FRIENDS OF HAGERMAN NWR

FEATHERLESS FLYER MAY, 2020

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 5

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

Come and Enjoy! But please observe the 20mph speed limit on all refuge roads

WHAT’S GOING ON??

See our DETAILED,

PRINTABLE

Bird Survey Results on

Page 7

You want to see a lot of birds, but don’t have a lot of time. You want to walk a trail, but your baby is in a stroller. You miss hiking, but you need a cane to walk now—or you’re still recovering from a knee or hip replacement. You can walk—but hills or rough surfaces present a problem as you get older. So you settle for driving along Wildlife Drive, but don’t get out of your car.

Wait! Hagerman has a trail for you, and its access is right across the road from the Visitor Center. Harris Creek Trail is one trail in three parts, and the first section is completely ADA accessible. Park at the kiosk or in the handicap parking, walk a few steps east and start down the inviting, groomed trail. It begins in the trees but ahead you glimpse…what?

The trail is named for Harris Creek which winds along the west side of the trail, eventually empty-ing into Lake Texoma under the bridge on Wildlife Drive. For much of the first part of the ADA accessible

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An Easy Outing—For Everyone By Renny Gehman

Many of you may have heard about the tragic acci-

dent that took the life of Denison teacher Katie Palmer

last week as she and her husband, John, were walking in

their neighborhood. What you may not know is that Katie

was a volunteer at Hagerman NWR for several years

and was instrumental in starting the now very popular

Friends of Hagerman youth nature programs held one

Saturday per month. Needless to say, the children that

attended the programs loved the way she opened their

eyes to the natural world around them.

I had the pleasure of meeting Katie soon after my

arrival at Hagerman NWR in late 2008. She volunteered

her time and talent to educate so many people about the

importance of understanding and appreciating nature.

Her love of teaching children, everything outdoors, and

enthusiasm when sharing her vast knowledge with oth-(Continued on page 2)

In Memoriam…A Tribute to Katie Palmer By Kathy Whaley

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ers was inspiring. The last time I saw Katie was at HeyDay in Denison

just a few months ago when her team of young ladies gathered for a

community event where local bank and other professionals were

paired with students to learn what is involved in earning and managing

money. The team Katie worked with, Coco Loco, sold the most hot co-

co and had chosen Denison Animal Welfare Group (DAWG) to be the

recipient of the funds they raised. I am on the Board of Directors for

DAWG so I attended an event held to recognize the talented young

people involved for their hard work and accomplishments. Katie sat at

a table next to me so we had a chance to chat. She was so proud of

her team for how hard they had worked and, as always, her kindness,

generosity, and pride in seeing others succeed was on full dis-

play. DAWG was honored her team had chosen to help homeless ani-

mals with a generous donation.

It is easy to see from Katie’s Facebook posts how close she was with her family and how she loved so many

things and new adventures. I cannot imagine the loss her family is feeling as they try to find a way forward with-

out the centerpiece of their lives. So many friends, too, feel the loss of this wonderful person. I have received a

few emails wanting to honor Katie’s love of nature and involvement at the Refuge in a special way. The Refuge

staff and Friends of Hagerman had begun discussing this already and look forward to working with others who

knew and loved Katie to find a special way of recognizing a life that was far too short, but so filled with goodness.

I am very honored that I had the privilege of knowing you, Katie Palmer. We will miss you so much here on

Earth, but we thank you for making this world a better place.

(Continued from page 1)

The Bobolinks

are Coming!

Bobolinks pass through Hager-

man NWR about this time of

year on their migration route.

In Memoriam…A Tribute to Katie Palmer By Kathy Whaley

Photo by Randall Patterson

We're coming into Crapemyrtle bark

scale season. If you have *any* culti-

var of myrtle in your yard keep an eye

out for tiny (.5mm) crawlers at this

time. Myrtle scale won't kill your tree, it

will just make it ugly with black mold

and white egg cases. If you do see evi-

dence of scale now, your only choice

really is a bark spray; you can try root

soaks next year around february.

