Conservation News

Conservation ACTION

Keeping Bexar Audubon Society members informed of activities, issues, policies, and proposals
that affect us all is important to us. We’ll post articles to ensure you’re up to date and
aware of the latest conservation news, projects, and research, as well as offering suggestions on ways you can help, including taking action in your own backyard.

“If you really think the environment is less important than economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.” [by Dr. Guy McPherson, environmental, health and industry activist]

Climate Watch Surveys

Calling All Birders!
Climate change is the biggest threat to birds around the world. 

Learn how you can help by counting climate-threatened species in Audubon’s bird and climate change community science program—Climate Watch.

Audubon’s 2024 Climate Watch summer season will kick off before you know it  (May 15 through June 15), and volunteers are needed to participate in this community science effort. Climate Watch is a national project to explore how birds are responding to climate change. National Audubon’s groundbreaking report Survival by Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink, uses Climate Watch data to expand the details of bird migration and distribution and to refine the statistical models. You can explore the implications of climate change for birds in Bexar County here.

Bexar Audubon Society is leading the project in our area again this year, and we are seeking volunteer birders to participate in surveying for our Target Species—Lesser Goldfinch—in specific 10 km x10 km squares across our region. Learn more about how climate change will reshape the range of the Lesser Goldfinch here.

Requirements:

  • 2 hours for Training (Approved for MNAT)
  • 2-4 hours at least one morning between May 15 and June 15 to survey at least one
    10km x10km square for the Lesser Goldfinch Target Species and other birds you can identify
  • 1 hour to enter your data into eBird via your mobile app then submit it to National Audubon through a designated portal online

FREE Training Session via ZOOM:

May 1, 2024                6:00-8:00pm

Individual Help Available by Request.
This project overview/protocol training will give you a good idea of what’s involved. In the meantime, you can get some excellent information on the National Audubon Climate Watch website.

If this is your first time visit the New Climate Watch page to learn what you'll need to help us monitor. For those who have participated before you can browse more resources by visiting the Climate Watch Participants page.

If you want more information or you are interested in volunteering for this project and want to attend the training session, please email Climate Watch Coordinator Patsy Inglet:
[email protected]

There is a Square and a Place for Every Birder, Regardless of Experience.
You can partner with another birder or two and make it a team effort.

Alamo City Golf Trail Golf Course Surveys
Bird City San Antonio

This spring and summer BAS will be surveying the city’s public golf courses as part of our Bird City Texas commitment. These golf courses serve as great habitats for birds. The golf courses will be closed to the public on the dates of the surveys.

Each survey begins at 7:30 A.M. and we will meet in the parking lot. Bring sun protection and plenty of water; wear sturdy shoes. We will divide up into two groups, one doing the front nine (#1-9) and the other group surveying the back nine (#10-18). Teams will record data using eBird and share checklists with BASsurveys. BAS will generate a Trip Report Summary for the entire course and share it with the city golf course manager.

We need at least 2-3 people in each group. Please sign up for this great opportunity of birding. If you have questions or need to cancel, please contact me ([email protected]).

The golf course survey dates are listed below:

May 7, Tues. @ Willow Springs, 202 AT&T Center Parkway (sign up)
May 14, Tues. @ Mission Del Lago, 1250 Mission Grande (sign up)
May 21, Tues. @ Cedar Creek, 8250 Vista Colina (sign up)
May 28, Tues. @ Northern Hills, 13202 Scarsdale (sign up)
June 5, Wed. @ Brackenridge, 2315 Avenue B (sign up)
June 12, Wed. @ Olmos Basin, 7022 McCullough Avenue (sign up)
June 17, Mon. @ Riverside, 203 McDonald (sign up)

APPROVED FOR AAMN VOLUNTEER HOURS

Have you seen this bird?

Calling all birders! We need eyes out for egrets forming rookeries. This can be Cattle, Snowy, or Great Egrets. Bexar Audubon, in conjunction with several other organizations, have been monitoring the egret rookery sites for the last 2years as part of a larger effort to develop proactive strategies for managing urban rookeries. We need to gather data to help inform this process. This year, we’ve raised$50k in pledges to initiate a bird tagging program. To tag the birds, we need to know where they are gathering. If you see egrets gathering and exhibiting mating or nest building behaviors, please post species and counts to eBird then email location to [email protected]. We’ll ground truth the sightings and assess feasibility of access for tagging. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Coalition for Sustainable Rookeries in Bexar County Seeks to Develop Workable Strategies 

Cattle Egrets by Francoise Macomber/Audubon Photography Awards

The Coalition for Sustainable Urban Rookeries is a group of science-based organizations that seek to develop community-inclusive strategies to address the urban-avian conflicts in Bexar County. 

