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| LEARNING ABOUT NATURE | ||||||
CLEVER NATURE Animals are smarter than you think! Click here to see 10 of the smartest species revealed in 2009! GARDENING FOR THE BEES This weekend I noticed an abundance of wildflowers in bloom and only a couple of honeybees over my several acres. Recently the population of Bees has dramatically declined. This is possibly due to the increased use of pesticides and also the colony collapse disorder. Texas Bee Watchers has a website that provides a lot of information on identifying the bees. They provide a list of Texas Bee friendly plants for your garden. Here is an interesting article from the UK on what plants to grow to attract Bumblebees and of course the HoneyBees here in Texas too. We need to do all we can to help the bee population rebound. Gardening for the BEES WILDLIFE REHABILITATION I Found a Baby Bird !! Now what? A baby bird's best chance for survival is its mother. If the bird has feathers and is safe from fire ants, cats, dogs and people, just watch it from a distance to see if the mother bird is still caring for the fledgling . If the birdis a nestling ( has no or few feathers) and you know where the nest is, then put it back. If you do not know where the nest is, then try making a substitute nest. Use a berry basket or other container, and line it with grass and hang from a nearby tree. Watch to see if the mama bird takes care of the baby bird within an hour.. If not, then call a wildlife rebilitator If the bird is hurt or sick ( unable to flutter wings, bleeding, wings drooping, weak or shivering)....then call a wildlife rehabilitator. List of Texas Wildlife rehabilitators Blackland Prairie Raptor Center is a non profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about Birds of Prey and their importance in the North Texas environment through outreach programming with live raptors. They are also developing a permanent location as an educational center and rehab hospital for wild birds of prey when they become injured, sick, or orpaned here in North Texas.WRC provides compassionate care to sick, injured, and orphaned wild birds and small mammals for the purposes of release and education. Last Chance Forever is a Bird of Prey Conservancy. It helps sick, injured, and orphaned birds of prey return to their natural habitat. Birds that are deemed non releasable and are not suffering physical pain are utilized as educational ambassadors and are provided permanent sanctuary. Located in San Antonio _______________________________________
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Langley Island Project
The Tyler Audubon Society, working with Audubon Texas and the City of Tyler, has accepted a habitat improvement project at Langley Island funded by a Texas Commission On Environmental Quality (TCEQ) settlement thru the Supplemental Environmental Project Program. The project objective is to improve the access, enhance the habitat, and increase the educational value for visitors while maintaining the uniqueness of the island. In the last year various committees have been formed and a permit from the city has been approved. Members of the community, Boy Scout groups and organizations are involved.
The work is planned from November of this year through April of 2010. If you are interested please call Joe Marsey at (903) 825-0123.
FEB UPDATE
We had our busiest trip of the year to Langley Island. Started out at 8 AM with Dan Dawson making his quarterly bird count at selected sites on the island. Hermit thrush was the best visual. Took Boy Scout Troop 248 out about 11 AM to finish the boxes on the east side of the island. When he finished Troop 354 arrived like the calvary. They installed 6 boxes on the west side in less then 2 hours. That included walking, installing and clearing. If you get a chance to visit the Hill Creek Boat ramp you can see the sign and several of the boxes. While I was loading the boat two does jumped into the water and were caught in two pictures swimming to the island. At one landing we jumped big buck and a doe. In total 12 boxes are installed and 8 more are being held in reserve until the burn.
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Tyler Audubon Society, City To Restore Langley Island On Lake Tyler By CASEY MURPHY
Staff Writer
The Tyler Audubon Society is gearing up to restore the natural habitat on Lake Tyler's Langley Island.
The project will begin in March and will be aimed at restoring and enhancing the habitat quality of the now-overgrown island.
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ARTICLE IN TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH Jan 28, 2010
Tyler Audubon Society, City To Restore Langley Island On Lake Tyler
By CASEY MURPHY
Staff Writer
The Tyler Audubon Society (TAS) will be working with Audubon, Texas, and the city of Tyler on the project, which will be funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
In the 1960s and 1970s, TAS planted thousands of plants on the island and maintained the vegetation. The unmanaged island since has become overgrown with pines and hardwoods, according to the city.
"There is limited habitat and structural diversity throughout (the island) due to limited sunlight because of the dense pine canopy and a thick layer of pine needle ground cover," TAS members said.
TAS plans to increase the diversity and distribution of habitat types and the complexity of vegetative structure, as well as supplement the island with roosting and nesting structures.
Certified Forester Jeff Williams, of Williams Forestry, will begin a prescribed burn of the island within the next three months, depending on weather conditions. The burn will open the canopy and remove the pine-needled ground cover, allowing for growth because of an increase in sunlight. TAS plans to reseed the island with a native plant seed mix and add plants to prevent invasion by non-native species now on the surrounding lakeshore.
