Texas Wildlife Association presents · [email protected] Howdy from Goliad! Grant the Gopher and I are heading back from an eventful weekend at my Uncle Nestor’s ranch

Texas Wildlife Association presents....

Kid’s Quarterly Mini-Mag!

P o s t c a r d s f r o m N a n c y . . . . By Cara Bierschwale

March 2013 Vol. 7 No. 1

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Howdy from Goliad! Grant the Gopher and I are heading back from an eventful weekend at my Uncle Nestor’s ranch located on the Central Coastal Plains of Texas. I just love to visit this area for the warm, sweet-smelling gulf breezes and abundance of wildlife. Uncle Nestor has lived in Goliad since he was a baby ‘dillo, and he swears on his nine bands that he’s never going to leave such a rich place. While we roasted snails and sipped on berry juice during our evening meals, Uncle Nestor would tell us exciting tales about Native American cultures and Spanish battles from the 1800’s. He even gave us a personal tour of the historical missions throughout the county and mapped out several good birding trails that he planned to take us on in hopes of catching a glimpse of some interesting species. What Grant and I didn’t know, however, was just how “rich” Uncle Nestor’s ranch was. One sunny day, Grant and I wanted to explore the ranch for old Spanish treasure. We were sure from Uncle’s stories that there might be some gold coins left behind. Being the skilled diggers that we armadillos and gophers are, we worked busily on several spots of the ranch, tilling the earth and burrowing into the ground on our scavenger hunt.

“I found something!” Grant exclaimed from the inside of a hole. He quickly popped his head out and held up a slightly smooth, triangular piece of something. “It’s an arrowhead!” “WOW!” I replied. I had only ever seen

arrowheads in museums, so this was the first time I had experienced an awesome discovery of one straight from the source. “This is even better than gold!”

Soon after we continued our digging, we noticed a shadow pass swiftly across the ground from something flying overhead. Startled, Grant and I quickly looked up and watched as a slender, gray-colored bird landed gracefully on the top branches of a large oak tree. After stretching her long, S-shaped neck and ruffling her feathers, the bird said, “Oh hello, you two. I’m Sharon the heron. Are you looking for artifacts? This area is rich with history and I’m sure you’ll be able to find many more arrowheads. Have you checked out the cooking mound down by the river bed? It’s a circular area of burnt rock where the Karankawa

and Tonkawa Indians cooked their food. I can see it every time I fly over it.” Grant and I were stunned. First, we couldn’t wait to begin our search for the mound. Secondly, neither of us had expected to see a Great Blue Heron until we visited the birding trails with Uncle Nestor. What a treat! We waved good-bye as Sharon took to flight back towards the river. “I wonder why she has such a long neck and pointed beak,” Grant mumbled. “Maybe she

uses them to dig up arrowheads from under the water.” When we returned to the house, we quickly told Uncle Nestor about our day of rich discoveries. Grant continued searching for arrowheads, and after our exploration of the amazing bird-watching trails the following day, I decided that I wanted to know more about herons like Sharon and other bird treasures. Atchata! (That’s Goodbye in Karankawa)

Nancy Nine-band

Great Blue Heron by Grady Allen

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Last year, we provided programming for over 62,000 youth across the state through Distance Learning, Discovery Trunks, Enrichment Modules, Wildlife by Design¸ Learning Across New Dimensions in Science (L.A.N.D.S.), and Texas

Brigades. Contact us to find out how we may help you incorporate wildlife and natural resources into your classroom! Most programs are free for teachers.

For information on our educational programs, please contact us at 800-TEX-WILD (800-839-9453).Joining TWA is optional. Each membership helps support TWA programs but it is not required to participate in our programs.

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Membership Levels:

____ Life Member $2,400 ____ President’s Council $1,000 ____ Corporate $635 ____ Patron $375____ Family $230 ____ Active $145____ Associate $40* ____ Student $20 ____ Youth $12 (ages 17-22) (ages 16 & under)All members receive a one year subscription to our monthly magazine, Texas Wildlife.*Associate level membership dues will increase to $50 effective April 1, 2013.

