Activities

A Quiz for Master Naturalists:
What is a “Funnel” trap?
What is a “MODO”?
What does “HY” signify?
What is the meaning of “AHY”?
What is a molt number?

The answers are at the end of this article, but no peeking.

The headlights of a truck splashed across me in the early morning darkness. I hoped it was Ray Kirkwood so we could be on our way. It was already 6:10 am and would soon be light. We had just under 20 miles to travel before we could begin our day. Our route would take us north from Rockport across Copano Bay to the Tatton Unit of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The Tatton Unit covers some 7568 acres of grass land and mesquite woodlands along HWY 35 about 11 miles north of Copano Bay. Thus began another day of dove banding on the Tatton.

For the second year, Ray and I (with a sometime assist from Kris) have banded mourning doves under the direction of Chad Stinson, Biologist at ANWR. The data we collected will help Texas Parks and Wildlife assess the status of the dove population in Texas. This year’s survey began about mid-July and concluded at the end of August. We spent three days a week at the effort, with each banding session lasting about six hours.

Chad and his co-workers had established eleven trap sites on the Tatton Unit adjacent to pasture roads so they could be easily accessed by truck. Many of the sites were pre-baited using solar-powered deer feeders, which spread seed periodically for about a month prior to the banding season. The traps were fabricated at ANWR from welded wire mesh. Each trap is a box about two feet square and six inches high with no bottom. A “trapdoor” with wire latch allows access to the trap. The birds enter the trap through two “funnels.” Once inside it is difficult—though not impossible—for the bird to escape. At each site, traps were placed on an area of bare ground.

Baited dove traps - Ray Kirkwood photo

Our days started just before sunrise when we reached the first trap site, T-50, about one-half mile off the highway. This site had eight traps—a group of four, a group of three, and a single trap by itself. There are no rules concerning trap lay-out. Whatever works! Traps had been left open side up to prevent a bird being trapped during our absence. We first turned the traps over and placed them side by side. Once the traps were arranged, we spread a generous amount of millet seed inside each trap. We’re careful not to spill any outside the traps. No “free lunches” here!

It required about an hour to cover the four-plus miles and set almost 50 traps at the eleven trap sites. After baiting the traps, we took time for a quick breakfast. We usually allowed the birds about an hour and twenty minutes to find their own breakfast before we started the first run.

Here’s how one day developed:

We begin our first run of the day after baiting all the traps. We drive slowly to within about 60 feet of the traps on site T-50. Last year, this site was our most productive, with a stock tank nearby and ample tree cover for the birds. This year the tank is dry with a hard-crusted bottom, so our capture rate has been up and down. We can see birds all around the traps, and we watch as two birds move up to the funnel-shaped doorway and actually enter its mouth, but never completely enter the trap. After 10 frustrating minutes we leave quietly with no birds banded. The other 10 trap sites yield five birds on that first run. Then a quick trip to the convenience store on the north side of Copano Bay for caffeine and we’re ready for our second run of the morning.

Once again we approach site T-50. This time as we reach the site, Ray says, “Bird in the trap”… followed by “No, three birds in the traps”… followed by “No, six birds”. As it turns out we had SEVEN birds to band.

By now we have eliminated any wasted motion from our banding routine. We first block the two “funnels” on each occupied trap. On two previous occasions, we watched in frustration as birds escaped before we could stop them. It’s my job to grab the laundry bag where we keep several 4X4 wood blocks used to block the doorways. Ray grabs the bird-carry bag and his arm guard (TJ Fox, pat. pend.). The birds are generally quiet and content to feed until we arrive and approach the traps. Then all hell breaks loose. After we block the traps, we need to extract the birds as quickly as possible so they won’t injure themselves. Ray slowly reaches into the trap (the trapdoor edges are very sharp and the arm guard keeps Ray from bleeding on the doves) and extracts a bird and places it in the carry-sack I’m holding.

Removing dove from trap - TJ Fox photo

One by one we extract the birds. Finally, Ray carries the last one to the truck and I bring the others in the carry-bag. Once Ray is in the truck, I pass the bag to him and we close the doors. We did have a bird get loose on one occasion. Ray is fairly limber for an old guy, and it was interesting, watching him climbing over the front seat into the back to recapture the bird.

Now we get to the important part. First, Ray determines if the bird is a “recapture” (already has a leg band). If not, I remove a band from the container, check to see that it’s the next consecutive number, and spread it open using special banding pliers. When the band is open and placed in the pliers, Ray holds the bird with its leg extended and I position the open band around the leg and crimp it closed.

