Birders Share
Share stories with other members about your memorable encounters with birds, favorite bird books and other media, and funny or educational tidbits about birds you have discovered.
Some of the BASCTx members have started the sharing process by writing about their “spark” bird that set them on the path of bird appreciation and conservation.
We invite you to share your stories by submitting them to [email protected].
What Was Your "Spark" Bird?
Patsy Inglet: When I was five years old, we moved next door to my Dad’s mother—Ma as I called her. I seemed to always be over at her house (there was no Kindergarten back then), and she loved to teach me things: how to count to 100 in German; how to iron pillowcases; how to recite poems. Above all, she loved nature and all its creatures, especially birds, which she said share their happiness with us through their songs. One day, Ma found a mockingbird in the yard that had been injured—how she didn’t know. One of its wings wouldn’t work right, so it couldn’t fly away. She rescued the bird and together we created a place for it to get better on her screened-in back porch. She taught me how to be kind and gentle and even showed me how she could splint the injured wing so it could heal. I got to feed the bird sometimes, and all three of us would “dance” to the little songs that Ma would sing—bouncing up and down to the rhythm. As time went by, the injured wing did heal, and one day we took the bird outside and released it back into the wild. Ma said that nature would take care of it now—that we had done all we could. Maybe that’s why I became a teacher and a dancer. Maybe it was the spark that now has flamed into my passion for birds and their conservation all these many years later. And why the sassy Northern Mockingbird’s song always makes me think of Ma and our happy times together.
Anne Parrish: The bird that sparked a feeling of thrill in me for the first time was the Black-necked Stilt. When I first encountered this bird, it was in the 
1990s at Mitchell Lake. Its regal strut in the skim of water in the wetlands there captured my imagination. This bird’s black and white “tuxedo” coat feathers and its specialized beak designed to probe the mudflats for food made me yearn to protect that special spot so the bird would still have a home in Texas. And that is what it is all about actually, each of us finding a special spot on Earth to nurture and protect. Because, after all, every place on Earth is someone’s or something’s home and the Black-necked Stilts still make theirs at Mitchell Lake in South San Antonio. Photo by Ansen Seale.
All Things Birds
BAS Education-Engagement Chair Patsy Inglet is writing a series of articles about birds for the Alamo Area Master Naturalist (AAMN) newsletter.
The articles are added here after they run in the AAMN newsletter.
Love Birds? Love “Bugs”!
If you know anything about the food chain—Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers—you already know how important every single creature is to maintain and sustain the ecosystems that support the environment that humans share.
Our focus in this article h is on the important role of insects and the intimate relationships that have evolved between plants, insects, and the birds we enjoy. Since green plants are the producers that convert solar energy into food, the first level consumers are often what E. O. Wilson called “the little things that run the world,” the invertebrates, especially insects. Caterpillars in particular are an important group of these insects, and they are very particular about the plants they eat and on which they lay their eggs—the so-called host plants.
Native insects prefer, sometimes exclusively, the native plants with which they have developed this relationship. That means that it matters which plants we use in our landscaping. Native plants nourish native insects, which in turn nourish native birds. Most native birds (96%) feed insects to their young to furnish the fat, protein, chemicals, and water that turn baby birds into fully fledged members of their ecosystem. Many adult birds also make insects the mainstay of their diets, and these insectivorous species are heavily dependent on insect prey during their whole life cycle.
Caterpillars are the mainstay of many bird diets in North America, especially during the breeding season. These big, soft, squishy tidbits are chock full of the good stuff—fats, proteins, and healthy carotenoids—and are easily stuffed down bird nestlings’ throats to promote rapid growth and healthy fledglings. Birds, like other vertebrates, cannot make their own carotenoids–which stimulate immune systems, improve color vision, serve as antioxidants that protect proteins and DNA from damage, and produce pigments for brightly colored plumage. If you are a bird that doesn’t eat plant tissues directly, then you have to get your carotenoids by eating something that did eat plants. Caterpillars are the prime primary consumers that forge that important link, and they contain more than twice as many carotenoids as other insects!
