Park Greeter at McKinney Falls

Red Tail Hawk
Photograph by Roy Smallwood

 

Following up on last week’s post, we were greeted by this individual just prior to the entrance to McKinney Falls State Park.  The park is just southeast of Austin.  It is a marvel that something as great as this park lies so close to a major city, but it does.

 Our Red Tail greeter has found a wonderful spot to hunt.  There were sufficient high perches as well as a fence line from which to draw his vantage points.  The field looked as if it would provide some tasty meals.

Lower McKinney Falls
Photograph by P Smallwood

Once inside the park we headed to the visitors center where we learned about Thomas McKinney and his family’s life on this ranch in the late 19^th century.  The original homestead is partly restored.  We could not get to it this day for the falls were flowing with the water from very badly needed recent rains.  Another day, perhaps.  No matter, we hiked and found other birds and flora.

A Park in Need of Help

Last Saturday we did something we love to do and have done quite often.  We visited a state park.  It was a grand day.  The weather was perfect, a crisp morning that warmed into a sun filled afternoon.  The park was not crowded, but we were happy to noticed that other people were about and enjoying the park as well.

My state has found itself in a financial crisis, as have many of yours.  Our legislators have for years neglected and underfunded state parks.  This year they chose not to ignore; they chose to gut the state parks budget.  To be fair, the state parks weren’t the only entities to feel the pain of the legislature’s budget cutting. 

However, wildfires have damaged so many acres in my state.  As fate would have it, one state park was almost completely consumed by the worst wildfire in this state’s history.  Rains have come since, eroding soil and damaging roads and other structures in the park.  The effects of these twins of fire and rain were exacerbated by the lack of funds and resources to combat them.

One must acknowledge the varied and many missions of parks.  Some preserve history; tell stories of our ancestors and their toils to carve out a living, to establish a community, and to build a country.  Others, document the presence of creatures that once roamed our lands, swam in our waters, or flew in the atmosphere above.  Some afford us the opportunity to escaped the hustle of our lives and relax.  Others still allow us to know the wonders of nature.

The state parks helped mold the tight bonds between members of my family.  In them, my children were taught to be resourceful and flexible, that they could endure some inclement weather, that a little dirt was good for their disposition as well.  On camping trips, we learned to divvy up the chores, and the more everyone helped, the faster we all got to the fun stuff.

The same can be said for today’s families and parks.  The parks can prove an avenue to great fun, learning and building strength of character and relationship.  If you can, this is a plea for you to help out your local park.  Find one to support.  Your world will be better for it.

Sapsuckers

It probably should come as no surprise that one of my favorite groups of birds is the woodpeckers.  It may be because I’ve been known to beat my head against wooden structures. (Okay, not really).  It may be their elaborate dress.  It may be that they possess chisel like beaks capable of inflicting considerable damage.  It may be the diversity of feeding habits. 

And it is a particular fascination I have for sapsuckers.  It is their feeding style that generates their name.  We generally think about woodpeckers hammering away in search of insects.  However, sapsuckers drill holes or wells for sap and then feast on the fare that oozes.

Photograph by Bill Ravenscroft

Most of the time, I’m made aware of their presence in my neck of the woods by the drumming.  Even the newest field guide from NationalGeographic mentions this, stating that it sounds like Morse code.

Today, we recognize four species of sapsuckers.  They are the Williamson’s, the Red Naped, the Red Breasted and the Yellow Bellied (pictured here).  The last three were thought to be all one species under the banner of the Yellow Bellied.

The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker picture here is noteworthy, I believe, as it shows an individual molting from its immature plumage to its adult plumage.

A New Way of Seeing



 

A New Way of Seeing

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It's a Mystery

It's a mystery! Or should I say there is a lack of consensus about this one? Anyone care to venture a guess as to the identity of this bird? Your comments are most welcomed.

Fun for Peanuts

If you are looking for a way to extend the fun in your own backyard and you want to do it for peanuts, then I recommend getting a peanut feeder. 

When starting to feed the birds I always recommend using black oil sunflower seed or BOSS as it is known.  This is a highly nutritious food that attracts a variety of birds.  Feeding just one type of food in a particular feeder eliminates the considerable spillage and waste associated with mixes.

Downy Photographed by Roy Smallwood

Yet, if you would like to see a few more unusual species then you need to expand your feeders and feed.  Thus, get yourself a peanut feeder and fill it with cracked, shelled peanuts.  You’ll have the enjoyment of Downy Woodpeckers and Red Bellied Woodpeckers, but also Orange Crowned Warblers, Pine Siskins, perhaps Pine warblers, and more.

Merlins

‘Tis the season for hawks and other raptors.  This time of year, if we keep an eye out, we will often see many species of raptors not resident to our area.  Driving the highways one often is treated to displays and spectacles of hawks in good numbers and frequency.  One our trip this New Year’s Eve, I was surprised to see a pair of Red Tail Hawks side by side on the high light pole of I-35.

Photograph by Bryan Stone, copyrighted

One falcon that has become a favorite visitor for me is the Merlin.  It is slightly larger than a Kestrel.  We most frequently see the females or immatures.  They are mostly dull brown, streaked breast, lack a facial pattern of note, have broader wings than kestrels, and the long tail characteristic of falcons.  This species likes open woodlands and wooded prairies and grasslands. 

The Merlin hunts small birds and rodents.  It will also take insects.  Unlike the kestrel it does not hover-hunt.  It catches its prey with a burst of speed without diving.