Clyde has had little luck with the residents of his screech owl box making it through birth and fledging. You will laugh out loud at the attached videos titled Tree Rat Homemaking and Noon Scratch and Snooze. Turn the volume up.
Find out more about Clyde’s Screech Owls at his website. http://www.crcamp.com
This year’s pin is the Side-Oats Grama, the state grass. So, here is your did-ja-know re: side-oats gramma.
First, local information. Dave Powell says that side-oats grama is on the three locations at which he volunteers/manages. “We seeded Wylie, it was already at Erwin Park in McKinney. All of the prairies at the Heard are at some stage of restoration however, it could have been on the edge of the pastures.”
Bob Mione said it is there as well. “We do have side-oats at the Connemara. So far, I have not seen it spread by itself. We do really well by seeding and irrigation.”
Now, from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Side-oats grama is a bunchy or sod-forming grass with 2-3 ft. stems in erect, wiry clumps. Purplish, oat-like spikelets uniformly line one side of the stem, bleaching to a tan color in the fall. The basal foliage often turns shades of purple and red in fall. This is a perennial warm season grass; clump forming. Two varieties are recognized: variety curtipendula is shorter and more rhizomatous and ranges from southern Canada to Argentina. Variety caespitosa spreads more by seed than by rhizomes, is more of a bunchgrass, and is restricted mostly to southwestern North America.
Not only is Side-oats Grama the state grass of Texas, but this medium-tall grass mixes well in plantings with spring wildflowers, because it stays short in the spring. Birds love the ripe seeds. This plant increases rapidly in nature when its site is damaged by drought or grazing.
Thursday, November 19, 6pm (only) SPECIAL EDITION online “Deep Dive”
Monthly Deep Dive Sessions
Manuela will discuss the importance of lichens for humans and the ecosystem, as well as tips for identifying different type of lichens.
Manuela Dal Forno is originally from Brazil, where she earned a B.S. in Biology and masters in Botany. She completed her PhD in Environmental Science and Policy in 2015 at George Mason University. Manuela’s work has been focusing on multiple aspects of the evolution, diversity, genome and microbiome of lichens; and since 2019, when she joined the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), she has also been studying the local Texas and the southern Philippines lichen “flora”.
Congratulations and thanks to our new board members.
Laura Ragan, Vice President (21-22) – class of 2014 : Look for her at the Heard taking care of business and volunteers. She is also often seen at the Holifield.
Michelle Connally, Secretary (21-22) -class of 2018 : Bright face at Heard Plant Sales and the backbone of our website.
Liz Brown, Membership (21) -class of 2018: She takes seriously getting rid of trees at Erwin Park is ready to trail guide at Raptor Center.
Rhonda Sanchez, Outreach (21) -class of 2019: Can be seen at Heard, Farmstead and Outreach booths. (Rhonda Sanchez with a waaay too big plant.)
Dave Powell, State Rep (21) – class of 2007: Where isn’t Dave? Father of Erwin Park restoration, Wylie Prairie, Heard, State advisory board, past president, Outreach, sound system expert at meetings, special projects. Where a project is in Collin County, Dave is there. (Dave Powell, always in the middle of a project.)
As 2020 comes to a close, we reflect on the memories of our time this year. Dedicating time to “education, restoration and preservation” of our precious Blackland Prairie is time well spent. Our wonderful diverse BPTMN membership keeps our chapter going year after year when members join the ranks to provide oversight in leadership roles for projects and our board. We have five board members who have graciously served their terms and our chapter will forever be a stronger organization because of their dedication.
Deborah Canterbury with her friendly smile and listening ear will make you feel right at home at any chapter meeting or event. Working with others to find out our skillsets and interests to start us on our journey as a BPTMN member. Deborah has been selflessly serving our chapter as President, Immediate Past President, Membership and recently State Representative.
Valerie Dalton with her knowledge and organization has kept our meeting minutes, chapter documents and executive board communications for two years as our Secretary. Valerie is always willing to support her fellow members. Valerie will be serving as the 2021 NPSOT President of the Collin County Chapter.
Susan Smith served as the Membership Director while still updating our online calendar with BPTMN events. Happy to answer any questions and working with others for the benefit of our chapter. (She also sent out hand written notes with our pin awards during the Covid-19 pandemic, this little detail felt amazing to be on the receiving end.)
Susan Abernethy served as our Outreach Director. Her easy going style of communication made every event educational and fun. Susan’s hard work helped our chapter reach many Collin & Hunt county residents during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rick Travis brings his energy for preservation to our chapter and lights the fire in us all to do what we can to make a difference. As Vice President, he has scheduled some of the most amazing Chapter meetings/ Deep Dive Sessions topics and entertaining speakers. Along with his board responsibilities and his additional BPTMN activities, Rick serves as a Board Member on the Frisco Urban Forestry Board. Him and his wife Lisa have enriched our educational programs with their presentations on Trees.
Thank you ladies and gentleman for opening your heart and time to the Blackland Prairie Chapter. Your commitments to the Texas Master Naturalist mission allows the next curious Collin or Hunt county resident the same opportunity to become new BPTMN members.