If your landscape plants are NOT native and do NOT have caterpillar bites out of them, then your landscaping is NOT caterpillar friendly and therefore NOT baby bird friendly. The caterpillars will take their share, of course, but the adult birds are the BEST caterpillar control mechanism around. A single Carolina Chickadee will utilize 6000-9000 caterpillars to raise one brood of only four chicks from egg to fledging in about 12 days! It is hard to imagine how many caterpillars it takes for a yard full of cardinals, titmice, buntings, warblers, vireos, and bluebirds.
Tip: National Audubon’s “Plants for Birds” website (https://www.audubon.org/plantsforbirds) is a great place to find out which local plants will support the caterpillars that feed the birds you want to attract. Just enter your Zip Code and your Email for a full list. Choose the plants wisely, then leave nature alone, minus pesticides, to work out a sustainable balance of caterpillars and birds. Your yard will be healthier, and you will have a greater diversity of birds species. Win-Win!
BIRD ENCOUNTERS
Watch "The Hummingbird Effect" on PBS Nature Series
New from PBS: Discover how tiny hummingbirds influence their many flowering kingdoms and their ripple effects on macaws, quetzals, monkeys, tapirs and more. Set in the exotic landscapes of Costa Rica. Watch here.
How to Begin Birding in SA Parks
by Chris Belcher
If you like birds and are looking for something to get you out of the house, now is a great time to learn birding in San Antonio, Texas.
The San Antonio Parks are great places to learn birding anytime, but right now they’re especially good. The birding in the parks is better than normal because we’re at the peak of bird migration.
“Right now is a good time to get out because it’s migration and you never know what you’re going to see.” Patsy Inglet, president of the Bexar Audubon Society, said, “so this is a perfect time to learn how to bird.”
You don’t have to be an avid bird watcher to be considered a birder according to Inglet, because the definition is very broad.
“If you enjoy listening to or watching birds do their thing even from your yard or in a park and it just adds something to your life, you’re a birder,” Inglet said.
How do you get started? Click here to learn more.
Painted Bunting Restaurant Rescue
From SA Birder Judy Bell: On April 14, 2021, while eating in the bar at Perry’s Steakhouse in The Shops at La Cantera, San Antonio, this little guy was trapped between two pieces of glass, next to our table. He kept going back and forth along the bottom of the window. Several members of Perry’s management came to the rescue and one of them gently captured him in his hands and released him above the panes of glass. A big ovation in the bar!
Variations on a Painted Bunting
BAS member Lila Theis has had a wonderful assortment of migratory birds in her yard this spring, including this alternatively colored male Painted Bunting on April 18, 2021.
Keep Your Bird Feeders Clean to Prevent Disease
You may have noticed an unusually high number of Pine Siskins in our area this winter. The National Audubon Society reports that a meager supply of conifer seeds across Canada's boreal forest has caused the birds to push south in mind-boggling numbers. The record irruption of Pine Siskins has also brought trouble. It’s common for some of the birds to carry salmonella bacteria, which can cause a usually fatal disease called salmonellosis. In Washington State and Oregon, the recent influx has brought more Pine Siskins to crowded feeders and is believed to be fueling the spread of the disease. Residents there are being asked to remove feeders for several weeks. The spread of disease has now been reported in Texas and you can read more from Travis Audubon here. In addition, please read Audubon's suggestions for keeping your feeders clean.
How Cemetery Birdwatchers Try to Avoid Ruffling Feathers
Cemeteries are often great birding sites, but birders need to be respectful of the place. Here's an article about cemetery birdwatchers in Canada.
Bonding Through Banding
By Robert S. Michaelson
December 21, 2020
By late October, the Ospreys began to arrive at Braunig Lake. By early November, six appeared to be making Braunig their home for the winter. I go to Braunig often to photograph the Ospreys.