To protect the island from erosion and prevent fire debris from entering the water supply, a 100-foot buffer around the perimeter of the island will not be burned. The initial burn will be followed by a series of low-intensity burns on a three- to five- year rotation for quality maintenance.
Whitehouse Boy Scout Troops 248 and 354 will install wood duck boxes around the island for roosting and nesting platforms to attract Egrets, Herons and other birds to increase the island's habitat diversity.
Once the work is complete, cleanup and trash removal is planned, and trails along the island's perimeter will be marked for educational use during the day. There is no nighttime visitation permitted on the island, which primarily is used for observing nature and birding activities. Camping, picnicking and hunting are not allowed.
TCEQ's Supplemental Environmental Project Program funds environmentally beneficial projects, such as Langley Island, with money collected in fines, fees and penalties for environmental violations.
TAS is asking for the community's help with the project. If you are interested in helping, call Joe Marsey at 903-825-0123. Marsey is project coordinator for Langley Island and former president of TAS.
Bellwood Project update by Dolph Miller
The master plan presented to the City Council in June by Planning Concepts has been approved. Jane Purtle
and I have met with Planning Concepts on several occasions to express our concerns as Audubon members
and as local citizens. The master plan as presented to the City Council contains several items suggested by
Jane and myself: extending the trail to connect with Cascades trails at the dam, special attention
(preservation) to wetland areas and reed beds as well as recognizing and facilitating the teaching potential of
the area.
It was hoped the Bellwood Lake area would be a dedicated natural area, however, this will not be the case as
the project stands today. Considering the economic forces involved it appears there will still be a portion of
the property suitable for birding, as one gets further away from the proposed development.
At present the Bellwood Lake project is on hold by the city and the resort developer as a result of economic
conditions. In my recent conversation with Gregory Morgan, Director of Tyler Water Utilities, I asked if he
felt the project would pick up anytime soon. He did not see it moving forward until the developer is able to
construct the New Sunnybrook extension from Loop 323 to Hwy. 31 and he did not feel this would happen
anytime soon. Progress on the project is determined by the New Sunnybrook extension since the present
entrance to Bellwood Park does not allow for heavy equipment to be moved into the area due to the low
overhead railroad crossing.
(Previous news articles are here)
Scientists to Investigate Wind Power Impacts on Migratory Wildlife
Industry and conservation representatives set research priorities
Racine, WI & Ithaca, NY, July 23, 2009—Thirty top wildlife scientists have announced agreement on some of the highest research priorities to help America’s rapidly growing wind energy industry produce much-needed alternative energy—while also providing safe passage for birds and bats. This coalition of scientists from industry, government, nongovernmental organizations, and universities met recently in Racine, Wisconsin, to address unanswered questions about how continued wind energy development will affect migrating birds and bats. The meeting was hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Bird Conservancy, and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread.
“We see great potential in wind energy for … reducing America’s reliance on fossil fuels,” said Dr. Michael Fry of the American Bird Conservancy. “It’s critical we act now to understand the interactions between wind energy installations and birds and bats.”
“Billions of birds migrate annually, taking advantage of the same wind currents that are most beneficial for producing wind energy,” said Dr. Andrew Farnsworth of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “We know that in some locations a small percentage of wind turbines may cause the majority of bird and bat deaths. For example, Altamont Pass, east of Oakland, California, is an extreme case: in an area used regularly by migrant and resident raptors, only a fraction of the 5,000 turbines are responsible for most of the raptor deaths annually. As wind power develops further, we need to know more about how placement, design, and operation impact birds and bats as well as how habitat and weather conditions affect potential hazards.”
The scientists addressed the critical information that could be collected using cutting-edge tools such as weather surveillance radar, thermal imaging, and microphones directed skyward to map migrations by day and night. New research will build upon monitoring and research studies of birds and bats before and after construction of existing wind energy facilities as well as work done by other researchers. The coalition appointed working groups to move this new research agenda forward. Top research priorities identified by the coalition include:
• Studying bird and bat behaviors and more accurately estimating mortality at existing wind turbines
• Using current and newly-obtained information on bird and bat population numbers and distributions to focus research on critically important migratory routes and timing
• Documenting how interactions of birds and bats with turbines are affected by factors such as weather, topography, and their distribution within airspace swept by wind turbine blades
• Establish standardized methods for pre- and post-construction studies of bird and bat behavior at wind facilities
• Conduct research on the best methods for mitigating the impacts of wind energy development on birds and bats
“Conducting this research will help the wind industry make informed, science-based decisions about where future wind energy projects can be built, and how they can be operated to minimize the impact on migrating wildlife, while still providing much-needed alternative energy,” said Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “It will also help flesh out specific guidelines for wind farm construction being developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”