Big Brown Bat - our neighborhood night flyer

I ran across a Big Brown Bat on the street last night, right at dusk. It had apparently escaped the talons of an owl, punctured in the chest by a talon. It soon died on the street after trying valiantly to recover and fly off. I feared it could have rabies, like many residents tend to do, so I ran home and got my camera and some gloves and something to carry the animal. On my return to the site, it had already died, looking more like a glob of mud on the ground than a mammal. I did retrieve the bat, placed it in a bag and took it home. 

After calling agencies to find out the appropriate action I should take, it became apparent that no one of authority was concerned about rabies nor was there any advice except to bury the creature. Rabies is not as prevalent in bats as we might think. That is what makes the news, but the risk is not so much a reality. So after calling,  I took a few photos and buried the creature.

The Big Brown Bat does not have prominent visible teeth like some bats. It is a very common bat species. It can number 1000 in one forest group. Here, there is no telling where its family might be, only that it should be very close-by, considering the time of day that I found it. I know of one home in this neighborhood that has a bat house attached to it. Maybe that was its habitat.

Our forests are amazing. They contain a large diversity of animals and plants.

Family life of a Bald Eagle

Observing a family over the past couple of years in the forest of East Texas, I have grown emotionally attached. I think many people see their responsibility for the diversity of life on our planet. As a co-resident of our planet, a human and an Eagle share instincts developed through natural survival evolution through the ages. In the Bible, we are told that man has the responsibility to care care for what God provided upon this planet. We are placed here to make sure his work is kept in tact. It is a huge responsibility that we carry on our shoulders.

Take this Eagle family for an example of the human / creature connection. The Eagle will tolerate human presence but its family life is, after all, what is most important to him. Both male and female share the responsibility of the nest.  This youngster is being cared for by one of its parents. After bringing a small animal to the nest, the parent leaves the animal with the children in the nest. One of the eaglets can be seen here in the nest. The parent has done the work, provided food for the baby and now is enjoying the wind and warmth of the sun, cleaning itself while being close to the eaglets in the nest.

Sometimes, a parent must just watch out for predators such as a vulture, owl or a tree climbing coon.  Life is dedicated to raising the eaglets. Typically, we find two eaglets in each nest and the eagles will raise only one family each year. They arrive in late December and prefer to use an existing nest. It takes a lot of effort and time to build a new one from scratch. I have seen three nests for this couple over the years I have lived here. I am assuming the same birds are nesting at this spot but no one knows the age of the birds.

Duties as a sentry also requires flight over the neighborhood to see what may be on the ground and to observe any threats in the distance. Reconnaissance flights are also needed to find close and easily caught food. A parent is always close. Maybe we don't see them all the time, but they will fly at very high altitude to find food. They see us and we have no idea they are there. "Eagle eyes"  are well known to be highly developed for long distance precise vision. Their hearing senses are also excellent. Each time I have walked through the forest near a nest, they appear after I hear some calls. (See the Call of the Eagle).

So how attached are they to their young? This is one of the amazing features of the bird to me.  After caring for them day and night in the nest, they then teach them to fly, catch their food and then raise families. This is accomplished over about two years. The eaglets will migrate with their parents to the north during the summer and learn the places and means to make the journey. Up north, they continue to learn how to fish and catch animals with the help of their parents. This is one of the few birds that migrates south for the winter to nest, so when December comes, they fly back with their parents, another lesson in making and surviving a journey back to their nesting habitat.

As a sentry, the bird does not care what direction it faces. He can see in all directions from one perch position. He can turn his head more than 180 degrees and has peripheral vision to boot!

I have seen one of last year's eaglets, not full grown adults but not yet with full color, near the nest. Staying close to mama and daddy, it is content to fish and hunt with them until time to migrate back north. Then it will likely fly alone or with his sibling as this family will be caring for the two new eaglets needing their full attention all the way back north. They may find nesting locations near here but not likely very close because one of the criteria is to have plenty of range for hunting, not too near other families. However, our area certainly has its possibilities, with the new Lake Paloma and tree stands on Spring Creek. A second family started nesting here last year. I do not have any information on that nest this year.

The Bald eagle is a tremendous example of a responsible parent to us, working hard to ensure the best outcome and life for their youngsters. The Bald Eagle is truly a survivor and has been coming back strong in recent decades as a genuine and respected resident of many communities like ours.

In Central Texas, near Austin, there is a nesting couple that can be seen from the highway through binoculars. It is far enough away to not be bothered by visitors, but clearly visible. If anyone wants to know where that nest is, I can provide the information. Visiting that nest will not impair the family life of those birds.  Photography is feasible there with a long or strong zoom lens. 