They are magnificent birds to watch fly and dive for fish. I haven’t been able to photograph the moment they transition from a dive to talons out to snag a fish (my ultimate goal), but I have been able to photograph them in flight, diving, and landing. One particular photo (left) got my attention, as I could make out a green band on the right leg with the number 81 over the letter M on the band.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a website where you can report the date of sighting and the band number. If they can identify it, they send a Certificate of Appreciation, which includes where and when the bird was banded. The Bird Banding Lab website also contains a wealth of information on the history of banding and the data researchers can obtain by banding birds.
About a month after sending the band information, I received the certificate showing the bird was banded on July 20, 2020 before it could fly, near Billings, Montana, over 1,200 miles from Braunig Lake! Dr. Marco Restani banded the bird as a nestling. The sighting report was also sent to Dr. Restani and we contacted each other about 81/M. Click here to read the rest of the article.
Big Year Birding with a Mission
From Audubon.org: Last February, Tiffany Kersten climbed the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque in her blue Chevy Spark. At some 10,000 feet, she set up her spotting scope along Sandia Crest, where bird feeders provide a rare opportunity to see Black, Brown-capped, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches together in one spot. The air was cold and thin, but that wasn’t why Kersten soon found herself struggling to breathe. Read the rest of the article here.
Watching A Hummingbird Nest
Kristen Cangelosi wanted to share with BAS that in March a pair of hummingbirds decided to make their nest on the string lights she has on her back patio (the birds enjoy the warmth the lights provide). They now have two hatchlings, and the adult female is around just long enough to feed the young. Kristen goes to lengths not to disturb them, even though they’re only a few feet from the back door. They’re amazing to watch!
DIY Garden Fountain for Birds
Create a mini oasis for your feathered friends by assembling a few inexpensive items, including a solar-powered fountain that floats in the water, a basin or tub, a couple of overturned plastic planters, two terra cotta saucers, and three floating articifial water lilies. Add water to the basin or tub and see who appears! You can stack stones or bricks around the outside of the basin for a more natural look and place sticks or branches for perching next to the basin. Photo courtesy of member Lora Reynolds.
Curious about Avian Pox?
A question about avian pox was recently posted in the SATXBirds Google Group chat forum. Intrepid San Antonio birder Brad Wier did some research and found a website with information about the disease and how to prevent it. Here's what he found:
- Mosquito control and elimination of breeding sites is an important aspect of poxvirus transmission prevention.
- Avian pox spreads easily where birds congregate, like bird feeders.
- If you need a different approach to bird feeding, native plants make an excellent substitute — various seasonal sunflowers, wildflowers, grasses, and others produce plenty of seeds.
- When outbreaks occur, bird feeders, baths, and cages should be decontaminated with a 10% bleach and water solution (9 parts water:1 part bleach).
Click here to learn more.
Albino or Leucistic?
San Antonio resident Art Madden photographed this white bird with pink legs sitting at his backyard feeder and the photo was posted to the Google group SATXBirds on July 1, 
2020, leading to a discussion of what species the bird was and whether it was albino or leucistic. The concensus was that the species is House Finch and the bird is leucistic rathern than albino. Definitions of both terms are shown below.
Albinism: Birds that lack the color pigment melanin have a genetic mutation that results in the lack of an enzyme called tyrosinase (ty-RAHS-in-ayse) essential to producing melanin; this condition is called albinism. These birds are often pure white, but in some cases an albino bird might still have yellow or orange feathers. Birds have multiple pigments other than melanin; for example, colors such as yellow or orange are carotenoid pigments, 
rather than melanin ones, so they can still express in birds with albinism. The true test of whether a bird is an albino is in its eyes. The lack of melanin allows blood vessels to show through, causing the eyes of albinistic birds to be bright pink or red. A bird is a true albino if its feet, legs, bill, and eyes are pale pink or red. Genetics determine true albino birds: Both parents have to carry the uncommon recessive genes that produce rare pure white offspring. Albino House Finch is shown at right.
