Texas Time: Birding Adventures from the Oven State

For those who have never been to Texas in July, it is a must-do at least once. There's a lot going on during the summer despite feeling like you've gone to some African desert. If you're going to go in search of birds, though, it better be early…like 6:00am early. I've learned this from experience and unless there's been some freak cold spell, it holds true. Besides, after about 9:30, the heat shimmers get too bad for much photography. So on this particular morning I was out early and headed 40 minutes away to Pappy Elkins Park in Arlington. Just from the name, one would automatically think this wouldn't be a good birding spot, but you can't judge a book by its cover. This summer, the park has boasted about its nice-sized population of Bewick's Wrens, a bird that I desperately wanted to photograph. Coming from Arkansas, Bewick's Wrens are a bit of a novelty; rarely around and hard to find when they are…I've only ever seen one. But by golly, this was going to be the day! And sure enough, I heard one singing almost as soon as I got out of the car. This was one of five for the morning. The first one I followed through the open, with no luck in the photo department. A little while later, a pair announced their arrival to a small grove of short oaks. I followed them between the trees and came out with several photos I was happy with.

Bewick's Wren I

You may say, gosh this guy looks familiar, well he probably does. The Carolina Wren is very similar and much more widespread in the east and fairly common in backyards and other brushy or woodland habitats. Bewick's Wren is more common in the west, but can be hard to come by anywhere in its range, so I'd say a park with this many has got it going on! Below is a comparison shot of a Carolina.

Carolina Wren in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

On the Carolina above, note the brighter color, buffy underparts, and lack of white edging on the outer tail feathers that can be seen in "Bewick's Wren I". The two species sound quite different, but other than that could be hard to tell apart to the untrained eye. You can see the dull coloration even better, below, in "Bewick's Wren II". These Bewick's were SO cooperative…I'm still not quite over it yet.

Bewick's Wren II

Before I got to the park, I was tipped off by another birder that there was an active Mississippi Kite nest. I don't often drool over MS Kites anymore, since where I'm from in Arkansas they're almost as thick as the mosquitoes in the summer, but any nest is cool to look at. I didn't think too much of it, though, knowing that it was probably WAY up in a tree. I did forget, however, that even in this more eastern part of Texas, we start to get away from the tall trees. I was pleasantly surprised to find that these kites had decided to make birders happy and nest within 15' of the ground! That's almost unheard of. A nearby military truck bed served as a good vantage point to get photos from; being higher up, it reduced the angle of elevation. I watched these kites for the better part of the morning.

Momma Mississippi keeping watch.

The two nestlings were probably halfway to adulthood. In this case, the male was the primary food deliverer, coming around every 15 minutes or so. Nearly the whole time, the female would sit watch from a snag about 20 yards away. As the male flew into the nest, he would flare his wings to seemingly block the view; probably some sort of defense posture. In keeping with that, he always flew in from the same direction. When the female fed the young, she would fly in from a completely different direction as the male.

Dad and the kids. 

Despite this area clearly being the kites' territory, a group of Blue Jays were almost a constant bother to the female, and once while I was there, the nestlings. Some of the jays were young, and it looked like a How to Be a Hellion 101 class, led by none other than the parents. At one point there was a standoff in the female's snag for about 10 minutes with all kinds of yelling back and forth and mobbing. As suspected, the kite came out on top. When all this started, a Bewick's Wren that had been happily singing from a thicket below, was nowhere to be found.

The Standoff.

As the morning heated up, the birds slowed down. This is a sign that it's time to go. When birding, it's nice to just be able to go out some place and see what's there. On a photography agenda, though, it's more about going after something specific, which can be hard given that we're dealing with creatures that can fly! So it was exciting to go for Bewick's Wren and come out with multiple, plus some. I left happy and headed for cooler climes. Back to old Arkansas, where the days start off cool and the mosquitoes wait for you outside the door.

Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)

Exciting Ecology: A Summer Camp Wrap-up

For three weeks every summer I am fortunate to get to teach at ecology camps for 11-14 year-olds, hosted by the Arkansas Audubon Society. For first-year campers I have been a co-instructor of Ornithology and Aquatic Biology. This camp is held in the Ouachita Mountains for two weeks, with a new group of campers each week. The best of the first-years get invited back for year two, which is held at the same location with a different curriculum. Out of those that get invited back for year two, only 12 come back for the third year camp. The third year camp is held in the Ozarks and is a BLAST. Teaching at the different camps is great and the third year camp really opens doors for both the campers and the staff, as we are able to do a wider variety of things with fewer, and older, campers. I just returned from the third year camp where we had a top-notch crew this year; staff included. Our activities ranged from canoeing on the scenic Buffalo River, hiking, tree-transect studies, geology, a wild cave tour, and more. The basic idea here is advanced ecology. It's sort of a dream come true, I mean, do I really get paid to mentor young people and be outdoors ALL day? Why yes, yes I do and it's marvelous. There is never a dull moment, especially with a group like we had this year. Being around these kids is rewarding and even better when you get the ones who remind you of yourself at that age, which for me wasn't all that long ago. I know they learn a lot from us staff, but I find myself learning from them too, which simply amazes me.

Speaking for everyone involved, I would have to say the favored several days are those where we go to the Buffalo River to canoe and hike. This river and its watershed was once in grave danger of becoming a lake. Due to work in the 60s and 70s, it was saved and is now a national river. Its emerald pools, extensive bluffs, and variety of critters are stunning.

The Buffalo River near Tyler Bend.

This year, we were able to enjoy 11 miles and 7 hours of it. The river was flowing nicely from recent rains. We departed Baker's Ford around 11am, stopping along the way to look at birds, snakes, conduct a gravel bar analysis, snorkel for benthic macroinvertebrates, and discuss some of the river's history. Before long, we enjoyed the song of a Louisiana Waterthrush, one of many for the day. These birds dance along the water's edge all day and indicate good water quality in the stream and river-country they inhabit. The day passed too quickly, but we were all happy with what we had seen and accomplished. An analysis of the macroinvertebrates showed just how good the water quality is; our 41 species of birds for the day agreed.

A hellgrammite in hand. These dobsonfly larva indicate great water quality.

At around 9:00pm, a Chuck-will's-widow welcomed us to our campground for the night and it wasn't too much longer before everyone was asleep; drained from the canoe trip.

The next morning, we took time to wake up by sitting near the river in the cool, foggy air listening and observing what we saw. With a 59 degree temperature in July it didn't take long. Within the first 15 minutes, one of the campers (who has been taken to the dark side of birding like me) walked up to point out a Bald Eagle sitting in the fog upriver…what a fitting bird for that cool Fourth of July morning. Like us, it was enjoying the view before the crowds of rowdy river-goers arrived. The Buffalo is usually not that busy, but everyone seems to come out on summer holidays. A mink ended our relaxing sit-spot and it was off to breakfast.

The perfect morning sit-spot.

Later, we were off to hike 3+ miles of trails at Tyler Bend. On the trail we are able to see changes in the dynamics of lowland vs. upland habitats. Pawpaw trees and Hooded Warblers at the start are replaced by rare Ashe's Junipers and vultures near the end.

St. Andrew's Cross (Hypericum hypericoides) in
one of the more upland/glade habitats.

After stopping for lunch overlooking the river, we continued on to Collier Homestead where we got a lesson about settlers in the area and completed our vireo quadrifecta for the day. From our shady spot near the old cabin, we could hear Yellow-throated Vireos, Red-eyed Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, and one Warbling Vireo (a local and uncommon breeding resident and the first I've ever heard outside migration). By the time we finished, the day had heated up and after a swim in the river it was back to base camp!

The view at lunch.

Now that the 2014 camp season has closed, it's time to rest up for next year. It's a blessing to get to work with the campers each year and watch them grow in the outdoor world. It's not always easy, but there's never a dull moment and that's why I love it. Thanks again to all these parents for raising such great kids.