[dropcap]D[/dropcap]on’t believe everything on the Internet. And, to my great regret, don’t believe every word you read here. As much as I research, I sometimes weave in a statement not knowing it needs research. Last week, I misidentified an owl.
Our “Owl’ee” in our Owl Shack was an Eastern Screech Owl, red morph. According to “Birds of the Texas Hill Country” (Lockwood), “Gray is the dominant color morph on the plateau, with red-morph birds very rarely found.”
Western Screech Owls are found as far east as Kerr County, which is well west of Hays County. Western Screech Owls are gray.
Our “Owl’ee” disappeared a week ago, as quickly and quietly as she showed up, just as we finished emptying the vehicle after a weekend trip. For a week, we enjoyed seeing her sitting on the rim of our Owl Shack, owlmost every time we looked out.
Now’s the time to get set to count birds over the long President’s Day weekend, anywhere you find birds. From Friday, Feb. 17 through Monday, Feb. 20 count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days.
The Great Backyard Bird Count website, birdcount.org, instructs:
You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like – one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day, for each new location, or for the same location if you counted at a different time of day. Estimate the number of individuals of each species you saw during your count period.
If you count using eBird (as a past, present or new user), online or through the eBird app, your observations and counts will automatically count. eBird collects bird observations globally every day of the year and is the online platform used by the GBBC.
If you do not use eBird, go to the Great Backyard Bird Count website for registration.
Whether you use eBird or register through birdcount.org, the website provides links to tools to help with bird identification. There’s a “how to” slideshow. And, you can download a printable list of birds that might be seen in February, narrowed to this area. The Merlin app helps narrow down possibilities in Hays County at this time through size, colors, and where the bird was seen.
All of the data contributes to a snapshot of bird distribution and help scientists see changes over the past 20 years, since the Great Backyard Bird Count began.
Expect to count many Lesser Goldfinch if you feed thistle seed. Laura Craig taught me that Mountain City’s goldfinch eat the Wagner’s thistle seed, while rejecting other thistle.
If you’re a senior citizen with a Silver Sneakers card (available through many health insurance plans), you can now count on the Silver Sneakers card for a hefty discount at the local Hays County YMCA. This became true this month.
Do you know Peggy Meador? Peggy leads the Arthritis Aquatic Exercise several times each week!
Do you know anything that’d make for an interesting tidbit? Please email [email protected] or leave a message at 512-268-5678. Thanks! Love, Pauline
