Featherless Flyer, August 2013 P. 1

Featherless Flyer The Voice of The Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Foundation

August, 2013

Volume 8, Issue 8

ON THE CALENDAR

AUGUST 3, 2013 YOUTH FIRST! AT HAGERMAN NWR

10 AM - 11:30 AM “Going Batty” Age Group 4-7 Years (A parent must accompany children to event.)

Age Group 8-12 Years Reservations requested, call 903-786-2826 or register online.

AUGUST 10, 2013 SECOND SATURDAY AT HAGERMAN NWR

10 AM - 11:30 AM “Bird Migration” - Dr. Wayne Meyer

TRAM TOURS Approximately 90-minutes long along Wildlife Drive, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 AM (no tour Second Saturday). Call 903-786-2826 for reservations.

Contents

Dog Days of Summer, NPR Visit, P. 1

Dog Days (continued), Upcoming Classes, P. 2

Grassland Birds on NWRs, P. 3

Photo News, Green Living Tip, Visitor Center News, P. 4

The Dog Days of Summer

Leashed dogs are always welcome at Hagerman! However as we get into summer heat, please be aware of the effect on your canine companion. Last summer a dog suffered heat stroke while on the Refuge. As a result, we appreciate the following information provided by one of our volunteers, April Silber:

Imagine donning a big fur coat and jogging down a cement sidewalk in your bare feet in the middle of a typical Texas summer day. Then imagine the only way your body is able to perspire is by having to pant. Sounds pretty terrible doesn’t it?

But every day on a regular basis our canine companions are asked to do this very thing and the results can be lethal. As a veterinary technician working at an emergency animal clinic, I see the sad results of heat stroke far too often. Many of our patients who are presented with heat stroke do not survive. This condition is completely preventable if you take precautions when enjoying the outdoors with your dog.

1. Take your dog out in the very early morning hours or well after sunset.

2. Be sure to bring along plenty of water and take frequent breaks in the shade.

(continued on page 2)

NPR Visits Hagerman

Karl Haller, retired Austin College biology instructor, has led weekly birding surveys at Hagerman NWR for more than 50 years. On July 16 the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service arranged for KXII-TV and National Public Radio staff members to experience a day of birding with him.

Karl’s interest in birds began at Boy Scout camp in 1928, as he worked toward the Bird Study Merit Badge. He then discovered Sutton’s Warbler in 1939 while a college student in West Virginia. In 1995, he was recognized as the National Wildlife Refuge System’s Volunteer of the Year. We look forward to what NPR has to say about their special day at Hagerman!

Friends for TODAY support programs and activities for TOMORROW and ensure that the Refuge will be here for wildlife AND people in the FUTURE!

Booger Biggs (and Jim Biggs) at Hagerman

Nest Box 15 on Harris Creek Trail was proudly adopted this year by Booger Biggs and his sister Bella. Booger was adopted from the Sherman Animal Shelter, and his first visit anywhere was to the Refuge. He has been an active service dog for Laurie Biggs for ten years, who herself has visited the Refuge since she was a child. Bel-la, also from the Shelter, will be replacing her brother in this job when Booger retires later this year.

(photo by Laurie Biggs)

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The Dog Days of Summer

(continued from page 1)

3. Never leave your dog in a car on a warm day even with the windows rolled down. The temperature of a car sitting in the sun on a 70 degree day may increase by an average of 40 degrees in one hour regardless of the temperature outside.

4. Be especially careful with short-nosed dog breeds (Pug, Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, etc.) as they are ineffectual panters and are predisposed to overheat more quickly.

5. Dogs who are normally sedentary or overweight are also at greater risk for heat stroke.

6. For those folks whose dogs live outdoors, make sure they have adequate shade and plenty of fresh water in non-metal dishes. Metal bowls conduct heat very quickly.

Be alert for the following signs of heat stroke (hyperthermia): initially the pet appears distressed, will pant excessively, and become restless. As the hyperthermia progresses, the pet may drool large amounts of saliva from the mouth and/or nose. The pet may become unsteady on his feet. You may notice the gums turning bright red, blue or purple in color, due to lack of oxygen.

Should you identify any of these signs, immediately move your pet to a shaded or cool environment. Begin to cool your dog by placing cool wet towels over the back of the neck, in the armpits, and in the groin region. You may also wet the ear flaps and paws with cool water. Do not use ice or cold water to cool your pet, as very rapid cooling may cause more harm. Directing a fan on your dog will help speed evaporative cooling. Do not attempt to force water into your pet’s mouth, but do have fresh cool water available if your pet is alert enough and shows interest in drinking. Transport you dog as soon as possible to the nearest veterinary facility for follow up care. Simply lowering your dog’s body temperature may not ensure his recovery if the hyperthermia is in the advanced stages.

