FRIENDS OF HAGERMAN NWR

FEATHERLESS FLYER JULY, 2019

VOLUME 14, ISSUE 7

Update: Most of Harris Creek Trail is Open! Texoma Water Level: www.laketexoma.com/level

Though Wildlife Drive is still closed, the water level is receding! As always, the Butterfly Garden and Visitor Center are open, activities are going forward, and Mead-ow Pond Trail will be the next one to open (accessible from the South Entrance only). The fishing is great!!

WHAT’S GOING ON??

See our DETAILED,

PRINTABLE Event Sheet,

Butterfly & Bird Survey

Results on Pages 6 & 7!

Nonpareil By Renny Gehman

I was driving a narrow, tree-lined road near my home trying to

avoid potholes when there was a flash of chartreuse on the road in front

of me. So bright and unusual was this color that I slowed to look and

was rewarded with the sight of a male Painted Bunting sitting in the

bushes by the side of the road. A few days later, my husband and I ob-

served two Painted Buntings in the same place. A nesting pair—less

than a mile from our house!

In a discipline which usually spends its time noting obscure field

identification marks to discern one species from another, the Painted

Bunting is a refreshing change. The male is so covered with bright col-

ors that he looks as if someone splashed him randomly with paint. In

fact, a Native American legend tells that when the great spirit gave col-

ors to the birds, he started to run out, so the Painted Bunting, which was last, received plumage of many colors from

the leftovers of all the other birds. There is no other bird in North America which has a red breast and rump, a green

back and a blue head. Females and juveniles are a bright green. Painted Buntings are part of the same family as

cardinals, grosbeaks and buntings—colorful birds all—but the Painted Bunting is so spectacular that the French word

nonpareil is used for this species. It means without equal and describes the bird’s Continued on page 4

Tram Fundraiser: Off to a Good Start! Please Help to Replace Our Tram

Please consider helping The Friends of Hagerman to contin-

ue educating children and adults about nature and conser-

vation aboard our open-air tram rides. The volunteer tram

operators inform visitors about the wildlife found at Hager-

man as well as the refuge’s history. Our tram needs to be

replaced and YOUR help will enable us to continue these

fantastic tours. You can donate by stopping by the visitor’s

center, by mail and also by visiting our website:

www.friendsofhagerman.com/store. 100% of your donation

will go toward the purchase of a new tram.

Prefer a different method of helping? Check out other great

ways to help Friends of Hagerman through volunteering.

Visit www.friendsofhagerman.com/Contact to see the varied

opportunities, or email the friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

for more information.

With $6,775 of donations so far, we have reached

27% of our goal in our first two months of fundraising.

Red yucca is not actually a yucca but rather a member of

the Agavaceae or century-plant family. This small to me-

dium-sized shrub is prominent in the landscapes of Texas

and the southwest and is often seen along the highways

throughout the state. Red yucca is wonderful for rock

gardens and can easily be identified in the Hagerman

Butterfly Garden. Its dark green yucca-like thin leaves rise

fountain-like from the woody base and provide an unusual

sculptural accent. It has long wands of pinkish-red, yel-

low, and coral bell-shaped flowers that last from May

through October. It loves sun and is exceedingly tough,

tolerating extreme heat and cold and needing no attention

or supplemental irrigation once established. Many peo-

ple, however, remove the dried flower stalks in the fall.

Unlike yucca, the leaves are not spine-tipped, and have

fibrous threads along the edges. The leaves are plum-

colored in winter; blue-green other times.

Red yucca is native to Central and Western Texas and

south to Coahuila in northern Mexico. It can be found in

prairies, on rocky slopes, and in mesquite groves in Cen-

tral Texas in well-drained sand, loam, caliche, or lime-

stone soils. It is very adaptable to various types of soil.

An evergreen, perennial shrub, red yucca grows from

three to five feet tall with a width of two to four feet. Flow-

er spikes attract night-pollinating moths, and humming-

birds are attracted to it by day. The leaves are deer re-

sistant; however, deer are known to munch on the flow-

ers.

When considering plants for your North Texas landscape,

red yucca is an excellent choice because of its heat toler-

ance, attractiveness to pollinators, and eye-catching

beauty.

Red Yucca, Red Hesperaloe Hesperaloe parviflora By Donna Rogers

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Thank you, Donna Rogers

The Refuge Rocks: Last month we enjoyed a fishing trip! Don’t miss the fun on July 20th!!

