Mild weather means birds are hanging around

[TexasStooge]

By KIMBERLY DURNAN / Dallasnews.com

Apparently, fair weather is fowl weather.

"We are seeing a winter phenomenon," said Marcy Brown Marsden, professor of biology at the University of Dallas. "A lot of birds that normally would have moved south haven't because it hasn't been cold enough. Others aren't breeding, and the weather is good so they are just hanging around on a little holiday."

Winter temperatures in North Texas have been particularly mild. On nearly every day in January, the high temperature has exceeded the mid-50s norm - sometimes by nearly 30 degrees. And after more than four weeks without rain, the ground is severely parched.

That means thousands of birds, like sparrows, waxwings and ducks, have drawn closer to man in search of food and water. And with no inclement weather to navigate or nest-building to keep them busy, the concentrated bird populations seem more noticeable than usual, especially as they congregate in back yards and near ponds or lakes, Dr. Marsden said.

During a recent friendly competition between the Fort Worth Audubon Society and Audubon Dallas, bird watchers spent a weekend counting species. Tarrant County bird watchers counted 150, while Dallas County experts tallied 133, said Larry Sall, president of Audubon Dallas.

Dr. Sall characterized the results as slightly low for both the species observed and the overall number of birds logged. "There seem to be fewer birds, but concentrated more toward water," he said. "The bird population fluctuates considerably depending on the availability of food and shelter."

For birders, plenty of varieties are to be found at White Rock Lake, including pelicans, black-crowned night herons, ruddy ducks, mallards, kingfishers, chickadees and even a barred owl that sounds like a barking dog, Dr. Sall said.

Rocio Hurtado, 19, of Dallas took a break on Thursday afternoon from her job at an insurance company to watch the waterfowl at White Rock Lake.

"I saw some ducks out here and I was wondering why they are out there. Aren't they cold?" she said. "I like to watch them float around."

Hailey Gabel and her 3-year-old daughter, Grace, walk to the lake about three times a week to see the wildlife and get some fresh air.

"The pelicans were out today and we like to look at the cranes and the egrets," Ms. Gabel said. "We come here a lot so we like to look at them. We also feed the ducks."

Lynn Barber, president of the Fort Worth Audubon Society, said the unusual weather has meant a lack of grass seeds for the seed-eating birds, while larger species like hawks are struggling to find enough field mice and rats.

"There's a field where we do counts and it's usually filled in the winter with rare hawks and lush grass, which is good cover for things hawks like to eat," Ms. Barber said. "But now instead of seeing 15 hawks you are lucky to see one."

Of course, the ever-resilient grackles remain.

"They are extraordinarily adaptable and they tend to congregate in huge numbers and cause a nuisance," Dr. Sall said.

Part of the job of being a nuisance means leaving droppings on North Texans' vehicles and sidewalks, which may pose a particularly pesky situation during a drought.

"We may see more bird poop, because the rain hasn't been washing it off," Dr. Marsden said.

The North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies the bulk of the water to customers in Collin, Rockwall and Kaufman counties, has moved to the second stage of its conservation and drought contingency plan.

Among the recommendations is one asking residents and businesses to curtail voluntarily the washing or rinsing of motor vehicles. The use of commercial car washes, many of which use recycled water and high-pressure systems, is preferred.

Dallas has not implemented any stage of its drought management plan, said Carole Davis, manager of the water conservation division. But that doesn't mean she suggests that Dallas residents waste water by attacking their poop-stained vehicles with hoses in their driveways.

"That's not something we encourage anyway," Ms. Davis said, adding that detergents and contaminants can make their way into the storm water system. "We encourage folks to take their car to a commercial car wash."

DallasNews.com reporter Linda Leavell contributed to this report.

[Skywatch_NC]

A mild winter may also be a prelude to worse than normal Spring allergy season and early mosquitos for starters.

Eric