Big Stone Lodge - Dennis Johnston Park709 Riley Fuzzel Road

March 15, 2017Social 6:30pm

PWWS meetings are held at the Big StoneLodge at the new Dennis Johnston CountyPark at 709 Riley Fuzzel Road.

The directions to get there are much the sameas to the Nature Center. Aldine-Westfield turns into Riley Fuzzel Road just northeastof Spring so there are several ways to get there.

1. Take the Rayford/Sawdust exit and go East (right) on Rayford Rd. It dead ends atRiley Fuzzel, then turn South (right) and drive to the Dennis Johnston Park pastSpring Creek and on the right. or, 2. take Spring-Cypress east to Aldine Westfieldthrough Old Town Spring, turn left and then on to Riley Fuzzel for a short distanceand turn left; or, 3. Take Aldine Westfield north from Mercer Arboretum until it turnsinto Riley Fuzzel. Turn right and watch for the Dennis Johnston Park on the left.

March 2017 Vol. 38, No.3March Program

The Peruvian Amazon, By John & Gloria Jones

Bolivian Squirrel Monkey Hoatzin

Cocoi Heron Polkadot Tree frog

Gloria and I first explored the upper Peruvian Amazon River in February of 2001. We enjoyed the trip so much we returnedDecember 2016.

This photo presentation will primarily cover the birds and other wildlife seen on this trip. It will also introduce the people who livein the small villages and farms along the Amazon River and its tributaries and show a glimpse into their way of life.

Ceiba Tops Lodge is located in a rainforest on the banks of the Amazon River just 25 miles downstream from Iquitos. It was ourbase for four days of exploring the streams and tributaries in that area.

The Ucayali-Maranon confluence is the point at which most consider the beginning of the Amazon River. Our next week ofexploration from the Amazon Star riverboat was upstream from this location on the Ucayali River and its tributaries. The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, located some 115 miles southwest of Iquitos, is the largest protected area in Peru and is rich inbiodiversity. The Ucayali River borders the reserve on the southeast and this is the area where we spent much of our time.

Please join us on Wednesday March 15, 2017, at the Big Stone Lodge in DennisJohnston Park, 709 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring, TX, for a wonderful evening!

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HEART Happeningsby Carole Allen,

HEART Committee Chair

Sea turtle patrol training has started in Galvestonwhich means nesting time will soon be arriving.

Regular patrols begin in April and last until midJuly. Hats off to everyone who volunteers to walkthe beaches or sometimes ride to look for turtletracks and nesters. All we can do is cross ourfingers and wait.

The bronze sea turtle project for the sea wall inGalveston is progressing. Grant proposals arebeing reviewed and we hope for good results. The“informal” committee working on the project hasmade a decision about the location of the sculp-ture. The Menard Park and McGuire-Dent Recre-ation Center is near 28th Street and the sea wall. Itis being renovated and will be a great place for thesculpture and signs similar to the ones we placedat the Galveston Island State Park and near Plea-sure Pier. Plans include a sea turtle painting in-side a band shell in the park also. (Although Iwould have liked to see it on a jetty, this locationwill be much easier for visitors to enjoy.)

We haven’t reached the point of actually orderingthe sculpture but perhaps in a few weeks, thatcan be done.

Starting with the April issue of the newsletter, I willbegin updates on nestings on the Texas Coast.

Mow your lawn to help eliminate weeds.Keep weeds cut back to prevent flowering andre-seeding. Fill bare patches with St. Augustinesod. Apply lawn food after three mowings. At this time the grass will be actively growingand it is a good time to apply Micro Life or otherlawn fertilizer.

March Horticulture TipsBy Kathy Dodge

Prune or plant roses. Now is the time to beginapplying rose food on a monthly basis.

Plant fruit trees, shade trees, and ornamentaltrees. Be sure to apply mulch around the root zoneto keep moist and avoid weeds. Make sure treesare watered regularly during first few years of growth,while tree is getting established. Use Root Stimu-lator every few weeks for the first three months afterplanting.

Plant shrubs such as roses and azaleas. UseRoot Stimulator every two weeks for the first few months after planting.

Fertilize Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Plumeria. This will help plants to putout new lush growth and plenty of blooms.