Monthly Chapter Meeting – “Zoom” Meeting
Monica Morrison – “Texas Native Cats and the Role of Advocacy”
Texas is home to an amazing diversity of wildlife, including five species of wild cats, both past and present. But our cats are under threat, due to a variety of factors. This presentation will give an overview of our cats, describe the perils they face, and list steps to help them.
Monica launched Texas Native Cats in 2017 after realizing our wild Texas cats need recognition and help. Texas Native Cats is a Texas nonprofit corporation that consists of volunteers, master naturalists, and others interested in acquainting Texans with our cat species. The organization’s goal is to expand educational outreach to the major metropolitan areas of the state and, ultimately, to improve the lives of our native Texas felines. Prior to establishing Texas Native Cats, Monica volunteered for over 20 years with various organizations, including the Dallas Zoo, In-Sync Exotics, and organizations in South America that work to conserve wild cats.
Two of our tribe are serving in leadership roles with Native Plant Society. Congratulations to them as they take our mission and our local mission of “Education, Restoration, Preservation to other communities of like-minded people. Pictured are: class of 2014 – Lorelei Stierlen (and Sorca), past president of NPSOT and moving into treasurer role; and class of 2018 – Valerie Dalton who has taken on the mantle of president. Congratulations, y’all.
Valerie Dalton – NPSOT President (Class of 2018)
Lorelei Stierlen – NPSOT Treasurer (Class of 2014)
INTRO
On Jun. 18, 2019, I found a rather large light blue egg shell in our back yard. I didn’t know what kind of bird it had come from, but I didn’t think there was anything that large in our back yard, so I assumed that it had blown in during a recent storm and didn’t think anything of it. But 3 days later, there was another shell in the same place as the first. This is when I had the inspiration to actually look up, and there, 32 feet above ground, was a large nest with a yellow crowned night heron sitting on a branch nearby. I found a third shell the next day and began watching the nest regularly.
I first spotted one of the fledglings on July 1, and by July 4 they had started sitting up on the side of the nest. We went out of town later that month, and the nest gradually deteriorated over the winter, so I didn’t really expect anything the next year, but they came back in 2020 and built a new nest in exactly the same place as the previous year. What follows is a time line of my observations from 2020, along with some other information about this species from various sources.
HERONS
Herons belong to the family, Ardeidae, along with egrets and bitterns. This family consists of 63 species worldwide, and cover the globe outside of the polar regions. The yellow-crowned night heron (Nyctanassa violacea) ranges throughout eastern North America, as far north as southern Minnesota. While most herons’ diets consist mainly of fish, the yellow-crowned night heron feeds almost exclusively on crustaceans, which accounts for its greater population in coastal areas. In north Texas they eat mainly crayfish, which are abundant in places like Conamera and Oak Point Park, both within 3 miles of the nest site. This becomes readily apparent by examining the droppings on the ground under the nest, which contain lots of pieces of broken up carpace.
The black-crowned night heron is a closely related species that also inhabits the North Texas area. However, black-crowned night herons are almost exclusively nocturnal, and therefore less likely to be observed. (The yellow-crowned night heron is “partially” noctural.)
2020 TIMELINE
Mar. 27–first sighting of 2020. The pair of adult herons were actively engaged in building their nest. One of them stayed on the nest while the other would fly to a nearby tree (a bald cypress in this case), break off a stick from a dead branch and bring it back to the one on the nest. The one on the nest would then work the stick into the nest, and not until they were both satisfied would the first one fly off to get another stick. This whole process took 2 – 3 minutes per stick.
The Cornell website, allaboutbirds.com, states “Initially the male carries sticks to the female, who begins the nest. Later, both gather and place materials on the nest.” I did not observe any occasions of building that did not consist of one heron passing a stick to the other.
Apr. 10–They appeared to have completed the nest.
Apr. 15–First observed one heron sitting on nest for long periods of time, presumably incubating the eggs.
Apr. 30–They appeared to be working on the nest again after it had suffered some storm damage the night before.
May 2-4–Found 4 egg shells under nest.
May 18–First sighted nestlings.
May 26 & 28–Observed adults giving sticks to the nestlings. The nest also expanded somewhat during this period, which suggests that these herons learn nest-building skills while still living in the nest. This is the one behaviour that I observed that I have not been able to find referenced anywhere.
May 29-Jun. 15–During this period, the fledglings gradually moved farther from the nest to perch on other branches in the same tree during the day, usually accompanied by one of the adults.
Jun. 16-24–The nest appeared to be abandoned, but several times an adult and one or two of the offspring would show up for a feeding time. They probably return to the nest for this because, unlike other birds, yellow-crowned night herons feed their young by regurgitating into the center of the nest. When all the fledglings are feeding, it makes a clicking/buzzing sound, which abruptly stops when they finish.
This species generally only raises one brood per year because the young must be taught to hunt. Thus, the family group stays coherent even after abandoning the nest. This may account for the difference in the timing of the nests between 2019 and 2020. (First egg shell found Jun. 18 in 2019 vs. May 2 in 2020.) If they lose a brood while there is still time to raise another, they will do that. I’m guessing that they lost their entire nest earlier that year and moved to our tree instead to start over.
Herons tend to use the same nest for several years, and we hope to see them again next year.