Red Spider of the night

In The Woodlands as in other parts of Southeast Texas, we have a multitude of spider species. By a brightly lit full moon, I observed this bright reddish orange spider that on close examination, was not really red at all. I would like to identify it but have not succeeded yet. As quickly as this little lady spun her web, she laid eggs and posed for a while this evening. The next morning it was all gone.
I went out early to see how the web did and there was nothing, so I have to assume the little guys hatched and left. The web could have existed for a couple of days or been destroyed overnight. It was watering night, but no water goes as high as the eggs were laid.

My kids call them Bambis

In The Woodlands, my children call a Texas White Tailed Deer "Bambi". "Look, Bambi's". They are not little children; they are teenagers. But it tells us the special place deer have in our society and hearts. Walt Disney made sure of that! This morning, I went to photograph a park. On the way, one doe ran across Lake Woodlands Drive. It was not so early, so I was not expecting that at 7:30AM! That woke me up. The doe disappeared quickly into the forest.

After photographing a park, I started home. On crossing the Bear Branch Creek bridge on Research Forest Drive, I spotted a beautiful buck down on the creek along with several does. Since I had the camera on this outing, with all the necessary gear, I decided to park and walk back to the creek. On doing so, as soon as I could see the area below the bridge the buck also spotted me. He ran; I hit the shutter button. Then he paused for a second, as if to satisfy a curiosity. "What was that noise?" I clicked again. He ran again. So you have the story behind these two photographs. I rarely have my cameras with me on these occasions, but this time yes!
When I used to take my daughter to the Woodlands High School, we would see deer grazing, usually on foggy mornings. Last night, we had a full moon early. I suspect that the deer wanted to feed late in the morning because it turned dark fairly early as well. Notice the ribs showing on this beautiful creature. The drought has been tough on their lives, but there is plenty of grass. Water may not be so abundant however. I noticed a few weeks ago that water was indeed much less abundant than in the past when I was on the creek. My brother, a hunter, tells me that a rack like this indicates a healthy deer. Perhaps there is a lack of protein due to the green grass it is eating. Bambi is alive and well here in The Woodlands.

Barn and Cliff Swallows

Have you been startled by birds as you walked beside a bridge in Texas? Sometimes it seems like bats coming out of a cave when you approach these little birds nesting under a bridge. Each year, we have Barn Swallows right here in The Woodlands, under the bridge over Lake Woodlands on lake Woodlands Dr. We also have Cliff Swallows under the Kuykendahl bridge over Bear Creek (at the reservoir dam). These are Barn Swallows.
I have observed and photographed them the last two years, so I am going to share a few photographs. They are not easy to photograph and I did a rather poor job, but here they are anyway. You have to follow them in your lens at the same speed they are moving and that is a big challenge when the creature seems to move at the speed of light! They rarely give you a chance to think about what you are doing. Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows will share a bridge and nest about April or May. I have seen them when fishing and on a photograph session one day late this Spring. Both species are also easy to spot in some areas along SH 290 on the way to Austin, but I believe what I saw there were mostly Cliff Swallows. I saw a large group of them flying near a pond. Both species like to be near water, typically flying and catching bugs over the water. Another reason they nest near the water is that they use mud to build their nests.

This intricate mud nest at the bridge on Lake Woodlands was too high for me to see the chicks inside. The parents were flying in and out quickly. Bridges are ideal for nesting purposes because of the rain and heat protection they provide.

Fire Flickers in the forest

In the forest of The Woodlands, on any given night when there is rain, one may see the fire in the sky flickering through the tall pines. The fiery bolts dance about in the wind high above our heads, somehow connected to the natural setting about us.

As we turn on our hearing senses, we become aware of the frogs singing out for rain. Meanwhile, we contemplate when we will ever see the rain again. This has been a hot dry summer. An evening with the threat of rain is appreciated.

A show like this in the evening makes rain concerns all go away. Roll of thunder, flickering fire lights, wisps of wind and the singing of frogs.

What more can one ask for on a summer night in the forest?

American Kestral Falcon in the forest

Here in The Woodlands, we do see a variety of God's creations. This Falcon is perhaps one of the most beautiful birds of prey. It is a little larger than a Blue Jay. I found this one on a creek, perched on a tree where he could see the grassy area to hunt. These birds eat a wide assortment of bugs and small animals and even birds. This is a male, exceptionally colorful. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this bird. His flight actually clued me in to his presence. I have photos of him in two locations. I preferred his perch among the leaves of the American Holly tree (in this setting).
His hunting grounds on the creek in The Woodlands.

Frogs in The Woodlands Texas area

Croak… croak …croak….