For a free pest management consulta-

tion regarding crapemyrtles, please

contact:

David Parsons

Sherman.agribugs@gmail.com

A Warning to

Crapemyrtle Owners

3

An Easy Outing

loop, Harris Creek offers vistas of swamp, flood plains and running water. Here you can glimpse ducks, geese, and wading birds in the water or swampy areas and warblers and other songbirds in the trees lining the other side. Looking downstream, you can just spot the bridge over Wildlife Drive.

The trail continues on through trees which, on the late April afternoon when we walked it, were alive with bird calls—cardinals, chickadees, dickcissels, a vireo, and an indigo bunting. This part of Harris Creek is well known on the refuge as one of the best spots for passerines.

While we didn’t see a painted bunting (often spot-ted along here) we did meet a lady taking advantage of the easy walking to explore with her two young children. Rachel Chisholm of Tioga gave us permission to take a picture of her and her daughter Ruby in her stroller (left), taking advantage of the 1/3-mile hike. Also accompanying her was her mother, toddler daughter and their English Bulldog (on his leash, of course)—proving that Harris Creek Trail can be enjoyed by everyone.

A little farther on, the trail divides and just off to the left is a short spur leading to a photo blind (left, inset). Overlooking Duck Pond, this blind is set up for photog-raphy and has a great view of the pond and surrounding woods. The trail continues around Duck Pond to a bench where you can rest and look back at the blind or sit and enjoy the water.

Just past the bench Harris Creek Trail forks, with the accessible trail continuing to the left while the Crawfish Pond loop goes right and makes a 1.25 mile circle. All sections of the trail are clearly marked by blazes on tree trunks, with blue marking the ADA portion. We chose to follow the yellow loop to Crawfish Pond and rested for a while on the bench overlooking the pond to watch a pair of shovelers busy feeding in the weeds on the opposite shore. Crawfish Pond has a more open feel but is still sur-rounded by towering trees like those in the picture on the left. Also along this loop were flowers and butterflies in abundance, as well as many bluebird houses. We did see one bluebird flash across the trail as we approached the second trail split. This split makes a longer (2.25 miles) circuit, called the Prairie Loop, through open fields and then reconnects with the Crawfish Pond Loop below Frog Pond.

We chose, because of the windy weather and im-pending storms, to continue on the Crawfish Pond loop until the Prairie Loop reconnected and then take the Prai-rie Loop a short way up past Kingfisher Pond. This part of the Prairie Loop descends past four ponds, Raccoon, Heron, Kingfisher and Frog. Standing between Frog and Kingfisher Pond and looking upstream gives a beautiful view of the ponds winding into the distance. The trail passing the ponds is open, but soon after returning to the

(Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 4)

4

Crawfish Pond loop is a shady bench which we were happy to take advantage of. You can see next to it one of the information markers which line the trail and give information about habitat, specific plants and wildlife.

This particular part of the trail, while well groomed, made us appreciate the availability of the ADA loop for those who cannot handle rougher terrain. You can see the difference in the picture which I snapped where the Pond loop rejoined the ADA trail. do want to emphasize, however, that the two Pond loops are open, well-maintained and not difficult for the average person.

We saw one bicycle rider on our little adventure: bicycles are welcome on all of the trails here except for Crow Hill Trail and the ADA portion of Harris Creek Trail.

One delightful surprise on the final leg of the ac-cessible trail was the section where the trail passed through another stretch of woods that rang with the call of multiple birds, and the birdsong continued as we re-traced our steps back along Harris Creek to the trail-head and parking. It was a pleasant end to a spring walk. Back to Page 1

(Continued from page 3)

An Easy Outing

Plant of the Month: Texas Bluestar (Amsonia ciliata) By Donna Rogers

A fun plant for any garden is the Texas bluestar. This fringed plant is a long-lived perennial grown for its handsome foliage and spring flowers. The flowers range in color from the dark blue of closed buds to the soft powdery blue of open flowers and often ap-pear as a two-toned effect. Even when not in bloom, this airy, grace-ful plant displays willowlike foliage that turns golden yellow in the fall, which is rare among herbaceous perennials. A member of the dogbane family, blue star grows 15 – 20 inches tall, with single leaves close together all the way up to the stem of the flower cluster. The narrow tube of the pale blue flower is ½ inch long and opens into 5 petal-like lobes in a ½ inch star shape with a white ring at the center. Several blossoms grow in a loose cluster at the tips of the stems. The Texas bluestar blooms March through June and is native from North Carolina to Florida and west to Missouri and Texas. Blue star prefers fertile, well-drained soils such as sandy loam or limestone. This plant becomes aggressive in rich, garden soil, but It does need some summer water. To keep blue star erect and bushy, cut it back after it has flowered. Plant blue star in full to part sun to get the most spectacular color