June 4: It was a cool and cloudy morning as we started today's census. Our first stop of the day was Dead Woman Pond and we found the best bird of the day there, an Anhinga sitting in a tree with a bunch of Cattle Egrets. We do not often see Anhingas at the refuge so this was a spe-cial treat. Most of the normal areas we go to were under water so we had to once again bird the outskirts of the refuge. On Wright Road as we approached Judge Elliot Road we heard a singing Bell's Vireo. We con-tinued on to the west side of the refuge and saw 4 Red-headed Wood-peckers, one on Oil Field Road and 3 on the crossover from C pad to Sandy Point Road. At Sandy point we got some up close looks at a Greater Roadrunner catching insects in the grass. We finished the day with 62 species. Nesting birds were abundant and singing in most loca-tions. Photo is the Greater Roadrunner we saw at Sandy Point. June 11: We once again birded the outskirts of the refuge but were able to find many birds on their nesting territo-

ries. We went to Dead Woman Pond early on and discovered the begin-nings of a heronry there with over 100 Cattle Egrets and some Neo-tropic Cormornats and a Double-crested Cormorant. Some of the egrets have built nests and there was a lot of croaking and squawking go-ing on. We saw single Wild Turkeys in several places. We finished the day with 451 Cattle Egrets. There were a lot of them in the fields on the west side of the refuge. We saw the first Yellow-crowned Night-Heron of the season on a pond south of the refuge. It had a large Crawfish and proceeded to swallow it as we watched. We counted 35 Northern Mock-ingbirds and they were singing most everywhere we went. We saw or heard 23 Painted Buntings. We finished the day with 69 species. Photo is one of the male Painted Buntings we saw today on the road to Sandy Point. We are very fortunate to have one of the highest concentrations

of nesting Painted Buntings here of any place in the country. They like new growth, thorny habitat for nesting. They are highly sought after by visitors to the refuge. June 18: We went to Goode early on and checked out the heronry at Dead Woman Pond and it had many more birds than last week and lots of nests. They are now occupying at least 3 groups of Willows. We had a total of 630 Cattle Egrets for the day. On our way to the west side of the refuge we found a Bell's Vireo singing on territory and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, both on Naylor Lane. We found a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in a field near the Hagerman Cemetery. We saw or heard a total of 29 Painted Buntings and 48 Northern Cardinals. The lake was almost completely absent of birds. We finished the day with 63 species. Photo is of a Tom Wild Turkey putting on a

show for the ladies. They were in a field near the Hagerman Cemetery. June 25: The lake level is receding slowly. You can now see part of the main bridge on Wildlife Dr. and you can walk across the bridge at Dead Woman Pond. But even without any more rain it will take quite a while for it to get back to normal. Some of the better birds today were a Cooper's Hawk on Enterprise Rd., a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron on the south end of Bennett Ln., 3 Wild Turkeys, 32 Painted Buntings, 5 Summer Tanagers, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers and 488 Cattle Egrets. We went to Deaver Pond and could drive all the way to the low-water crossing at the South end of Deaver. You will probably be able to walk all the way to Meadow Pond sometime next week. Killdeer were the only shorebirds we saw. We finished the day with 58 species. Photo is Yellow-crowned Night-Heron with Crawfish.

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 6 or visit: www.friendsofhagerman.com/BirdSurvey

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Left: These stunning earrings modeled by Courtney Anderson are made of actual butterfly wings! They are collected on a butterfly reserve in Peru after they per-ish naturally.

Right: We are proud to offer these beau-tiful nature prints by well-known artist Dale Adkins

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spectacular plumage. Once you see one of

these medium-sized finches (larger than the

American goldfinch but smaller than an east-

ern bluebird), you will never forget it!

However, for such an easy-to-identify species,

and one which is common in nesting season throughout most of Texas, Painted

Buntings are rarely seen. They seldom come to backyard feeders because they dis-

like being far from cover. Painted Buntings nest in low vegetation, from three to six

feet off the ground, choosing mulberry, mesquite, elm and Osage orange trees in

semi-open country. They prefer scattered bushes and trees, as well as roadsides

with tall brush and patches of grasses, but are scarce where there are few trees or

in heavily forested areas. The male is most easily seen early in the morning when

he will often perch and sing on top of the brush where they live.

