Master Naturalists attended a recent All Things Wild (our region’s wildlife rehabilitation center) program on raccoons. They are more active than the opossums we learned about recently and require much care from the TPWD-permitted volunteers.
Raccoon presentation, from the ATW Facebook page.
Some facts about racoons:
Raccoons eat almost anything, and rub items between their hands in water to tell what kind of food they have.
Babies stay with their mothers for five months.
They purr when happy.
Their fur is not waterproof, so they do not swim much.
We were informed by the presenters of disease risks with racoons and how to humanely get them to leave your property. They do not make good pets, and as always, you should contact a rehabilitation center if in need of help with them.
You can see some of the reasons not to keep raccoons as pets in this photo from the ATW Facebook page.
Animal Ambassador River lives at the center and is blind and has seizures.
Exciting news from All Things Wild is that there are plans underway to acquire permanent land for an expanded center nearby with direct access from a highway.
By the way, make sure you sign up quickly for their programs, as they fill up within two hours.
Yes, I thought most of our local birds had finished with having babies still in the nest. It is way too hot to tend to them. I was very surprised when my Linda cut a branch off that she kept heading her head on, to find a Cardinal nest about ten inches from the cut.
Now the nest is pretty much open to the elements. I cannot move it; it is too fragile.
There is one baby in it. I have been watching it with my binoculars for three days now, and thankfully the baby is still safe. The mother is still feeding it. I pray every night that a predator doesn’t find it.
So, keep in mind while you trim branches, there are still babies in their nests now in late July.
Last night’s Chapter Meeting was very informative and a lot of fun. We even had a couple of visitors, and that prompts me to remind you that anyone who happens to be in Cameron, Texas on the second Thursday of any month is welcome to join us at All Saints Episcopal Church. Potluck at 5:30, followed by our program. The monthly meeting follows the presentation. At this month’s meeting, we were privileged to learn from a presentation on land trusts and conservation easements and how they work, from Melanie Pavlas and Lauri Mason, Executive Director and Outreach Manager for Pines and Prairies Land Trusts. This was especially relevant, since Milam County is now a part of the area served by Pines and Prairies.
Melanie shared her passion for land trusts with us.
As we were listening to how land trusts can preserve land from being over-developed, yet let the owners live on the land and farm/ranch just as they always had, many ears perked up. I think they’ll be getting a few phone calls from Master Naturalist landowners! Melanie and Lauri both said they love to talk to folks about what they do, and promise they aren’t trying to sell anything. But, honestly, if one’s heirs aren’t interested in preserving land for use by native plants and animals, this sounds like a great idea.
Please visit their website to learn more about how you can enjoy your land and ensure its preservation in the future.
As usual, we had some milestones to mark, and this month we honored Neil Wettstein for achieving his initial certification, as well as Ellen Luckey from our most recent class for also getting in her first year’s certification in addition to the initial one. Whew.
Members Pamela Neeley, Cindy Rek, and Gene Rek were recertified for 2023. Congratulations to all.
Ellen Luckey, Pamela Neeley, Carolyn Henderson (Chapter President), Neil Wettstein, Cindy Rek, and Gene Rek
There was also some fun, as our cheerleader and iNat superhero, Linda Jo Conn, presented Eric Neubauer with a “Big Spider Badge” in honor of his contributions and of the fact that he’s presenting a talk at the upcoming 2023 Texas Master Naturalist meeting.
Eric self designated it, the badge says. That was fun.
After the meeting, we were joined by Dale Kruse, plant expert extraordinaire (especially mosses and bryophytes, he will tell you), held an orientation meeting for the group of folks who are going to take a class on grass identification with him. Having done this twice myself, I know they will learn so much they’ll feel like their heads will explode, but it will be fantastic. We’re lucky to have people so willing to share their time and expertise with us.
Master Naturalists Patricia and Catherine attended an All Things Wild program on opossums. Sign up early for these programs, as they fill up fast.
Opossums are beneficial to have around for many reasons. For example, each one eats about 5,000 ticks a year, and they eat all venomous snakes except for coral snakes.
Here are some more opossum facts:
They are unlikely to carry rabies because their body temperature is too low.
If you relocate them, make sure it is in a safe place near water.
A dead opossum may have babies in its pouch. If you can get them, keep them warm and take them to a rehabilitation facility.
A mom can have delayed conception; she decides the best time to mix sperm with her eggs.
So much to learn!
We were able to interact with Beteljeuce and others, as well as ask questions. We were also offered refreshments.
We hear a lot about purple martins (Progne subis) in this blog, since our Chapter member Donna Lewis is a dedicated observer of their lives and activities as she supports them by providing structures to nest in.
