FRIENDS OF HAGERMAN NWR

FEATHERLESS FLYER MAY, 2019

VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5

Refuge Update: Texoma Water Level: www.laketexoma.com/level

A reminder for fishermen - alligator gar may not be taken from any refuge areas during the month of May. The re-cent fish-kill noted by many visitors was a result of stranding due to heavy rain and temporary higher water levels. It was not caused by bow fishermen.

WHAT’S GOING ON??

See our DETAILED,

PRINTABLE Event Sheet,

Butterfly & Bird Survey Re-

sults on Pages 7 & 8!

In June of 1996, it began.

It had become apparent to the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Texas Parks and Wildlife that a group of volunteers was needed to support their various initiatives. Based on the Master Gardener Program, nineteen volunteers cre-ated a new program that focused on nature-the Alamo Area Master Naturalist Chapter. From this small group of volunteers, there grew a program that now is a cooperative effort between Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. There are now 48 chapters across Texas, and many other states have used

the TMN template to start their own programs.

The mission of the Texas Master Naturalist Program is to “develop a corps of well-informed volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within our community for the state of Texas.” Our Continued on page 4

Refuge Update: Wildlife Drive Closed Due To Flooding

Wildlife Drive closed on May 3rd due to flooding. The closure will last for several weeks minimum so visitors are asked to plan accord-ingly. The Visitor Center, Butterfly Garden, and Harris Creek Trail will remain open. Goode and Sandy Day Use Areas are open, but an alternate route will be required to get there. Big Mineral Area is par-tially flooded already. Fishing is allowed and foot access will likely be necessary. Bennett Lane is closed at Big Mineral Creek bridge. Applications for the 2019 archery deer hunt will be accepted at the Refuge Headquarters May 1-31 as usual this year. Beginning in 2020,

Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart-ment (TPWD) will begin managing the application process for refuge deer, feral hog and wild turkey hunts through their on-line drawn hunts system. For additional infor-mation contact the refuge at: (903) 786-2826.

Right: Assistant Refuge Manager welcomed new, temporary employ-ee Al Fisher on April 29. Mr. Fish-er will serve as a Maintenance Helper during the next year to per-form a variety of jobs to support all refuge programs, especially gen-eral maintenance and upkeep of areas frequented by our visi-tors. Please welcome him!

The History of the Texas Master Naturalists…

And How you Could Join them By Cathy Van Bebber

Start watching for the pink-purple blooms of purple coneflower in

late spring. These perennials will bring color to the garden

through mid-summer. The slender stems stand 2-5 feet and are

topped with solitary flower heads. Note the distinct spiky cone-

shaped central disks of the flower heads. The genus name

Echinacea is from the Greek echino, meaning hedgehog, an allu-

sion to this spiny, brownish central disk of the flower head. The

cone shape of the disk lends itself to the name “coneflower.” This

central disk is surrounded by long-lasting purple-pink rays.

Coneflowers require little attention and are very cold hardy,

growing in prairies and along grassy slopes. The flowers thrive in

sunlight but will tolerate some shade as well. Native to north

Texas, they grow readily across much of the Midwest and south-

eastern United States. Purple Coneflowers grow in spreading

clumps and can be divided every few years and transplanted in

the spring or fall and can also be started by seed.

The flowers of the Echinacea species are used to make an

extremely popular herbal tea, purported to help strengthen the

immune system; an extract is also available in tablet or liquid

form in pharmacies and health food stores. The Echinacea

found in the roots was used by Native Americans as a blood puri-

fier, wound wash and sore throat gargle.

The flowers serve as a nectar source for a wide variety of butterflies, including swallowtails, fritillaries, red

admirals, viceroys, painted and American ladies, sachem, and some skippers.

Birds also enjoy coneflowers in the garden. Blue Jays, cardinals and goldfinches enjoy eating the

seeds from spent flowers. Birds and Blooms magazine recommends that gardeners avoid pruning the

dead flowers. Instead, let them stand throughout winter, where they will offer food to hungry birds. Once

spring arrives, simply cut back your coneflowers to the ground. They will soon grow back to bloom in sum-

mer.

It is important to note this concern. Due to its popularity as an herbal remedy, this species is becom-

ing increasingly rare in its natural habitat (USDA). Over harvest from the wild has drastically reduced plant

numbers throughout much of its range. Another good reason to add Purple Coneflowers to your butterfly

garden!

