Archive for June 2008
June 30, 2008 | 
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I had my camera trained on the American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) at the feeder in late April of this year. I usually do not get to see them in their bright yellow plumage and black cap, so I was really excited that they stayed long enough. As I was snapping away, I saw one lean toward another. I have seen Northern Cardinals feeding one another and thought, “Oh, that’s so sweet!”
These pictures are dreadful, and I normally wouldn’t post such poor quality, but I just HAVE to tell this photo-story. Read the rest of this entry »
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I just wrote an article about Prothonotary Warblers and the very next morning I was able to see one “in the hand!”
This warbler was captured in a net as part of a bird-banding program called MAPS. Read the rest of this entry »
This Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) is standing watch over his nest, perched on this sprinkler head at a lakeside home in Greenville, Texas. It wouldn’t be so interesting if it were a House Sparrow or a Common Grackle…but you don’t see Prothonotary Warblers just anywhere!! Read the rest of this entry »
I built my first frog pond in the hummingbird garden that has been the backdrop for many of the photos here at the Birder’s Lounge. You’re probably wondering how many frog ponds I have 
Well, as it happens, I have two, but will talk about my second one in a future article.
I know that this doesn’t look much like a frog pond, but this is how it started! These hippo figures are pieces of bronze artwork. I HAD to have a mom-and-baby pair and ended up Read the rest of this entry »
My last article was about bees. I spoke of bumblebees, but I did not have a picture. I went out with my camera yesterday morning and walla! There were bumblebees! Newsflash – I just learned that it is National Pollinator Week! Read more about this at the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Pollinators page.
This Bumblebee (Bombus sp.) is visiting Hummingbird Mint (Agastache cana).
Most people can probably name two kinds of bees: bumblebees and honey bees. But I’ll bet that most people do not realize that there are about 900 species of bees in Texas alone! I learned about this whopping number of bee species from Kim Peoples Bacon of Texas Bee Watchers. In her speech at the Native Plant Society spring symposium held in Austin, Texas earlier this year , Kim went on to tell us that most of these bees are solitary – not the hoards and hives we normally think of… Read the rest of this entry »
You gardeners out there probably both love AND hate your Bermudagrass (Cynodon dayctylon) lawns. If you don’t have a Bermudagrass lawn, then I think you’re lucky.
I have grown up with Bermudagrass my entire life. I’ve never given it a second thought as to whether it was native or not. To be fair, I’ve only come to REALLY understand the vital importance of native plants in the last 6 months or so. Still, in my experience, lawns are either Bermudagrass, St. Augustine (Stenotaphrum secundatum), or a mixture of both.
I happen to live in an ecological region of Texas known as the Blackland Prairie. Prairie. When I think of a prairie, I think of grass, and the old TV show, “Little House on the Prairie.” The grasses that I picture are tall and certainly not what is considered “turf” grass. The native grasses and wildflowers that make up Texas’ Blackland Prairie region support wild birds and many other types of wildlife. As with so many of our natural resources, the Blackland Prairie is all but gone or severely damaged. There is a good, brief discussion of the state of the Blackland Prairie at the Native Plant Society’s site and I recommend that you take a moment to read it. The NPSOT lists this sobering statistic:
Today, it is believed less than 1% (and possibly less than 0.1%) of the native Blackland Prairies remain.
So what am I going to do about it? First, write this article to start a discussion of the topic and raise awareness. Second, conduct an experiment in my backyard where I remove the Bermudagrass from 8′x8′ plots and plant native grass blends designed to function as socially-acceptable lawngrass and other prairie grasses. Once my experimental plots have grown, I fully expect to see some great choices for the future of my lawn areas. I also expect to meet with or at least speak to my home-owner’s association when I suggest the radical idea of changing my front yard to a native grass mix that does not require mowing, watering or fertilizing! OMG, what would the neighbors think?! I’m betting they’ll be asking how they can do the same.
I visited Deckers Campground near Denver, CO and had my first look at a colorful, swirling flock of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). I loved their blue-green color and the striking contrast with their white underside. I watched them swirl around a tree cavity, so I am guessing that it was a nest site though I didn’t see anything peeping out from the hole. Read the rest of this entry »