Crimping the band - Ray Kirkwood photo

Record-keeping is next. I record the band number, site number, and date and time. Ray now gives me age information and the number of the most recently molted primary flight feather. Age information is determined by looking at primary covert feathers. Young “hatch-year” mourning doves have light-colored or buffy tips on their primary coverts. Primary flight feathers that come in after a molt are darker and cleaner, and the newest feather is often shorter than the old, unmolted feathers. If the bird is a recapture, we record the existing band number.

Counting back to the first primary molt - Ray Kirkwood photo

The bird in the picture is an AHY 4.

We’re finished, and the bird is released. We processed our seven-bird capture in nine minutes. Although we had no more than two birds at any one location for the rest of the morning, we did band 20 birds that day.

Throughout this year's banding, Ray and I were continually reminded of the animals' constant search for water. All last year’s water holes were dry. We have no idea how far they must be going just to get a drink. Refuge personnel have reconditioned an existing windmill and installed a large plastic pond which is now filled with cool clear water. There’s only one problem—the water is very salty at 24 parts per thousand.

Refurbished windmill - Ray Kirkwood photo

What a cruel irony! As far as we know there is NO fresh water on the Tatton Unit.

Finally, the project made us feel bipolar. When you’re thinking about going, you hate it. Why does TPWD need to have this done during the hottest part of the year? Because it’s so hot, you have to get up in the middle of the night to start early when it’s cooler so we won’t stress the birds. What about OUR stress? We use Ray’s truck and cover over 80 miles on each session. During that time we open and close gates at least 10 times (that’s my job) and exit the truck at least 40 times. Each time we get down from Ray's tall truck, we must, of course, climb back in. In addition, there’s lots of kneeling down on one knee and then standing back up. That’s not always easy for older backs and knees.

However, once “on the job,” especially if it's a good day, you forget all the bad stuff and just have a great experience. We flushed 12 wood storks from the last remaining pond one morning. (Now that pond is dry.) We saw lots of scissor-tail flycatchers minus their scissor-tails, plus many deer, and, on two occasions, bobcats unconcerned with our presence .

Bobcat scrutinizing T-50 traps - Ray Kirkwood photo

Last year Ray and I banded about 60 birds. This year, we banded 214 birds with an additional 26 recaptures while spending about 200 hours and driving over 1200 miles. A good day last year was 5 or 6 birds. This year we averaged banding 15 doves each day, with one day of 30 and another of 26. On two occasions, we had seven birds at one site at one time. We are already looking forward to banding the Tatton next year. Almost.

Quiz Answers:

A Funnel Trap is a bird trap designed with a funnel-shaped entry.
An “MODO” is shorthand for Mourning Dove.
“HY” signifies a hatch-year (less than one year old) bird.
”AHY” designates After-Hatch Year—a bird more than one year old
Molt Number indicates the last primary flight feather that has been molted.

The Tip of the Iceberg

By TJ Fox, certified Texas Master Naturalist

Friday afternoon, June 12, I was engaged in one of my regular activities—an afternoon nap—when I got a call from a seasonal tech at the Turtle Lab at Padre Island National Seashore. She wanted me to be on the “hatchling release team” for Saturday morning. I have participated in the Kemp's Ridley Recovery Program on Padre Island since 2001 and have attended several hatchling releases, but have never participated as part of the release team. I hesitated, knowing the release would take about an hour and the drive would be a three-hour round trip, but finally said yes.

So at 4:15 am (yes, there is a 4:15 in the morning) I was driven from bed by my little-used alarm clock. I took a shower to clear my head and dressed as I had been instructed: “Turtle Patrol Team” t-shirt, dark pants, dark socks, and dark tennis shoes. Dressed in dark clothing, the team won’t distract the hatchlings during their crawl to the surf. By 4:45 am I’m on the road for the 68-mile trip to the Malaquite Beach Visitors’ Center. By 6:15, I’m at the visitors’ center along with about a dozen volunteers and a growing crowd of people who have come to see the release. We, the volunteers, soon made our way down to the beach to set up for the release.

Over time, the release of Kemp's Ridley hatchlings has developed into a well-orchestrated event. First, we covered all the ghost crab holes in the release area, removed all debris, and raked it smooth. Next we deployed rubber traffic-style barriers and roped off the release area to keep the visitors at a safe distance. Safe for the hatchlings, that is… Then we readied the gull-defense tools.