Urban bird rookeries are colonies of birds that gather in large groups during nesting season. These birds include colonial waterbirds like gulls, terns, cormorants, pelicans, herons, egrets, and ibises.

The urban-avian conflict in Brackenridge Park involving a Cattle Egret rookery has negatively impacted water quality in the San Antonio River, caused the closure of playgrounds and structures, created areas unusable by guests/staff due to feces, and threatened endangered species cared for by the San Antonio Zoo.

It is important to develop sustainable urban rookery management plans to balance the well-being and habitat availability of local wildlife populations, our river's water quality, and the community's public health and quality of life.

The long-term goal of the Coalition for Sustainable Urban Rookeries is to develop science-based solutions and community-inclusive strategies to address urban-avian conflicts in Bexar County. Read more.

Proposed Strategy in a Nutshell

Objective: Draw colonial nesting wading birds away from urban parks or neighborhoods by creating multiple attractive rookery environments far from urban centers, airports, etc. Creating multiple sites increases probability of success.

What the colonial nesting wading birds want: These birds are looking for a space safe from predators with a food source nearby and structures in which to build their nests. Food source is primarily aquatic: fish, crustaceans, amphibians. In particular, the birds are attracted to small islands since the surrounding water inhibits most predators. The water shoreline needs to be relatively shallow to allow foraging with a gentle slope to deeper water.

Strategy: Find ponds or lakes with desired shoreline and water year-round. Simulate islands by using artificial nesting structures (ANS) in the deeper part of the lake. Number of ANS is tied to size of lake and used to indirectly manage rookery size. So a large lake may have 10-15 structures with six platforms each, while a small lake may have five structures with four platforms each. The birds will prefer the ANS to trees because they are surrounded by water.

The member organizations of the Coalition for Sustainable Urban Rookeries are Audubon Texas, San Antonio Zoo, The Nature Conservancy in Texas, Bexar Audubon Society, and San Antonio River Authority.

Do You Have a Purple Martin House in Need of Rehab?

Did you know that east of the Rocky Mountains, Purple Martins depend 100% on human-supplied housing? It's important to keep Purple Martin houses in good condition for Purple Martins to use when they return to Texas for nesting in February. Otherwise, invasive species such as House Sparrows and European Starlings will use them. Bexar Audubon Society would like you to email us at [email protected] with your contact info and a photo (if possible) of the Purple Martin house you'd like to donate for rehabilitation. Click here for a flyer about how to be a successful Purple Martin landlord.

 

Join and Support the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Take Advantage of the Great Learning Opportunities Offered

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a variety of online courses to help you with bird ID, gardening for birds, photography, learning to draw and paint pictures of birds, and more. Check out the courses offered here.

 

Opinion: A woodpecker is officially declared extinct. Why should we care?

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers by John James Audubon

Opinion Piece by Bruce Beehler. Published in the Washington Post: October 1, 2021

Bruce Beehler is a local naturalist and author of 12 books, including “Natural Encounters” and “Birds of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.”

On April 28, 2005, conservationists and government officials held a press conference that made headlines across the world. Their bombshell announcement: the ivory-billed woodpecker, long thought extinct, had been rediscovered in bottomland forest in Arkansas. The bird had last been seen in 1944. Here was an example of the phoenix-like rebirth of a “lost” species—an icon of the great old-growth forests of the Deep South and a species that had charmed the imaginations of great American naturalists from John James Audubon to Roger Tory Peterson. There are very few natural history stories over the last century that equal this one for the excitement, joy, and amazement it generated.

Now, fifteen years later, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has issued another announcement, formally declaring the ivory-billed woodpecker to be extinct. Most of those in the know will not be surprised, though the finality of the story is causing sadness. Read the rest of the article here.