Sources: www.plants/USDA.gov,

Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgi, Shearer Publishing, rev. 2003.

www.Gardenswithwings.com, www.birdsandblooms.com,

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at http://www.wildflower.org

Plant of the Month: Coneflower by Jean Flick

Thank you,

Jean Flick

Second Saturday May:

Cultural Diversity and Natural History of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. David Aiello will share with the audience his experiences of doing research and traveling with students to the is-

lands over the last decade. The talk, as evident from the title, will share aspects of both the rich cultural history of the

islands, as well as the biological diversity on the islands. As part of the presentation, he’ll also touch on his collabora-

tive research experiences working to understand population declines of the golden tree frog. The talk will largely be a

visual experience as he takes the audience from the North Coast of Trinidad to the Central Mountain Range, from

Nariva Swamp in the southeast to Caroni swamp and the Gulf of Paria in the west. P. 2

Publisher Keyboard Shortcuts

P. 3 Sign up at www.friendsofhagerman.com/contact Attendees enjoyed painting at April’s Refuge Rocks

goals are to improve public understanding of natural resource ecology and management by developing a pool of local knowledge about natural resource ecolo-gy that can be used to enhance land management and education efforts within local communities.

In the fall of 2012, ten people from Grayson County undertook the required training necessary to become a Texas Master Naturalist. This group, who had a love of all things in nature, formed the Bluestem Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist. Our chapter is now six years old and our membership has grown to almost 50 members.

To become a member, you must undergo 40 hours of training, which is provided by the Chapter. Class sessions include just about every topic pertaining to nature—archaeology, geology, ornithology, entomol-ogy, ichthyology, herpetology, mammalogy, and wet-land ecology. Other topics include the ecological re-gions of Texas, ecological concepts, weather and climate, water resources, plants and prairies and aquatic systems. These classes provide a broad view of what is happening in Texas and then zero in to focus on Grayson County. They are taught by lo-cal professors from Austin College, Grayson College and Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and other qualified experts.

We partner closely with three different entities: Tex-as AgriLife Extension Service, Hagerman National

Wildlife Refuge and Eisenhower State Park. In coordination with AgriLife, BMN presents seminars for pub-lic education. Topics have included Wildflowers of the Blackland Prairie, Water Conservation, Global Cli-mate Change, a Prairie and Pollinator Workshop, and a Butterfly Symposium. Our work at Eisenhower State Park includes the restoration of a prairie pocket, as well as helping with programs for children. Most of our work is at Hagerman NWR where we help maintain trails, monitor Monarch butterflies, conduct tram tours for visitors, monitor bluebird nests, lead tours of the Butterfly Garden, perform weekly bird counts, and help guide programs for school-age children.

Since its inception in 1996, the Texas Master Natu-ralist program has enrolled over 11,700 volunteers, who have donated over 4,000,00 service hours. This group has accumulated 530,581 advanced training hours and 73,000 initial training hours. Their time and effort have been worth over $92,000,000 to the state of Texas. In the six years since our inception, Bluestem Master Naturalists have contributed 13,500 service hours, 2,500 advanced training hours and 1,700 Service Training hours. Our time and effort have been worth over $310,500 to the state.

If you enjoy nature and would like to help others learn about our earth and why we need to work toward preserving our planet, why you just might be a Master Naturalist! We have our new training program coming up in August. The cost of $100 includes all training classes, the TMN curriculum book and 2019 dues. For more information, just email me at cathyvanbebber@gmail.com. We hope you will join us in August.

The History of the Texas Master Naturalists… Continued from Page 1

April 9: Today was a beautiful spring day,

starting out very calm for the first couple of hours. Spring migrants are still at a

trickle with the exception of a fair number of shorebirds, attracted to the mud-

flats and shallows around the pads. A total of 137 Long-billed Dowitchers

were seen in various locations with the largest totals seen in Silliman Marsh.