and prevent flopping (which is especially important with taller varie-

ties). In regions with very warm summers, plant blue star can be

planted in part shade. Prune any floppy plants (especially those

growing in part shade) to make them sturdier. Cutting back blue star

a few inches after blooming creates a tighter habit and prevents the plant from aggressively self-seeding.

Divide the plant in spring or root plant cuttings in early summer. Blue star is not susceptible to serious in-

sect problems or diseases and is commercially available.

5

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, Randall Patterson, Renny Gehman, Kathy Whaley, Susan Powell Donna Rogers Refuge Manager: Kathy Whaley Refuge Liaison: Paul Balkenbush General Biologist: Courtney Anderson

Hagerman Little Library By Susan Powell

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is the beneficiary of a recent Eagle Scout project. Bryce Rowland

of Troop 45 in Howe designed, constructed and installed a Little Library in the Butterfly Garden gazebo at

Hagerman. The library has become a popular spot for visitors to the gardens, with numerous books on

nature and novels of many genre. The public is welcome to Take a Book/Leave a Book when visiting the

Refuge.

Bryce has been Scouting since the age of 6 – starting out in Tiger Cub Pack 7 and Troop 66 in Sher-

man, then transferring to Troop 45 where Steven Penney is Scoutmaster. Bryce has experienced Scout

summer camps in various locations, including Camp James Ray, Sid Richardson Scout Ranch and the

Florida High Adventure Sea Base. He is a senior at Sherman High School, plays bass clarinet in the

marching band and stage band, and enjoys landscape photography. Bryce is looking forward to getting

his college basics at Gray-

son College and then possi-

bly studying Engineering

and/or Health Care.

Bryce got the idea to

build the Little Library after

his older brother completed

his Eagle project building

benches for the Refuge.

Bryce did the woodwork

himself, teaching himself

the finer skills of woodwork-

ing. His project took about

four months from project

approval to installation of

the Little Library in January,

2020.

The Buntings

are Back!

Indigo and Painted

Buntings are back and

can be seen and heard

on the refuge now.

They like to sing from

high perches, such as

tops of trees and pow-

erlines along road-

sides. This is a male

painted bunting, the

females are green.

6

April 7: Once again I did the census solo. When I started out

Wildlife Drive was still closed as they were preparing it for reo-

pening following the flooding. It did reopen about 2 p.m. Shore-

birds are beginning to show up in greater numbers. There were

a total of 98 Pectoral Sandpipers in some wet areas north of

headquarters. There I also found Semipalmated Sandpipers,

Baird's and Least Sandpipers. Little Blue Herons and a large

number of Snowy Egrets have arrived. At Deaver Pond I found

a Belted Kingfisher and a Red-headed Woodpecker. There

were at least 14 Purple Martins in the Martin house at head-

quarters. White-eyed Vireos were singing at many locations

and I heard a first of season Red-eyed Vireo. Lucy the female

Bald Eagle was sitting on her favorite power pole. I saw a Tom

Wild Turkey showing off for some hens near the houses north

of headquarters. There is now once again full access to all of

the roads on the refuge. I finished the day with 65 species.

Photo of the Wild Turkeys seen on the census, Tuesday.

April 14: Today was a raw day for mid April. Shorebird num-

bers were not good but the American White Pelicans have

started arriving in good numbers and there were hundreds

feeding in Muleshoe Marsh and Mineral Marsh. I found a total

of 25 Pied-billed Grebes most of which were in Meadow Pond.