Painted Buntings eat seed for most of the year, but switch to insects during

breeding season (late April through late July). They’ve even been known to visit

spider webs to pick off the small insects caught in them! Increasing the number of

dense shrubs, sub-shrubs and smaller trees/evergreens in your yard will increase

your chance of seeing these wonderful creatures. You may get lucky and attract them to a feeder with solely mil-

let, a second feeder with other seeds to keep other birds at bay (they won’t compete for food) and nearby bushes

or trees for cover.

Painted Buntings are not endangered, but their habitat is threatened, so providing sheltering shrubs is

important. There are two populations of Painted Buntings in the U.S.: ours in Texas is part of the western group

which also includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The western

set has a fairly steady population compared to the Eastern group which

nests along the Atlantic coast from northern Florida to North Carolina,

where their habitat is more threatened.

At Hagerman, Painted Buntings are frequently seen along Harris

Creek trail, but are not unusual along other trails with the correct habi-

tat. They nest on the Refuge during May, June and July, when they are

often seen, but after that they begin their nighttime migration back to

Mexico for the winter. So come out, and take the opportunity to see our

Nonpareil and enjoy this shy, but standout species!

Photo by Jack Chiles

Nonpareil From Page 1

Thank you,

Rennny Gehman

What’s New in the Nature Nook?

Volunteer of the Month:

Thank You Skip and Melinda Hill

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: Laurie Sheppard, Jack Chiles, Renny Gehman, Donna Rogers 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

Don’t miss the Butterfly Garden Walk July 6th 9:00 to 11:00am

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Skip and Melinda Hill began volunteering in 2009 and currently volunteer in

the Nature Nook and for our annual fundraising BBQ: the High on the Hawg. In the

past Skip has served on the Board, as a Bluebird Monitor and in the Butterfly Gar-

den. In the past Melinda was also involved with Bluebird Monitoring.

Their favorite thing about the refuge is never knowing from one time to the

next what you might see. Hagerman is their favorite places to take nature photos!

A fun fact about Skip and Melinda: they love off roading in their Jeeps!

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!

Question Mark by Laurie Sheppard

See the Event Sheet on page 7 for details

Second Saturday Topic:

American Paddlefish and Alligator Gar

July 13: 10:00 to 11:30am Presented by Biologists Sarah Spangler and Krissy

Sardina from the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery.

See the Event Sheet on Page 7 for Details.

110 Canada Goose 5 Mallard 3 Wild Turkey 3 Eurasian Collared-Dove 1 Inca Dove 19 Mourning Dove 4 Greater Roadrunner 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 8 Killdeer 17 Neotropic Cormorant 1 American White Pelican 3 Great Blue Heron 18 Great Egret 8 Snowy Egret 4 Little Blue Heron

488 Cattle Egret 1 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 11 Black Vulture 13 Turkey Vulture 2 Mississippi Kite 1 Cooper's Hawk 4 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Red-headed Woodpecker 8 Red-bellied Woodpecker 8 Eastern Phoebe 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Western Kingbird 23 Scissor-tailed Flycatch-

er 15 White-eyed Vireo 1 Bell's Vireo 6 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Blue Jay 14 American Crow 27 Purple Martin 8 Barn Swallow 25 Cliff Swallow 18 Carolina Chickadee 13 Tufted Titmouse 13 Carolina Wren 1 Bewick's Wren 6 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 25 Eastern Bluebird

40 Northern Mockingbird 11 European Starling 12 Lark Sparrow 8 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Orchard Oriole 9 Red-winged Blackbird 9 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 Common Grackle 5 Summer Tanager 30 Northern Cardinal 4 Blue Grosbeak 14 Indigo Bunting 32 Painted Bunting 51 Dickcissel 8 House Sparrow

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

Thank you: Jack Chiles, Wayne Meyer, Terry Goode and Dave Mitchell

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.

June 28, 2019: With the full heat of summer upon us, you may find butterflies becoming more scarce, especially at

mid-day. Like you, they are looking for a little shade and a cool drink. Plan your visit to the Butterfly Garden in the

cooler parts of the day and you will be rewarded.

