By Pauline Tom.
Happy new Year!
Here’s another coyote tidbit. In late December, Eric Perucca’s night vision game camera captured a large coyote near his front porch on Juniper.
Juniper! That’s not out on the fringes. Throughout the city, there’s reason to be aware of possible danger for cats and dogs.
If I reported to eBird.org every instance of a Northern Mockingbird sighting, I’d be reporting every time I sit at my kitchen table. Peck. Peck. Peck. He is determined to wear me down to get treats. I theorize he got my peanut butter suet as a baby. He drives away other birds when I occasionally put out mealworms. He really got my goat when he drove away Eastern Bluebirds from our heated birdbath on a frozen day.
Happy Blue Year! I teach a bluebird class for Travis Audubon this Saturday afternoon in southeast Austin. $20. Visit travisaudubon.org to register.
This is time of year when bluebirds start pairing and searching for a place to nest. Most likely, their first eggs will be laid in March. The most effective way to attract bluebirds is with a nestbox designed for bluebirds.
I keep a few $15 Texas Bluebird Society nestboxes on hand.
To view locations of reported bluebird nestings from last year, visit NestWatch.org NestWatch collects reports on nestings for all avian species. It’s fun and it’s free.
Robyn Bailey, NestWatch Coordinator at Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca NY, will speak at the Bluebird Season Kickoff in Bastrop on March 1st. $15. Early Bird registration, with 10 door prize chances, ends February 1st. Open to public. 2014kickoff.txblues.org.
Reporting observed birds to eBird.org is easier and more convenient than ever with a Texas Ornithological Society free app. Search App Store for “eBird Texas”.
Also with “eBird Texas”, search for recent reported sightings in our area or anywhere you might be in Texas.
Another citizen science project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Mark your calendar for February 14 - 17. More later.
There’s no science involved in submitting Mountain City reports of any sort to Montage. Just email [email protected] (with Subject “tidbit”) or phone (512) 268-5678.
Thanks. Love, Pauline
