "extra hawk served as a nest helper by feeding the chicks and/or supplying prey at the nest." Although helpers are utilized by a few other bird species, such as bushtits, Harris's hawk helpers are unique in the raptor world.</div> <bR> <div>      Of course, all of the raptors are rather unique, each one in its own right. Another hawk I am rather partial to is the white-tailed hawk, a South Texas specialty, and often considered the most beautiful of all our raptors. But even the stately red-tailed hawk is special. And who could complain about our bald eagle that is resident in our area all winter into spring. Our full-time resident red-shouldered hawk is also special, although it is often ignored because it is so common. Another rather special wintertime hawk is the northern harrier, the white-rumped, long-winged raptor that cruises low over our fields and pastures. And who does not appreciate the peregrine falcon in winter? This large falcon is the fastest bird in the world, able to dive at more than 100 miles per hour. Although it is most often found along the coast, it occasionally is found inland. </div> <bR> <div>      South Texas has more wintertime raptors than anywhere else in North America, as many as 17 hawks and 6 owls. Each take their share of rodents and other creatures often considered vermin by some folks. But all of the birds and their prey are part of an amazing web of life, one that we all have responsibilities to protect. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>How many Animal Species exist Worldwide?</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> October 26, 2003</div> <div> The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      There is an old saying that "little fish have bigger fish that feed on them and bite 'em, and big fish have still bigger fish, and so, ad infinitum." That quote can easily refer to the animal kingdom with its amazing diversity and huge numbers. It is like a great pyramid of life, with the greatest numbers of animal species at the bottom, supporting lesser numbers toward the top. Vertebrates sit at the top, with mammals, including we humans, near the summit. </div> <bR> <div>      But have you ever wondered about the total numbers of animal species that exist on planet Earth? Although more than a million have been described, the actual number may be closer to 10 million. Described insects alone make up the largest number at about 751,000 species, but Smithsonian Institution entomologist Terry Erwin estimates there may be 30 million species of tropical insects alone, a far cry from our current understanding. A fascinating indication of how little we know about our world. Edward Theriot, director of the Texas Memorial Museum and president of the Association of Systematics Collections, is quoted as saying: "We don't even know enough to tell you what we don't know." </div> <bR> <div>      After insects, the next most numerous kinds of animals are the noninsect arthropods at about 123,400 species. These are the crustaceans such as spiders, mites, and scorpions (about 35,000), centipedes (about 2,000), millipedes (about 7,000), as well as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp (about 30,000). Next in numbers are the mollusks at about 110,000 species. These include snails, whelks and slugs that comprise 80,000; clams, oysters, mussels and scallops that account for about 15,000, chitons about 700, octopuses and squids about 400, and tooth or tusk shells about 350.</div> <bR> <div>      The protozoa, tiny single-celled organisms such as amoebas, are next with about 30,800; fishes and lower chordates with about 28,800; and earthworms with about 12,000 species. The fishes include about 23,000 species, divided into three groups: lampreys and hagfish; sharks, rays, and skates; and the bony fish, such as sturgeon, trout, perch, and other modern forms. Birds are next in numbers with about 9,000 species worldwide, followed by reptiles, including snakes, lizards, turtles and crocs, with about 6,300 species. </div> <bR> <div>      Echinoderms are next with about 6,100 species. These are the starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sea dollars, sea cucumbers, and such, all have tube feet and occur only in marine environments. They are followed by the mammals with about 4,500 species, and lastly are the amphibians, the frogs, toads and salamanders, with about 4,200 species. </div> <bR> <div>      Vertebrates, the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, those species with a backbone, number only about 44,000 species in total. They are but a tiny part of the animal kingdom. Yet we mammalian humans apparently are the only ones that seem to care about numbers and categories; we constantly strive to find more. New species of whales, monkeys, deer, and birds, as well as far more forms of invertebrates, have been discovered in recent years. In future years, it is not unimaginable that the number of animal species on Earth could increase by a factor of 10 or more.</div> <div>  </div> <div>      Yet, all the while, human activities throughout our planet are seriously affecting our animals. Pollution of all types is causing noticeably declines in amphibians, a group of animals that well may be our "canary in the cage." Land clearing for developments, grazing, and agriculture, also is leading to dreadful losses and declines. We know so little about the abundant species being lost. Their value for medicines, as one example, will never be known.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>October is Butterfly Month in South Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> October 19, 2003</div> <div> Lifestyle Cover Story, The Victoria Advocate</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      OCTOBER is when the majority of the approximately 150 butterfly species that have been recorded in the Central Gulf Coast region can be expected. Many may remain active until the first really cold winter days arrive. Increasing numbers begin in late summer and fall when butterflies from more tropical areas stray northward. September and October is when southbound migrants, such as monarchs, red admirals, and painted ladies join the throngs of full-time residents and strays. October, therefore, is when butterfly enthusiasts in our area can find 45 to 55 species during a single day.</div> <bR> <div>      Many of the tropical strays are striking in appearance! Zebra and Julia heliconians, white peacocks, soldiers, and sickle-winged skippers cannot help but attract attention. Yet many of our full-time residents are just as spectacular. Giant swallowtails, great purple hairstreaks, gulf fritillaries, common buckeyes, queens, and white-striped longtails can easily match the fall strays. Although the majority of our butterfly species can be expected almost anywhere, a few, such as the palamedes swallowtail, great southern white, dark tropical buckeye, and salt marsh and obscure skippers, normally are found only along the coast. A visit to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the best bet for finding spectacular palamedes swallowtails nectaring among the many wildflowers.</div> <bR> <div>      The hobby of butterfly watching is a relatively recent phenomenon. It is about where the hobby of birding was when the first really good bird field guides became available in the 1960s. Only during the last few years have some excellent butterfly field guides appeared, making it possible to identify butterflies in the field without collecting specimens. And new close-focusing binoculars have added measurably to field identification. In addition, numerous towns, parks and refuges, as well as private citizens, have installed butterfly gardens, a great way to attract butterflies for easier observations. Examples of recently developed gardens include Victoria's Master Gardener's Demonstration Garden near the airport, Bay City's Matagorda County Birding Nature Center along SH 35, and Rockport's Green Acres Demonstration Garden in downtown Rockport. These new gardens not only attract butterflies but butterfly enthusiasts as well. And with the publication of my "Site Guide to Texas Butterflies" (Texas A&M Univ. Press) next year, that will include these three sites along with a grand total of 75 butterfly finding sites throughout the state, butterflying undoubtedly will come into its own, an important part of the Texas ecotourism industry. </div> <bR> <div>      Texas is the number one butterfly-state with more than 425 species, almost 100 more than second place Arizona. About 725 species have been recorded in North America, north of the Mexican border. Butterfly enthusiasts travel to Texas just to find butterflies, and their numbers increase substantially every year. The Mission, Texas, Chamber of Commerce has already recognized this potential and this year's "Texas Butterfly Festival" (<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><U>www.texasbutterfly.com</U></FONT>), also in October, is in its eighth year. The Lower Rio Grande Valley, with 265 species, is recognized for the greatest number of species in North America. Lepidopterists, scientists who study butterflies and moths, claim that 15,000 to 20,000 butterflies occur worldwide. </div> <bR> <div>      Another reason for the increased interest in butterflies is their wonderful diversity. Within our own neighborhoods can be found both the largest (giant swallowtail) as well as the smallest (western pygmy-blue) of North American butterflies. We also can find species that congregate at tree sap or fruit, such as the tawny emperor, question mark, and goatweed leafwing. Or we can find a yellow butterfly with a perfect dogface marking, the southern dogface. Flying is shaded areas may be a Texan crescent, our only butterfly named for the state. And when weather conditions are just right, American snouts, a small butterfly with a long snout, can be so numerous that they literally can darken the sky in flight. </div> <bR> <div>      Butterfly gardens continue to spring up all across the state. With the right plantings, even private gardens can become a butterfly magnet. One day last October, I recorded a grand total of 43 species in my own yard near Mission Valley. The dozen most common species that day included cloudless and large orange sulphurs, dusky-blue groundstreak, gulf fritillary, monarch, queen, coyote cloudywing, tropical checkered-skipper, and sickle-winged, clouded, dun, and ocola skippers. Gardens also attract strays or rare species that seem to appear out of nowhere. A white angled-sulphur, banded hairstreak, Cassius blue, gray cracker, Zilpa longtail, and white-patched skipper, species not previously known for our area, have taken advantage of flowering handouts in my garden. </div> <bR> <div>      Butterfly identification can be fairly easy with the right tools: a good field guide, a local checklist, and close-focusing binoculars. Size is important in butterfly identification, but wing pattern is even more important. Any species can vary in size by as much as 40 percent, depending on the nutrients available to the caterpillar, the butterfly's larval stage. Butterfly wings often possess shiny bright lines, amazing eyespots and even tails, useful for fooling predators, as well as spectacular colors. Behavior can be another good clue to butterfly identification, whether it is soaring about like swallowtails or monarchs, flapping and gliding like buckeyes or common mestras, flying swiftly in circles like blues or hairstreaks, or "skipping" about like skippers. Good field guides contain these insights. </div> <bR> <div>      There are several good reasons that butterfly watching is gaining so much momentum. It is not only because they are beautiful and fascinating creatures, but, more than any other wildlife, they can easily be attracted to our yard or any other outdoor location desired. And because many butterflies roam widely about, garden visitors in the afternoons can be different than those in the mornings. For many of us, butterflies represent the very best of the natural world: beauty, purity, and insight into the great outdoors. </div> <bR> <div>      A recent butterfly garden brochure, written by Derek Muschalek of Yorktown and I, contains all the best butterfly plants for our region. Our brochure - "Central Gulf Coast Area" butterfly garden plants - is available on line at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><U>www.naba.org</U></FONT>. </div> <bR> <div>      The author's 12 top butterfly (nectaring) garden plants include (1) crucita (Eupatorium odoratum), (2) Mexican heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia), (3) "New Gold" lantana (Lantana sp.), (4) weeping lantana (L. montevidensis), (5) Gregg's eupatorium (Eupatorium greggii), (6) pentas (Penta spp.), (7) butterfly bush (Buddleia lindenyi), (8) sky-flower (Duranta erecta), (9) cowpen daisy (Verbesina enceloides), (10) skeleton golden-eye (Viguiera stenoloba), (11) butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), and (12) Texas kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana). </div> <bR> <div> Suggested Field Guides</div> <div> Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) by Jim Brock and Kenn Kaufman, 2002. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston, MS.</div> <div> Eastern Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) by Paul Opler and Vichai Malikul. 1992. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston, MS.</div> <div> Butterflies Through Binoculars, The East by Jeffrey Glassberg. 1999. Oxford Univ. Press, NY.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Migrating Hawks Still Moving through South Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> October 12, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      The major thrust of the hawk migration has pretty well passed through the Central Gulf Coast area by now, but small numbers of species can still be seen. And raptors are still being tallied at two key "hawk-watch" sites along the Texas Gulf Coast. Reports from the Smith Point site near Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, north of us, and at Hazel Bazemore County Park, to the south, reveal some fascinating numbers as of October 1. Smith Point hawk-watchers have since August 15, reported a grand total of 12,579 individuals of 17 species, and Hazel Bazemore hawk-watchers have tallied 690,387 individuals of 24 species.</div> <bR> <div>      Smith Point totals include 31 ospreys, 97 swallow-tailed kites, 6 white-tailed kites, 3,675 Mississippi kites, 51 northern harriers, 354 sharp-shinned hawks, 246 Cooper's hawks, 23 red-shouldered hawks, 7,766 broad-winged hawks, 51 Swainson's hawks, 10 red-tailed hawks, 5 white-tailed hawks, 1 bald eagle, 5 crested caracaras, 166 American kestrels, 43 merlins, and 39 peregrine falcons; additional numbers represent unidentified species. </div> <bR> <div>      Hazel Bazemore totals include 154 ospreys, 21 swallow-tailed kites, 9,735 Mississippi kites, 1 hook-billed kites, 34 northern harriers, 367 sharp-shinned hawks, 460 Cooper's hawks, 17 red-shouldered hawks, 678,204 broad-winged hawks, 281 Swainson's hawks, 92 red-tailed hawks, 2 ferriginous hawks, 3 white-tailed hawks, 6 zone-tailed hawks, 3 Harris's hawks, 1 bald eagle, 467 American kestrels, 48 merlins, 125 peregrine falcons, 11 prairie falcons, 1 aplomado falcon, and 15 crested caracaras.</div> <bR> <div>      The high number of broad-winged hawks for both sites, especially for Hazel Bazemore, is truly amazing. This hawk nests throughout the eastern half of the United States, and an estimated 95 percent of the population migrates southward along the Texas central Gulf Coast. The area is a like a huge hourglass with our area representing the constructed center. They overwinter in South America. </div> <div> Broad-winged hawks are fairly small hawks, built very much like our common red-tailed hawk, but with a banded rather than an all reddish tail. On peak days in late September, up to 100,000 hawks, principally broad-wings, have been seen in a continuous flight that extends over 40 miles long. </div> <bR> <div>      One of the most spectacular parts of the hawk migration is watching numbers of broad-wings during the morning hours when they begin to leave their overnight roosts. Usually around 8:30am, they slowly begin to lift off, circling low and gradually ascending higher and higher, eventually to a point where they are out of sight. But the circling of hundreds or thousands of hawks is a sight to behold. The Hazel Bazemore site, because of its location on a hill overlooking a wooded riparian area utilized by roosting broad-wings, offers marvelous opportunities for just such experiences.</div> <bR> <div>      Hawk migration occurs in many parts of the world, and organized hawk-watches at a few key sites have provided some amazing statistics. The best known historic sites include Pennsylvania's Hawk Mountain and New Jersey's Cape May Point. But in recent years, Texas sites have produced even greater numbers, and a site in Veracruz, Mexico, has produced even higher numbers. But the single most productive North American site is Hazel Bazemore, where up to 100,000 individual hawks can pass over in a single day.</div> <div> Hazel Bazemore hawk-watchers welcome visitors. Located west of Corpus Christi, the county park is located off SH 624, only a couple miles west of US 77 at Calallen. A great place to enjoy wildlife! </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Winter Birds are Arriving</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> October 5, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      With the demise of summer, many of our wintertime birds are arriving on territories that they will utilize until spring. Although many of the bird species, currently in our neighborhoods that eventually will remain over-winter, are only migrants passing through. But there are at least three species that already have taken up territories that they will frequent all winter. For me, these three species - American kestrel, belted kingfisher, and loggerhead shrike - are good indicators of the coming winter season.