Other sandpiper species seen were Baird's, Pectoral, Semipalmated, Solitary

and a total of 87 Least Sandpipers. American White Pelicans are now coming

in larger numbers with almost 200 present today. There were fair numbers of

ducks, and we saw a dozen Wood Ducks, some at Dead Woman Pond and

some at the end of the road past Meadow Pond. We also saw a female Bufflehead near Plover Pad. Egrets and

heron numbers are increasing. We had a late season, singing Song Sparrow and some arriving Lark Sparrows. We

found a single Yellow-rumped Warbler the only warbler of the day. We finished the day with 79 species. We saw and

mostly heard a total of 15 White-eyed Vireos. This is a bird that is oftentimes heard and not seen and can be tricky to

get a good photo of. Today's photo a White-eyed Vireo that that I took on Oil Field Road a week or so ago.

April 16: After having some unseasonably cold weather last week the

wind has returned to the south and has brought some of the migrating

birds with it. The lake has risen again and the mudflats have just about

disappeared but we were still able to find 14 species of shorebirds. Some

of the better shorebird sightings were 13 Hudsonian Godwits, 176 Long-

billed Dowitchers, 46 Upland Sandpipers, 12 Semipalmated Plovers, 17

Semipalmated Sandpipers, 78 Least Sandpipers and 30 Baird's Sandpi-

pers. We saw 82 Brewer's Blackbirds in a field on Short Rd. Warblers

were hard to find but we saw a Common Yellowthroat, an Orange-

crowned Warbler, a Nashville Warbler several Yellow-rumped Warblers

and 4 Prothonotary Warblers. We found a total of 10 Wood Ducks, a pair of which we flushed very near to us at Pic-

nic Pond. We saw one group of 9 Wild turkeys. There were 3 White-faced Ibis in Mineral Marsh. Early on we saw a

Merlin near the first bridge on Wildlife Drive. We finished the day with 106 species an excellent total for the middle of

April. Photo is Prothonotary Warbler, a warbler that nests on the refuge. They are cavity nesters and nest near water.

This is one on my favorite warblers and has to be seen in person to truly be appreciated.

April 23: After a near record breaking census last week the count was off quite a bit this week. Contributing to that

were two things, first the lake level is high once again and the mudflats are gone so our shore-

bird count was way down and second we only saw one species of warblers. One of the better

birds we found was a Clay-colored Sparrow near the houses on the way to the Goode area.

When we arrived at Dead Woman Pond there was a Wood Duck sitting on the bridge and he

sat there while we observed him. His mate probably has a nest nearby. We saw at least 26

Spotted Sandpipers on the rocky edges of the roads leading to the pads. We observed a cou-

ple of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds getting nectar from the Paintbrush which is very abundant

this year, maybe the best year for Paintbrush that I have seen. There was an early Tricolored

Heron on the dike near the end of Egret pad. We saw 3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows on

the way back from Sandy Point. Summer Tan-

agers are back and we had good looks at a cou-

ple of them. We heard the first Painted Bunting

of the season singing at the headquarters building. Dickcissels and Indi-

go Buntings are back and are singing. We saw 4 Red-headed Wood-

peckers. We also saw a Swainson's Hawk near Short Road. Yellow-

headed Blackbirds are present but we did not see them today. We fin-

ished the day with 76 species. Watch the fields for Upland Sandpipers.

They are currently migrating through the

area. Photo of Upland Sandpiper.

BIRDING WITH JACK Thank You Jack Chiles

What else did they See??

See the most recent

Weekly Bird and

Butterfly Census

Results in their entirety

on Page 7 or visit: www.friendsofhagerman.com/

P. 5 Continued on page 6

Volunteer of the Month:

Donna Pelkey

Donna Pelkey has been a volunteer for the Friends of Hagerman for four years. She enjoys greeting visitors and making Nature Nook sales in the visi-tor center, she is a butterfly docent where she helps educate the public with butterfly garden walks and she is a member of the garden maintenance team. Donna’s favorite part of the refuge is the many educational programs and opportunities for birding and butterflying. The volunteer of the month is chosen based on years of volunteer service at

Hagerman (at least one year), frequency of volunteering (at least twice per

month) and must have made a standout contribution.

Click here to for detailed information about our volunteer opportunities or

contact friendsofhagerman@gmail.com to learn how to join our team!