Butterflies Seen this week in the Butterfly Garden:

Black Swallowtail

Clouded Skipper

Cloudless Sulphur

Common Buckeye

Dainty Sulphur

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Gray Hairstreak

Gulf Fritillary

Orange Sulphur

Pipevine Swallowtail

Queen

Sleepy Orange

Variegated Fritillary

Coral Honeysuckle

Texas Betony

Winecup

Tuberous Vervain (Sandpaper Verbe-

na)

Englemann Daisy

Mealy Blue Sage

Drummond’s Petunia

Evening Primrose

Texas Lantana

Blackfoot Daisy

Wild Morning Glory

Yarrow

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Horseherb

Zexmenia

Purple Coneflower

Gaillardia (Indian Blanket)

Prairie Fleabane

Gaura

Texas Dandelion

American Basket-flower

Clasping Coneflower

Horse Mint

Black-eyed Susan

Thelesperma (Greenthread)

Passion Vine

Giant Coneflower

Frogfruit

Day Flower (Widow's Tears)

Mexican Hat

Vitex

Rock Rose

Desert Willow

Red Yucca

Partridge Pea

Veronica Speedwell

Phlox

Monarda

Buttonbush

Snakeweed

Lance-leaf Coreopsis

Velvetweed

Plants in Bloom this week:

Friends of Hagerman July 2019 Event Sheet For more information please email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

Butterfly Garden Walks, Saturday, July 6 th, 9:00 to 11:00am **Note Time Change!** Enjoy a stroll through the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Come on your own or bring the family. 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. Special activities for fami-

lies 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.

Butterfly Docent Meeting, Thursday, July 11 th, at 10:00am 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 at the refuge Visitor Center. Contact the friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for more infor-mation..

Second Saturday: American Paddlefish and Alligator Gar Saturday, July 13, 10:00 – 11:30am

Biologists Sarah Spangler and Krissy Sardina from the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery will be presenting on the ecology, history, and status of the American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) in the United States, focusing on their roles as fish biologists in the conservation of the two species.

Sarah Spangler is a fish biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service stationed out of Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. She grew up exploring the spring fed streams of Missouri and Northwest Arkansas, which led to a passion of the natural world and the pursuance of a degree in Wildlife Biology. After exploring different careers, which included working as a marine mammal observer in Oregon and an electrofishing crew member in Virginia, she decided to pursue a Master’s degree from Missouri State University in 2016. During her graduate studies she partnered with Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery, studying the ecology of hatchling alligator snapping turtles. Since her graduation, she has begun working full-time at Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery as a biologist, where she has the privilege of working with several threatened and endangered species, such as the American paddlefish, alligator snapping turtle, and Arkansas River shiner.

Krissy Sardina is a Fisheries Biologist at Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery where she works with species such as American paddlefish, alligator gar, channel catfish, and alligator snapping turtles. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2016 and her M.S. in Biology at Missouri State University in 2019 with research conducted on head-starting practices of alligator snapping turtles. Originally from southwest Florida, Krissy developed her passion for aquatic biol-ogy and conservation through her early explorations of coastal ecosystems and cypress swamps.

The Refuge Rocks: Fireflies Light Up the Night, For Ages4 -6 and 7-10 Saturday, July 20, 10:00-11:30am, Free Have you ever spotted a firefly sparkling on a warm summer night? You may have seen fireflies glowing in the trees and bushes and maybe even caught one. There’s something magical about fireflies. They twinkle and dance like green stars on warm sum-mer nights, turning our meadows, forest edges, and back yards into fairylands. Come out to the refuge and learn what makes these enchanting creatures light up the night and how we can continue to protect their precious habitat. We’ll introduce you to the amazing world of fireflies as we play games, make firefly crafts, and participate in fun activities. Note: we’ll have two clas-ses for the separate age groups to provide age appropriate activities. To sign up - call the refuge at (903) 786-2826 or vis-it www.friendsofhagerman.com/contact.

Nature Photo Club Meeting: Saturday, July 20 at 1:00pm Topic TBA. All are welcome.

Outdoor Crew, Saturday, July 27th Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? 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. Scouts welcome!

Bluestem Master Naturalist Open Enrollment Until July 31 st If you enjoy nature and would like to help others learn about our earth and why we need to work toward preserving our planet, consider becoming a Master Naturalist. A program for new trainees begins in August. The cost of $100 includes all training clas-ses, the TMN curriculum book and 2019 dues. For more information, email Cathy Van Bebber at friendsofhager-man@gmail.com.

Tram Tours All Carlos and Eulalia Cardinal Express tram tours are cancelled until further notice due to flooding. However, reservations are tentatively being accepted for future months.

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