Thanks to our July Speakers

A big appreciation to Steve LaNore, KXII Meteorologist, for his youth program “Let’s Learn About Weather”,

and Dr. Keith Kisselle of Austin College for his program “Global Warming”.

Coming Next Month

Photo Contest Submissions Due!

July 26 – September 6 is the submission window for the Friends 4th Annual Photo Contest.

See website for details.

Youth First!

September 7, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

“Magnificent Monarch Migration”

Let's learn about the Monarch Butterfly! Register online or call for reservations, we have parallel programs for ages 4-7 and for ages 8-12, with games, crafts and fun activities.

Second Saturday

September 14, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

“Texoma Geology”

Rick Lynn of Grayson College will present the geology of the Texoma area at this free nature program, open to the public, no reservations necessary.

“Bowhunting Hagerman”

September 21, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Free seminar by Rick Cantu and Jim Lillis

Become a Texas Master Naturalist!

Registration still open for Fall Classes

The Bluestem Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists will begin classes August 17 with a Trip to Sneed Prairie. Classes run from 8:30 - 3:30, ending on October 26, with 40 hours of instruction required. Cost is $160. Teens under 18 are

encouraged to take classes with an adult sponsor. For more info see: www.bluestemmasternaturalists.org.

Dickcissel Photo by Monica Muil

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Grassland Birds on National Wildlife Refuges Project

by Dr. Wayne Meyer As a group, birds that breed in grasslands are declining faster than any other group of birds in North America. The Fish and Wildlife Service is interested in finding ways to reverse that trend, as they have done successfully for waterfowl over the last fifty years. Many National Wildlife Refuges plant fields with wheat, corn or soybeans with the intent that those crops should be consumed by waterfowl or other target wildlife. However, in the “off-season” these fields typically sit undisturbed and may provide habitat for grassland breeding birds. Therefore a project has been begun at Hagerman and Tishomingo NWRs to determine which birds use agricultural fields and managed prairies, and to compare the reproductive success of those birds in the different types of habitats. Dr. Doug Wood and Philip Leonard are performing the research at Tishomingo NWR while I am leading a group of undergraduate students and FWS interns at Hagerman NWR. At both refuges three prairies, three fallow agricultural fields and three active agricultural fields were chosen. There are two basic parts of the research, point counting and nest monitoring. Within each field a number of 100 m diameter circles have been selected and all the birds that can be found inside those circles are recorded approximately weekly. In addition, each field is searched systematically to locate nests and the fate of those nests is monitored. At the end of the data collection phase of this research we will compare the different types of fields to see if one type is better than another, and to see if we can suggest ways to increase the grassland bird productivity of the refuges. For 2013, the Friends of Hagerman and the Prairies and Timbers Audubon Society provided much appreciated financial support for Timothy Anderson and Anne Booker to perform data collection at Hagerman NWR. They were joined by USFWS Summer Intern Jesse Trujillo. Beginning in mid-April and continuing until nesting stopped (end of June for 2013) they helped me to observe birds and find nests. After only one season of data collection, we cannot draw many conclusions, but after next year’s season we hope to be able to make some substantive recommendations to the managers of both Hagerman and Tishomingo NWRs. There are a few things we can already say about the grassland breeding birds of Hagerman NWR after only one season. First, nests are VERY hard to find. We were able to locate only 12 nests. Of those 12, one was a Red-winged Blackbird nest while all the others were Dickcissel nests. The Red-winged Blackbird nest successfully fledged one bird. Of the eleven Dickcissel nests we found, only one nest fledged any young, but it produced four. The other ten Dickcissel nests were all predated before the young were ready to fledge. We suspect that snakes were responsible for the majority of predation events, but at least one nest appears to have been predated by a mammal, most likely a skunk. While this may sound like a terrible situation, it is worth remembering that there were undoubtedly more nests out there that we failed to locate. We know this has to be true because we did observe several female Dickcissels feeding fledged

young in several fields. Those nests that we could not find were probably better hidden from us and therefore also better hidden from predators. Other studies of Dickcissels indicate that we should expect only 43% of eggs to hatch successfully, so our terrible success rate is not as bad as one might think. Our point count surveys also pointed out another important fact. In mid-May we were still well behind in rainfall, and the grasses that grew quickly in April went dormant. As those grasses dried, feral hogs caused significant damage to the fields by knocking the grasses down and digging wallows in at least one field. Although Dickcissels and Grasshopper Sparrows were abundant in April and early May, once the grasses had become lodged the point count numbers rapidly declined, in fact we failed to identify any Grasshopper Sparrows after mid-May. Feral hog control is definitely needed to make the agricultural fields at

Hagerman NWR produce grassland breeding birds.