Prune trees and shrubs while dormant. Prune spring-flowering shrubssuch as azaleas, spireas, and redbuds after they’ve bloomed. Fertilizeonce after they bloom and then again in June.

Apply dormant oil to smother insects before they become a prob-lem. Apply to hollies, magnolias, and camellias for scale. Release LadyBugs to control insects like aphids and whitefly.

In mid-March, move houseplants outside into shade and repot, ifnecessary. Fertilize your plants.

Plant color annuals such as marigolds, fuchsias, petunias, osteospermum,perilla, bachelor buttons, coleus, forget-me-nots, dusty millers, annual phlox,geraniums, impatiens, begonias and more!

Plant Sun Perennials Shasta daisy, pentas, rudbeckia, gaillardia, ver-bena, coreopsis, lantana, perennial salvias, bee balm, porterweed, mistflower, jatropha, and skullcap are some of the many plants.

Plant colorful Shade Perennials like firespike, shrimp plant, Persianshield, leopard plant, cat whiskers, ruellias, turk’s cap, sweet potato vine,creeping jenny, and many more!

Spread a fresh layer of mulch around trees, shrubs, and beds to protectroots, retain moisture, and prevent weeds.

Clean bird baths and feeders. Keep feeders full!! Bird baths full! Birdsare hungry and thirsty.

Tip: Never paint the inside of birdhouses, leave as natural wood. You canpaint the outside of house, white is the coolest for the birds. Rub soap onthe inside top of bird houses, where wasps try to build a nest.

Put out hummingbird feeders. We are expecting our first sighting anyday now! To keep birds at your feeder, maintain a fresh nectar supply, andempty and wash the feeder each time you refill. Hummingbirds rememberwhere they find a reliable food source - so if your yard is one of them, they’lloften return year after year.

Hummingbird Recipe – 1 cup sugar and 4 cups hot water. No need toboil water. Change feeders weekly. Once weather has reached 80 de-grees change and clean feeders with soapy water every 3 to 5 days.

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Don’t forget dues are due in January. So now is the time to send off those very reasonable dues.The form is included in the Newsletter for your convenience.

Next page

FRIENDLY REMINDER DUES ARE DUE

There are many different levels ofbird watching from the casual ob-server to professionals whose goalis to see as many of the 8,850species as possible. In NorthAmerican there are approximately800 species. Some people usenothing more than the naked eyeto observe and others spend thou-sands of dollars on binoculars,

telescopes, cameras, video and audio equipment, tripods andfield guides. “Birding”, as it’s sometimes called, is also a com-petitive event and there are both national and international or-ganizations.

BirdingBy Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center

Spring is a busy time of the gardening year. Try to enjoyyour time in the gardens and not try to make it too much work.It’s always fun watching your old and new flowers and shrubsgrow and bloom.

Some of the best bird watching,perhaps in the world, is in the Hous-ton area. Approximately 570 typesof birds either call this area homeand are permanent residents or aremigratory and just pass through ontheir way to some other destination.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is agreat resource for anyone interestedin birds. If you ever have a problemidentifying a bird, their free MerlinBird ID app is a must-have. According to Cornell, “If youcan snap a bird photo with your phone - or even take aphoto of another photo - chances are Merlin can help you ID it.”

Birds face the same threat as almost all other wild animals andthat is habitat loss. Trees, brush and grasslands are beingdestroyed to make way for roads and buildings. The best wayto help our feathered friends is to replace some of what hasbeen lost. Plant trees and shrubs using native plants, mini-mize pesticide use, set up nest boxes, provide water and keepyour cats indoors.

Leave some dying and/or dead trees on your property. Manyspecies depend on cavities in these trees for nest sites. Nextto habitat loss, the next highest cause of bird deaths is colli-sions with windows. Covering windows with screening or ap-plying decals or tape to windows can help significantly. Makesure to check the web for instructions on how to apply these

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Birding from page 3safeguards.

TWRC Wildlife Center is gearing up for another busy spring. If you’d like to help us feed and care for orphaned baby birds, detailswill be available soon on our website at www.twrcwildlifecenter.org or you can call 713-468-TWRC for more details.

Message from Claire Moore

Fellow PWWS member,Matt Abernathy, re-quested that we sendout a reminder to thePWWS membershipabout the upcomingNatureFest at JesseJones Park.

