To the outside world it may seem like I’ve been in hibernation but that isn’t so. One current project is making face shots part of my wolf spider observation routine. It’s a lot harder than the dorsal and ventral views I’ve been doing for a long time. A spider needs to be encouraged to stretch up the side of a container for best results and then stay there for more than a second. It’s especially difficult with spiders small enough to balance on the head of a pin. I’m making progress but it till takes multiple attempts and a lot of prodding.
This is a typical Hogna incognita. His/her body is just over 1 mm wide and just over 3 mm long. It most likely left its mother in late October or early November and has been hanging out ever since. They have grown little over the intervening months and regardless of whether they are in captivity or wild, the only notable different is the ones in captivity are fat and the ones in the wild are skinny. In a month or two they will start to grow rapidly and most will mature in July. Sex can only be determined a little before maturity.
I rarely bother to look when it’s cold, but I did this time and found this one still moderately active at 43 degrees. By the way, Dr. Russell Pfau has started the scientific paper for this new species in earnest. I just reviewed a draft yesterday. We’ll be chasing down a several other loose ends in the same genus later this spring, but that will be another story.
One of my favorite pastimes is seeing how many birds I can identify in new places. I’ve found that taking along my favorite electronic helper, Merlin Bird ID is very helpful and also allows me to contribute to the eBird database. This may even get me some volunteer hours as a Master Naturalist, though I admit I do it for fun even when I’m on my property or out of state. Want to join me? Here are some hints.
Before You Start
Before you head out, be sure to download Merlin Bird ID onto your phone and get your account set up. It’s free! Charge your phone up, too. Then get your hat, notebook, binoculars, spare batteries, and water. You may spend longer with the birds than you expect to. It’s hard to stop!
You will probably see a Cardinal if you are in Milam County.
You can go anywhere you want, but I prefer county roads with little traffic and a variety of habitats. Going past water may get you some herons, ducks, or a kingfisher. Fields and prairies are good for sparrows, meadowlarks, starlings, and hungry raptors. Woodlands have woodpeckers, owls, songbirds and more. I find the best birding in places with open space that are near cover (brush or woods). I often park at a friend’s house and take off from there.
Caracara eating pizza off the road – the middle of the road is a good place to find scavengers.
Once I get to the area where I’ll be birding, I do an important thing in Merlin – I set the location for bird recommendations to where I am. That’s important, because Merlin suggests birds likely to be where you are. That may not matter if you’re just a mile or two from your house, but if you’re in another part of Texas or even farther away, you’ll want to know what’s likely to be there. You can use the list of birds found under the “Explore” option in Merlin to check what’s likely to show up so you’ll know what to look for (for example, does your locale have Ravens or only Crows? Does your area have Tufted Titmice or Black-crested?).* In the example below, I was making sure there are still Sandhill Cranes around this time of year at my house.
Another important preparation is to tell your phone to send your calls to voicemail. Every time you get a call, it stops the Merlin recording. I usually use an iPhone setting that lets important calls through, but not spam. Just save the recording if a call interrupts.
Bird Walking
Now you can start your bird walk. Start Merlin on Sound ID as soon as you hear a bird. It’s a good idea to stand still while listening, so your footsteps don’t interfere and so the app can identify sounds more easily. Be ready to photograph any birds you see, because Merlin can identify birds from photos as well as sound. Remember that not every bird is going to make sounds, so be on the lookout for those vultures (Black have white wing tips and Turkey have the “thunderbird” shape on the underside of their wings).
This is a Black Vulture, which was easier to ID in person.
You may also hear birds that Merlin doesn’t register – for example, I just heard Sandhill Cranes flying overhead, but they were very high in the sky, so they didn’t get picked up by the phone microphone. I did get a photo of them, but even if I hadn’t, I could count them since I know what they sound like. Owls are also notoriously hard for Merlin to identify.
These Sandhill Cranes were flying high.
What I do on these walks is stop whenever I hear a bird or birds and let Merlin record them. You may not get very far if the birding is good, but move on when you’ve heard everything in the area. It’s so much fun watching birds show up on the app! I also look around to see if I can see or photograph the bird. Soon you will know what birds are around you by their calls and songs with Merlin’s helpful training. I love this in the summer when the trees are leafed out. I finally got to see Painted Buntings last year thanks to Merlin. And I’ll never forget the sound of passing Eastern Bluebirds and Lesser Yellowlegs as they go overhead out of sight.