New Conservation License Plate

A new conservation license plate designed by Houston Audubon and sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is now available. The new plate is dedicated to protecting birds and their habitat and features an Eastern Meadowlark, an iconic prairie species commonly found throughout Texas. This species was chosen because it is in need of conservation action and the habitat is one that Houston Audubon is deeply committed to restoring. For each license plate, $22 of the annual $30 fee will be used toward Houston Audubon’s bird conservation efforts. For more information and to order, visit the Conservation License Plate page on Houston Audubon’s website.

Thoughtful Consumer

Click here for a list of products that can help you reduce the use of plastic in your everyday life.

 

 

 

 

Bird-friendly Products

From retailers that ship all over the nation to local butchers and shops, here is a guide to the ranches and retailers that sell products raised on Audubon-certified bird-friendly land.

 

 

 

Keep your cat safely enclosed in an outdoor space while protecting birds and other wildlife. Catio Spaces offers DIY plans for building any one of a variety of cat patio (catio) designs. Use the promo code BirdsRus at checkout and BAS will receive a 10% donation.

 

 

 

 

Bird netting, which is commonly used in gardens to keep birds and other wildlife from getting to your fruits and veggies, can also be dangerous to animals. Watch this brief video to find out why you should not use netting in your garden. Alternatives are shown that are safer and less likely to harm wildlife that may get tangled in netting.

 

 

 

Changes in SA Materials Accepted for Recycling 

The City of San Antonio has updated their website to show you what's acceptable for recycling in the way of paper, plastic, metal, and glass. The San Antonio Report offers an in-depth article about recycling locally and elsewhere.

 

The American Birding Podcast brings together staff and friends of the American Birding Association to discuss birds, birding, travel, and conservation in North America and beyond.

Join host Nate Swick every Thursday for news and happenings, recent rarities, guests from around the birding world, and features of interest to every birder.

 

 

Sign Up for Birding with a Purpose Surveys

Much of Texas has little data about the bird species present because 95% of the state is private land. Birding with a Purpose is a Bexar Audubon program to provide structured, repeatable bird surveys to large acreage private landowners to raise awareness, initiate dialog about the potential of their land to contribute to the betterment of birds, and discuss how to manage their land for bird habitat.

All survey data is submitted to Cornell Labs of Ornithology via eBird. Cornell data scientists are doing ground breaking research with eBird data to produce color-coded maps showing relative abundance by species and geography. Providing high quality survey data with multiple surveys per year on land that typically is not birded is of tremendous scientific value.

Sakey Creek Wildlife Ranch Bird Survey
THE DATE FOR THE NEXT SURVEY WILL BE POSTED LATER.
Join us to help survey this 300-acre ranch at 16012 State Highway 16 South at Pipe Creek. We will divide the survey area into four sections and would like to have two to three people per section. Volunteers need to arrive by 7:45 am.

Creech Prairie Bird Survey
THE DATE FOR THE NEXT SURVEY WILL BE POSTED LATER.
This 88-acre prairie site near Floresville needs at least 6 people for the survey. To get to the Creech property, enter this address into Google Maps or similar navigation programs: 1467 County Road 401, Floresville, TX 78114. Look for the big blue barn near the road to confirm you are at the right place. Volunteers need to arrive by 7:45 am.

Kirchoff Prairie Bird Survey

Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 8:00 to 10:00 AM

The Kirchoff Prairie near Floresville is a 200-acre site that has been divided into 4 sections, so we need at least 8 people to survey. The address is 1444 County Rd, 210, Floresville, TX 78114 and the drive is a little over 1 hour from central San Antonio. Google Maps will take you to the gate. Come through and park where directed. Call (210) 867-7507 if you need further instructions. Volunteers need to arrive by 7:45 am.

Haggard Ranch Bird Survey

Saturday, April 27, 2024 | 8:00 to 11:00 AM

Bexar Audubon will be conducting surveys in each of five management areas on the Haggard Ranch in South Bexar County. At least 10 surveyors are needed. The collected data will be used to inform and improve the Prairie Restoration Management Plan for Haggard Ranch.

The address is 16290 Interstate 35 Access Rd, Atascosa, TX 78002, which will work with the Google maps app. General directions: Drive southwest on I-35 past FM1604 and take exit 137, Shepard Road. Take a left on Shepard and an immediate left on the I-35 frontage road. Drive 0.5 mi to a driveway on the right to enter the property. The gate will be open by 7:30 AM.