</div> <bR> <div>      All three of these birds generally are well known, and they can normally be found in numbers throughout South Texas all winter. And American kestrel and loggerhead shrike may even nest in our area in small numbers. But finding them on the same wintering grounds that they use year after year is a pretty good indication that they are back. In the case of the kestrel, the vast majority of the early birds are females. It is the larger female American kestrel that typically arrives on its wintering grounds ahead of the male. Its early arrival allows it to select preferred habitats, so when the smaller males arrive they must take secondary locations. They sometimes attempt to displace the larger female, but rarely succeed. She utilizes open fields with perches from where she can watch for prey. He often frequents grassy areas, such as road rights of ways; we therefore find more males on roadside utility lines. He is the brighter of the two. Male kestrels are gorgeous birds with a rusty back and tail and slate blue wings, while the female is less colorful and lacking the bluish wings. Both possess a white face with two black streaks. And both also are able to hover in mid-air while searching for prey. They also kite against the wind, flying at an appropriate speed facing the wind so they can stay in place. </div> <bR> <div>      Belted kingfishers rarely are found away from water areas where they hunt for prey such as frogs, fish, small snakes, and even insects when necessary. They, too, perch on utility lines and poles, when those sites offer views of water hunting grounds. When a prey is found, they quickly dive onto their prey, sometimes becoming totally submerged before "flying" out with their catch clutched tightly in their heavy bill. In cases when a large prey species has been speared, they are able to flip it into the air and catch it so it can be swallowed headfirst. Extremely large prey may stick out of the bill until it is slowly digested and swallowed. Belted kingfishers are mostly blue and white birds, although the female also has a rusty bellyband. And they also have a loud, dry rattle call that can hardly be ignored from up close. </div> <bR> <div>      The third bird considered an indicator of winter is the loggerhead shrike. It is only half the size of a kestrel or kingfisher, but it is a very tough character. One look at its rather short, stout appearance is likely to convince anyone that it is one serious bird. It is one of the very few songbirds that is able to capture prey as large or even larger than itself. Although less than eight inches in length, it sometimes preys on larger mockingbirds. It is also known as "butcher-bird," because of its predator habits. Males actually impale their catch on thorns or barbed wire, their method of storing prey and also a way of showing their prowess to female shrikes. And their call is also distinct, a harsh, high-pitched rattle. </div> <bR> <div>      There are many other birds that will be appearing very soon in our neighborhoods that will remain for the winter, but for me at least, none are better indicators of the coming winter than the American kestrel, belted kingfisher, and loggerhead shrike. Each in its own way offers a welcome diversion from the abundant migrants passing us by. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>How Much do You Know about our Local Birds?</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> September 28, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      Just for the fun of it, here is a short quiz about birds. For avid birders, this quiz should be a piece of cake. And for anyone who has read my Nature Notes over the years, you should be able answer more than half of the following questions. Answer by circling A, B or C. The correct letters are included at the end.</div> <bR> <div> 1. America's official national bird is: (A) wild turkey, (B) bald eagle, or (C) sandhill crane.</div> <div> 2. Texas' official bird is: (A) northern cardinal, (B) scissor-tailed flycatcher, or (C) northern mockingbird. </div> <div> 3. Turkey vultures are most closely related to (A) storks or (B) eagles.</div> <div> 4. The local bird with the greatest wingspan is: (A) bald eagle, (B) magnificient frigatebird, or (C) turkey vulture.</div> <div> 5. The fastest known North American bird is: (A) chimney swift, (B) hummingbird, or (C) peregrine falcon.</div> <div> 6. Which one of the following hawks does not nest in South Texas: (A) ferruginous, (B) red-tailed, or (C) white-tailed.</div> <div> 7. The raptor known to mimic turkey vultures is: (A) zone-tailed hawk, (B) Mississippi kite, or (C) Swainson's hawk. </div> <div> 8. The raptor included on Mexican flags is: (A) crested caracara, (B) prairie falcon, or (C) golden eagle.</div> <div> 9. What waterbird must dry its feather by wing-spreading after fishing? (A) clapper rail, (B) anhinga, or (C) mallard.</div> <div> 10. The wading bird that spends much time searching for food in pastures is: (A) green heron, (B) snowy egret, or (C) cattle egret.</div> <div> 11. What rail does not nest in South Texas? (A) yellow, (B) black, or (C) clapper.</div> <div> 12. What bird constructs a 5-8 foot tunnel into a river bank? (A) kingfisher, (B) dipper, or (C) woodpecker. </div> <div> 13. The woodpecker that spends considerable time on the ground eating ants is: (A) ladder-backed, (B) northern flicker, or (C) pileolated. </div> <div> 14. Found in South Texas only in winter, it is considered a "keystone" species: (A) northern harrier, (B) white-throated sparrow, or (C) yellow-bellied sapsucker. </div> <div> 15. The largest South Texas owl is: (A) barn, (B) great horned, or (C) barred.</div> <div> 16. The smallest South Texas songbird is: (A) house sparrow, (B) white-eyed vireo, or (C) blue-gray gnatcatcher. </div> <div> 17. The songbird that hangs its prey on thorns is: (A) oriole, (B) shrike, or (C) wren.</div> <div> 18. The largest Texas warbler is: (A) golden-cheeked, (B) Swainson's, or (C) yellow-breasted chat.</div> <div> 19. Chimney swifts are most closely related to (A) swallows or (B) hummingbirds.</div> <div> 20. The bird that builds a floating nest is: (A) red-winged blackbird, (B) mottled duck, or (C) pied-billed grebe.</div> <div> 21. What bird deposits its eggs in the nests of other birds? (A) grackle, (B) cowbird, or (C) shrike.</div> <div> 22. The bird that builds grassy nests in flowerpots is: (A) northern cardinal, (B) ruby-throated hummingbird, or (C) Carolina wren.</div> <div> 23. Which of the following birds in not a cavity nester? (A) bluebird, (B) titmouse, or (C) vireo.</div> <div> 24. Only one of the following sparrows nests in South Texas: (A) Lincoln's, (B) white-throated, or (C) lark.</div> <div> 25. The principal food of the endangered whooping crane is: (A) blue crab, (B) snails, or (C) roots. </div> <div> Answers: 1 (B), 2 (C), 3 (A), 4 (B), 5 (C), 6 (A), 7 (A), 8 (C), 9 (B), 10 (C), 11 (A), 12 (A), 13 (B), 14 (C), 15 (B), 16 (C), 17 (B), 18 (C), 19 (B), 20 (B), 21 (B), 22 (C), 23 (C), 24 (C), 25 (A). </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Crickets Often are Unwelcome Neighbors</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> September 21, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      Field crickets have recently invaded many of our towns, homesites, and businesses. Usually, these insects are found only in our fields and woodlots, but recent rains have apparently contributed to their movement into conflict with people. There are places in our towns where their dead bodies become smelly and obnoxious.</div> <bR> <div>      Field crickets usually are welcome neighbors, so long as they stay away from our shops and homes. Many people consider crickets symbols of good luck. Jiminy Cricket, of Pinocchio fame, helped establish a positive image. And crickets are sometimes prized for their "singing" and sometimes kept in cages in people's homes. In China, crickets were also kept for their fighting ability; cricket fights were as popular as horse races. The Chinese fed their crickets special diets, including mosquitoes fed on trainer's arms, and even weighed them to classify them for fighting. </div> <bR> <div>      Many of us enjoy their cheerful evening songs, and as the nights grow longer and cooler, their nocturnal serenades increase in intensity. Before winter they must mate to perpetuate the species. But only the males sing. They have three basic sound signals: a call note, an aggressive chirp, and a courtship song to attract a female. Singing is done with the edge of one wing rubbing against the opposite wing, creating a chirping noise. Filelike ridges, called "scrapers," near the base of the wing produce the sound. We can produce a similar sound by running a file along the edge of a tun can. </div> <bR> <div>      Wing covers provide an excellent sounding board, quivering when notes are made and setting the surrounding air to vibrating, thus giving rise to sound waves that can be heard for a considerable distance. The cricket's auditory organ or "ear," a small white, disklike spot, is located on the tibia of each front leg. The chirps become much higher in pitch in the presence of a female. Some of these ultrasonic sounds can reach 17,000 vibrations per second, higher than most people can distinguish. Females are easily identified by a long, spearlike ovipositor (egg-laying device) protruding from their abdomen. Eggs are laid in the ground and hatch is the spring.</div> <bR> <div>      Our local field cricket, sometimes known as black field cricket, is almost an inch in length. Members of the Gryllidae Family of insects, they are related to grasshoppers and mantises. They feed on a wide variety of materials, including vegetable matter, and when they get into our buildings, they can consume everything from clothing to paper. However, they will not remain there and breed but will return to their preferred outdoor environment when given a chance. Outdoors they are an integral part of our South Texas wildlife.</div> <bR> <div>      A recent posting by Mike Quinn, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, cited a control method for crickets, suggested by Michael Merchant, Texas Agricultural Extension Service. "Outdoor lighting is the most important single cause of severe cricket infestation around homes and commercial buildings. Buildings that are brightly lit at night are most likely to attract the largest numbers of crickets during the fall mating season. Reducing outdoor lights is the first, and most important, step in a cricket control program" </div> <bR> <div>      For additional information about cricket as pests go to <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><U>http://citybugs.tamu.edu/FastSheets/Ent-1008.html</U></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Blue Jays are Especially Abundant in Fall</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> September 17, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      One of our most common avian residents, blue jays becomes even more numerous in late summer and fall. There are two or three very good reasons for this increase in populations. First and foremost is the fact that young of the year are out and about, foraging with their parents and adding to the overall jay noises. Second, some of our neighborhoods are recipients of visiting birds from nesting sites that do not support an adequate food base in fall. And thirdly, oak and pecan trees are producing new crops of acorns and pecans that attract blue jays and lot of other birds from considerable distances.</div> <bR> <div>      Young birds are difficult to separate from the adults by fall, because they are the same size (almost before they leave the nest) and are fully developed. Even their tail, that often is stubby for several weeks after fledging, is fully-grown. The only hint of their age that can still be detected is the bill, somewhat yellowish and soft at the lower edge. And as for the familiar jay calls, there is so little difference that it is next to impossible to separate the adults from the young that way. They all have the very distinct "jay" call, as well as numerous other calls that can range from loud screeches to grunts and whistles. One common call is an emphatic "eeef eeef" or "thief thief." Jays also have the ability to mimic lots of other birds. </div> <bR> <div>      A blue jay is best described as omnivorous, able to eat almost anything from fruits and nuts to carrion, small vertebrates such as lizards and snakes, as well as other birds and their eggs. Their multivaried diet is one reason for their abundance and their widespread distribution. But they, like other members of the Corvidae Family (includes crows, ravens and magpies), are able store food for periods of the year when the supply is are not so abundant. Blue jay caches are hidden in tree crevices and in shrubbery. Watch a jay scarf down numerous seeds or other foods, completely filling their esophagus, and then fly off to cache it for later. In more northern climates, these food caches allow jays to nest very early in the season, before most of their natural foods become available.</div> <bR> <div>      The blue jay is the only jay that occurs in our area along the Central Gulf Coast. Its range extends throughout the eastern half of North America, west into central Canada, but south only to about the San Antonio River, a biogeographic boundary for many of our Eastern forest species. However, the more tropical green jays do occur north to southern Goliad County, and there is some hint that this lovely bird may be moving northward. And the western scrub-jay is common in the Hill Country. Of the three species, the blue jay is the only one with a crest. It is marked with a blue back, crest, and tail, all white underparts, white wing spots, and white cheeks. It also possesses a black necklace. </div> <bR> <div>      Blue jay behavior is fascinating. A blue jay watcher sooner or later will see some remarkable activities. Mobbing of other birds and predators is one of the most typical. When one individual discovers a predator, such as a house cat or owl, it will immediately begin to call its neighbors, and within a very few minutes other jays suddenly appear and join the mob. At such times, their raucous calls can be heard a considerable distance. More often than not, the recipient of their attention will eventually flee.</div> <bR> <div>      Jays also love to sun-bathe, sprawling out in a sunny and usually sandy place, wings out and back fluffed out to absorb the sun's warmth. They may use the exact same position in an ant bed to "ant," letting the ants walk over their plumage. This activity allows the ants to take tiny parasites, helping the jays stay clean and healthy. They may also take an ant in its bill, crush it, and rub the ant over its own plumage; apparently the ant's acid gives it protection from some parasites. And one of the strangest behaviors for birds is that blue jays have been known to guard and feed old or disabled jays, a trait almost human. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Wandering Butterflies Sometimes Go North in Late Summer</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> September 7, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      Those of us living in South Texas expect to see monarchs on their southern migration during late summer and fall, and we seldom are disappointed. From late August through November, monarchs from all across North America pass through our area en route to their wintering grounds in the mountains of northern Mexico. Their story is well documented, one of nature's most fascinating wildlife adventures.</div> <bR> <div>      But those of us in South Texas also are privileged to experience very different butterfly phenomena, that of wandering butterflies heading north. Some of these strays are Mexican species that are very rarely found in the United States. Although they can be somewhat expected in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, those that come so far north as Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, and surrounding counties are exciting for those of us that pay attention to such unusual occurrences. For instance, during the last few days, I recorded a white angled-sulphur in my yard near Mission Valley, and Derek Muschalek discovered a ruddy daggerwing in his yard west of Yorktown.</div> <bR> <div>      The white angled-white is a huge butterfly, almost the size of a monarch, with leaf-green underwings and white upperwings with a large yellow spot. I discovered my angled-sulphur nectaring on a firebush, but when I approached it swiftly flew up, circled and landed on a nearby hackberry leaf. I could easily see it from where I was standing, but when I approached to get a photography, it blended into the vegetation so perfectly that I had to return to the earlier spot five times to zero in on the location before I located it up close. Then I was able to approach to within four feet; it remained still, I suppose believing that its color and leaf-shape when perched would keep it protected. </div> <bR> <div>      Derek's ruddy daggerwing is an even larger butterfly, with a wingspan of about three inches. Its underside is reddish brown with dark streaks that provide it wonderful camouflage when perched. The upper side is brilliant orange-red with narrow black streaks and long tails. Its color and shape are so out of ordinary that almost anyone seeing this butterfly could not help but be impressed. It is one gorgeous creature!</div> <bR> <div>      The concept of butterflies and other animals moving north instead of south in late summer and fall is one that has been recognized by biologists for many years, but not fully understood. This dispersal from their breeding grounds occurs with a large number of animals. Most often it is the male of the species that moves on after breeding. This wandering behavior may serve as a way to disperse species over a wider area to conserve a food supply for the young, to take advantage of feeding sites elsewhere, or it may function as a way to colonize new territory. Buff-bellied hummingbirds, the large species that is a full-time resident in many of our yards, often wanders along the Gulf Coast to Louisiana in fall. And western hummingbirds, such as Anna's and Allen's, wander east to the Gulf Coast on occasion.