Thank You Donna Pelkey

April 30:Today was a humid breezy day and after a

short walk on Harris Creek Trail we proceeded to Silliman Road to see if we could locate the recently arrived Bobo-links. The vetch fields on both sides of Silliman Road are blooming and had many Red-winged Blackbirds feeding and lots of Dickcissels singing. As we proceeded up the road a Cooper's Hawk swooped in and grabbed a bird out of a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. It then carried it off into the nearby woods. As we returned back down Sil-liman we found 3 Bobolinks in the vetch not far from the road. This is the first of probably a large quantity of Boblinks that will be feeding and singing in the fields for the next week or so as they migrate through this area. If you have never witnessed this spectacle it would be well worth your time to visit the refuge to view the Bobolinks. As we proceeded back down Wildlife Drive we observed shorebirds in the small pool on the east side near the large field. There we found 2 Hudsonian Godwits and other shorebirds, including White-rumped, Baird's, Pecto-ral and Least Sandpipers. Mudflats are still in short sup-ply and with more rain forecast it is hard to predict if there will be any mudflats soon. When we later came

back down Wildlife Drive there was a pair of Black-necked Stilts feeding near the road in Muleshoe Marsh. Later in the morning we were excited to find Lucy the res-ident female Bald Eagle sitting on the pole on L pad. We had not seen her in weeks. We only saw one warbler a Black-and-white Warbler on the road to Sandy Point. We saw and heard Painted Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo bunting singing in many places on the census to-day. We finished the day with 80 species. Photo is one of the Black-necked Stilts we saw today, coming in for a landing in Muleshoe Marsh.

Friends of Hagerman NWR Foundation

6465 Refuge Road Sherman, TX 75092

Phone: 903-786-2826

friendsofhagerman@gmail.com http://www.friendsofhagerman.com

www.facebook.com/FOHNWR

Thank You To Our Contributors: Jack Chiles, Laurie Sheppard, Cathy Van Beb-ber, Jean Flick Refuge Manager: Kathy Whaley Refuge Liaison: Paul Balkenbush General Biologist: Courtney Anderson

Would you like to join our team of volunteers

at Hagerman NWR? Check out the many

ways to become involved by clicking here, or

contact us by visiting: HelpHagerman.org

Photos by Alan Lusk: Thank You

Coming Next Month

See page 6 for details or visit:

P. 6

Birding with Jack, Continued from page 5 Last Month Sec-

April 26, 2019: The rain this week did not deter butterflies from finding the garden. Our list of blooms

is growing, and while it lasts, the Texas Bluestar is the favorite food of swallowtails and brush -footed

butterflies. Mid-day is the most active time for butterfly feeding right now .

Seen this week in the garden:

Canada Goose 27 Wood Duck 3 Blue-winged Teal 28 Northern Shoveler 10 Gadwall 5 Mallard 4 Eurasian Collared-Dove 3 Inca Dove 1 Mourning Dove 11 Greater Roadrunner 1 Ruby-throated/Black-chinned Hummingbird 1 Black-necked Stilt 2 Killdeer 7 Hudsonian Godwit 2 Baird's Sandpiper 3 Least Sandpiper 11 White-rumped Sandpiper 3 Pectoral Sandpiper 5 Semipalmated Sandpiper 2 Wilson's Phalarope 2 Spotted Sandpiper 25 Greater Yellowlegs 3 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Franklin's Gull 1 Forster's Tern 9 Neotropic Cormorant 13 Double-crested Cormorant 2

cormorant sp. 26 American White Pelican 4 Great Blue Heron 16 Great Egret 13 Snowy Egret 20 Little Blue Heron 3 Cattle Egret 43 Black Vulture 60 Turkey Vulture 30 Cooper's Hawk 1 Bald Eagle 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 4 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Eastern Kingbird 6 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 29 Loggerhead Shrike 1 White-eyed Vireo 10 Red-eyed Vireo 9 Blue Jay 3 American Crow 6 Purple Martin 10 Barn Swallow 6 Cliff Swallow 50

Carolina Chickadee 3 Tufted Titmouse 12 Carolina Wren 8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6 Eastern Bluebird 11 Swainson's Thrush 1 Northern Mockingbird 7 European Starling 8 Grasshopper Sparrow 1 Lark Sparrow 2 White-crowned Sparrow 4 White-throated Sparrow 1 Savannah Sparrow 7 Lincoln's Sparrow 6 Bobolink 3 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Baltimore Oriole 1 Red-winged Blackbird 280 Brown-headed Cowbird 33 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Summer Tanager 4 Northern Cardinal 22 Blue Grosbeak 7 Indigo Bunting 12 Painted Bunting 11 Dickcissel 48 House Sparrow 2

Visit www.friendsofhagerman.com/BirdSurvey for the most recent Bird Census results!