Please plan to arrive by no later than 7:45 so we can organize the survey teams and get started with the survey at 8 AM. Wear sturdy boots (snake boots or gaiters are good), long pants, sun protection, and a hat. Bring water and snacks.

Please sign-up here.

In Bexar County, plastic containers with labels still affixed are not recyclable. To make removing labels easier, warm them in the microwave for 10 seconds. Doing this makes the adhesive less sticky and you are more likely to get the whole label removed, which increases the likelihood of single use plastic containers being recycled.[/caption]

Solar Panel Recycling

In order to avoid an onslaught of e-waste accompanying our rapid solar development, scientists are developing ways to recycle solar panels, minimizing their environmental impact. Entrepreneurs and economists alike are also eyeing the huge financial value that a practical recycling method would offer.

So, can solar panels be recycled? The short answer is yes, but the process needs refining. Here’s what we know.

 

Fun Family Activity—Attracting Hummingbirds

by Julio Cardona (Porch.com)

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, and they’re quite an impressive sight when they flock to your backyard. If you’re looking for ways to get your children, nephews, or grandchildren interested in learning more about these birds, it’s easy to attract them to your own yard for a fun family activity. With the right food, feeder, and setup, attracting hummingbirds is easy. Let’s discover together some awesome tips that will make your family activity fun and successful. We will also learn some basic information about these incredibly fascinating birds and how to attract them. Before you know it, you’ll have a fabulous flock that will make bird watching a favorite pastime for the entire family. Click here to read the entire article.

Audubon for Kids

Which Matters More to Sea-Level Rise:
Glaciers or Icebergs?

In this experiment, kids test whether land ice or sea ice causes oceans to rise as the planet warms.

A Conservation Approach that Starts in Our Own Yards

  1. Plant native bushes, flowers, and trees!
    • KEY: attract and feed butterflies, birds, and insects.
  1. See #1
    • Yep, it’s so important it is both #1 and #2!
    • We can plant multiple young trees in a group to encourage their roots to intermingle to strengthen the trees instead of spending a huge amount on a large, mature tree
  1. Leave the leaves!
    • KEY: Leaves are the “black gold” for our yard: they hold water, support plant growth, and host insects.
  1. Give bees an AirBNB!
    • KEY: Most bees live in the ground, and we can create bee hotels by drilling holes in small pieces of wood or using a roll of toilet paper and be sure to place in a dry area or cover.
  1. Learn the names of plants, birds, and insects in our yard.
    • KEY: this starts the process of caring about and understanding them.
  1. Observe nature in action in our own yard first, parks second!
    • KEY: Nature is here, at our house. In our yard. We can enjoy nature right at home every day.
  1. Tread lightly when visiting natural areas.
    • KEY: Let’s go often, enjoy, don’t disturb, and don’t remove anything. Let’s take pictures and use iNaturalist to learn more about what we saw when we get home.
  1. Change the yard landscaping paradigm (aka belief system) TO “smaller lawns and more plants are the way to go.”
    • KEY: We are already setting the example. We must be willing to talk to others about why we are doing what we are doing. Maybe we will inspire someone else in our neighborhood.
  1. Provide seeds / nutrition and water for birds, especially in winter.
    • KEY: >650 species of birds migrate through our skies each year—that’s millions of birds. They need native plants in the summer/spring, but the birds that live here all year also need help to keep them in our neighborhoods until we have sufficient native plants and butterflies and insects to support them all year around.
  1. Did you do #1 yet? We are counting on you!

 Final thought:

Never doubt the difference one person can make by taking action in our own yard. We will be helping nature and humans at the same time. The planet will be healthier for our efforts, not just 20 years from now, but next Spring. We will be able to observe differences in a single season.

New iNaturalist Project: Bird Window Strikes in 9 Central Texas Counties

SAVE BIRDS FROM GLASS COLLISIONS! Birds can’t see glass. As a result, up to one billion birds hit glass and are killed each year in the U.S. alone as they try to navigate around houses, office buildings, and other obstacles.

This iNaturalist project seeks to document window strikes that result in bird mortality by collecting data on such strikes in the nine-county area served by Bexar Audubon Society. This data will be used to EDUCATE people about the danger that glass poses to birds and to INFORM individual and city decisions on building practices and bird conservation (bird-friendly glass and strike prevention methods).