There are other types of swallows in Milam County, though, as most residents have most certainly noticed. Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) are commonly found around our homes and also depend on humans for a little help with their nests. I have some of each bird on my property, but my few purple martins nest in abandoned holes in dead trees that we have left standing. I didn’t know we had them until recently, when my handy Merlin Bird ID app noted their song, then I actually saw a pair. So, I guess purple martins do nest in the “wild” at least a little here.
Here’s a purple martin photo by ME, from a structure in Temple, Texas.
But what about the barn swallows? Why aren’t they beloved by all, like purple martins? After all, they are quite beautiful with their shiny navy-blue bodies and striking rust-colored breast markings. And they eat lots and lots of flying insects and provide lots of entertainment while they do so. It’s like a swirling circus act when they’re all out hunting around sunset.
Barn swallows on my property
One reason people aren’t fond of them is that their nesting behavior doesn’t fit in with most suburban folks’ ideas of neat and tidy “curb appeal” for their homes. Barn swallows do nest in barns, when available, but they also nest under bridges (the same kind the Mexican freetail bats nest in), and, of course, people’s houses.
Swallow parent dodging hideous sparrow nest to go to her lovely mud nest.
When I lived in suburban Round Rock, many neighbors either invited people to come in through their garages or spent lots of time getting very messy trying to remove barn swallow nests. Many of the homes had two-story entrances, which swallows (cliff swallows, too) just loved to build their mud nests in. They also loved to shove baby bird poop out of those nests and onto people’s fancy potted plants or outdoor furniture. I will spare you a photo of swallow poop, since you have probably seen some.
Luckily, I don’t live in the Meadows of Brushy Creek on a crowded cul-de-sac anymore. And I am happy to let barn swallows build all the nests they want to around our house, which has many porch sites to choose from. After all, there is only one population of barn swallows left that still uses caves to nest in, and that’s in California, according to All About Birds.
It’s getting crowded in here!
Our birds have just finished raising their second set of nestlings since they arrived from South America in the spring. I noticed a couple of the nests had three adults feeding babies, and that turns out to be a common practice. The helpers were probably babies from the first clutch.
I gotta get out of here.
As the babies grew and grew (this is a very loud period on our porches), they began to have a hard time fitting in the nests. We always wondered which day would be the one when they’d fledge. Last week, I was happy to find two of them sitting on the light fixture where their dad usually hung out. Two others looked very un-ready to fly, but by the next day, everyone was swooping around with abandon.
Look Ma and Pa! We flew!It’s cool over here on the lamp post.We are NOT leaving
Here’s a funny thing about these birds. The whole time they have been nesting, they have completely ignored us humans and the dogs as we go in and out of the house, sit on the porch, or swim in the pool. But, after the birds had spread out and were practicing their skills, they started dive-bombing me when I went into the back yard or over to the horse pens. Each time they got to my head they’d make a sound, and I swear as they zoomed back up, there was a Doppler effect. It was really cool, but there was no way I could get a photo, since they always surprised me.
Another local resident that likes to dive bomb humans is the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Luckily, they hang out in the willows, far from me.
I am seeing fewer and fewer barn swallows this week. It’s time for them to head off to their non-breeding lands way to the south now that the young ones know how to fend for themselves. They will return in late January or early February. I’ll soon be able to power wash the porches and other poopy areas and enjoy the clean surfaces for six months. (It’s been recommended to put newspaper under nests, but that would not last long at the Hermits’ Rest, wind capital of Milam County.)
Another Nest or Two
I tell my family we are running an aviary, since house sparrows have been nesting away on the porch this year, too. I guess we were lucky they didn’t find us until this year. They are really chirpy and poopy and not native. But the nests are funny.
This mess is a sparrow nest converted from a swallow nest. The sparrows have to add their own special touches.
The nest of our third porch-dwelling species, the Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) – also known as my favorite small bird – is much cuter and more fun to watch. These wrens are well known for building nests near human habitations in odd places. We have had families in an old grill, in numerous hanging plants, and in a watering can, to name a few spots. Our current pair have taken up residence in the box that is supposed to hold the pool remote control. I had set a few other items in there to keep the wind from blowing them away, though, and this made the box irresistible to wrens.
The box, with remote control in front of it. Note lots of grass. That’s nest material.
I went to clean out the box and put the remote control back in and was faced by one of my most beloved sights, an angry wren. Oops. I backed off, and we are now giving the growing family their space. The eggs have hatched (I peeked and saw two), so now the parents are taking over from the swallows and putting on a show for us patio dwellers. The pace at which those guys catch bugs and take them to the nest is impressive. We are looking forward to more pretty, fun, and melodic wrens in the near future.
Honestly, I don’t know how anyone can get bored around here!
Nature Along the El Camino Real 