NatureFest will takeplace at Jesse JonesPark on Saturday,March 4th, from 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. located off ofFM 1960 between I45and Highway 59 at20634 Kenswick Drive,Humble, TX 77338.

They will have a bird walkwith Gary Clark at 9a.m., and he is alsospeaking at 11 a.m. anddoing a book signingat noon. They will havea limited number of cop-ies of the new “Book ofTexas Birds” and alsoBackroads of Texas byGary Clark and KathyAdams Clark, or you canbring your own copy tobe signed.

There will be guestspeakers on firewiselandscaping, birding,and monarchs as well asfree pontoon boat tours,and more. Additionally,they will also be rafflingoff a painting by one ofour volunteers.

Attached are a couple offlyers with more informa-tion or you can call thepark during operatinghours at 281-446-8588.

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Rock DoveBayshore Park, San Leon

Double CrestedCormorant, Seabrook

Female Red WingBlackbird, Clear LakeCity

Backroads of the Texas Hill Coun-try: Your Guide to the Most ScenicAdventures, Gary Clark

Texas has hill country? Who knew?Well, the Lonely Planet guide to Texas,which calls the Hill Country “rightfullyone of the state’s biggest tourist draws...an area of gently rolling hills and val-leys freckled with cacti and cattleranches, lined with rivers and dotted with

peaceful. Picturesque little towns: and any self-respecting Texan mightknow as much. Forty miles west of Austin and fifty north of SanAntonio, the Hill Country is within an easy drive of two of the state’sbiggest cities putting back-country quiet and beauty within reach ofcountless urban dwellers seeking respite.

This book brings the remark-able Hill Country of Texashome to the back roads trav-eler. Whether it’s wildflowersyou’re drawn to, or duderanches, natural areas, his-toric sites, or quaint Texastowns redolent of history,this is your passport to anexperience like no other.Back roads of the Texas HillCountry introduces travelersand armchair tourists aliketo the emerging wine coun-try of the Lone star state, themeticulously preserved cul-ture of East European immi-grants, the cowboy capitalof tile world” (Bandera),andthe childhood home of LBJat Johnson City. Follow thisirresistible guide into the HillCountry, and find yourselfdeep in the heart of Texas.

Book of Texas Birds, Gary Clark

Drawing on the knowledge and insightgained from a lifetime of watching, study-ing, and enjoying birds, this book is full ofinformation about more than four hundredspecies of birds in Texas. most all of whichauthor Gary Clark has seen firsthand. Or-ganized in the standard taxonomic orderfamiliar to most birders, the book is writtenin a conversational tone that yields a wide-ranging discussion of each bird’s life his-

tory as well as an intimate look at some of Its special characteristicsand habits. Information regarding each species’ diet, voice, and nestIs Included.

Upcoming Nature Events

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2017 Board of Directors

Rat Snake - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Please submit any articles you’d like considered for thePWWS Newsletter, The Pine Warbler, to Kathy Coward,justforthebirds@sbcglobal.net.

© 2017

President, Kathy CowardFirst VP, Diane WedgeworthSecond VP, Claire MooreThird VP, Carlos HernandezSecretary, Carole BarrTreasurer, Jim LaceyDirector, Farrar StocktonDirector, Debbie WilsonDirector, Maryanne DiBiaseCarole Allen, HEART Committee Chair

Please join us!

The Pine Warbler is published monthly, September throughMay, by The Piney Woods Wildlife Society, Inc.

For membership information write to us at P.O. Box 189,Spring Texas 77383-0189. Annual Dues: $15.00 per house-hold.

Please send all new address changes and anycorrections to cdmoore3@gmail.com (Claire Moore) andadd PWWS to the subject line. Thank you.

PWWS web site is at http://www.pineywoodsnaturesociety.org

PWWS Facebook site is athttps://www.facebook.com/Piney-Woods-Wildlife-Society-

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Websites of Interest:https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_1813.pdfManagement Recommendations for Native Insect Pollinatorsin Texas 2016 (57p)

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_w7000_1803.pdfIdentification of Milkweeds in Texas 2015 (44p)

http://www.inaturalist.org/

5 Bird Photos by Sandy Crystal

Kildeer Bayshore ParkSan Leon

Great Blue Heron