The Birds Redux

After North Texas was locked in one of the worst winter storms in a century, with several inches of snow on the ground and temperatures in single digits..... 

Robin Red Breasts that normally feed on worms and insects gathered in large flocks, descending on any tree with berries just to have something to eat until the snow cleared. 

Although the Robins made it through the week, flocks of Cedar Wax Wings will arrive in early spring to feed on these berries but will find barren trees.

Nature is an incredibly complex system so it is hard to say whether the food that carried Robins through the storm will really be missed by the Wax Wings or if they'll turn to other food sources and do just fine.  If not, perhaps some of the storm damage will have been indirect. 

Best viewed full-screen. 

Music

Hitchcock Etudes by Nicole Lizée / Bozzini Quartet is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License.  

a dog, a coyote and a tennis ball

On the morning of December 7th, 2020, I took our Weimaraner Luna for some exercise playing fetch on the tennis courts at a neighborhood park before starting my work day. After a while, I noticed we had company. I've seen coyotes alongside the road in deep East Texas before so it didn't take long to realize what it was. I pulled out my phone to photograph the coyote and then realized it was sticking around so I switched to video. I was intrigued by how interested it seemed to be in Luna. And she was also interested in it. At least for a while... 

St Francis Park is in a wildlife corridor running along Ash Creek as it winds through East Dallas. I routinely see neighbors report sightings of a variety of creatures in the neighborhood on the NextDoor app, animals that likely make their home along this creek. This coyote looked healthy, well-fed, so it seems life in the corridor is pretty good. An entirely different world, tucked right in between broad tracks of residential homes like ours.

Best viewed full-screen. 

Music

Angela Climbs a Boulder at Horn Creek, the Sun Sets, the Bat Flies By by Aaron Ximm 

What's In Your Lawn?

Birds aren't the only thing flying around our house. It just took getting down at ground level to appreciate all the other flying activity.

Think these are pests? Think again! Although many wasps including North Texas natives like paper wasps, red wasps, cicada killers can sting, that's usually just when you bother them. So don't! They are hunters who are generally beneficial to your garden. And your yard.

For more information, check out this article.

Video best viewed full-screen.

Music

Perfectly Mowed Lawn by VYVCH is licensed under CC Attribution License

first attempt to fly - a video by jack

The June clutch of finch chicks have fledged but here is a look back at the day or so before they flew off.

This video was created with the help of my grandson Jackson. As all our families are sheltering in place, he and I spend time each week together online, working on various projects. This week I was showing him how I create videos for the Our Wildlife channel and blog, letting him play around with DaVinci Resolve.

Enjoy!