Dickcissel nest spilled by weather or misadventure

Feral hog damage at RF13 field

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Monica Babin Muil, August 2013 Photographer of the Month

The Voice of

Friends of Hagerman NWR Foundation

6465 Refuge Road Sherman, TX 75092

Phone: 903-786-2826

friendsofhagerman@gmail.com http://www.friendsofhagerman.com

http://www.friendsofhagermannwr.blogspot.com/

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

6465 Refuge Road Sherman, TX 75092

Phone: 903-786-2826

Featherless Flyer Editor/Publisher: Jan Beckert Contributors: Sue Malnory Kelby Archer Refuge Liaison: Kathy Whaley

Visitor Center News

Help Wanted! The next Orientation and Training Day will be held on Sunday, September 29;

potential volunteers will be welcome from 1- 5 pm to learn the job, to see if it right for you! Infor-mation and a Refuge tour will be provided. Volunteers greet visitors, provide information about the Refuge, and make sales in the gift shop. Great benefits, you will meet lots of interesting new people and learn about wildlife and more! Volunteers work one day or more monthly, shifts are 10 am - 3 pm weekdays, on Saturdays, 9 am – 12:30 pm and 12:30 – 4 pm, and on Sundays, 1 – 5 pm. Hot dogs will be served, so please make a reservation, 903-786-2826. Contact friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for

info.

Tram Report: For the first 6 months of 2013, there was a total of 577 riders on tours offered on

Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, plus multiple tours each day during Spring Break and BirdFest Texoma, as well as group tours scheduled by special request. During the month of August there will be no Sunday tours due to afternoon heat. C&E Express riders this summer have been excited to see the nesting Grebes and Gallinules as well as many waders in the wetlands adjacent to Wildlife Drive and the Pad roads. A big welcome back to volunteer David Palmer who will now be helping in the Visitor Center!

Green Living TipGreen Living Tip

Go easy on the gas pedal! You'd be sur-prised at how much less gas you use if you feather the pedal instead of leadfooting it. Try to accelerate slowly and let off the pe-dal well in advance of stop signs and lights, rather than keeping the pedal down and then getting on the brakes in the last few yards. You'll spare the environment as well as your pocketbook! Of course, if you can, it'd be even more cost-effective to avoid driving as much as possible (biking and walking are fun alternatives), but any little bit will help. You might also consider a hybrid vehicle for your next car purchase.

The FOH Nature Photography Club

The next meeting will be Saturday, Sept. 14 at 12:30 pm in the A/V Classroom. The theme for photo sharing is “Here and There”: this calls for two photos - one of something taken at or could be found at Hagerman, and one that would NEVER be found there, which can also include something local to or migratory through North Texas. Coming up: the Friends 4th Annual Photo Contest, see website for details. Photos submission deadline is July 26 – September 6.

I was born and raised in Houma, LA until moving to Sherman, Texas in 1971 while still in high school. As such, I have always had a love of wildlife. Photography has been a passion of mine since I was old enough to hold a camera. Although I have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures during my lifetime, it wasn't until I started going to Hagerman every weekend two years ago that I started wishing I had something better than a point and shoot. Just this past Christmas I broke down and purchased a Nikon D3100. Shortly thereafter I upgraded from the 200mm lens purchased with the camera to a 300mm. I'm already planning my next upgrade!

My life is extremely busy and my job demands that I put in at least 12 hours a day focusing on Talent Acquisition at a company in Grapevine Monday through Friday. My weekends are very precious to me and I spend them at Hagerman! I can be found there every single weekend driving with the top down and my Labrador in the backseat or with my photography buddy, Pam Porter, in the passenger seat. There is nothing like Hagerman for reminding me that there is more to life than an office. By the time I am forced to leave on Sunday nights at sunset, I feel refreshed and ready to start a new week.

Hagerman has taught me to be a birder and a better photographer. I am grateful to them both for changes in my life.

Go to: www.friendsofhagerman.com/Gallery to view Monica’s Album.