CONSERVATION

White Rock Lake

Head on over to White Rock Lake for the For the Love of the Lake's (FTLOTL) Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Up, 8:30am - 10:30am (register between 8:00 and 8:30). FTLOTL provides rubber gloves, trashbags, and trash picker-uppers. Register at the FTLOTL office at 1152 N Buckner Blvd, Dallas, TX 75218, on the NE Corner of Garland Rd. & Buckner Blvd. in Casa Linda Plaza (Facing Buckner & Doctors Hospital). For more information, contact Sandy Schriever at sschriever@sbcglobal.net. For general information on the FTLOTL organization, go to http://www.whiterocklake.org.

Black-capped Vireos at Cedar Ridge Preserve

At Cedar Ridge Preserve, you will see signs that let you know a little about what Audubon Dallas is doing for the Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) more commonly associated with the Hill Country. If you haven't seen one, he's got a black hood with white spectacles and is known as a skulker since he forages for food in deep cover among trees and thickets. CRP is at the northern part of his range and we're hoping that a pair chooses our preserve as a nesting site.

Here is what the signs say:

This prairie area is being cleared of woody plants to create an open area surrounded by tall trees. Groups of Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatic), Elbow bush (Foresteria pubescens) and Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) with foliage from the ground to 3 or 4 feet high will be left to provide food, sheleter, and nesting sites. Volunteers have worked many hours to improve the prairie. Funding for this Cedar Ridge Preserve project has come from a Private Lands Agreement between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Audubon Dallas.

Spring is Baby Season

Only first-generation mallards are protected under the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act. According to a longtime Rogers Wildlife volunteer , almost 100% of the mallards we see in the metroplex who frequent the pools and backyards of North Texans are second and third generation year-long residents and not migratory birds at all. That means that the nests and eggs of resident mallards, who are now considered a nuisance species, are not protected by the treaty.

If you see a mallard couple hanging out in your backyard and pool, look for nests and eggs on the ground or in shrubbery. But better yet–be proactive. If you see the adults around, invest in a big blow-up float of a crocodile to keep them out of your pool. The bottom line is if you don't want to be bothered by adults and then later ducklings, do something early. If you see eggs, go ahead and destroy them. OK – and for those of you out there who truly love ducks and their offspring, invest in a frog log (http://www.froglog.us/page3.html) to help ducklings (and other creatures like squirrels who fall in) climb out of your pool; otherwise, they will drown and get caught in your skimmer.

What do you mean I can’t fly yet?
Photo of Baby Owl: Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Photographer: Steve Hillebrand

In February, besides ducks, owls typically hatch their young and from spring into summer, and other bird species follow. If you see a baby bird and you don't know what to do, first of all, don't panic. The most important thing is to determine whether the bird is indeed an orphan or injured. If it's not injured, the best thing to do is to try to reunite it with its parents if you can reach and relocate the nestling to its original nest. Birds do not have a strong sense of smell, so you may pick up the baby bird. If you can't locate the nest, place the bird in a towel-lined box, keep it warm and quiet, and call Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 972-225-4000.

The same procedure applies to mammals such as baby squirrels and raccoons. Click here to open an Adobe PDF that outlines what to do in various situations involving mammals. Reuniting them with their natural mother is the best thing to do if possible.