Gull defense comes in two forms. First, four PVC pipes about 12 feet in length with cross members and brightly colored streamers tied to them- think of a Roman legion banner- are placed about the site. Next are straight poles, again with colored streamers. These are held by volunteers. The second line of defense is a piece of netting about 15X15 feet with poles attached to the corners, allowing it to be positioned high above the hatchlings, Donna Shaver (head of the Kemp's ridley Restoration Project), and others who are releasing. My job is to hold one corner pole of this net.

Now Donna Shaver has the two nest boxes brought from her SUV. These are the Styrofoam coolers in which the recovered eggs were originally packed, used to incubate the eggs, and now full of hatchlings eager to get into the water. The boxes are covered with a black cloth slipcovers to help keep the babies quiet. We’re now ready for the visitors to come down from the visitors’ center. Almost 100 people of all ages have gathered at 6:30 in the morning to watch the babies' release. This gathering will happen over and over again during the summer. That’s the result of effective public relations.

Finally, it’s time to see the stars of the show—109 Kemp's ridley hatchlings. Donna Shaver and the National Seashore Superintendent each kneel in front of a box. Both have on disposable plastic gloves to protect the babies. They remove the covers and the lids and carefully start lifting the hatchlings out of the box and placing them on the sand. The hatchlings are the size of a 50-cent piece and easily fit onto your open palm. They are placed close together; in some cases, one partially on top of another. Almost immediately they began moving toward the surf. The sun is now just above the horizon. Current thinking is that the babies move toward the sun, thus the early morning release.

While some move purposely toward the surf, others just sit. Some babies scramble sideways and a few turn away from the water. Donna patiently turns those around. This is no “walk in the park” for the babies. Although they have been given many advantages, they are not released directly into the surf. To enter the surf, they must crawl a good 30 feet. That’s a long way for babies this small. It’s not long, however, before the first hatchling touches the water. The crowd claps and shouts. Now the babies are all moving toward the surf, but even when they reach it, the end of a wave may carry them backward several feet. But by now, nothing will stop them. Although every baby is moving, the rule “the shortest distance is a straight line” does not apply. The hatchlings all started within 4 feet of each other but, are now spread out across 20 feet of beach. The volunteers holding streamer poles cannot move a foot without a careful look around. The net holders move to keep the net over the hatchlings while Donna and the Superintendent move forward on their knees.

All the activity has brought the gulls to see if this means food. The volunteers with streamer poles wave them about. A couple of really curious gulls dive close but are discouraged by the streamers and shouts of the volunteers. Two volunteers are in knee-deep water with streamers held high. Gulls are the main concern—the occasional tern flying by causes no alarm. In years past, volunteers used to be stationed some distance down the beach with Cheetos to draw away the gulls. This practice has been discontinued because Cheetos are not good for gulls, and Donna doesn't want to cause them harm while distracting them from the baby turtles.

Two volunteers have the envious job of carrying a hatchling to the crowd barrier to give the audience a first-hand view of a baby. Again, each is wearing plastic gloves. Another volunteer begins taking close-ups of the babies with cameras from the crowd. Many visitors will go home with close-ups of the hatchlings without endangering them.

By now, all but a few of the babies have reached the surf. The crowd grows even more attentive, not wanting to miss the last baby entering the surf. Finally, the last hatchling disappears into the water. The crowd shouts happily and claps. We volunteers shout and clap, too. It’s over for the day. More hatchling may be released today, but the release will be done in a deserted area with only a few people present. With so many hatchlings these days, releases must be more efficient, but keeping the public involved is important. That’s why releases are made at the visitors’ center.

Looking at the people as the crowd disburses, I’m reminded that what they saw was much like looking at an iceberg. The hatchlings entering the surf are only a fraction of the effort expended on this program. So much more lies hidden starting with the commitment of the National Parks Service, the activities of the staff on a year-round basis, volunteer training in the spring followed by three months of beach patrols, and finally the hatchling releases. What started as the vision of one individual, Donna Shaver, has spread to involve hundreds of people along the entire Texas coast. Last year over 15,000 hatchlings were released. That’s success!

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Interested in attending a release? Call the "Hatchling Release Hotline" at
361-949-7163 (24/7) for release information. Sure, it's early in the morning, but
it's worth the lost sleep.

2009 Graduation

The Class of 2009 prepares to celebrate graduation.

Riparian Training 2009 Photos

Bay Ecology Training 2009

by Drew Jacobs, Member-in-Training

The 2009 Bay Ecology class was held at Port Aransas on Mustang Island. The day was overcast, cool, and absolutely perfect for the full schedule planned for us. From Roberts Point Park to Woody's for a bay trip on the Dolphin Watch Tour Boat to identifying plankton to the South Jetty to see what was living on the rocks to, finally, the Birding Center with Ray Little. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, and slept well that night.