</div> <bR> <div>      There are several butterflies that we can expect only during the late summer and fall months. Already a few of the more common, regular fall species have put in their appearance, at least in my garden. The early species include zebra heliconian, orange-barred sulphur, common mestra, and ocola skipper. Based on previous years, I know that I can also expect Julia heliconian, white peacock, soldier, and Laviana white-skipper any day. </div> <bR> <div>      My "Checklist of Central Gulf Coast Butterflies" includes 149 species that have been recorded within the12 county area. I have recorded 96 of those within my own yard. Any of my readers interested in receiving a copy of this 4-page checklist, send me a stamped self-addressed envelope and will I send you a copy. My address is 315 Padre Lane, Victoria, TX 77905. Enjoy the butterflies! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Hummingbird Time in South Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> August 31, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      September is synonymous with hummingbirds. That is when thousands of ruby-throated hummingbirds pass through South Texas en route to their wintering grounds south of the Mexican Border. These tiny flying jewels file through the Coastal Bend like an hourglass, coming from an incredibly wide swath of North America, from the shores of the Atlantic to the western edge of the Great Plains. Some south bound male hummingbirds may appear as early as July, and a few late migrants can be found through November, but the great bulk of migrating ruby-throats appear in September.</div> <bR> <div>      To commemorate this passing hoard, Rockport will hold its 15th annual "Hummer/Bird Celebration" this year from September 11 to 14. For anyone that has not attended one of these affairs, it is well worth the effort. The Celebration includes a wide range of activities from garden tours, banding demonstrations, a variety of pertinent talks, and a great assortment vending booths. I attend every year just to find early Christmas presents. More information is available at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><U>visitor@1rockport.org</U></FONT> or the old fashion way: 1-800-826-6441.</div> <bR> <div>      What can be done at home to encourage passing hummingbirds to stay awhile? Since many of the thousands of migrating ruby-throats will pass right through our neighborhoods, we have a wonderful opportunity to get better acquainted. And the very best way is to offer them a treat, plain old sugar water, that they will readily take advantage of. The sugar water provides substitute nectar that will help them maintain their fat reserves for migration. Hummingbirds take considerable amounts of flower nectar, but they also feed on tiny insects, often taken from spider webs. In migration, as they hurry southward, handouts in the form of sugar water can be important. </div> <bR> <div>      I utilize as many as 30 feeders in my yard during the fall migration, but use only a half-dozen the remainder of the year. In September, there are occasions when eight or ten hungry hummingbirds will congregate around a single feeder, with dozens more sitting in the adjacent trees resting or waiting their turns. That is a lot of hummingbirds! Yet it happens every year. </div> <bR> <div>      Feeding hummingbirds is extremely easy. It takes only a store bought feeder filled with sugar water at a ratio of 1 part sugar to 10 parts water. I mix up a large jug (stored in the refrigerator) and use a small funnel to fill the feeders. There are times in September that I can go through a gallon of sugar water daily. My favorite hummingbird feeders are the "Best" hummingbird feeders made in Poteet, Texas. They come in two sizes and are easy to clean. Locations for hanging a feeder can vary from a tree limb to an overhanging porch, but place it where you can easily see it from inside the house. </div> <bR> <div>      Many times a hummingbird feeder will attract ants that can crawl into the water and drown, limiting use of the feeder by hummingbirds. The best method of discouraging ants is to place a 35mm film canister, smeared inside with Vaseline or other grease, on the wire; use an ice pick to force a small hole in the bottom. Another suggestion is to keep your feeder clean at all times. Although in September when the feeder must be filled and cleaned once or more times daily, at other times fill the feeder with only as much sugar water to last four or five days. Of course, temperatures determine how long a sugar solution will last before it begins to sour. </div> <bR> <div>      A question that always arises during a discussion about feeding hummingbirds is when to take feeders down. Will feeding hummingbirds in winter keep them from migrating and possibly dying? Absolutely not! Hummingbirds that are going to migrate will when they are readily, whether or not they are using a feeder. I feed hummers year-round. Although ruby-throats rarely remain for the winter, the larger buff-bellied hummingbird is a full-time resident in my yard. Plus, a few other migrants, such as the regular black-chinned, rufous, and broad-tailed hummingbirds and the rare calliope or Anna's hummingbirds just might appear and take advantage of your handouts for a few days. </div> <bR> <div>      If you haven't tried feeding hummingbirds, try it. You'll like it! </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Black Witches and Other Migratory Insects</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> August 24, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      The recent abundance of black witches, probably due to their arrival with Hurricane Claudette, has attracted lots of attention. This huge, mostly all-black moth that hides in dark places during the daylight hours, cannot help but startle anyone confronted with its sudden departure from it's hiding place. At my house, the relatively dark front porch or open garage are favorite perching sites. Its great wingspan, as much as five to six inches, is more bat-like than moth-like. But if you approach one slowly without frightening it off, its very dark appearance features large eyespots on both the forewings and hindwings. It is a remarkable insect up-close.</div> <bR> <div>      These tropical moths tend to be crepuscular, flying primarily at dawn and dusk, but they also fly during the daytime in strongly shaded forest areas. They feed on rotting fruits, such as mangos and bananas. These fruits also provide excellent bait for anyone wanting to study them in the open. And as was mentioned in a nature note a couple weeks ago, Brush Freeman found that they also feed on beer. </div> <bR> <div>      The question, of course, is from where did these great moths come? Although Claudette more than likely carried them across the Gulf from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, that doesn't mean that the storm picked up a few hundred individuals and carried them to the Texas Coast. More than likely the storm encountered a mass of migrants somewhere along the way. And Claudette may also have carried numerous other insects along to deposit them in Texas.</div> <bR> <div>      There are many insects known for their migrations. One of the best known of these is the monarch, a large orange-brown butterfly with black veins. This butterfly passes through Texas in spring on its way north and again in fall, en route to its wintering ground in Mexico. But several additional butterflies also migrate, although they do not get the same kind of recognition. A few of the better known butterfly migrants include cloudless and lyside sulphurs, little yellow, sleepy orange, American snout, gulf fritillary, common buckeye, red admiral, painted lady, and queen. Three skippers - long-tailed and ocola skippers and Dorantes longtail - also migrate. </div> <bR> <div>     Other migrant moths include the pink-spotted hawkmoth, mournful and tersa sphinx, and several species that can cause considerable crop damage: black cutworm, cotton leafworm, velvetbean caterpillar, corn earworm, armyworm, beet and fall armyworm, and soybean and cabbage loopers. Most of these moths are known from their caterpillar stage, rather than the adult. </div> <bR> <div>      There also are a number of dragonflies that migrate. The common green darner is our best example, but the twelve-spotted and wandering gliders, variegated meadowhawk, and Carolina, black, and red saddlebags also migrate. All of these insects have been found far out in the Gulf, and at times they can appear at oil rigs in great numbers. </div> <bR> <div>     Grasshoppers comprise another group of insects known to migrate. Although a few species, such as migratory grasshopper and Rocky Mountain locust, are recognized as true migrants, most grasshoppers that suddenly appear en mass are not migrants. These bugs, that can suddenly appear in the thousands and commence to destroy crops, are most often the result of mass hatchings, following perfect weather conditions. They then fly up en masse and seek food, but they do not make annual north-south migrations. </div> <bR> <div>      Moths, butterflies, dragonflies, and grasshoppers are not the only Texas insects that migrate. It may be surprising to learn that numerous other species have also been documented as migrants. Some of the more obscure migrants include the large milkweed bug, three leafhoppers, greenbug, and the convergent ladybird beetle.</div> <bR> <div>      Fall is rapidly approaching, and we should begin to detect southbound monarchs any day. For many of us, migrating monarchs are not just migrating butterflies, but they seem like mystical creatures. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>It is Mississippi Kite Time Again</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> August 17, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      Once again Mississippi kites can be found over our towns and woodlots, soaring, diving, and tumbling in true acrobatic style. Although a few of these mid-sized raptors actually nest in suitable sites in the Golden Crescent, such as at Victoria's Riverside Park, many found this time of year are southbound migrants that loaf at choice feeding sites en route to their wintering homes in Argentina and Paraguay, South America.</div> <bR> <div>      Their principal food supply includes the readily available flying insects, such as cicadas, that frequent the upper foliage of our abundant trees. Towns like Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Goliad, Edna, Refugio, and others with lots of tall trees offer excellent hunting grounds and also overnight roosting sites. Hunting Mississippi kites provide us with marvelous opportunities to watch one of nature's most exciting raptors at work. Often it will dive with breathtaking speed, swoop, and tumble, sometimes somersault in its aerial maneuvers. An observer can actually watch it capture prey in midair or off the foliage, and then consume its catch in flight, unlike most other raptors that feed on a post or on the ground. It will hold its prey with one talon and eat its soft body parts, usually discarding the wings and head. It is like attending a circus performance, free of charge and often without even leaving our yards. </div> <bR> <div>      Cicadas are usually common in late summer and fall, and, because they often fly out in the open, they are one of the easiest of prey. The kite will take numerous other prey species as well. Other large flying insects, such as grasshoppers and various beetles, as well as bats, lizards, amphibians, and small snakes are all included in the Mississippi kite diet. They often hawk over fields where cattle are grazing. The cattle scare up insects that are then taken in flight by the faster kites. </div> <bR> <div>     Mississippi kites are smaller than our red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, but larger than our wintering American kestrel. They can easily be identified by their buoyant flight as well as their slate gray plumage, black slightly forked tail, and pointed wings. In a way, they look a lot like a giant swallow. And with binoculars, you can usually see their ruby red eyes against a black eye ring and gray head. Juveniles are mottled brown and gray with a barred tail. Their voice, seldom heard away from their nesting grounds, is a high, thin, descending "shi chiew." </div> <bR> <div>     Mississippi kites reside in Texas only during the spring and summer months, arriving in the United States in early to mid-March. Migrants often are found in great flocks that sometime number in the hundreds. Breeding birds occur west to east from New Mexico to the Carolinas. They may reside as far north as Oklahoma and Kansas and along the Mississippi River to southern Illinois, but south only to our area. Nesting occurs in woodland areas, in riparian habitats as well as grooves in prairie situations. In some cases, several pairs may nest near one another in loose colonies. After nesting they usually congregate at choice feeding sites, and then they will usually roost together on tall tree with open branches.</div> <bR> <div>      Although spring migrants pass quickly by, post-nesting birds seem to be in less of a hurry and will linger at choice feeding sites for several days or weeks. Peak numbers occur in mid-August to early September, then decline until mid-October when all have moved south. </div> <bR> <div>      Right now is that time of year. So enjoy our aerial acrobats! </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>One More Hurricane Claudette Tale</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> August 10, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >    There are hundreds of stories about Hurricane Claudette's passage across the Golden Crescent. Most relate to her unusual behavior and resultant damages. She was only a "tropical storm" while moving westward across the Gulf, but changed to a Class 1 Hurricane about when she made landfall, and her wind speed apparently increased. Most hurricane winds decline once over land. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>      Claudette passed directly across the coastal area near Port O'Connor, where she raised havoc by knocking out the power, tearing up considerable vegetation, and damaging numerous buildings. Port O'Connor residents mostly stayed put, yet there have been no deaths or serious injuries reported. But for some residents, such as friends Ladd and Petra Hockey and Brush Freeman, the storm provided what may have been a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience Mother Nature up close and personal.</div> <bR> <div>      Brush posted a note to Tex-Birds (<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><U>www.texbirds.org</U></FONT>) a day afterwards, explaining that when "the eye of the storm passed directly over us, the winds went from 100 mph to near 0 mph within just a few minutes. The sun broke out with clear, very blue skies and became very hot with tons of mosquitoes." For the next 45 to 60 minutes the three birders scanned the bay for birds. Although the bay waters were still in turmoil, the area was "full of flying birds and oddly hundred of black witches (a huge moth)." </div> <bR> <div>      They recorded numerous bird species that normally never come close to shore. These included a large shearwater, either a Cory's or greater at a distance, a positive Cory's shearwater; 2 Audubon's shearwaters; several unidentified storm-petrels; 2 black-backed terns (bridled or sooty); and 2 or 3 unidentified jaegers, one probable a pomarine. All of these are pelagics, seabirds that very, very rarely ever are seen from shore. They spend their lives at sea, except when nesting on small isolated islands off the Continents. The remainder of their time is spent on the oceans where they feed principally on fish and squid.</div> <bR> <div>      The next day they recorded numerous frigatebirds or man-o-war birds, perhaps as many of 50 of these huge seabirds. Also pelagic, frigatebirds do occur somewhat regularly along the Texas coast in summer. They nest in mangrove areas in coastal Mexico and come north afterwards. A few may remain off the Central Texas Coast until early winter. The names were derived from their habit of piracy, chasing down smaller birds carrying prey to make them drop their catch, which they then scoop up off the surface. Frigatebirds also are known as "hurricane birds" because of their habit of appearing over land just prior to storms at sea. Frigatebirds are huge, with a wingspan of 90 or more inches, an extremely long bill with a dangerous-looking hook, and a long deeply forked tail. </div> <bR> <div>      Brush reported hundreds or black witches<I> (Ascalapha odorata)</I> flying in the eye of the storm. Scanning the bay with a spotting scope, they noted several in every scope view. On land, they found black witches in "the remaining trees and bushes, under the houses; they were literally everywhere." Dozens of landbirds, such as nighthawks and scissor-tailed flycatchers, were chasing down and feeding on these moths. Brush mentioned that some of the nighthawks were flying far out over the bay, behavior not normally expected. The black witches apparently were providing marvelous food for the stressed birds. What a surprise, because the abundance of black witches on a normal year amounts only to three or four black witches found at Port O'Connor. </div> <bR> <div>      Later in the evening, Brush experienced black witches on a more personal basis. He wrote that they had several of these moths flying close around them. "We discovered that pouring a bit of beer into our palms had them come in like small dogs, land of our hands and lap up the beer with their long tongues [proboscis]. We don't know whether these moths came in with the storm or what...It was most curious." </div> <bR> <div>       Strange occurrences are the norm during hurricane episodes. It is very possible that the multitude of black witches, a true migratory moth, were picked up by the storm in Mexico's Yucatan and carried across the Gulf to Texas. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Green Anoles are Area's Chameleons</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> August 3, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >    One of our most abundant lizards, the anole, is again abundant in my yard. It is almost as abundant now as it was four or five years ago. But after then my anole population began to decline, and within a couple years it was only a shadow of what it had been. And the population of scaly lizards, a species that was only seen occasionally, began to increase. By the next season they were the dominant lizard species in my yard. This of course does not include the ground skinks that seem always to be in good numbers among the leaves and debris in the yard.</FONT></div> <bR> <div>      Although scaly lizards are rather interesting lizards in there own right, my favorite is the anole. Scaly lizards are really shy and seldom permit a close inspection, but anoles often seem oblivious to a close approach. They often seem more curious than afraid at a close approach. I have even been able to get close enough to reach out and almost touch it before it moves away just far enough to feel safe. Then it will watch you as if wondering what you are really up to.</div> <bR> <div>      Our anole, more properly know as green anole, or <I>Anolis carolinensis </I>to scientists, is the only native anole found in our area. But there are 300 kinds worldwide. Except for the Key West anole of South Florida, all the rest occur in Mexico, Central and South America, and the West Indies. The green anole is a slender, long-tailed lizard, often as much as 7 inches in length. It has a long, pointed head and long legs and toes. The toes expand to form an adhesive pad for walking on slick surfaces. It can even walk up the surface of a glass window. </div> <bR> <div>      Territorial males often spread their conspicuous dewlap, or throat fan, as a territorial defense to warn an intruder or in courtship. This behavior is usually accompanied by a few bobs of the head or push-ups. If a rival male continues to trespass, a heated battle, with much biting, is possible. The resident male almost always is the victor and the intruder flees. The anole's dewlap contains a flexible rod or cartridge that is attached near the middle of the throat in such a way that it can be thrust forward by the attached muscles. When the fan is extended, the scales become widely separated, and a bright pink to orange color flashes into view.</div> <bR> <div>     The most fascinating feature of our green anole, however, is its ability to change color. For that reason it is often called "chameleon," after the Old World chameleon. This color change, resulting from changes in temperature, humidity, emotion, or exercise, can easily be seen as the anole moves from the shade into direct sunlight or from a dark to light object. Color changes can be striking and range from deep green to dark brown to light tan to blackish. </div> <bR> <div>     The color change is due to the arrangement of pigment cells in the anole's skin. When the cells expand, they partly cover other cells and produce the brown coloration, but when the black cells constrict to tiny dots, light is reflected from the other cells, giving it a green color. Cell movement is triggered by a tiny gland at the base of the brain that produces a hormone that controls the movements of the black cells. If the gland is removed, the animal remains pale green.</div> <bR> <div>      But no matter, the anole's neighborliness and curiosity, along with its abundance, are the characteristics that make it one of the most fascinating members of our native wildlife community. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>July Brings Changes to our Yard Birds</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> July 27, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      It seems that only yesterday our Neotropical migrants were arriving and beginning to court their mates. But now, here it is only half way through summer, and many of those same species already are beginning their southward migration. In fact, the purple martins that nested in my martin house from April to June are gone. Those large swallows left my yard a couple weeks ago, but others are gathering together at various sites, preparing for their long journeys back to their wintering grounds in South America. </div> <bR> <div>      Many of the other Neotropical species are still present. Two of the more obvious ones are cliff swallows and chimney swifts. The cliff swallow colonies present at our highway overpasses are still on-site, and their numbers have, in most cases, more than doubled since the youngsters are out and about. Chimney swift young are also out of the nests, learning hunting techniques from their parents. Their presence in chimneys are far less obvious now that they are no longer being fed by their parents. The ruckus created at feeding time by a nest-full of baby chimney swifts can be suprisingly loud for such small small birds.</div> <bR> <div>      Most of our full-time resident birds have also completed their nesting, and yards are filled with strange looking birds. Examples include the northern cardinal youngsters that, although they are the same size as their parents, can be difficult to tell if one is a male or female. And they seem so unsure of themselves, not yet able to balance well, and constantly begging for food. And many of the adults, being long-suffering parents, continue to shove food into their wide-open bills. Even an occasional brown-headed cowbird, probably raised by cardinal foster parents, have not yet learned the truth about its real parents. </div> <bR> <div>      Several other summertime birds, finished with their nesting activities, are utilizing our yards, coming to handouts or searching for food among the vegetation. Full-time residents include Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, Carolina and Bewick's wrens, northern mockingbirds, blue jays, white-winged and Inca doves, and buff-bellied hummingbirds. Summertime only yard birds include ruby-throated and black-chinned hummingbirds, yellow-billed cuckoos, great crested flycatchers, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and painted buntings. These latter species should be heading south before too long. </div> <bR> <div>      July also brings a few southbound migrants into our area. Although it may seem unlikely, a few northern hummingbirds occasionally pass through our area, and some may even stay for a few days. One of the earliest of these is the little rufous hummingbird. Males are easily identified by their bright rufous color, so different from the three summer hummers, the ruby-throated, black-chinned and buff-bellied. Three other Western hummers - calliope, broad-tailed and Anna's - are not totally unexpected in the fall. </div> <bR> <div>      The major fall migration period doesn't really get underway until mid- to late August. But so many of the northern birds, such as some of the hummingbirds as well as some shorebirds, begin to pass through our area much earlier. Most of these early southbound migrants are males. For many bird species, males spend much of their post-breeding periods with other males in bachelor parties. Those species leave the majority of the rearing of young strictly to the female. And so those particular males begin their migration long before the female and young are ready. </div> <bR> <div>      Birds truly have a varied lifestyle. But that diversity is what watching birds so fascinating. Which of our abundant southbound migrants will make their first appearance? </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Fascinating Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> July 20, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT>    There is hardly a yard in South Texas in summer that does not possess one or several garden spiders, often called the "black-and-yellow garden spider." Scientists have named it <I>Argiope aurantia.</I></div> <bR> <div>      Among the largest and showiest of spiders, the adult black-and-yellow garden spider possesses an inch-long black abdomen with yellow or orange markings. The front part of the body is generally gray above and yellow below, and its eight legs are long and velvety. But this spider is most notable because of the huge web the female spins between all types of structures, from trees and branches to sheds and barbecue pits.</div> <bR> <div>      Garden spider webs, usually 3 or 4 feet in diameter but occasionally up to 8 feet across, are surprisingly strong and flexible. It is said that spider silk is the strongest natural fiber known, that even steel drawn out to the same diameter is not as strong. The strong silk threads from garden spiders were once used as crosshairs in telescopes and other fine optical instruments. I can attest to its strength; mowing or watering the lawn, I will occasionally crash into one of these webs, and it takes several tries to remove the webbing from my arms and face. A damaged web will usually be reconstructed during the evening hours.</div> <bR> <div>      Each garden spider web has a distinct zigzag band of white, sticky silk running vertically through the center. This white band may also help birds see the net so they do not fly into it. The garden spider, unlike many other spiders, does not have a nest but remains either in the center of the web, hanging head down, or hiding nearby. The movement of key strands of the web signal whenever prey becomes trapped and attempts to escape. The strength of the webbing suggests that it can capture and eat rather large prey, from a wide variety of insects to lizards and even hummingbirds. From observing the various webs in my yard, flies, small and large, are the spider's number one prey items, but I have also found wasps, grasshoppers, a dragonfly, and even a gecko lizard entangled.</div> <bR> <div>      Female garden spiders are considerably larger than the males and generally command the web; males construct smaller, less noticeable webs in less obvious locations. By fall, the females lay eggs in large pear-shaped cocoons with a brown paperlike surface, hung by threads among the trees and shrubs. The young hatch during the winter months but remain in the cocoon until spring. The adults usually die during the cooler winter months.</div> <bR> <div>      So goes the life and times of our lovely garden spider. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Young Red-shouldered Hawks are Yardbirds</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> July 13, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      During the last couple weeks two young red-shouldered hawks have claimed my yard, and also a few of my neighbor's yards, as their own private hunting grounds. They seem to almost ignore my activities in the yard, at least until I get within 100 feet or so. Then, they give a great screech and fly off "muttering" their annoyance that I am disturbing their territory. </div> <bR> <div>      I have watched them from inside the house on several occasions, when they were unaware, and it is very obvious that they are youngsters just learning their trade. They are still very awkward, not only when perching on a tree limb but also on the ground. Their balance is not yet stable, and they seem to tip this way and that each time they land. They do adjust, however, usually with wings out to help stabilize themselves. On one occasion, when one landed at the top of a utility pole, it actually missed the top and had to drop off and try a second time. </div> <bR> <div>      The adults are still around the neighborhood, as I see them now and again. But a few weeks ago, when they were busy feeding nestlings, they too were yardbirds, catching almost everything that moved. Small mammals, lizards and snakes were the most wanted prey, but when those creatures were not readily available, they took much smaller prey such as various insects, including crickets, katydids and cicadas. More often than not, the male will capture the food and take it to the female; she will then feed it to the nestlings. A growing baby demands food no matter what it might be. And baby hawks grow extremely fast. Within about three weeks they go from tiny white balls of fuzz to adult size, and in another week they are able to leave the nest. </div> <bR> <div>      Upon leaving the nest they look different than the adults, lacking the clean-cut patterns and red shoulders that they will develop before winter. Juvenal birds are mottled on their breast and back, but do have a banded tail, although that too is not as sharp as it will be as an adult. And their vocalizations are different, too. Their calls are not as distinct as the adults are, and they do a lot of squealing and cheeping. At times they will sit together on a limb and beg to be fed, or maybe they are simply complaining to one another. After all, mom and dad have deserted us, and our survival is totally up to us. True teenagers!</div> <bR> <div>      Adult red-shouldered hawks, probably the large raptor most often called "chicken-hawk" by locals, because of their constant presence in wooded neighborhoods where people live, are really magnificent birds. Although not as large as red-tailed hawks, the common field hawk, red-shouldereds are even more numerous in South Texas. But because of their habitat preference, that of woodlots, riparian areas along rivers and streaks, and wooded neighborhoods, they are less obvious. But in spring, when they are defending a nesting territory and courting, they are most obvious. Then they are extremely vocal, constantly calling "kee yeer" notes as they circle overhead. </div> <bR> <div>      An adult red-shouldered hawk is a most attractive bird! They possess a barred chest, usually reddish bars, and red shoulders. In flight they reveal their underwings that are reddish in front and black with fine white streaks behind. They also possess a whitish "window" near each wingtip. Their legs are yellow. And the adult's tail is banded black and white. </div> <bR> <div>      The red-shouldered hawk rarely is found away from wooded areas, and its abundance in swampy areas of the Southeast has given it the name "swamp hawk." In our part of Texas, perhaps its name should be "neighborhood hawk." </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Armadillos, Our Little Armored Tanks</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> July 7, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      This strange creature is commonplace through South Texas, but I only occasionally find one in my yard. But last week one spent a good part of a day "bull-dozing" about the shrubbery. And it seemed oblivious to my presence, letting me get within eight or ten feet without seeming to even notice me. Because of its apparent ignorance of my presence I was able to study its appearance and behavior for an hour or more. </div> <bR> <div>       What a strange mammal it is! There is nothing at all even casually like the armadillo in Texas. It is a wonder how nature created such as well armored creature. Its entire upper body, as well as its head and tail, are covered with rows of leathery plates that are able to slide on one another. Hard and stiff, the plates are jointed across the back so that it can curl itself into a hard tough ball with the shell of the outside and the head and feet tucked in out of harm's way.</div> <bR> <div>       Its feet and claws are powerful looking. And it has degenerate teeth, no incisors or canines but seven small peglike teeth of each side of each jaw. As a nonaggressive creature, it depends more upon scent than sight for finding food. But maybe its tough snout is most impressive. That is what it uses to search for food, pushing into the soil like a plow. My armadillo wandered about with its snout seldom above ground level. And when it found something at a deeper level, it was able to swiftly dig into the rocky soil for whatever it had found.</div> <div> Armadillo diet consists mostly of ants, termites, and other insects, but they will eat a variety of small animals as well as carrion, some fruit, fungus, and a few plants. William Davis, in The Mammals of Texas, reports that a study of 800 armadillo stomachs revealed 488 different food items, 93 percent of which were animal matter: 28 percent was larval and adult beetles, 14 percent termites and ants, 8 percent caterpillars, and the remaining included earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, and crayfish. Bird eggs were found in only 5 of 281 stomachs. </div> <bR> <div>       When not searching for food, armadillos utilize dens 2 to 15 feet long in rocky or soft terrain. Nest chambers, constructed at the end of burrows, are 18 inches or more in diameter and stuffed with dried grasses, leaves, and other plant materials. They simply push themselves in and out each time they use the chamber. Four youngsters are born from February to April, following a gestation period of about 150 days. The babies are identical to the adults without their hardened shells; the shell doesn't harden until they are almost full-grown. They very soon are able to follow mother like a flock of little piglets. She nurses them for nearly two months; she has four teats, so nobody goes hungry. </div> <bR> <div>       Armadillos regularly visit water areas to drink and also to take mud baths. They can swim very well, although they ride low in the water due to their specific gravity. However, when necessary they can ingest air to inflate themselves to increase their buoyancy. But when small streams are encountered, they may simply walk across the bottom, emerging on the opposite side. </div> <bR> <div>      Texans usually take armadillos for granted due to their abundance, but visitors to Texas are often anxious to see one of these odd creatures. When the Spaniards first saw our armadillo they called it "little armored one," or armadillo. Locally it is sometimes known as "poverty pig" or "poor man's pig," as it is sometimes used for food. Its flesh is delicate light, and tender, and when cooked properly, somewhat like pork in texture and taste. </div> <bR> <div>      The Maya Indians believed that the black vulture turned into an armadillo in old age. The Mayans claimed that aging vultures gradually lost their wings and feathers. They would then enter a hole and start life anew as an armadillo. For proof of this belief, they pointed out the similarity between the bald head of the vulture and that of the armadillo. It makes a good story, but we know better! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Spoonbills and Wood Storks</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> June 29, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      This is the time of year that some of our oddest birds put in their appearance. Although roseate spoonbills can usually be found in South Texas year-round, wood storks reside in our ponds and resacas only during the summer months. Both are large waders that are hard to miss, in flight as well as when feeding. </div> <bR> <div>      Spoonbills might be considered the "pink elephants" of the bird world. These birds are almost three feet tall and with a wingspan of about 50 inches. But their most fascinating features include their pinkish color and strange bill. Seeing a pair of large pink birds flying by can not only make one wonder about one's eyesight, but also question what or how much was consumed the night before. Not many birds come in pink! But yes, this one - most properly known as roseate spoonbill due to its color - shows lots of pink in flight. Breeding adults possess bright pink wings. </div> <bR> <div>      The spoonbill name, however, is derived from the bird's really strange flattened or spatulate bill, widest at the tip. Wading spoonbills utilize their partly opened bill to sift through mud while feeding in ponds. They sweep their head side to side. Tiny organs inside their bill are able to detect small animals such as various invertebrates, fish and frogs. They also are able to locate food visually. </div> <bR> <div>      Nesting birds frequent islands along the coast or further inland where their nesting sites are well enough protected from predators. A colonial nester, some colonies can include a dozen or more pairs, and often at sites also utilized by a variety of herons and egrets. But spoonbills often feed even further inland at ponds and other wetlands. </div> <bR> <div>      Wood storks also nest on islands and similar localities, but always south of the border, such as on mangrove islands in Veracruz, Mexico. Only post-nesting wood storks are found in Texas. These taller waders begin to arrive in South Texas in late May or June, and they can be fairly common at certain localities by late June into July. Although the two species - spoonbills and wood storks - are not related, both can sometimes be found feeding side-by-side in the same wetland. </div> <bR> <div>      Wood storks are even larger than spoonbills. Wood storks can be 40 inches tall and with a wingspan of more than 60 inches. In flight, they can be misidentified as white pelicans because of the black-and-white plumage. But white pelicans are long gone to their breeding grounds in the northwestern portion of the United States by the time wood storks put in their appearance. A flying wood stork shows white wings with a broad black border on the trailing edge. And they're long all-dark legs stick out behind. </div> <bR> <div>      Feeding behavior of wood storks is quite different than that of spoonbills. Wood storks wade slowly about a pond with its partially open and rather tender bill submerged in the water. When detecting an animal by feel or sight it will immediately snap its bill shut, capturing its prey. Researchers have found that a wading wood stork will shuffle its feet as it walks about a pond, presumably to flush prey. Like spoonbills, its diet consists largely of aquatic invertebrates and some small vertebrates, such as fish, frogs and snakes.</div> <bR> <div>      Both spoonbills and wood storks seem to be holding their own in Texas, but some populations, such as those in Florida, have considerably declined in recent years. The greatest threat to these large waders is habitat removal, when wetlands are cleared for malls and homesites. But they also are susceptible to the numerous pesticides and herbicides used by farmers and ranchers in fields surrounding their essential feeding sites. Spoonbills and wood storks, like so many of our wild neighbors, are dependent upon human beings for their long-term survival. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Matagorda County Birding Nature Center</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> June 22, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      A few days ago I made my fourth visit to Bay City's new Matagorda County Birding Center. Matagorda County will be included in my butterfly site guide for Texas, that is about ready to send to the publisher (Texas A&M University Press). The gardens at the Nature Center attract a wide assortment of butterflies, providing a pretty good perspective of what can be found throughout much of the area. Exceptions include a few species that might be restricted to the immediate area of the coast, such as Salt Marsh and Obscure Skippers.</div> <bR> <div>      Bay City's nature center is more than a few gardens that attract butterflies, however. The 34-acre center grounds include a good variety of natural habitats that add to the value and importance of the site. The ponded area, surrounded by willows and other trees, is most impressive. I recorded more than a dozen viceroys, butterflies that utilize willows as a hostplant, around the pond and nectaring on the adjacent gardens. The pond also was supporting green herons. And several other birds, such as Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, and Carolina wrens, were found in the immediate vicinity. A red-shouldered hawk passed overhead, undoubtedly nesting nearby.</div> <bR> <div>      The pond also had attracted a number of dragonflies. I was able to identify only a few of these, but I was impressed with the numbers of common green darners; roseate, twelve-spotted, and great blue skimmers; Eastern pondhawks, and common whitetails. I also found a number of damselflies. In time, the ponded area, including the north end that is more marsh than pond, will attract a whole new set of dragonflies and damselflies, many that are not currently known for Matagorda County. The Odonate hobby (watching dragonflies and damselflies) is gathering more and more interest, and I can imagine Bay City's nature center becoming a must visit site for those enthusiasts.</div> <bR> <div>      The center also includes a small stream that flows through the eastern side of area, where there is a woodland of hackberry, cedar elm, and other trees. That area looked to me like a great place for screech-owls. A trail that circles through the woodland and along the east side offers easy access into that habitat. Other trails provide good access throughout the center grounds. </div> <div> I spent about four hours wandering around the area, during which time I recorded 34 species of butterflies. That's pretty good, considering the area has only 34 acres. My grand total butterfly number for my four visits now includes 52 species. Besides the number of viceroys that occur there, several other species have impressed me. For instance, I have never missed seeing monarchs. While monarchs are migrants only in most of Texas, there is a full-time population along the Gulf Coast, and Bay City apparently is one of those places where one can expect to see them most of the year. </div> <bR> <div>      White-striped longtail is another really special butterfly that I found there recently as well as on previous occasions. This is a skipper with an extremely long tail and a bright white slash along the hindwings. This butterfly is a tropical species that in recent years has been found all along the Gulf Coast. And the single most common species was the pearl crescent, a fairly small butterfly with a black and orange pattern. It was commonplace in all the weedy areas, near the pond and as well as along the streams. </div> <div> Perhaps my favorite butterfly was the Texan crescent, similar to the pearl crescent, but mostly black with numerous, scattered white spots, including a line of white spots across the hindwings, and reddish markings near the base of the wings. This species, with a wingspan of only about 1.5-inch, is pure Texan. Although it has been recorded west of the state, along the southern borders of New Mexico and Arizona, it is one of our specialty butterflies that people come to Texas to see. In my mind it should be the official Texas butterfly, rather than the monarch, a species that occurs throughout North America. I would definitely vote for Texan crescent! </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0dcce3c0.jpg" border=0 width="462" height="316" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Zebra Heliconian</B></div> <div> Photo © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div> <B>Zebras Provide a Great Welcome Home! </B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> June 16, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      After a trip to Lubbock to give a talk on "Naturalist's Big Bend" to the Llano Estacado Audubon Society, and with stops to see butterflies en route up and back, I found the rarest of all back home in my own yard. In fact, a zebra heliconian was the first butterfly found that next morning. And as I watching that gorgeous creature, two others appeared as if by magic. This sighting is especially interesting because none were seen in my yard at all the last couple years. They last appeared there two years ago.</div> <bR> <div>        Now, for many of my naturalist friends, who think zebras only apply to the striped horse of the African plains, this zebra is a tropical butterfly that is fairly common at certain localities to the south. For example, they can almost always to found at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. But zebras sometimes stray northward by early summer. It has been recorded as far north as Colorado and Kansas, and as far west as southeastern Arizona. So, finding zebras in Victoria is not totally unexpected, but seeing one of these gorgeous, long-winged butterflies close-up and personal in your own yard is pretty exciting.</div> <bR> <div>        Zebra heliconians, or sometimes referred to as zebra longwings, have a wingspan of about 3 inches. They are easy to identify because of their very distinct wing pattern of yellow stripes on a black background. They also possess a series of yellow dots across the hindwings, with a rosy pink patch at each tip. No other butterfly looks even close. And the zebra's flight is also distinct. Their flight usually is slow and fluttering, with considerable sailing and drifting. When disturbed, however, they can swiftly dart to safety.</div> <bR> <div>        My zebras starting nectaring on butterfly plant (Buddelia sp.) flowers. They would nectar awhile and they fly out to circle or to wander down the edge of my brushy yard. But they soon wandered back to again feed on the Buddelia flowers. Zebras first gather minute amounts of pollen on the knobby tips of the proboscis that they dissolve with a fluid; it is then able to drink that liquid to obtain nutrients in the usual manner.</div> <bR> <div>         Zebras are considered to be among the most intelligent of all our butterflies. Males and females roost together in low shrubbery each evening, sometimes (especially in the Tropics) in clusters of 60 to 70 individuals. And in mating, the male is attracted to the female pupae by scent. According to researchers, the male is able to open the chrysalis with his abdomen just before emergence, and he mates with the still unreleased female. He then deposits a repellent pheromone on the tip of the female's abdomen, which repels other males and thereby prevents her from mating again.</div> <bR> <div>        The female, once she emerges and begins to fly, lays a few eggs each day over a period of several weeks or months. She may deposit up to one thousand eggs, depending upon an adequate diet of nutrients. The average life span of a zebra heliconian is usually less than four months. During that time she usually stays within a few hundred yards of its home territory. But each successive brood may gradually move northward, so that products of the Lower Rio Grande Valley breeders can begin to appear along the central Gulf Coast in June or July.</div> <bR> <div>        The closely related Julia heliconian, with a similar range and behavior, can also be found in the Coastal Bend on occasion. It too is a long-winged butterfly, but rather than being banded black-and-yellow, it is all orange color. Males are brighter orange than the females, but both possess brownish bands and smudges on the underside on their wings.</div> <bR> <div>       Zebra and julia host plants, species that provide food for their larvae, are limited to passion flowers. Since these plants are native throughout much of the state, there is a chance that zebras and julias can colonize local sites in Texas, weather permitting. Finding three zebras at once suggests that there may be a colony of zebras in the area. Whether my zebras are only visitors or will reproduce and stay around all summer is still a question. But whatever happens, they are most welcome!</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Coots are Rails, Not Ducks </B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> June 8, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      After a recent nature note about mottled ducks, an acquaintance told me that I had forgotten about the abundant coots when I stated that the only common summertime ducks in South Texas were wood and mottled ducks. But I had not forgotten about coots, because those all-black waterbirds are not ducks at all, but members of the rail family. Coots are more closely related to the clapper rail that is commonplace along the coastal wetlands.</div> <bR> <div>       Properly called, "American coot," but also known as "mudhen," coots are full-time residents of South Texas and almost everywhere else in the state. They are most abundant in winter, when a few to hundreds can be expected in almost every lake or pond in Texas. Congregations of 1500 or more coots are not unexpected at some area lakes in winter.</div> <bR> <div>       Coots are easily identified by their relatively small size, all-black plumage, except for a white undertail patch, white bill and frontal shield (upper portion of bill), sometimes with a small red patch, and red eyes. Although they spend most of their time in the water, they also come out onto the land where they wander about searching for food. Then, the adults' yellowish legs are obvious.</div> <bR> <div>      Coots are true opportunists, able to feed on a wide variety of materials. In the water, they will take almost any kind of edible foods, including algae, and will often dip underwater for submerged plants. They are able to dive to as much as 25 feet in deeper water for bottom-growing plants. On land, they commonly graze on grassy areas, including golfcourses and parks. They seem to get along very well on land, able to run quite fast when threatened. Stems, leaves, roots, and bits of trashfoods are taken whenever available.</div> <bR> <div>       Coot behavior is fascinating, and has been the subject of considerable research over the years. They are extremely territorial, in spite of spending a good deal of their time in large flocks. However, on their breeding grounds, males can be extremely aggressive. Kent Rylander, in "The Behavior of Texas Birds," points out that they "often rear up and attack each other with their sharp-clawed feet. The white frontal shields help paired birds recognize each other." They will also vent their emotions against an intruder or competitor with explosive cacks, clucks, coos, and wails.</div> <bR> <div>       Like other members of the rail family, coots build floating nests made of cattails and other marsh plants. They may build up to nine optional nests, and may use two nests at a time. They then place 8 to 12 eggs on these platforms, and both parents participate in the incubation. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, and within three or four days the young are out and about swimming alongside their parents. But the youngsters are among the least graceful of all marsh birds. Called "spalatterers," they seem to scramble across the surface of the water with wings flapping in an amusing manner. They and their parents have been called "aquatic pigeons."</div> <bR> <div>       Rylander includes the following paragraph in his fascinating book: "American coots are the most aquatic members of the family Raillidae. They are better adapted for diving than dabblers and many other ducks, as their feet are set back on the body and their toes bear lateral flaps. Like grebes and diving ducks, they must run across the water when taking flight. It is said that when severely frightened they dive and cling to underwater vegetation, sometimes until they drown."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Why Everyone Should Love Dung Beetles </B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> June 1, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>        Most "bugs," especially those closely associated with dung, face an up-hill battle for respect, much less appreciation, by the majority of human beings. Yet, dung beetles are not only fascinating to watch, they also are extremely important to a healthy soil, by recycling our natural resources. And a healthy soil serves as a cornerstone for the well being of the majority of our native plants and animals.</div> <bR> <div>        Dung beetles, also known as scarab beetles, tumblebugs, or "poop-rollers," are fascinating creatures. Our North American species are seldom more than an inch in length, although one African species that processes elephant dung is 2.5 inches long. All are dark-colored beetles, sometimes shiny and brown, green and orange, or black in color, with club-shaped antennae. They possess a sort of brush-like sieve mouths, for slurping wet dung. Males often possess a horn or toothlike projection on their back. Dung beetle's appearance is one that only another dung beetle can truly appreciate.