The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department site formerly known as Peach Point Wildlife Management area near Freeport, Texas, will be formally rededicated on Friday, October 12 as the “Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area”, in recognition of the former game warden and wildlife biologist who was killed the line of duty earlier in 2007. A team of employees in the Wildlife and Law Enforcement Divisions, with support from several outside partner groups, is planning and organizing the dedication. (more…)

Bluebirds are insectivorous during the nesting season, feeding mainly on ground-dwelling insects. Ideal bluebird habitats are open and barren or short-cut/sparsely grassed areas (so they can see their food) with a few trees nearby (for perching).

Pesticide and herbicide-free cattle or horse pastures, cemeteries, acreages, abandoned orchards, hike-and-bike trails, prairie coulees, lightly traveled roadsides, abandoned railroad rights-of way, golf courses, open areas in parks, the edges of meadows, clear cuts adjacent to or within forested areas that have been recently burned, and sagebrush flats provide excellent bluebird habitat.

Bluebirds will also nest on the fringes of towns and cities, especially if they were nesting in those areas prior to development.

Lenker Blue Bird Box Instructions

Poor bluebird habitat includes areas that they naturally shun (i.e., city centers, densely wooded areas, or intensively farmed areas where there is a lack of natural habitat), areas where they are in competition with House Wrens or House Sparrows, or locations where the boxes are at risk of being subject to predation or vandalized.

Instructions for Building Bluebird Boxes:

Here is some good news for birds and birders on the east coast. The tiny Atlantic piping plover, a federally protected bird, has given beachgoers headaches for decades. The species breeds on East Coast beaches during warm weather, which means entire stretches of shoreline can be put off limits just as people want to enjoy the coast. However, two decades after the plover was declared a threatened species, biologists are crediting the beach closures, twine barriers and other buffers between birds and humans for a 141 percent increase in the Atlantic piping plover population. (more…)

Instructions for the Lenker Bluebird Box:

1. Cut all boards to lengths indicated and acquire all required hardware.

2. With two 1 5/8′ screws fasten the front to the left side. Keep the top of the side 1/4″ below the top of the front, (important for proper cross-ventilation).

3. With two 1 5/8″ screws fasten the back to the side keeping the side 2 3/4″ from the top of the back, (important for proper cross-ventilation).

4. Place the bottom between the front, back, and side 1/4″ up from the bottom edge of the box: with one 1 5/8″ screw fasten the front to the bottom; with one 1 5/8″ screw, fasten the left side to the bottom; and, with one 1 5/8″ screw fasten the back to the bottom.

5. Place the right side, angled side to the top, between the front and back leaving 1/4″ space below the top of the front and the top edge of the side, for ventilation. Make a mark about 1″ down from the top of the front. Using a square, make a mark, exactly the same height, on the back edge. This is the height where the nail or screw will be placed to make the hinge for the door. Nail in the first nail through the front and into the middle of the right edge of the side board. Next nail the second nail through the back into the right side, again into the middle of the edge. The side will open for monitoring the nestbox from this hinged opening.

6. With two 1 5/8″ screws fasten the top to the back keeping the roof 1/4″ above the side for ventilation. Fasten two 1 5/8″ screws through the roof into the top edge of the front.

7. With a drill bit larger diameter then a #6cc nail ( or other nail to be used as the door lock) drill at a 45 degree angle downward through the front and into the door side. The door lock will be placed in this hole to secure the side and to allow easy monitoring access by removing the nail, the angled hole is required to ensure the nail does not come out on its own.

8. Make small kerfs cut with a saw or deep scratches wit a nail on the inside of the front, below the hole, in order to make a ladder, which will make it easier for the baby birds to climb to the hole to get out (fledge).

9. Set your box out and get ready for bluebird nesting season!

Instructions for Basic Bluebird Boxes

In 1967, there were fewer than 500 breeding pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states. The national bird was in danger of disappearing from much of the United States. Though the eagles were never in danger of extinction—the vast majority, over 100,000, were in Alaska and Canada—Americans understandably wanted to protect a national symbol. (more…)