Leucism: Often confused with albinism is a lesser-known genetic condition called leucism (pronounced LUKE-ism), in which not just melanin but other color pigments may be reduced as well. Unlike albinism, leucism doesn’t completely eliminate pigment. Leucistic birds may appear lighter than normal but aren’t fully white. Sometimes these birds are pale, with an overall lightening of their coloring. In other cases, leucism can result in a bird being pied or piebald—with white patches across its body. Because they don’t fully lack melanin, leucistic birds have normal-colored eyes rather than the pink or red eyes of albinos. Leucistic birds are sometimes referred to as having “partial albinism.” This is a misnomer; there is no such thing as a partial albino. A bird referred to as a partial albino is really a leucistic bird.
You are much more likely to see a leucistic bird than an albinistic one. Keep an eye out for birds that have white patches or washed-out plumage. It could be a bird of any species. Still interested in knowing more? Click HERE.
Mockingbird in Trouble
Brad Wier, Field Investigator at San Antonio Water System, shared this not-so-happy story about an incident that took place in May, 2020:
At a customer’s garage, a fluttering commotion under the car turned out to be a poor Northern Mockingbird stuck in a glue trap. (They’d placed traps in the corners by the garage door and the bird stopped by to pick at the stuck beetle and gecko buffet.)
Eventually the bird flopped out from under the car into the scorching driveway to where I was standing, dragging the trap and his body behind. Nothing I could do but reach down to try to free his feet. He was forced to tolerate this, though it had to be painful; he left no skin behind at least. He was able to free his other leg while I held the trap down and managed to fly off towards Briggs Ranch, minus all his tail feathers and a few others. According to my web research, these birds are usually euthanized at animal rescue.
His leg had all the heft of a stem of basil.
Glue traps. Bad.
Bird Inspires Company Name
San Antonio runner sees Golden-fronted Woodpecker on trail and comes up with idea for his company's name! Read about it here.
San Antonio "Vagrant Traps"
A woman who had recently returned to SA after many years away and is now becoming an avid birdwatcher wrote the SATXBirds Google Chat group asking if there are any spots that aren't on the radar where rare species (or anything besides common backyard birds) can be seen.
Local expert birder Bob Doe wrote the following reply:
When I started birding 45 years ago, I was told by some very good birders, "If you want to get a large life list, visit many places, or visit one place very regularly." Almost any local birding spot will provide rare or unusual birds occasionally. Some locations, such as Mitchell Lake, have a long history of attracting rarities and vagrants. But almost anywhere will be productive periodically. I believe that the secret to finding rarities is to get out there frequently. With that said, here are some of my favorite "vagrant traps":
Mechler/Jungman Roads (including the Gross Lane crossing of the Medina River): Most local birders are familiar with this site as a reliable location for Burrowing Owl (every year since the late 1990's, although the birds are sometimes "1 day wonders"), but my list of rarities there is quite extensive: Snow Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Wood Duck (breeding occasionally), Wild Turkey, Least Grebe (in a flooded roadside ditch), Wood Stork, White-tailed Kite, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Harris' Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Merlin (annually), Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Mountain Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew, Dunlin, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Snipe, Short-eared Owl, Burrowing Owl, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Horned Lark (intermittent breeder), Violet-green Swallow, Sedge Wren, Sage Thrasher, Sprague's Pipit, Chestnut-Collared Longspur, McCown's Longspur, Prothonotary Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Lark Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow (regular breeder), Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Red Crossbill. Fall, Winter, and Spring seem to be the best seasons. Many times, the area will appear virtually birdless, but regular visits will turn up rarities.
Calaveras and Braunig Lakes: Best known as a breeding site for Least Bittern (locally common breeder here), these lakes are worth a visit at any time of year. Brown Pelican and Bald Eagle can occur at any time. These lakes can be interesting following landfalling tropical systems: Magnificent Frigatebirds and Sooty Terns are the "expected" storm birds, but I have also seen Bridled Terns, Fulvous Whistling-Duck and Long-billed Curlew following storms. Apart from storms, I have seen Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, and Reddish Egret. Winter can be interesting with unusual duck and geese (Long-tailed Duck, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser) and gulls (Black-legged Kittiwake, Sabine's Gull, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull). My most unusual landbird was a Chestnut-collared Longspur.