What You Need:�� ����������� ������������� ������������������������ ������ ����� �� �������� ���������������������������� ����� ������������

Procedure:1. Make each of these body parts and let the glue dry before the next step:�� ������"������#����%�����'������������+������������/���/��;��� <� ��=�����/��� +� �����������%�����'����� �������+������������/���/��;�>���/����%�������/��� +� �������� �

medium-size orange pom-pom sideways, as shown, for the top of a foot. �� ?���"�����/������� ������������+������������/���/��+�����/������;�=���/�������+� ���� �@���%�����'��@/�������������/����%���%�����/������+���/@�;�=�����������/���@��/����������������;�"�����/���

in place. At the end of the torso, glue one small blue pom-pom for a tail. �;��� "�����/�����%G����������/�������/@�;�<���%��;�?/��� �����/���� �����/����+���%������/���%��;3. Cut two bird feet out of orange craft foam and glue them in place.4. Cut two beak shapes (see photo) out of blue craft foam and glue one on top of the other. Let dry. Then glue the beak onto the

end of the last blue pom-pom (the bird’s head).H;��� "���� �����������/��/��%;6. Form a cross with the two wooden dowels and glue them together where they intersect. Let dry. To make the cross more secure,

wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle (optional).7. Cut five pieces of 24-inch thread. Fold each thread in half so that it forms a 12-inch piece of doubled thread.8. Loop the thread (at its center) around the small blue pom-pom that forms the tail and glue or tie in place. Then wind the open

end of the thread several times around an arm of the dowel cross. Attach the other threads the same way. One thread should loop around the bird’s beak. One should loop around the middle of the left leg, and one around the middle of the right leg. And one thread should loop around the top of the neck.

Now pull the threads with your fingers and make your heron dance!

2

Dancing Blue Heron Puppet

From National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org/kids

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Photo by Cara Bierschwale

3

puzzles... . .mazes... . .oh my! go ahead... . . w

ord

sear

ches

......give it a try!

Wader’s Word SearchCreated by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com

Directions: Study the four descriptions of bird bills below. Then draw a line matching the description with the correct picture.

A. This long, tapered bill is used for catching, and sometimes stabbing, prey.

B. This thin, down-curving bill is good for probing the mud and sand.

C. This spatula-shaped bill sweeps back and forth under the water to catch prey.

D. This straight bill points down at the tip and quickly catches prey upon contact.

Bill BlundersImages from animalstown.com, coloring.ws, edupics.com, and coloringpages101.com

Key: A(2), B(4), C(3), D(1)

WORDS:BITTERN

FRESHWATER

LEGS

PATIENT

SPOONBILL

COAST

HERON

MARSH

PLUMES

STORK

EGRET

IBIS

NECK

SIGHT

WETLAND

M D U W T N E A S E F F Q G K

A D N C I G I P V P E E P C P

R S A A R R O R F H Q D E C S

S O C E L O Z D R S E N T E Q

H P T O N T Y E E V K R M Z S

M Z W B H N E C S G E U O K D

F B I J K R G W H Y L I I N K

K L T E Z E G G W P S I G H T

L R Z V S T U R A T S A O C S

G L O Y O T W B T L E G S A I

S J Z T C I C P E K Z H Q K B

S G P L S B F I R C B B Q M I

X V U Z U H M H G C Q G G T W

Y B T N E I T A P T Y Z N U O

Y N R P C P A G P Z J T P V U

Tricolored Heron fishing by Rusty Ray

White Ibis by Rusty Ray

1.

2.

3.

4.

Little Blue Heron by Grady Allen

c o r n e rMany of these wading birds call parts

of Texas “home” for a fraction of the year, while some only occupy parts of the state during migration or after breeding. The Great Blue Heron is a year-round resident of the entire state. The Great Egret can be found in central and east Texas all year long, while it also expands its territory to the Panhandle during summer breeding. The Snowy Egret, Green Heron, and Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron reside on the coastline during winter and spend summer around the rest of the state except for West Texas and the Panhandle. Bitterns occupy the coastline during winter and migrate through the rest of the state, while the Least Bittern occupies most of central and east Texas during summer. The ibises, spoonbill, and other egrets and herons spend the year at the coastline and summer around most or part of the state. The Wood Stork can sometimes be seen along coastlines and around inland reservoirs of central and east Texas after summer breeding.

These birds share several adaptations for walking and feeding in shallow water. Their long legs help to keep their body feathers dry while they extend a long, flexible neck down toward the water. When hunting, herons and larger egrets will bend their necks to form the characteristic S-shape. When one sees prey, it thrusts its head forward with lightning speed. With 4 widely-spaced toes, some with webbing between the front 3 toes, these birds are able to equally distribute the weight of their plump bodies as they walk around in mud or marshy vegetation.