</div> <bR> <div>       Although dung beetles are commonplace in healthy soil communities, they are seldom noticed. But when they are noticed, they usually are seen going about their work in a very business-like way, rolling manure into balls, sometimes larger than themselves, and rolling the balls across the terrain (often a considerable distance) to underground tunnels constructed by both male and female beetles. Malcolm Beck and John Howard Garrett, in "Texas Bug Book," state that "This is the only known case among insects where the male aids in providing for the young."</div> <bR> <div>       Female dung beetles lay a single egg in each dung ball that serves as both an incubator and food source for the larvae. Once a tunnel is filled with dung balls, the tunnel, that may be more than 18 inches deep, is back-filled, and the adults fly off in search of fresh treasure. New adults eventually dig their way out and immediately begin their search for fresh manure. They usually over winter in the soil as larvae inside brood balls.</div> <bR> <div>       Watching one or a pair of dung beetles rolling dung can be fascinating, especially when they are struggling across a terrain filled with obstacles. They walk on their front legs, going backward, using their hind legs to guide their treasure. It is obvious that dung beetles love dung. As ecologist Pat Richardson wrote, "They slurp it, haul it, roll it, fight about it, and bury it...They don't bite or spit or sting. They simple live, eat, sleep and dream dung."  However, there is a good deal to learn about the importance of dung beetles. Researchers have discovered that dung beetles "will bury a ton of wet manure per acre per day and remove 90 percent of the surface material... A horse pad can disappear underground in 24 hours, leaving only a soft fluffy layer of undigested plant material."</div> <bR> <div>         In a dung beetle fact sheet, Pat explains the immediate benefits of dung beetles on pasture and rangeland thusly: by "reduced fouling of available forage, breaking life cycle of pest flies and internal parasites (those whose eggs or larvae incubate in dung), improved soil aeration, increased soil organic matter, nitrogen and moisture, increased water infiltration in soil (reduced erosion and flooding), removal of non-point source pollution from the watershed, and improved soil foodweb health (in turn producing healthier vegetation). On pasture and rangeland, we routinely measure double and more often triple water infiltration rates where dung beetles have buried a cowpat."</div> <bR> <div>         She also points out that a colleague "estimated than an adequate population of dung beetles on pastures throughout the USA could save cattle raisers two billion dollars annually just from increased grazing, improved nitrogen recycling, reduced parasitism and reduced pest flies." Today's pastures and rangelands often lack dung beetles, due principally to the use of insecticides and parasiticides.</div> <bR> <div>         The story of the lowly dung beetle is a fascinating one, and demonstrates better than most the value of each and every creature within our world. Even the lowest and less obvious has a fascinating life history, and one that often is extremely beneficial to our long-term health and survival.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Mottled Duck is a True South Texas Specialty</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> May 25, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>        Although as many as two dozen duck species occur in South Texas during the winter months, only a few remain and nest. And only two species - wood and mottled ducks - can be expected in summer with certainty. The wood duck frequents woodland ponds, where it nests in cavities of trees, boxes, and the like. The mottled duck occurs in more open ponds and marshlands, in both fresh and brackish habitats. It nests on the ground on streambanks and similar wetlands, but it sometimes nests at considerable distance from wetland feeding sites. In a sense, the mottled duck is the typical "dabbling duck" of South Texas.</div> <bR> <div>        Mottled ducks seldom receive the recognition they so rightly deserve. Although they are commonplace along all the coastal areas of the state, they seldom are recognized as something special. Perhaps it is because of their very unassuming plumage. They lack the glamour of most other ducks. Even the closely related mallard seems to get more recognition, probably because the male mallard is easily identified by its all-green head and cinnamon chest. And the wood duck is considered one of the world's most beautiful ducks; males possess a myriad of colors, along with a gorgeous crest.</div> <bR> <div>       Mottled ducks resemble female mallards or black ducks. Black ducks do not occur in Texas, and wild mallards usually are present in South Texas only in winter. So, the female mallard look-alike, so common year-round, is the mottled duck. Its name was derived from its mottled appearance, brown to tawny color, and with a bluish speculum (wing bar) with a narrow white outer edge. Their throat is buffy, and their bill is yellowish, but not as bright as that of mallards. And in flight, mottled ducks show their all-brown to cinnamon body and silvery-white wing linings.</div> <bR> <div>        Another interesting characteristic of mottled ducks is the constant close association with their mate. More often than not, pairs are usually seen together, both in flight and when feeding. And because of their preferred coastal habitats, a mottled duck diet contains a considerable amount of animal food, far more than mallards and most other puddle ducks. They feed principally on mollusks, snails, crustaceans, fish, and insects, but will also take some grass, grains, seeds, aquatic vegetation, and berries. They construct their nest of grasses, rushes, aquatic vegetation, and reeds, and they line their nests with down, fine breast feathers. Females lay 8 to 10 eggs, and the female does all the incubation. During the incubation time the drakes will spend most of their time in bachelor parties. Once the young are able to leave the nest, the hen leads the young to feeding sites where they often forage independently. At about this time is when she will again associate with her mate.</div> <bR> <div>         Although mottled ducks are most abundant along the Gulf Coast, from Mexico to Florida, they do rarely occur inland. And in those cases, they are known to hybridize with mallards. The results are ducks that may be difficult to tell whether they are a mottled duck or a mallard. But so far researchers have not found any hybridization within the coastal plains, where mottled duck are dominant.</div> <bR> <div>       Our mottled ducks are not the most colorful and charismatic of ducks, but they are the single most common waterfowl found in Coastal Texas in summer.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Common Nighthawk are Not Hawks but Goatsuckers</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> May 18, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      This common summertime bird is known by a number of names, including "booming nighthawk," due to its loud calls; and also "bullbat," because it flies at night and often is mistaken for a huge bat. One can usually hear this bird in the evening and early morning hours over its breeding grounds, where it makes deep dives, giving loud booming noises at the bottom of each dive. The calls also have been described as nasal "peents" or "beerp" sounds. The bullbat term is derived from its habit of flying at night and its bat-like flight. And during the nesting season, when feeding young, it also can be expected during the daylight hours.</div> <bR> <div>       Nighthawks are often improperly associated with hawks, probably because of their name, but belong to a completely different family of birds, the Caprimulgids or nightjars. Other North American nightjars include the lesser nighthawk of the arid Southwest; chuck-will's-widow, of the Southeast; whip-poor-will, of the northeast and West Texas mountains; common poorwill, found throughout much of the western United States; and common pauraque, the largest of the family and found only in extreme South Texas. A couple other family members, such as Antillian nighthawk and buff-collared nightjar, occur in the U.S. only in South Florida and extreme southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, respectively. All are characterized by huge mouths, used for capturing insects, and their nighttime activities.</div> <bR> <div>       The two most similar species are the common and lesser nighthawks that may actually overlap in some South Texas counties. The common nighthawk is the larger of the two, but size alone can be difficult to discern. Lesser nighthawks never dive or call like their larger cousins, but call is a low growling sound and they usually fly close to the ground. In flight, the smaller lesser nighthawk shows a white band across the wings very near the tip, while the white band of the common nighthawk is halfway between the wingtip and bend of the wing.</div> <bR> <div>       Both nighthawks are ground nesters, using a scrape on the ground or other flat surface, where they place two olive-white eggs. White the lesser nighthawk usually is found in wild areas, the common nighthawk has adapted very well to civilization. It even nests on flat roofs of various buildings, including malls. It is not unusual, therefore, to find these birds flying about mall parking lots in their search for insect prey. They typically fly high overhead where they chase down flying insects and capture them in their extremely wide mouth. They can be extremely acrobatic in their pursuit. They may even come to the ground when insect populations are more common there, especially when they are required to obtain addition prey to feed hungry young. Nighthawks are proven insect eaters, consuming mosquitoes and numerous other kinds of pests. One study revealed that one nighthawk stomach contained 2,175 flying ants. The adults will feed the nestlings by regurgitation.</div> <bR> <div>       Common nighthawks normally are present in the Central Gulf Coast region only from April into October. They then migrate southward to the Tropics, as far south as South America. They often travel in great numbers; there are records of flocks numbering almost 1000 individuals, "flying at high altitudes instead of flying in their typical erratic manner," according to Kent Rylander's book, "The Behavior of Texas Birds." We can often find numerous nighthawks resting on fence posts and wires during migration time.</div> <bR> <div>        Although nighthawks are most properly known as nightjars of the family Caprimuligidae, the term goatsucker comes from a legend that claims that these insect eaters suck milk from goats at night. Of the 67 known kinds of nightjars, worldwide, all are insect eaters only.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Lots Of Evidence Of Twig-Girdler Beetles</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> April 27, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>        There is lots of evidence of twig-girdling beetle activity of late. Hundreds of twigs from my cedar elm trees litter the ground. More are added to the number each windy day as the twigs break off from the larger twigs and fall to the ground. A close examination of each twig reveals a blunt end. That evidence suggests that it is the result of a twig-girdler beetle, a species of longhorn beetle of the family Cerambycidae.</div> <bR> <div>        Although the South Texas twig-girdler beetle is only about an inch in length with antennae about the same length as its body, it is able to cut twigs that may be almost an inch thick. Evidence of their work is fairly easy to detect; the cut twigs are all neatly severed with a blunt edge, rather than being jagged as if they were torn off by the wind or by a bird. Also, the newer twigs still support leaves, although these will wither and die soon afterward. The twigs break where they are girdled and fall to the ground. Thus the cause of the clutter we see this time of year.</div> <bR> <div>       Twig-girdler beetles spend considerable time as larvae within the fallen twigs. In spring, the larvae pupate within the stems, and the adults emerge a few weeks later. After mating, female twig-girdlers fly into a nearby tree, lay their eggs on the tips of the twigs, and then crawl down the twig and cut a circle around it. This action will kill the isolated twig tip, apparently a condition better suited for certain stages of the insect's development. The adults then fly off. When the eggs hatch, the resultant larvae burrow into the twig and consume the dying wood; they may remain there for a period of two to three years.</div> <bR> <div>        Longhorned beetles are a members of a huge group of insects with more than 24,000 species worldwide, and 1,100 in North America. They range in size from 1/8-inch to the five-inch Titanus giganteus of Brazil, a huge reddish brown creature that may be 1 1/2-inch wide. Some species possess antennae that are two to four times the length of their body. One 3-inch species that lives in New Guinea possesses antennae that may grow to seven inches in length.</div> <bR> <div>       All of the longhorned beetle larvae feed on wood from either live or dead trees. During the larval or grub stage they are sometimes considered delicacies by various native peoples. They are especially prized in Australia and South America. The larvae are extracted and toasted until brown and crisp, somewhat like certain cocktail snacks. Recent reality TV shows have utilized some of these creatures, both alive and dead.</div> <bR> <div>       Since longhorned beetles usually fly at night, they are not regularly encountered. Finding these fascinating creatures in their natural settings will require careful observations, since most are about the same coloration as the woody material that they inhabit. And to experience a tasty larva will require even more effort and considerable patience to examine a cut twig, extract one of the tiny inhabitants, and toast it to a crispy brown. It's a special treat somewhere!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Bird Migration Is An Amazing Event</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> April 13, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>          Spring in South Texas is an exciting time of year! This is when birds of all colors, sizes, and shapes are passing through our area en route to their nesting grounds in Texas and beyond. An incredibly high percentage of all spring migrants pass through South Texas in April and May. Anyone with even the slightest interested cannot help but be impressed with the varieties and numbers. Folks I visit with this time of year are not only awed, but also filled with questions about bird migration. Here are answers to a few of the more common queries.</div> <bR> <div>          Where are the migrants going and where are they coming from? Most of our migrants have spent their winters in the Tropical, from central Mexico to South America; a few may have overwintered in extreme South Texas. These Neotropical migrants come north in spring to nest, fanning out all across North America from Texas to Alaska. Some Arctic shorebirds that winter in southern South America and nest in northern Alaska travel a round-trip distance of well over 13,000 miles.</div> <bR> <div>          Most of the songbirds passing through South Texas are Trans-Gulf migrants that leave Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in the early evening and arrive along the Texas Gulf Coast the following day (depending upon weather conditions), a distance of about 550 miles. Songbirds are able to fly nonstop for 80 to 90 hours. You can watch the night migrants passing overhead on a clear night by setting up a spotting scope aimed at the moon; the abundant birds appear as black specks.</div> <bR> <div>         Do all birds migrate at night? Most do, but many others, such as swallows and some flycatchers feed in flight, usually migrate during the daylight hours. We see many of these birds flying north over the fields and woodlands of South Texas. Many raptors also fly during the daylight hours, roost overnight, and head out again in the morning as soon as the day warms up enough for them to take advantage of the rising thermals.</div> <bR> <div>         How fast do birds fly? Most long-distance migrants travel between 25 and 40 mph. Flight speeds vary, however. For instance, Purple Martins fly at 27 mph, shorebirds fly between 45 and 55 mph, and hummingbirds may fly up to 55 mpg. Raptors sail along with the prevailing winds, but can fly much faster when necessary; Peregrine Falcons, for example, can dive at about 140 mph.</div> <bR> <div>         How high do birds fly? It varies with the topography, but 90% of all migrating birds fly below 5,000 feet above ground level. Many fly much lower so we are able to hear chips on a calm day or night. They tend to fly higher at night when flying over land. The Trans-Gulf migrants usually fly very low, often able to take advantage of even the slightest updrafts.</div> <bR> <div>         Do birds migrate in mixed flocks? Mixed flocks of songbirds, ducks, and shorebirds are normal, but some species, such as nighthawks and Chimney Swifts usually stick with their own species. In the fall, several raptors species can often be found within one area, but most hawks also stay with their own. However, many species of hawks and other raptors often roost together at choice sites, so that their morning departures incorrectly give the impression that they are migrating in mixed flocks.