Government Canyon State Natural Area: Before this area was open to the public, I and other birders did an initial bird survey of the area. We had consistent sightings of Canyon Towhee, Black-throated Sparrow, and Cactus Wren. The habitat has been modified since we did the survey, and these species are no longer present, although I still hold out hope. White-tipped Dove has been present for the past few years (summers). Zone-tailed Hawk is believed to breed. Common Poorwill has been heard just outside the area and probably occurs in GCSNA. Unusual warblers are occasionally reported during migration, and this area would seem a likely area to search for western vagrants. I have heard of a report of a Gray Vireo, and the first Bexar County record of Hutton's Vireo was from GCSNA. There used to be a breeding population of Field Sparrows, but I don't know if they are still present.
Crescent Bend Natural Area: This former residential area is a must visit location, particularly in migration and winter. One of the highlights are the woodpeckers: 8 species have been documented, along with a couple of hybrids; 20+ species of warblers occur during migration, along with vireos, flycatchers, orioles and other passerines. Good place to look for Pine Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Brown Creeper during winter.
Avenue A and Brackenridge Park: Historic vagrant trap, particularly in migration. Most passerine migrants on the county list have been seen here.
Botanical Garden: The Gardens seem to attract more than their share or rarities, either in migration or overwintering.
Mission Reach, San Antonio River: Since Martin Reid has been doing a bird survey along the restored Mission Reach, he has turned up a surprising number of rarities. This is another area that may yield only "common" birds most of the time, but turns up real rarities occasionally.
Irresistible Suet Recipe
Ron Tietz, who has a ranch near Concan, has shared his personal recipe for gourmet bird suet. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“The suet you buy in stores is usually beef suet and some seeds. Very dull. I Googled suet recipes and decided to combine some ingredients from several recipes. I experimented and have altered the recipe over the years. I first decided to put out suet to attract insect-eaters like woodpeckers. I found out that ALL birds like it: Cardinals, Summer Tanagers, and even Orioles. I can barely make enough.
Here's the recipe, with preparation tips from Ron: (It's a lot of trouble. Most people don't want to spend the time to make it):
1 Cup Lard (I discovered that beef suet is too hard to come by and not easy to use.)
1 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1 Cup Raw Unsalted Peanuts (I grind these in a small food processor; I get them in 5-lb. bags from Bertie County Peanuts, Phone (800) 457-0005.)
2 Cups Instant Oatmeal (If it's not instant, I grind it in a food processor.)
2 Cups Cornmeal
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup Raisins (I grind these in a small food processor with about 2 Tbs. of very hot water; otherwise, it's a sticky ball.)
Lately I have been adding about a Tbs. of brown sugar, assuming the Orioles would like it better.
1 Cup Water
- Melt the lard in a deep stainless steel pot on low to medium heat. (My ranch stove is electric.)
- Add peanut butter and mix. (Be careful not to splatter the hot mixture on you. I use a heavy plastic spatula.)
- Mix in peanuts.
- Mix in raisins.
- Then oatmeal.
- Then cornmeal.
- Then flour. (By this time it's very thick and difficult to mix.)
- Add the water and mix. (The dry mixture needs to be hot so the suet is sorta cooked. The water makes it sticky.)
- Place in a rectangular Pyrex dish (about 7"x12") and compress with a heavy metal spatula. Cover with plastic wrap & let cool.
- Once cool, cut into 6 squares with a small sharp knife and place the dish in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
- Then place the dish in a small amount of hot water in the sink for <1 minute to loosen the suet. Use the metal spatula to separate and remove each piece.
- Wrap suet in plastic wrap and refrigerate. I guess it can be frozen, but I go through at least a batch a week so I just refrigerate it.
- Put the suet blocks in a suet feeder and watch it disappear.
Each batch takes about 25 minutes to make; don’t attempt to double this recipe in one batch—the mix is heavy and thick and it gets way too difficult to stir.