While most of the species roost with others in colonies high in the trees at night, they hunt primarily alone during the day. Like a lion stalking a passing herd of prey, these birds wade and wait patiently, using their sharp eyesight to scan the water for signs of movement above and below the surface. They will eat a variety of aquatic animals like small fish, crustaceans, frogs, snakes, tadpoles, mollusks, or insects. Long bills are useful for pulling animals from the water or mud, and the distinctive shapes of their bills tell us much about the way they hunt and eat. The herons and egrets have a straight, daggerlike bill that tapers to a point. Like a spear, they will sometimes use their bill to stab larger fish before taking them on land to eat. Ibises have a long, down-curving bill used to probe the soft mud in fields or sandy shorelines for invertebrates, amphibians, and insects. A spoonbill’s flat bill broadens at the end to form a shape similar to a spatula. It sweeps its bill back and forth in shallow water to capture fish, shrimp, and other aquatic animals. The stork’s bill is similar

Great Egret by Rita Mae Frey

critter

Wading &

Waiting:

Herons

and their

RelativesBy Cara Bierschwale Birds are all around us. Every day, pigeons and doves go about their business looking for seeds and building their nests. Songbirds break the day’s silence with melodious chirps and whistles. Hawks and vultures soar high in the sky watching for prey and new victims of road kill. Many of us are used to seeing these common birds when we go outside, so it can be a real treat when we have an opportunity to spot birds like herons, egrets, and ibises. A sighting of a Great Blue Heron or Great Egret, for example, can be quite memorable because of their striking physiques, colors and silky plumes. The diverse freshwater habitats of Texas provide food and shelter to many types of birds, but they are very important to the survival of herons and their relatives. This group of our state’s wading birds includes the following: Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Black-Crowned and Yellow-Crowned Night-Herons, American and Least Bitterns, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, White-Faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, and a few others. They are often seen around wetlands such as creeks, rivers, ponds, marshes, wooded swamps, reservoirs, lakes, and even drainage ditches. Occasionally, they can be spotted flying overhead from one wetland area to another and are recognized by their two eye-catching features – long necks and long legs.

Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron fishing at dusk by Grady Allen

Black-Crowned Night-Heron by Grady Allen

Two Glossy Ibises by Grady Allen

Snowy Egret stepping with yellow feet through the

mud by Grady Allen

in shape to a heron’s but it curves down at the tip. With a partly-open mouth, it also sweeps its bill under the water, shutting it quickly upon contact with prey.

Some of the different species also boast specialized hunting methods and survival advantages. Snowy Egrets may poke their bright yellow feet through a marsh and spook prey from their hiding places. They will also extend their wings over open water to create shade which may attract some fish. Cattle egrets can be found stalking yard lizards or catching grasshoppers and other

insects stirred from the ground as livestock walk through grass. The Green Heron is one of few birds known to use tools for hunting, as it has been observed dropping leaves, feathers, or other small debris into the water to lure fish. Night-Herons search mainly after sunset, taking slow and methodical steps along tree limbs and banks, and feed on the night’s clicking frogs and crustaceans. Ibises use their sense of touch more than sight to locate prey as they explore beneath the mud. The bitterns are secretive and masters of camouflage. If one feels threatened or senses an intruder, it will freeze and point its bill toward the sky. The brown, vertical streaking on its feathers blends in with the surrounding reeds and grasses.

Because of their beautiful plumage, the Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and Roseate Spoonbill populations once suffered to near extinction around the 1800’s. The egrets’ silky plumes and spoonbills’ attractive pink feathers were popularly used to adorn women’s hats. At one time, the plumes of the Great and Snowy Egret once sold for a price-per-ounce that was worth more than gold! In addition, the number of White Ibis has declined from historic levels. These birds became protected species when Theodore Roosevelt established the first National Wildlife Refuge in Florida in 1903 and the Migratory Bird Treaty was ratified in 1918. Today, threats to all populations of wading birds come from loss of habitat. Private landowners work with state and federal wildlife agencies and conservation organizations with the goal of restoring low population numbers and sustaining them over time. By conserving and managing our Texas wetlands and coastline, these wonderful waders will continue to cross our skies with magnificence and grace.

Sources:Arnold, Keith A. and Gregory Kennedy. Birds of Texas. Auburn, WA: Lone Pine Publishing, 2007.Burnie, David and Don E. Wilson. Animal. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2001.Kaufman, Kenn. Kaufman Focus Guides – Birds of North America. New York, NY: Hillstar Editions, L.C., 2000.Texas Parks and Wildlife, “Wildlife Fact Sheets.” http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/speciesWhitfield, Dr. Philip. The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Animals. Great Britain: Marshall Publishing, 1998.

American Bittern

blending in with the vegetation by Grady

Allen

Green Heron dropping small leaves into the water to lure fish, by Grady

Allen

Cattle Egrets searching for insects by Grady Allen

Wood Stork with twigs by Rusty Ray

6

Did you know...