I usually listen for 20-30 minutes, then save the recording. Those files aren’t too big and I can review them later to record them. You can select a bird Merlin identifies and click “this is my bird” to save it in eBird. Give the location a good name, so you can later figure out where you were. Good examples are the name of a trail, road name, landmark, state park name, etc. Record them as you see them, because if you try to add them later, you’ll not have the right location and you’ll have to find where you were manually. You can make an eBird checklist when you get home, if you like, though.
It’s a bullMaybe it’s a bullYou can enjoy the animals on your walk, too, of course. I like to look for bulls among the cows on my road.
On a long walk you might end up with two or three recordings, and a bunch of photos, which you can put on Merlin or in iNaturalist, too. You might get a surprising number of species if you’re patient. Use Merlin to read more about birds that are new to you. It will describe the bird and show you its range, which can be surprising.
The more you walk around with Merlin open and listening, the more you’ll learn about the birds wherever you are. I’ve learned all about the birds where I travel, and conveniently use Merlin to add them to a life list Merlin tracks. If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, take a walk down a country road with Merlin!
Barn Swallows
Just for your information, here’s what I usually do. At home I only put new birds or birds seen at an unusual time in eBird, since I’ve recorded them many times. I have a notebook where I write down the birds I see and hear on Merlin every day and I track sightings monthly on a spreadsheet, which then goes in my blog. It’s fun to see which birds show up in different seasons. I’m a little obsessed, but everyone needs a hobby, right?
A page from my notebook listing birds I saw on one day. I do use abbreviations, but I know what they are!
*Be sure to set your location back to your home base when you return. I realized this morning that Merlin was looking for birds at Inks Lake, not Milam County.
On February 2, 2025, I was working in my studio with the doors open when I heard chattering coming from the sky.
Grackles with bonus Black Vultures
The Common Grackles were flying over.
I witnessed three waves of hundreds of birds soaring overhead from east to west, around 5:30 pm. Some stopped briefly in the treetops, while others kept going.
Each group flew over slightly south of the previous group.
Yesterday I saw a flock of maybe 100+ snow geese fly over. They were heading west toward Granger Lake, but I suspect they were looking for former corn fields rather than water.
Photo by David Dibert on Pexels.com (Eric didn’t get photos, so enjoy these)
This was the first time I saw any since moving to Texas, but I used to see them in Pennsylvania this time of year and recognized them easily. There they came in waves, 500 to 1,000 at a time.
Yes, it is already that time when our Purple Martin friends will start their migration from Brazil back to North America. Yes, the early ones will still face freezing and other harsh weather events.
I wish I could ask them to wait a little longer, but instinct is urging them onward. The scouts (who are not the youngest birds) hope to find the best housing first…
As of today, 1/30/2025, sightings have been called in for San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and a few more Texas sites. Central Texas does not have a certified sighting as yet. I hope that myself or our Landlord in Buckholtz will win that honor. We’ll know soon. I am watching for them all day..
First of all, your houses (gourds, or apartments) should be cleaned, and with added pine-needles if you do that. I also added pine-needles to my Blue-bird houses. The openings should be blocked off so no sparrows, other birds, or insects can get in them. You need to check yourself. Do not open the housing until the first scouts land on the houses. If you are looking for the Martins you will see or hear them. Then open a few of the cavities, not all of them. I usually will pick four to open.
You do not want the non-native birds (House Sparrows or Starlings) to get in the houses. These birds will kill the Martins for the nests. Trust me, it is not a pretty thing to see. I think keeping predators and non-native birds out is the hardest thing landlords have to deal with.
Right now my gourd rack is lowered and ready to open. This coming week I will get the apartment house ready to raise up.
I have had back issues this past year, so I will have to have some help caring for my friends this year.. But I will help them out as long as I can. Their song is so addictive that most Landlords that love and care for these native birds will do it until the end of their life. A gift from Mother Earth. Their songs are like no other.
Here are some photos showing me stuffing the gourds with fresh pine-needles that will help keep the birds warm and give them a start on nest building that will come later.
We can expect to have Martins here with us for about six months, until they leave for their winter home in Brazil. again.
Birds can lift a sad spirit. No matter what the world is going through, every day they go about their business with joy and sing to us. How lovely.
Remember who you want to call to your home, and furnish what they need. They will come.
Nature Along the El Camino Real 