We have an excellent Herpetology resource just a few miles down the road near the airport in Jesse Jones Park – Mike Howlett. Last night at McCullough school, he presented a “how to” identify local frogs and toads. Not only was the material excellent, but also his humor was super! Have you ever wondered what was making those noises outside (and sometimes inside)? He offered a few memory tips to identify these amphibians by their call and believe me; seniors need help in this area. Amphibians are endangered by our environmental non-consciousness just as birds, insects and animals. Ant poison is often over applied resulting in more than the inconvenience of these creatures. Construction in sandy soil areas has endangered two frogs and they are on the national endangered list. Their living environment has been more than encroached. It has been mostly removed. Introduction of species from other locations and competing amphibians for food sources, as well as lawn and garden poisons and fertilizer also affect the environment of these creatures.

Common toads and frogs in our area include the small Grey Frog, Gulf Coast Toad, Houston Toad, Cricket Frog, Spring Peeper tree frog, Western Chorus Frog, Rio Grand Chirping Frog (not native but here in abundance), Grey Tree Frog, Coats Grey Tree Frog, Green Tree Frog, Squirrel Tree Frog, Bull Frog, Bronze Frog, Southern Leopard Frog, Narrow Mouth Frog, and Herder Spade Foot Frog. Each one has a unique call. One can see the eggs on top of the water after a big rain. Toads’ eggs are laid in a double row and frogs’ eggs are laid in a glob.

Each of these creatures makes a unique sound. That is the way they manage to call their own species for social gatherings and mating. We humans are fortunate to be able to discern those calls, well enough to be able to go out, sit down and identify all the frogs in a given area and even be able to estimate the populations by their calls. Texas Parks and Wildlife sponsors a catalog process, which monitors area ponds and forest areas for their amphibian populations. One can adopt a pond for monitoring and cataloging by attending a class and getting the materials, including a CD of sounds for identifying these creatures.

OK, now let’s talk food chain! What creature is at the top of the food chain on some ponds and will eat a Crawfish? It is the Bull Frog! He will eat about anything that moves that is within reach of that sticky tongue. Those pinchers of a crawfish do not faze him at all. What is a threat to small birds that comes to take a drink on the pond? Again … the Bull Frog. Picture a frog with a mouth full of feathers. What looks like a snake but has legs? A Skink. What are those lizards called that change colors? Nope, not a chameleon, but an Anole! What are those translucent lizard-like creatures on the windows and sometimes get into the house at night? Mediterranean Geckoes. They are not native here but they are thriving here.

Later this Spring, I will go out in rain to listen to these creatures and hopefully I can find the time to get certified in frog monitoring on one of our Woodlands ponds. I may take one of my grandchildren with me. The children attending this lecture were obviously very interested and came to look at the living frogs in the bottles that Mike brought with him.

I highly recommend attending this Woodlands Association series of lectures on nature. The remaining lectures this Spring are “The Quiet Invasion” (invasive plants on March 26th and “Beyond Butterflies” on April 17th (should also be an interesting one for children).

Now let's change that croak to Peep ... peep ....peep

tweetily.tweetily.tweetily.tweetily.tweetily.tweetily..tweetily.tweetily.tweetily

Loose banjo string sound...........Loose banjo string sound (bwang?)

myyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.........myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I went away with a much different appreciation for an important resident of our forest.

Resources:
1. Any book store: look for Amphibian field guides in the Texas book section.
2. Jesse Jones Park: http://www.hcp4.net/jones/pw/amreptiles.htm
3. Texas Parks and Wildlife kids stuff: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/kids/
4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Texas Amphibians Watch: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_0492.pdf

Audubon Society's 108th Christmas Bird Count

Are you aware that we are part of this national event? Yep, right here in The Woodlands Area. As part of the East Texas piney woods, we have been a point of measurement for bird populations for 25 years, organized by the Piney Woods Wildlife Society! Of special interest in this area is the red-cockaded woodpecker, a 7-inch endangered species which raises its family in very mature pine trees which are usually infected with a disease that softens the bark, allowing the bird to make a home in the living tree by digging it out over a long period of time. "While other woodpeckers bore out cavities in dead trees where the wood is rotten and soft, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is the only one which excavates cavities exclusively in living pine trees." It's habitat has decreased over the years to only 1% of what it used to be. There are about 4500 nesting families in existence. As the forests are "cleaned" of aging trees and the forests are harvested for its wood, these birds are rapidly declining in population. We are on the southern boundary of its habitat. I recommend the readings listed below to learn more about this very interesting bird and the local effort to monitor the changes in the bird population here on the southern edge of our forest.

References:
Chronicle article Dec 2007

Red-cockaded woodpecker

About Com
Audobon Society - Spring Creek count