If you find a deceased bird whose death was caused by flying into a window, please take a photo of the bird and upload it in iNat to this project. We need the specific location where each photo was taken (name of building, street address, GPS coordinators, or other locators). We are collecting data to document where the strikes are occurring so we can address the underlying causes (glass type, lighting, feeder position, plantings that attract birds, etc.)

IF YOU FIND AN INJURED BIRD that has obviously hit a window, please call Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation EMERGENCY NUMBER 830.336.2725; their staff will advise you.

WARBLER WOODS CAN TRANSFER DECEASED BIRDS TO TEXAS A&M:  Warbler Woods Bird Sanctuary in Cibolo, just northeast of San Antonio, is licensed to hold the birds that will then be transferred to Texas A&M. If you find a deceased bird, even a common one:
1.  Put deceased bird in a plastic freezer bag and include a note with county in which the bird was found, reason for death if known, species if known, date if known
2. Remove air from plastic bag and store in freezer
3. Make arrangements to bring bird to Warbler Woods Bird Sanctuary by emailing [email protected]
4. Place the bird in the garage freezer at Warbler Woods and email Warbler Woods to let them know you have dropped off the bird

 

PurpleMartins78209 Project

By Allison Hayne

June 4, 2021 Update: The Purple Martin house at the Alamo Heights Little League ball fields has been a huge success this year. Next year I hope to add some hanging gourds to the bottom. I suspect we will have a full house next year. So far out of 14 compartments, we have 8 nesting pair! Today I did a nest check and we have 22 eggs and 14 babies! The pair with 6 babies has their hands full!!! The other house still has no takers. We will relocate it next year, as it’s just too close to nearby trees.

April 2020: One of the important migratory bird species in Texas is the Purple Martin, North America’s largest swallow. Purple Martins winter in South America, primarily in Brazil. In mid-January, Purple Martins begin showing up along the Gulf Coast of North America. Their breeding range in Texas includes most of the state except the Trans Pecos region.

East of the Rocky Mountains, Purple Martins nest exclusively in human-supplied housing because of loss of habitat and competition. To ensure successful nesting, housing must not be impeded by tall trees within 30 to 40 feet with wide-open flyways. Entry holes must be resistant to European Starlings and houses must be accessible for regular inspection to help control competition from introduced species such as the House Sparrow and European Starling. For housing located in the country, a predator guard is a must to keep snakes from climbing poles and eating whatever they find inside.

Thanks to many generous donors, my husband, Elliott, and I purchased a 12-gourd rack and installed it close to St. David’s Church in Terrell Hills. With permission from the City of Alamo Heights, we have assumed responsibility for the two Purple Martin houses on Viesca St. at the Judson Nature Trails and at the Alamo Heights Little League fields. We received financial backing from local residents as well as support from Bexar Audubon Society to make necessary repairs to the existing T-14 Purple Martin houses at those locations. We have observed successful nesting pairs at all of these sites.

If you need assistance with mapping out a Purple Mountain house location, maximizing its effectiveness, or are interested in donating an unused house to the PurpleMartins78209 Project, please contact me at [email protected] or text 210/289-6477. Monetary donations can be made by Venmo @Allison-Hayne.

When It's Okay (or Not) to Feed Birds

Providing food—for photography or simple enjoyment—can be a thorny issue. For guidance, ask yourself these three questions: Is this species at risk? Is the food appropriate and safely provided? Is feeding this bird likely to change its behavior in harmful ways? Read more in this thought-provoking article from National Audubon.

Seven Things Every Nature Lover Should Know

Understanding bird etiquette and obeying the law are common threads that unite us in our hobby and experience. The welfare of birds must come first. Here are seven of the most important things to remember to protect yourself and birds. Adapted from Birds and Blooms (Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020) article by Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman. Read more.

Learn energy-saving tips in this 1-minute video.

3 Billion Birds Lost

Bring Birds Back

 

Two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise. Click below to read the National Audubon Society report.

 

What are the Best Native Plants for Your Yard?

Search the National Audubon Society's Native Plant Database by zip code
to find the best native plants for birds in your area.

Do you Have Old Bird Lists But No Time to Enter in eBird?

Allan Seils, Travis Audubon Society Member, has a passion for preserving historic bird records. He has digitized and uploaded to eBird thousands of bird sighting records that otherwise would be lost—a hobby he does for free. If you have old field notes/checklists you want to have digitized and possibly uploaded into eBird or other databases, please contact Allan by email.