Thank you: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Terry Goode, Frances and Jon Edwards.

80 species (+2 other taxa)

Each Tuesday a team of expert birders, led by Jack Chiles, take a refuge Bird census by recording the birds they encounter

throughout the refuge. They report their findings to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, for use in research.

P. 7

American Lady

Black Swallowtail

Checkered White

Cloudless Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail

Gray Hairstreak

Phaon Crescent

Sleepy Orange

Variegated Fritillary

Plants in Bloom this week:

Prairie Verbena

Spiderwort

Bluebonnets

Coral Honeysuckle

Lyre Leaf Sage

Texas Betony

Salvia Greggii

Winecup

Crossvine

Huisache Daisy

Tuberous Vervain (Sandpaper Verbe-

na)

Wild Blue Indigo – Baptisia

Englemann Daisy

Texas Bluestar

Brazos (Gulf) Penstemon

Cedar Sage

Mealy Blue Sage

Butterfly Docent Meeting, Thursday, May 2, 10:00 -11:30am Do you love butterflies and native plants? Do you enjoy being outdoors and meeting new people? If so, then consider joining a group of volunteers who serve as docents in the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. A meeting for new and returning docents will be held on Thursday, May 2nd, at 10 am at the refuge. Contact friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Butterfly Garden Walks, Saturday, May 4 th and Saturday May 18 th, 2019, 10:00am to 12:00pm Enjoy a stroll through the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Come on your own or bring the family. Every first, third and fifth Saturday, Garden docents will be on hand to help you identify the Texas native plants and the butterflies in the garden. Use our close-focus butterfly binoculars to get a really CLOSE look. Spe-cial activities for families available: scavenger hunts, meet the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Garden walks are Come and Go or Come and Stay. The garden is free of charge and open to the public during Refuge hours. Outdoor Crew, Tuesday, May 7 th and Saturday May25 th Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general clean-up? Join the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. The Outdoor Crew meets on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. Please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details and to join our team. Early Bird Guided Walk Saturday, May 11 th , 2018, 8:00am – 9:30am Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead our early bird walk, weather permitting. Meet at the Visitor Center. Bring binoculars or borrow ours. Return in time for the Second Saturday program. Free and open to the public. Second Saturday: Cultural Diversity and Natural History of Trinidad and Tobago Saturday, May 11 th, 2018, 10:00am Dr. David Aiello will share with the audience his experiences of doing research and traveling with students to the islands over the last decade. The talk, as evident from the title, will share aspects of both the rich cultural history of the islands, as well as the biological diversity on the islands. As part of the presentation, he’ll also touch on his col-laborative research experiences working to understand population declines of the golden tree frog. The talk will largely be a visual experience as he takes the audience from the North Coast of Trinidad to the Central Mountain Range, from Nariva Swamp in the southeast to Caroni swamp and the Gulf of Paria in the west. Special Mother’s Day Butterfly Garden Walk Sunday, May 12th, 2:30-4:00pm Take Mom on a stroll through the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Bring the family: Gar-den Docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and the butterflies in the garden, and the kids will enjoy a craft. Garden walks are Come and Go or Come and Stay. The garden is free of charge and open to the public during Refuge hours. Refuge Rocks Ages 4-6 and 7-10: Saving Them All – One Species at a Time Saturday, May 18, 2019, 10:00am – 11:30am Has your child ever asked questions about endangered species? Friday, May 17th is National Endangered Species Day. Since our Refuge Rocks program falls on the day after this special day, we will be taking this opportunity to learn about endangered species and the actions we can take to help protect them. We’ll focus on many endangered species and especially those that make Hagerman NWR home. Come join us on May 18 for a free class to recog-nize this special day with lots of fun! Note: we’ll have two classes for the separate age groups to provide age appro-priate activities. To sign up - call the refuge at (903) 786-2826 or visit www.friendsofhagerman.com/activities. Secrets of Wild Bird Photography with Brian Loflin Saturday, May 18, 2019, 1:00pm – 4:00pm Brian Loflin, a highly regarded Photographer, Biologist and Author will present a seminar and hands-on workshop demonstrating how to make outstanding images of wild birds in their habitat. Tram Tours cancelled until further notice due to flooding

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