Arundo donax might be invasive, but its pedigree is quite interesting.
Read MoreMonthly Bird Count – August 2016
Every month Jason Bonilla, from the Houston Audubon Society, leads a group through Woodland Park and records the species and number of the birds they observe. If you'd like to join us for our hikes through the park please visit our calendar to find the next date and time.
Here's Jason's wrap-up (slightly edited) followed by the monthly bird count. Our next birding adventure is September 10th. Hope to see you there!
It was a slow bird day this morning with only 14 confirmed species. We did get really good looks at Black-crowned Night-Herons and Great Blue Herons.
Great Blue Heron - 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
White-winged Dove - 25
Mourning Dove - 1
Chimney Swift - 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Blue Jay - 6
Carolina Wren - 3
American Robin - 1
Northern Mockingbird - 1
Northern Cardinal - 3
Great-tailed Grackle - 2
(possibly 2 immature yellow-crowned night-heron)
Farmers in Mexico are giving firefly tours to preserve their forests →
Some firefly populations may be threatened by a loss of habitat, though many reports are anecdotal. (Light pollution might also be causing fireflies to mate less.) Deforestation is also a problem for Mexico’s other winged tourist attraction, Monarch butterflies.
Read MoreOne Good Bug →
Found under logs and other dark, damp places, the Alaus oculatus larva looks like a stocky, yellowish-brown, segmented worm. It has a flat, dark brown rectangular head that ends in 2 powerful jaws. The jaws, which resemble small crab legs, are used to disable and dismember prey.
Read MoreChronicle: Can White Oak Shed Its Concrete? →
From the Chronicle — “…waterways where flooding must be controlled don't have to be eyesores and in fact can become more natural settings for residents to bike, walk and gather.”
Read MoreIn Praise of Weeds →
Is there a more scornful word in the botanical universe than “weed?” We’re trained from early childhood to dislike anything associated with the term. Because of that, we native plant lovers and promoters have work cut out for us when striving to educate (or maybe preaching to) the general public.
Read MoreMonthly Bird Count – June 2016
Every month Jason Bonilla, from the Houston Audubon Society, leads a group through Woodland Park and records the species and number of the birds they observe. If you'd like to join us for our hikes through the park please visit our calendar to find the next date and time.
Here's Jason's wrap-up (slightly edited) followed by the monthly bird count.
We had our July bird survey this morning with some fantastic views of a male Orchard Oriole and Great Horned Owl! This was also the first time we have seen Cattle Egrets fly over from the park. eBird now lists 103 species seen at Woodland Park.
Listed below is the species list from today. I only listed 1 Great Horned Owl, though it is very possible that we saw two separate owls. I also removed the Red-shouldered Hawk that I thought I was hearing because it could have been a Blue Jay imitation. My best guess on the two birds that I was stumped on at the start is that they were female red-winged blackbirds.
Great Blue Heron - 2
Cattle Egret - 5
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 2
White-winged Dove - 9
Mourning Dove - 1
Great Horned Owl - 1 (maybe 2)
Chimney Swift - 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Blue Jay - 14
Purple Martin - 7
Carolina Chickadee - 5
Carolina Wren - 8
American Robin - 37
Northern Mockingbird - 10
European Starling - 11
Northern Cardinal - 9
Common Grackle - 5
Great-tailed Grackle - 6
Orchard Oriole - 2
blackbird sp. - 2 (maybe female red-winged blackbirds)
House Sparrow - 2
Photograph by Conor Best.
Photograph by Conor Best.