</div> <bR> <div>           How do birds prepare themselves for migration? Most accumulate great quantities of fat as fuel for their long-distance flights. Many double their weight. The tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird, weighing 4.5 grams, uses 2 grams of fat to fly nonstop for twenty-six hours. A typical bird will loses almost 1% of its body weight per hour while migrating.</div> <bR> <div>           What is a bird's signal to migrate? Although the answer is complicated, a simple answer is the increasing hours of daylight in spring. You need not worry about your feeders preventing wintering birds from leaving. Your bird food only helps those birds prepare for their journeys.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Scissor-tailed Flycatchers Are Arriving in South Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> April 6, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>     Of all the Neotropical migrants that pass through South Texas, the lovely scissor-tailed flycatcher is probably the most welcome of all. Few birds have the appeal of this charismatic flycatcher. It not only is one of our most beautiful and gregarious birds, but it seems to prefer a relationship with humans, nesting on utility poles and in trees often surprisingly close to our homes and other structures. Its amazing courtship flights and continuous singing tend to give it an additional appeal. It therefore is often called the "Texas bird of paradise." And its arrival in our area is a sure sign that the new season has begun.</div> <bR> <div>      The long-tail, brighter males arrive first with the shorter-tailed females appearing a few days later. By then the males have already established territories and are chasing competitors away from preferred sites. But when the ladies arrive, the males will take on a very different persona, performing some amazing courtship flights, ascending to more than 100 feet before sailing back, often with outstanding aerobatics. These dramatic flights include up and down flying, much zigzagging, and even reverse somersaults, usually at great speeds, and with tail flowing and fluttering and wings out to display their salmon-colored underwing linings. All the while he is performing he will be giving cackling-snapping calls. She often will join in the fun. Scissor-tails also give a unique dawn song on their breeding grounds that includes a series of loud stuttered "pup" notes that conclude with an emphatic "perlep" or "peroo." </div> <bR> <div>      Like all flycatchers, the scissor-tail's diet is principally insects, at least during their nesting season. Although most insects are captured in flight, scissor-tails will also take insects on the ground, perhaps more often than most flycatchers. Grasshoppers are a significant part of their diet. After nesting and on their wintering grounds, however, they will also consume berries. </div> <bR> <div>      Although paired scissor-tails are generally loners, as soon as the youngsters are fledged they will usually join other family groups. In some cases these flocks can include up to 200 individuals. And unlike most other members of the flycatcher family that usually are quite after nesting, scissor-tails continue calling until they leave for their wintering grounds in September or October, throughout their migration, and also on their wintering grounds. These flocks often congregate at choice sites. And 100 or more scissor-tailed flycatchers can create quite a racket. </div> <bR> <div>      Many Texans think of this bird as their "state bird" instead of the mockingbird, which is the official state bird. That undoubtedly is because of the charisma of this long-tailed songbird, and also perhaps because the mockingbird is so commonplace. While mockingbirds are full-time residents throughout most of the state, leaving only the far northern portions of the state in winter, scissor-tailed flycatchers normally are present only from March through October. But during that period they can be found in all but Far West Texas, where they occur only occasionally. </div> <bR> <div>      By November the vast majority of the summer residents and migrants passing through the state from Oklahoma, Kansas, and southeastern New Mexico have gone south. Recent records, however, suggest that lone birds may remain in South Texas all winter. The rest migrant south to central Mexico and into Panama. There they occur in huge flocks, utilizing open grasslands, pastures and fields.</div> <bR> <div>      But by March they are with us again. Few songbirds are as well loved and admired as our lovely scissor-tailed flycatcher.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Greenery of Spring is All Around</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> March 30, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>          In spite of the daily news, one cannot help but be thrilled by the greenery of spring that has begun to dominate our South Texas landscapes. The bright to subtle green of our fresh foliage is almost overwhelming! The live oaks have begun to produce new leaves, after shoving out last year's brown ones, and the new catkins are producing the constant hum of bees. Bright green leaves are beginning to appear on my redbud, mulberry, hackberry, acacia, and retama trees. Even the honey mesquites are growing new foliage. All this greenery is a sure sign that spring has arrived.</div> <bR> <div>          Officially, spring beings with the spring equinox, on March 21. On that day, the earth's axis is at a right angle to the sun so that both poles receive equal illumination from the sun, and therefore the days are of equal length, hence equinox. Spring continues until June 21, the summer solstice, when the earth's axis is at it's greatest angle to the sun, when the noonday sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, and daylight lasts twenty-four hours north of the Arctic Circle.</div> <bR> <div>         Edwin Way Teale, author of "North with the Spring," provides us with an additional perspective: "Spring advances up the United States at the average of about fifteen miles a day... It sweeps ahead like a flood of water, racing down the long valleys, creeping up hillsides in a rising tide. Most of us, like the man who lives on the bank of a river and watches the stream flow by, see only one phase of the movement of spring. Each year the season advances toward us out of the south, sweeps around us, goes flooding away into the north."</div> <bR> <div>         It is the fresh greenery and the anticipation of new life that is most appealing. More than any other time of year, one can wander along a quite roadside or on a woodland trail and experience, up close and personal, the rebirth of the abundant plant life that has been dormant for months. Then is when it is possible to better understand the interrelationships of the earth and sunlight. It was John Muir that wrote: "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he sees."</div> <bR> <div>        But, what is that special metaphorical effect of spring that appeals to us so much? Perhaps, Loren Eiseley hinted at it when he wrote: "Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so emerges with sunshine and air and running water that whole eons pass in a single afternoon without notice." Perhaps, it is the greenery itself, the green leaf pigment called chlorophyll, the one link between the sun and life, the conduit of perpetual energy to our own frail organism.</div> <bR> <div>         Plants, after all, are the key organisms on which the development of all other forms of life depends. It is the chlorophyll, that produces starch from the complex molecules of carbohydrates and proteins, which animals must eat by eating plants or by eating other animals that in turn have eaten plants, that is the basis of our living world. And there is no better time than spring, as we walk among the reawakening of Mother Nature, that the reality of our roots becomes so apparent.</div> <bR> <div>          The optimism of spring is everywhere. It is a wonderful time to be alive, to wander outdoors and experience nature at it's best. Promise is all around us, and fulfillment is just ahead. Fresh green leaves, bright new blossoms, birdcalls and songs, spring begins!</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Warmer Days Bring on Bats</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> March 23, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>      Bats are some of our most beneficial creatures! These nighttime fliers appear in South Texas each spring when the temperatures become warm enough for nighttime flying insects. That is when these flying mammals are most appreciated. They have enormous appetites. A single bat colony can consume billions of insects every summer night.</div> <bR> <div>      The majority of the bats that we find in our spring and summer skies are migrants, coming north, like the Neotropical bird migrants, each spring. Others remain with us year-round, hibernating in dark, protected locations during the colder winter months. Those hibernating species go into a torpor state during cold weather when their metabolism is much reduced to conserve energy. Their body temperatures drop to just above freezing. But as soon as outdoor temperatures climb back into the 60s and a food supply becomes available, they will awaken and begin their nighttime flights.</div> <bR> <div>      A feeding bat is able to capture some of the tiniest of flying insects. They do this by the use of echolocation, high-frequency sounds that they emit in flight. The sound bounces off objects that are then received by the bat that is able to zero in with pinpoint accuracy to capture its prey. This ability, as well as bat's preference for dark locations, suggests that that they are blind. But that assumption is incorrect. Bats are not blind. They can see everything but color, and they can detect obstacles as fine as a human hair.</div> <bR> <div>      Another misconception about bats is that the majority carries diseases, including rabies. Although all carnivores (meat-eaters) can contract rabies, bats have the worst reputation. Yet, only 40 U.S. residents are known to have contracted rabies from bats in the past 50 years. To put that into perspective, 900 Americans annually die in bicycle accidents, 150 in accidents caused by deer, 20 from dog attacks, and 18 in lawn mower accidents. Less than one-half of one percent of bats become infected with rabies and these rarely attack humans.</div> <bR> <div>      Texas has 32 species of bats, and these flying mammals can be found in every Texas County. But not all of the 32 species occur throughout the state. As might be expected, there are more species in the southern portions of the state, especially in the Big Bend Country and along the Lower Rio Grande Valley area. Only six species are known from the Central Gulf Coast region. Those six species include the eastern red bat, hoary bat, northern yellow bat, evening bat, eastern pipistrelle, and Mexican free-tailed bat.</div> <bR> <div>      The eastern red and hoary bats roost in foliage during the daylight hours, flying at night and feeding principally on moths. They also take various beetles, assassin bugs, planthoppers, leafhoppers, and spittlebugs. Northern yellow bats roost overnight in Spanish moss, and they seem to prefer flies, mosquitoes, flying ants, and may even take damselflies and dragonflies.</div> <bR> <div>      Evening bats and eastern pipistrelles roost in tree cavities, behind loose bark, in buildings, and in bat houses. A colony of 300 evening bats was documented to consume approximately 63 millions insects per summer, especially spotted cucumber beetles. Pipistrelles usually feed over water and along wooded edges; they can catch an insect every two seconds.</div> <bR> <div>      Mexican free-tailed bats are our most numerous species. Free-tails roost in caves, crevices, buildings, bridges, and bat houses. Backen Cave, near San Antonio, hosts about 20 million individuals, considered the largest aggregation of warm-blooded animals on Earth. The species also inhabits numerous other Texas caves, including Eckert James near Mason, Frio near Garner State Park, and Stuart Cave in Kackapoo Cavern State Park. The species also inhabits Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin and Devil's Sinkhole near Bracketville. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>      Bats are not only extremely beneficial, but also one of our most fascinating creatures. More information on bats can be obtained from a new little, illustrated book, "Texas Bats" by Merlin Tuttle, published by Bat Conservation International, available for $9.95 in most bookstores. You can contact the organization on line at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="http://www.batcon.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.batcon.org"><U>www.batcon.org</U></A></FONT> or at P.O. Box 162603, Austin, Tx 78716.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Cattle Egret Numbers Increase with the Arrival of Spring</B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> March 16, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>     Cattle egrets have become synonymous with spring in recent years. Each year as the days lengthen and become warmer, the number of cattle egrets increase as those that winter to the south of our area return for yet another season. But this has not always been the case. For cattle egrets have only been resident in North America since the 1950s. Prior to that time, this all-white bird was found only in Africa.</div> <div>     </div> <div>     Cattle egrets are native to the vast savannahs of Africa where they feed alongside the native grazers, such as antelopes, zebras, and elephants. They often perch of the backs of these "cattle" to feed on ticks and flies. This behavior provided them with the names of "cattle" or "tick" birds. But sometime during the 1930s, they suddenly appeared in South America, probably the result of a hurricane that carried a few across the Atlantic from West Africa. The South American populations increased dramatically, and within 20 years they began to appear in South Florida. The first Texas record was an immature bird found on Mustang Island in November 1958, and by October 1967 it was recorded at Big Bend National Park in West Texas. By the turn of the century, cattle egrets could be found everywhere in Texas and as far to the west as California.</div> <bR> <div>     The cattle egret is only one of several long-legged herons that occur in Texas, and the only one that spends more time in grassland habitats than in wetlands. The other two all-white herons - great and snowy egrets - frequent ponds, streams, or wetlands, feeding on fish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. Cattle egrets feed principally on insects and other invertebrates that they find in fields and on cattle. The larger great egret is recognized by its heavy yellow bill and blackish legs, while the much smaller snowy egret has a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. The small, more compact cattle egret is all white with a heavy yellow bill; the exception is during the nesting season when breeding adults put on orangish feathers on their breast, shoulders, and head. </div> <bR> <div>     Cattle egrets usually are migrants, although a few can normally be found throughout South Texas each winter. But the majority of our birds move south into Mexico for the winter months, returning to our fields and pastures in spring. Flocks of a few to several dozen can often be often then, flying rather low in groups or trailing out in scattered flocks. At night they congregate at communal roosting sites, usually along the river or near ponds, and often with other herons. They may utilize these same sites for nesting, which also occur in colonial groupings. </div> <bR> <div>     Although cattle egrets are not pure Texan, like their two all-white cousins, they are now a significant and valuable member of the avian community. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Crane Flies Are Another Sign of Spring </B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> March 2, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>         Several of these long-legged "mosquitoes" are out and about during these warm spring days. But crane flies are very different insects than the troublesome mosquitoes. Although both are members of the Diptera Order of insects, crane flies are members of a totally different and unique family - Tipulidae - that includes several hundred species in North America. Mosquitoes are Sumuliidaes, a family that also includes gnats and midges.</div> <bR> <div>        Crane flies are much larger than mosquitoes, and they fly about in a slow and rather clumsy manner, sometimes even bumbling into lights, doors, and even mouths of predators. These daddy-long-legs of the air have also been called "drolls of the insect world," due to their unassuming personality. Yet we often find great swarms in cool, damp places, such as in culverts or under concrete bridges. And after dark they are often attracted to lights. Oftentimes they come to the outside windows of lighted rooms.</div> <bR> <div>           The swarms of crane flies often behave in a very strange way, by bobbing up-and-down by raising and lowering their bodies by bending their long legs. This behavior is not well understood, but some entomologists suggest that it may be a way for the males, that dominate the swarms, attract passing females. Others suggest hat it may more related to safety-in-numbers. Certainly, finding a swarm of these long-legged bugs that suddenly began to bob up-and-down, can not help but give one pause.</div> <bR> <div>         There are about 90,000 species of Diptera or true flies worldwide, including almost 17,000 in North America. Butterflies, dragonflies, mayflies, and stoneflies are not true flies. All of the true flies possess a single pair of wings and a pair of short knobbed projections called "halteres," located on their bodies just behind the wings that serve as balancing organs. Although they are difficult to see on small flies, they are fairly easy to see on crane flies. Halteres act as a second pair of wings, like gyroscopes, vibrating rapidly in opposition to the insect's wingbeats. When the wings move up, the halteres move down. If one of the halteres is injured, the insect can no loner fly, but sideslips and yaws out of control. In people, this sense of balance derives from the structures in the inner ear. If something goes wrong with this mechanism, a person has difficulty in navigating and even standing up.      </div> <bR> <div>         Crane flies, unlike their mosquito cousins, have no sting or bite; they are totally oblivious to humans. One usually can get within a few inches for a close-up examination. Except when disturbed, they will stay in place, so you can examine their various features. They possess a narrow abdomen, narrow wings, and absurdly long legs. Occasionally they can be found walking about on tree trunks or logs or damp leaf-cluttered ground. Many of those found on the ground or on logs are males in search of a female. They may even sit beside a pupae until the female emerges and mate scarcely before she has freed herself of the pupal skin. The female crane fly, once filled with eggs, deposits them on the surface of rotting wood or pushes them into soft pulp. The larvae, tiny greenish grubs, crawl about below the surface of the ground, feeding on roots and seedling plants, sometimes killing them. Although adult crane flies are most obvious and attract the greatest attention, the larvae, that are rarely evident, are biologically more important.</div> <bR> <div>          But in spite of their relative unimportance, adult crane flies are more fascinating. Finding a swarm of these long-legged insects on some damp structure, or several individuals flying about one's property on a warm spring day, seems to be a telling signal that the new season has truly arrived.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Bird Songs are Increasing in Spring</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> February 23, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>          Bird songs are all around during these spring mornings, a sure sign that warmer days are just ahead. Although a few bird species, such as cardinals, Carolina wrens, titmice, and mockingbirds, have been vocalizing almost since the first of the year, many other species are joining the bird chorus as springtime progresses. All our doves have begun their varied songs, red-shouldered hawks are screaming overhead, chickadees are singing aloud, and our welcome purple martins are brightening the dawn skies with their mellow songs. </div> <bR> <div>        Springtime solicits the greatest amount of bird song than any time of year. That is when birds are signaling their neighbors to stay away from their territories, attracting mates, and, once mated, to stay away from their nesting grounds. A bird's song also contains details about individual identity, allowing others to recognize the individual. Song length, frequency range, and the order and length of the song phrases provide the necessary clues. Experiments with several colonial birds, such as terns and gulls, show that individuals respond to the taped calls of their partners but not to the calls of nonmates. Vocal recognition between parents and offspring is especially important.</div> <bR> <div>         In closely related species, vocalization might be the only way individuals can make distinctions among themselves. Examples include several of the flycatchers that look so similar, such as Couch's and tropical kingbirds and willow and alder flycatchers.</div> <bR> <div>       Researchers have shown that unrelated species that live in the same habitats have songs that are more similar than closely related species that live in different habitats. Forest birds typically have songs or calls markedly different from species common to open country or grassland habitats. Deep forest birds, such as thrushes, generally produce pure tones with little modulation or harmonic structure and lower frequency than birds of open country. Grassland birds have evolved songs or calls that have high-frequency ranges and contain rapidly repeated buzzy trills and complex modulations. High-frequency notes travel more rapidly than notes of low frequency.</div> <bR> <div>        The question of whether the bird songs are inherited or learned is one that many researchers have studied. And the results vary. Many birds, such as meadowlarks and cardinals, learn their songs from other meadowlarks and cardinals. When raised by foster parents, they sing abnormal songs. Other birds, such as song sparrows, sing normal songs no matter where they were raised.</div> <bR> <div>        Researcher David Mizrahi suggests that young birds learn their songs in four stages. The first two are silent ones. The first lasts two to twelve months while the youngsters are learning structure and pitch variation. In the second step, lasting about eight months, the youngsters learn syllables or phrases. Once those two stages end, the young bird begins to practice, listening to themselves, matching what they hear with what they memorized during the earlier stages. The final "crystallization" stage is when the bird's songs are stabilized and transformed into one that others of the same species will recognize.</div> <bR> <div>         For some species, such as mockingbirds, learning new song phrases continue throughout life. The diversity of songs in their repertoires can change throughout and increase as they grow older. But how or why vocal mimics select the songs that they imitate is unknown. </div> <bR> <div>          Springtime is when we can hear an amazing assortment of bird songs. While the majority of the songs are typical songs that can be expected from whichever species is vocalizing, we can also hear bird songs from youngsters that are not yet fully prepared to defend a territory and mate.                 </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Ball Moss is a Fascinating Native Plant</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> February 2, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>        To most people, ball moss is little more than a blight on our landscape, something that must be eliminated in order to preserve our native vegetation. Although ball moss can threaten many of our trees, it often is only a minor problem and adds much to our natural arboreal environment.</div> <bR> <div>       Ball moss is most common on our live oak trees that usually grow in mottes or heavy stands. It is there, among the lower, heavily shaded branches, where ball moss finds the most appropriate environment. There is where there is low light intensity and high humidity, exactly what it likes best. Over time, colonies of ball moss can become so widespread in these places that it can kill its host branches.</div> <bR> <div>         In spite of its bad reputation, ball moss is truly a fascinating plant. Known to scientists as Tillandsia recurvata, it is an epiphyte of the family Bromeliaceae. It is not a moss, but a true plant with flowers and seeds. Other family members include pineapple, Spanish moss, and false agave, a plant that grows on limestone slopes in the Big Bend County. And in the Tropics, within 150 miles south of the Mexican border, there are dozens of bromeliads growing on trees as well as on the ground. Many of these tropical bromeliads grow in huge clusters and produce wonderful, brilliantly colored flowers. Many of those bromeliads provide communities for an amazing diversity of wildlife, from nectaring hummingbirds and insects to roosting and nesting sites for birds, reptiles, and small mammals. </div> <bR> <div>        Our epiphytes - ball moss and Spanish moss - are far less important to wildlife than the large tropical bromeliads. But they, nevertheless, do provide food and shelter for a few species of wildlife, such as various invertebrates and birds. In the United States, several bird species utilize our northern epiphytes during the nesting season. Tropical parula (warbler), found in deep South Texas, often builds it nest on ball moss. And the northern parula, a close cousin that nests in our general area, often builds its nest in Spanish moss. Several other bird species either lines their nest with Spanish moss fibers or builds the fibers into the nest during construction. </div> <bR> <div>          Epiphytes are plants that attach themselves to various trees and shrubs as well as fences, utility lines, and a wide assortment of other objects that might be handy. At first a falling seed, that is rather sticky to the touch, becomes coincidentally attached to a structure. But it then forms pseudo-roots that help it stay in place. These are not true roots that would absorb water and minerals. The resultant plant, therefore, is not a parasite, for it obtains all its nutrients from the air and falling debris.</div> <bR> <div>        Should ball moss be controlled? It depends upon the extent. Light infestations seldom cause a problem, but growing colonies can pose a long-term risk to your trees. A recent bulletin from the Texas Forest Service suggests three methods of control: picking, pruning or spraying. (1) Picking, a method that can be very effecting but extremely tedious and labor intensive, involves physically pulling each plant off the tree. (2) Pruning "consists of cutting and removing the dead, interior limbs from the tree and/or lightly thinning the canopy." Infestations decline once sunlight is able to reach the interior section. </div> <bR> <div>        (3) Spraying involves the use of an effective foliar spray. They recommend either "Kocide 101 or baking soda (1.2 pound of baking soda per 1 gallon of water + surfactant)."  They also point out that "higher concentrations of chemical can actually damage the tree." And they recommend pruning out the deadwood as step one in the process.</div> <bR> <div>        Whether ball moss is a problem or not, it is a natural part of our environment. And this is the time if year when ball moss seeds begin to fly. Learn to live with it!  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Raccoons - They are Intelligent, Neat, and Dainty </B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <bR> <div> January 12, 2003</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>        There are few mammals so well known and admired, but also despised, as the raccoon. It may be cute and fun to watch one minute, but a cunning and devious creature that can wipe out bird feeders or anything else edible left unattended the next. Although it prefers wetlands, it possesses the ability to live practically anywhere in South Texas. One reason for this is its omnivorous behavior, able to eat almost anything alive or dead. Fish, frogs, snakes, snails, small mammals and birds and their eggs are all susceptible. Even vegetable matter is regularly consumed: mesquite beans, grapes, acorns, persimmons, cactus fruits, and all the berries it can find. And in summer, it may even utilize adult and larval wasps and their stored foods. </div> <bR> <div>        Raccoons are easily recognized by their robust, small dog-sized appearance, black mask, and ringed tail; an extremely large "coon" may weigh 50 pounds. They are known to scientists as Procyon lotor, Latin for "fore-dog" that washes its food. This is because of its basic appearance and its eccentric habit of washing its food whenever possible. It may even carry food for a considerable distance to wash it before eating. Watching a raccoon with food proves its dexterity; they are able to use their "hands" almost as well as humans. Their fingers are long and extremely sensitive. They are used not only to grasp food, but also to grasp branches when climbing trees, hunt for crayfish, open mussels, strip husks for corn, and pick fruit and nuts. There are few more amazing sights than an old raccoon crouched down by the edge of a pool, looking elsewhere as if totally uninterested, while its fingers are busy exploring every nook and cranny under the bank for some frog that thought itself safe in the underwater retreat.</div> <bR> <div>         Raccoons normally den in hollow trees or logs, but sometimes utilize cavities in banks or cliffs, or even in old deserted barns and other structures. Daylight hours are usually spent sleeping, as raccoons are naturally nocturnal in their habits. Their breeding season begins in February, and a single litter of one to seven (average 3 or 4) tiny youngsters are born in April or May. Females handle all of the family chores, from tending the young to teaching them the way of life after leaving the nest. The male refuses to assume any responsibility. William Davis, in "The Mammals of Texas," tells about a female that reared her three newborn in a "nail keg that had been fashioned as a nest site for wood ducks and wired 16 feet up a tree standing in water 20 feet from shore." Raccoons also have been found using a crow's nest as a daytime roost, and in Colorado a mother and her "naked and blind young occupied a large magpie nest" in a scrub oak tree,</div> <bR> <div>          Raccoons are polygamous or promiscuous in their relations. Females reach sexual maturity in nine to ten months, but the males become sexually active only when about two years of age. After a brief midwinter courtship, he returns to a solitary bachelor's life.</div> <bR> <div>          Early Americans valued the raccoon for its meat, that has a good taste but rather greasy. And its fur was famous for coonskin caps in frontier days. Although it is rarely eaten today, and coonskin caps are more a novelty than a practicality, raccoons remain one of our most abundant and fascinating wildlife. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>A Bizarre Encounter Between a Cottontail and a Snake </B></div> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Ro Wauer</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> October 6, 2002</div> <div> © 2003 Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <div>        Now everyone knows that cottontails are gentle creatures that are prey for a wide variety of predators. Those predators can range from large mammals, such as foxes and coyotes, to a variety of avian raptors, such as large owls and hawks, and even large snakes. Everyone also knows that cottontails are rabbits that reproduce in large numbers, making them favorite prey, and also that they are commonplace along our roadsides and in our pastures. They often live in close association with humans, so long as there is nearby cover.</div> <bR> <div>        My yard that backs up to a fairly large semi-wild, brushy area seems always to be inhabited by a pair of cottontails. They most often appear at dusk, suddenly hopping into view to feed on new grasses. They also spend an amazing amount of time chasing one another about; frolicking would be the best term for that behavior. And occasionally one will even appear in the middle of the day to either feed or to dust-bathe in one of the small bare spots in the backyard. Over the years, Betty and I have thoroughly enjoyed cottontail-watching.</div> <bR> <div>       But the other evening we experienced a totally different occurrence that can only be described as bazaar. A single cottontail suddenly appeared in the front yard, about 50 to 60 feet away from where we were sitting watching the Texas football game. The grass in the yard was fairly tall; it needed cutting. As always, the cottontail was cautious, looking about with ears erect, listening for danger. Our first indication that something was amiss was when it suddenly ran in a tight circle. But instead of continuing a playful run, it appeared to have circled a snake. For the snake suddenly struck at the cottontail, that jumped high in the air and ran a short distance away. But instead of running off, as we assumed it would, it returned, apparently to get a better look at the snake. The snake struck again, and this time the cottontail actually kicked the snake with its hind legs. </div> <bR> <div>          The snake, estimated to be about four feet in length, dropped back into the grass, disappearing from view. But then it raised it head again and approached the cottontail. It struck again, and for a second it actually had a grip on the cottontail. But the cottontail jumped away, and again did not run off. It stopped a few feet away, looked back at the snake, and then actually approached the snake again. The snake was able to strike again, and again without discouraging the cottontail that simply moved away a very short distance. And then the cottontail approached the snake, and even jumped about as if playing with the snake. At times it appeared that the cottontail was the aggressor. </div> <bR> <div>          At one point the cottontail moved away several feet and seemed to loose interest in the snake; it actually stretched and cleaned its paws. But then it again approached the snake. The snake, that I believe was a Texas rat snake, was hidden in the grass much of the time, but it seemed unsure of the situation. Apparently it realized that the cottontail was too large to capture, but also that it did not pose a threat. So the situation appeared to be a standoff. Both individuals remained within a few feet of one another, going about whatever business that had first brought them together. This interaction, which we watched through binoculars after the first few seconds, lasted 12 to 15 minutes. </div> <bR> <div>          As darkness took command of the day, the cottontail stayed in place, feeding on the grasses. The snake apparently crawled away. The tall grass hid it from view. The following morning, when I went out to fetch the newspaper in the driveway, the cottontail, apparently the same individual from the night before, was still present. The snake was not.</div> <bR> <div>         Such observations cannot help but counter earlier assumptions of what is normal in nature. I had never before witnessed such an encounter. Although we human beings usually interpret such interactions on an anthropological perspective, we have much yet to learn. I can't help but wonder how often wild creatures do encounter one another without either one suffering the consequences.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>