Mission Aransas NERR Plant Survey, Fennessey Ranch

by TJ Fox, Certified Texas Master Naturalist

If you attended the Chapter meeting on Saturday, February 14th, you learned about the Mission-Aransas NERR. Briefly, for those who were not in attendance, NERR stands for “National Estuarine Research Reserve.” There are about thirty such reserves designated by the federal government around the coast of the U.S. The NERR System is a network of designated areas established for long-term research, education, and stewardship. See http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/ for more information. This partnership program between NOAA and various states protects more than one million acres of estuarine land and water that provides essential habitat for wildlife; offers educational opportunities for students, teachers and the public; and serves as living laboratories for scientists. Our local Mission-Aransas NERR—the only one in Texas—was established in 2008 and headquartered at the UT Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas. The Mission-Aransas NERR includes Copano, Mission and Aransas Bays plus portions of ANWR and the Fennessey Ranch. You’ll remember Fennessey Ranch from the training session with Liz Smith on Riparian Ecology.

Part of the mission is to establish “base-line” data for all portions of the reserve. One of the base-lines is data on flora found on the land portion of the reserve at 50 specific sites. With the staff of the Mission-Aransas NERR (don’t call it MANERR) being ocean scientists, it was necessary to find someone to identify the plants found. Enter volunteers from Mid-Coast Chapter TMN.

If you want to identify South Texas plants, you won’t find anyone more knowledgeable than our own Ernie Edmundson. Ernie has a passion for native plants and has spent years learning about and creating a native plant database for our area. In addition to Ernie, add Kris (our invasive plant specialist) and Ray Kirkwood, Frankie Fox, and yours truly. My function in the group is to say, “What’s this?”

Thus on February 12 and 13, 2008, Ernie, Ray, Kris, Frankie, and I traveled to Fennessey Ranch to continue the survey Ernie, Ray, and Kris began the previous November. Directing the survey is Kiersten Madden, Stewardship Coordinator for the NERR and her able assistant Sam (as in Samantha). Not scientifically trained, I refrained from asking why we are doing a plant survey at a time when most of the plants have bare branches.

Our transportation was an open Swiss-made vehicle purchased second-hand by Fennessey and ideal for slogging around a ranch. Our guide and driver on the survey was Mog. Without his knowledge of the ranch and skillful driving, we would have been unable to find the survey points. He first took us to see Fennessey's nesting pair of bald eagles and their two chicks. The nest perched on the top of an electric transmission tower was easy to see. Both chicks were clearly visible, pestering mom and dad for food.

As pleasing as it was to watch eagles and their offspring, it was time to go to work. Once we reached the vicinity of a survey point, everyone looked for the white PVC marker. After someone hollered “There it is!” we would pile out if the vehicle to begin the survey.

Simply stated, we tried to identify every plant within fifteen feet of the survey point. Easy enough, right? First, we would look at the big plants (that’s trees). Remember that this is February and in many cases there are only bare branches. So we studied the branch patterns, bark and—this being South Texas—the arrangement and size of the thorns. In one case, we identified a native pecan tree by kicking through the leaf litter until we found pecans. For those trees with leaves, the process was much easier.

Next we studied the smaller woody plants, or understory. It’s the same scenario again. Look at bare branches and thorns and try to put a name to the plant. Now we move to forbs. That’s more difficult. There are so many. Grasses are next; all look dead with a only a few stripped-out seed heads. Finally, we part the dead grass to reveal the low growing plants hiding there. Things like “frog fruit.” Some survey spots are easy with only grasses and few of them. Others are in wet areas and in some cases include standing water. At these, Kiersten dons galoshes and wades out to gather plants for identification.

In most cases, we look to Ernie for confirmation of our opinions. Kris and Ray can identify many of the plants. Frankie can describe plants from her hours spent on the computer. I try to look like I know something. Kiersten is the record keeper. I’m not sure how she records those “maybe it's a” identifications. After two full days we have surveyed the 30-foot-diameter area surrounding 18 survey points.

Kiersten has scheduled the next session for the first part of May. With any luck, there will be flowers and leaves next to the thorns.

Blasts from the Past

Charter members of the Chapter—Class of 2000 Linda Serrill, Norman Boyd (TPWD; Chapter
steering committee), TJ Fox, Iris Stevenson, Curt Reemsnyder, Becca Brader, Anna Reemsnyder,
Arlene Ehrlich, John O'Connell, Sherrie Krause, Robert Angerstein, Ray Little, and John Beree