March 30, 2011

Mother Nature had to get one last laugh at me.  Due to the colder nights, I've had to be temporarily moved back inside…but I don't really mind.  There has been so much going on at Wild Bird Rescue getting ready for baby season.  In fact, we have two Eurasian Collared doves right now...the first of the season.  Lila tells me the rehabbers are trying out a new diet this year which will improve growth and feather quality.  I think our rehabbers are simply amazing.  They are always researching new protocols and the latest techniques.  Wichita Falls is very lucky to have such a place in which to take orphaned and injured birds.  Can you imagine our city without Wild Bird Rescue?  I hate to think about it because I would have been euthanized by Animal Control along with thousands of other helpless birds.  If you would like to see Wild Bird Rescue continue their wonderful mission, just send in a donation or at least tell these fine folks know how much you appreciate their efforts.  Phee Phew!

March 22, 2011

Ahhhhhh…Spring is in the air.  I hear songbirds singing and insects calling. Trees are budding out and the green blades of grass are peeking through the brown soil.  WHAT I DON’T LIKE IS THE WIND BLOWING!  What’s up with the 45 miles per hour winds today?  How’s a bird going to get any quality time in the sun with the wind constantly blowing her off the perch?  I think I’m ready to move back inside.   Phee Phew!

March 19, 2011

I am so excited!  Tomorrow's the big day!  Have I piqued your curiosity yet?  I am moving out to my outside mew.  The early morning temperatures have warmed up enough for me to finally get outside.  Yippee!!!  Of course Lila will still have to watch the weather.  It's still possible for a late freeze, which I absolutely can't stand.  If that happens, I'll have to come inside for the night.  Phee Phew!

March 7, 2010

Lila didn’t visit much with me yesterday as she had to bag dead bodies in our freezer.   Yes, unfortunately we can’t save all our birds and due to safety protocols, we don’t just throw them in the trash.  In the past they’ve had to be incinerated.  Fortunately, US Fish and Wildlife Service has set up National Feather Repositories for Native American tribes.  One such repository is just over the Oklahoma border.   Sia, in Cyril, Oklahoma, is part of the Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative.  Over the past three decades, Sia has participated in research with native eagles and raptors of historic cultural significance to the Numunuh (Comanche).  Now when a beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk or a bright red Cardinal must be euthanized due to a profound injury , its Spirit lives on in the heart and soul of the Numunuh as part of their tribal ceremonies.  Phee Phew!

March 2, 2011 Special Addition

Lila couldn’t wait to get this information out to all my fans so she had to startle me from my perch to start blogging again today. About Mid December, the game warden spotted a Whooping Crane North of Electra in a flock of 5,000 Sandhill Cranes. The game warden called Bob with the location. Lila decided to call Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After several conformations that it was indeed a Whooping Crane, the flock of Sandhill Cranes was closely monitored throughout the winter. Here is the email Lila received this morning from Tom.


“If you look at the dates and locations of single white-plumaged Whooping Cranes confirmed in North Texas this winter, it seems logical to me that there has been a single whooping crane moving from Electra to Anson to Pampa from December 30, 2010 through March 1, 2011. It may have never made it to Aransas, instead wintering with Sandhill Cranes.”

Number Date Nearest Town Location

1 white-plumaged crane 12/30 through 1/2/11 Electra, Texas WNW of Wichita Falls

1 white-plumaged crane 2/7/11 through 2/13/11 Anson, Texas NNW of Abilene

1 white-plumaged crane 2/28/11 through 3/1/11 Pampa, Texas NE of Amarillo

March 2, 2011

Bob reported two Purple Martins at the rescue center this morning.  I decided to get on my bird thinking cap and do some research.  Here is what I learned.  Purple Martins are the largest member of the swallow family in North America, measuring 7 1/2 inches long and weighing 1.9 ounces. Purple Martins spend the non-breeding season in Brazil then migrate to North America to nest. East of the Rockies they are totally dependent on human-supplied housing.

The pair-bond of the Purple Martin is monogamous. The male and female cooperate equally in building the nest out of mud, grass and twigs. The female lays two to seven pure-white eggs at a rate of one egg per day. The female incubates the clutch for approximately fifteen days, then the young hatch. The parents both feed the young continuously for a period of 26-32 days until the young fledge. The young continue to be dependent on their parents for food and training for an additional one to two weeks after fledging.

Martins, like all swallows, are aerial insectivores. They eat only flying insects, which they catch in flight. Their diet is diverse, including dragonflies, damselflies, flies, midges, mayflies, stinkbugs, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, June bugs, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, wasps, flying ants, and ballooning spiders. Martins are not, however, prodigious consumers of mosquitoes as is so often claimed by companies that manufacture martin housing. Very facinating birds but not as cool as me!  Phee Phew!
(Obtained from the Purple Martin Conservation Association)

March 1, 2011

Awwww…Spring is just around the corner.  Lila was telling me just the other day, it won’t be long until I get to return to my outside mew.  She has a little fixing up to do first.  She wants to put some Astroturf on my safety perch in the corner and also around some of the boards on which I attempt to land.  She said it had something to do with my tail feathers looking nice.   I think she is waiting until Spring Break to do the work.  I can’t wait!!! Phee Phew!