On Short Road I found a group of 15 Lark Sparrows picking up

gravel on the side of the road. I counted 98 Snowy Egrets, a lot

of which were feeding in the cattails in Steedman Marsh along

with Little Blue Herons. I saw 3 Fish Crows along Wildlife

Drive. I found a couple of Barred Owls sounding off on the cut-

off from C pad to Sandy Point Road. Mike Petrick found a cou-

ple of Piping Plovers near the Harris Creek bridge but I was

unable to locate them. I finished the day with 68 species. Next

week migration activity should increase. Photo is one of the

Barred Owls I saw today as it was taking off...

April 21: The morning was nice, clear and calm. There are lots

of mudflats at the refuge now and it was ideal for shorebirds. I

finished the day with 20 species of shorebirds. Some of the

more notable were Hudsonian Godwits, a Willet, a Dunlin,

American Avocets, a Solitary Sandpiper and lots of Wilson's

Phalaropes and Long-billed Dowitchers. The shorebirds were

scattered out and some took some effort to locate. Had a first

of season Dickcissel at the gate to Crow Hill. The Red-

breasted Merganser is still hanging around the pads on Wildlife

Drive. I found a first of season Eastern Kingbird, Nashville

Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler. Also had 3 first of season

Swainson's Thrushes. Finished the day with 90 species. Even

more migrants will be arriving next week. Photo, singing Pro-

thonotary Warbler taken just past Meadow Pond. (Continued on page 7)

BIRDING WITH JACK Thank You , Jack Chiles

7

Canada Goose 21 Blue-winged Teal 3 Mallard 2 Eurasian Collared-Dove 3 Inca Dove 2 Mourning Dove 15 Greater Roadrunner 1 American Coot 1 Semipalmated Plover 15 Killdeer 6 Least Sandpiper 28 White-rumped Sandpiper 5 Pectoral Sandpiper 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper 2 Western Sandpiper 1 Long-billed Dowitcher 29 Wilson's Phalarope 30 Spotted Sandpiper 3 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Neotropic Cormorant 8 Double-crested Cormorant 4 cormorant sp. 5 American White Pelican 4 Great Blue Heron 8 Great Egret 1

Snowy Egret 19 Little Blue Heron 2 Cattle Egret 37 Black Vulture 4 Turkey Vulture 11 Northern Harrier 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Eastern Phoebe 4 Great Crested Flycatcher 5 Eastern Kingbird 18 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 13 White-eyed Vireo 15 Bell's Vireo 1 Red-eyed Vireo 5 Blue Jay 1 American Crow 25 Carolina Chickadee 3 Tufted Titmouse 8 Purple Martin 1 Tree Swallow 1 Barn Swallow 2 Cliff Swallow 4

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3 Carolina Wren 8 Bewick's Wren 2 European Starling 4 Northern Mockingbird 14 Eastern Bluebird 9 Swainson's Thrush 3 House Sparrow 1 Lark Sparrow 1 White-crowned Sparrow 1 Harris's Sparrow 1 Savannah Sparrow 11 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Baltimore Oriole 1 Red-winged Blackbird 52 Brown-headed Cowbird 4 Common Grackle 3 Prothonotary Warbler 1 Nashville Warbler 1 Summer Tanager 1 Northern Cardinal 38 Blue Grosbeak 6 Indigo Bunting 8 Painted Bunting 6 Dickcissel 124

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.

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

Thank you: Jack Chiles

Findings for April 28,2020, 74 species (+1 other taxa)

April 28: Conditions for today's bird census were much less

than ideal with a strong wind blowing. And because of the

strong wind I tallied 20 species or more, less than I would

expect to find this time of year. This week and next week are

normally the best time of the year for high species counts. A

majority of the shorebirds had left, taking advantage of the

strong tail winds on their northward migration journey. I could

only find one Great Egret today which is very unusual. I

found a singing Bell's Vireo near the large oil pad at the

southeast corner of the refuge off Bennett Ln. Painted

Buntings are starting to show up in better numbers and I saw

6 males singing today. Dickcissels are plentiful with a con-

servative count of 124 for the day. Searched for Bobolinks

unsuccessfully on Silliman Rd. Sparrow numbers were low

and I have still not located a Grasshopper Sparrow on Short Rd. Swallow numbers were also low but I did locate a

Tree Swallow on Wildlife Dr. I finished the day with 74 species. Pictured: Tree Swallow, Red-headed Woodpecker.

Birding With Jack(Continued from page 6)