In this Year of the Frog, I want to share the smashing success of my efforts to provide habitat for frogs at my home. My frog ponds(2) also provide water to wildlife, breeding grounds for dragonflies and all manner of other pond creatures. At night, their myriad calls provide musical accompaniment to the rest of the nocturnal chorus. Plus, it is a lot of fun for me to sit by and enjoy!
I want to take this time, as hurricane Ike makes its way through Texas, to let everyone know about two bird and wildlife rescue/rehabilitation/sanctuaries that I admire and support.
The International Bird Rescue Research Center, based in California, focuses its efforts on birds and other animals injured by the all-too-frequent oil spills in our seas around the world. This non-profit organization, established in 1971, also helps birds and animals injured by the detritus of the fishing industry. I have not found any reports of oil spills along the Texas Gulf Coast due to storm damage, and I hope that the drilling operations an rigs are not badly damaged.
Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation is a non-profit organization located in Texas, west of Austin and north of San Antonio - near the city of Kendalia. It was founded in 1977 by Lynn Cuny, and has grown from a backyard operation to a highly respected sanctuary of 187 acres. Their commitment to wildlife stresses the need to keep the “wild” in wildlife. I whole-heartedly agree! Read the rest of this entry »
Usually when a birder says that “fall migration has started,” he/she means BIRD migration. Indeed, fall migration HAS started and it is an exciting time to see all of the different birds making their way south. I have also heard of butterfly migration - specifically, monarchs. Last year, I had the amazing experience of witnessing hundreds of monarch butterflies crossing a lake.
I may be a little late on this, but I have just learned that dragonflies migrate too! Apparently, bird and dragonfly migration are remarkably similar. 1
This is a Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus), also called a blue-tailed skink. These are pretty common at The Heard where I often go birding. They are supposed to be pretty common around urban gardens as well, but I’ve never seen one of these! I have seen what I think may be little brown geckos - and they are cute - but they don’t have this great blue tail. Read the rest of this entry »
I want to take a moment to pass on some great information about GoodSearch.
The “GoodSearch” box at the top right of the sidebar provides a way for anyone who uses it to generate cash for a charity that I support. If you are visiting Birder’s Lounge, please use this search box to help Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation. I get no income whatsoever by doing this - but what a painless way to support a cause! Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation gets about $0.01 per search - It adds up!
Even better, you can choose to use GoodSearch and GoodShop to help a charity that YOU care about! It is very easy to setup and the website is very informative. Here are the links:
GoodShop is potentially very beneficial, since the percent given to your charity varies by vendor, and is based on the amount you spend. If you are going to shop online anyway…you should GoodShop!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - I LOVE SQUIRRELS! This is not something you usually hear a birder admit, but I just love ‘em. A friend asked me how I became interested in birds. The answer - squirrels. At a time in my life when I could use some cheer, I was endlessly entertained by my backyard squirrels and their antics. My first thought, after I fell in love with them, was to feed them. When birds started to hang around at the corn-on-the-cob that I had offered to the squirrels, something clicked - and the world of birds opened up to me. That was about three years ago, and I have never lost my affection for the squirrels that always made me smile. Read the rest of this entry »
This beautiful flower is growing in my hummingbird garden, compliments of Mr. Green Thumbs. (Mr. Green Thumbs is my neighbor, and a recurring character in some of my stories.) As you can see, it is so very bright orange that it is almost fluorescent! The entire area behind his fence, running along the alley we share, is full of these gorgeous flowers. This plant is Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) and you guessed it, NOT native to North America. It does great here - SO great that it was declared invasive in 1996. (Wikipedia) Read the rest of this entry »
I better be right about this butterfly identification: Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). According to the National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to North American Butterflies (1981, Robert Michael Pyle, Contributor, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., Publisher), this butterfly is “unmistakable.” Robert Pyle, the “consulting lepidopterist” for this guide, founded the Xerces Society. This organization focuses on invertebrate conservation, and Mr. Pyle is impressive, even at first glance. I am looking forward to learning more about him, his works, and the Xerces Society. Read the rest of this entry »
I took this photo because I was bored while staking out my Turk’s Cap for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. This is one of many wasps that I have seen around my house. Recently, the pest control service came to my house. The only way to keep the peace in my household was to allow the pest control service to treat the inside of the house and fire ants…and wasps. The wasps were a battle - I wanted to leave their nests under the eves and attached to patio covers. After all, wasps have their place in the web of life, right? Read the rest of this entry »
We had a lot of rain last week, and I thought I would take a quick trip to a nearby lake, just to see what the birds were doing. This is what I found at White Rock Lake, in Dallas, Texas:
This Great Egret (Ardea Alba) was hanging out with the local Red-Eared Sliders… Read the rest of this entry »
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ambercoakley | 
09 26th, 2008| 