Yellow bill

Black crestWhite face

Black shoulder patch

Bluish-gray back & wing coverts

Bluish-gray underparts

Chestnutthighs

Dark legs

Color Me

Great Blue Heron

Ardea Herodias

Photo by Grady Allen

…that the Great Egret is the symbol for the National Audubon Society, one of our country’s oldest

conservation organizations?

…that the Roseate Spoonbill is known to engage in an unexplained behavior called “sky-

gazing,” in which it will briefly crane its neck and point its bill skyward when another spoonbill

passes overhead?

…that egrets are named after their breeding plumes- called aigrettes- which they produce like ornaments during courtship?

…that during flight, herons, bitterns, and egrets retract their necks into an S-shape, whereas the ibises, spoonbills, and storks hold

them straight out?

…that the American Bittern is called a “thunder pumper” because of its strange, three-syllable cry?

…that the Black-Crowned Night-Heron’s scientific name Nycticorax means “night raven” and refers to its loud, single quock call?

…that because the Wood Stork has specific habitat needs, it is considered an indicator species? Scientists can tell how an

ecosystem is doing by the presence or absence of this bird.

Great Egret with an S-shaped neck and aigrettes by Rusty Ray

A group of stunningly pink Roseate Spoonbills by Grady Allen

Image from Free Coloring Pagesat www.coloring.ws

Article and Photos By Rose Cooper

7

During the spring, when driving through some of the state’s many limestone hills, you may see a splash of color along the roadside. Not on the ground where you would expect to see brightly

colored blooms, but higher up you may see bright rosy clusters on leafless branches. These flowers belong to the Texas redbud which grows in the well-drained soils of the limestone hills of Texas, southern Oklahoma and northern Mexico.

Flowers or Butterflies?Beginning in March, Texas redbuds make a showy display with their dark pink buds that begin to make clusters on bare, reddish brown to gray branches. These flowers are papilionaceous. Yes, this is a real word! It refers to the resemblance of the flower to a papilio, which is Latin for butterfly. Plants from the pea family, or Fabaceae family, are usually bilaterally

symmetrical. What does that mean? When looking at a butterfly, with its wings open, imagine a line being drawn from the top of its head to the bottom of its abdomen. First, each part of the butterfly on either side of the line is the same, having a

forewing, a hindwing, a set of legs and an antenna. In this way, it is symmetrical, or the same on both sides. But what makes it bilaterally symmetrical is that you can only draw the line one way (through its body) in order for each side of the line to look like a mirror image of the other. When Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist of the 1700’s, started to categorize plants, he used the term papilionaceous because he thought the flowers of the pea family were similar to butterflies in this way. They don’t really look like butterflies, though, unless you squint just right. Texas redbud flowers have five petals. The uppermost petal is the banner petal. In some Fabaceae flowers, this petal is like a banner and is usually bigger than the other petals. On each

side of the banner there are petals called wings. The redbud flower has wing petals that are the same size as the banner petal. Below and in front of the banner and wings are the last two petals which come together to make what’s called the

keel. The keel is shaped similarly to the front of an ancient ship, and has the stamens and pistil hidden inside. Think of the wing petals as ears on a face and the keel is a pointy nose.

Three of a KindTexas redbud is a small tree that is usually ten to twenty feet tall. The glossy leaves will emerge soon after the flowers begin to bloom. Unlike many plants in the Fabaceae family, the leaves are simple, meaning they are not divided into leaflets. They

are heart-shaped, about two to six inches long and 1 ¼ to six inches wide. They also have a few small hairs on the underside. Texas redbud, Cercis canadensis var. texensis, is a variety of Eastern redbud, which is found in the eastern half of the United States. The species name, canadensis, would lead you to believe that it grows in Canada, however, it is reported that the

name was given before the countries were established. There is also a variety called Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, and though it is similar to Texas redbud, the leaves help botanists tell them apart. Texas redbud’s leaves are

leathery in appearance, have a wavy margin and the tip is usually rounded, while Eastern redbud’s leaves are not leathery or wavy, and have a point at the tip. Texas has another variety of native redbud known as Mexican redbud, Cercis canadensis

var. mexicana, which is found in West Texas and northern Mexico. It has a similar shape leaf as Texas redbud; however the leaves have more hairs making them look woolly.

I’ll have the redbud, please!Did you know that redbud is edible? It is! White-tailed deer eat the leaves and the

seeds are eaten by various species of birds. But did you know people can eat redbuds, too? They literally eat the red, or pink, buds.

Some people eat them in salads, pickle them or eat them fried. It is said they have a “sour flavor” and are actually a source of Vitamin C. But, it would be a shame to eat

something so beautiful.

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