2011 Headlines & Highlights at Hagerman NWR

As we approach the last days of 2011, it's time to look back on what has been a very good year at the Refuge.

Hagerman NWR turned 65 on Feb 9, 2011.

Rick Cantu named Grand Prize Winner in the 2010 USFWS Employee Photo Contest.

24 nest boxes adopted and three bluebird trails set up and monitored throughout the season.

New electric vehicle, the Bluebird Buggy, dedicated to monitoring Harris Creek Trail.

Kids Fishing event held March 19.

Friends participated in Texoma Earth Day, April 16.

Grayson-Collin Electric Coop provided poles and installed eight owl boxes at the Refuge.

Environmental Day, held May 6, for Pottsboro 4th graders.

Refuge staff began move to new building in late June.

New Friends of Hagerman NWR website online, July, 2011.

New signage added throughout Refuge.

Red River Valley Tourism Association met in new Visitor Center August 3.

First Second Saturday program held in new building, August 13.

Grand Opening, September 8, Deputy Director of Region 2, USFWS, Joy Nicholopoulos headlined event, Refuge Manager Kathy Whaley recognized Jay Noel as Refuge liaison for construction.

Super Second Saturday held September 10.

Native Plant Garden established by Grayson County Master Gardeners.

Nature Nook books and gifts opens along with new Visitor Center.

Youth program moves to Audio Visual Classroom; building dedicated to Friends use.

Refuge Manager Kathy Whaley was selected to attend USFWS Advance Refuge Management Academy.

October 8, winners of second annual Hagerman NWR Photo Contest announced; activity sponsored by FOH.

Photo safaris organized by FOH Nature Photo Club held April 30 and October 15.

Doug Raasch honored in October, with trail renamed Raasch Trail.

Elevation for Lake Texoma level low for the year – 609.78’. The lowest level ever recorded was 599.94’ on March 20, 1957.

Two life members for Friends of Hagerman NWR added in 2011: Carlos and Eulalia Araoz and Jetta Operating Company, Inc.

Pair of whooping cranes visited Refuge briefly on November 17.

High on the Hawg, BBQ Dinner series, held in conjunction with the three Archery Deer Hunt weekends at Refuge.

Species reported at the 2011 Christmas Bird Count: 119 species, representing the 5th highest count ever.

Wetlands restoration and management project completed by Refuge staff.

A big thank you to Kathy and Rick and the staff at Hagerman NWR, and to all who support and enjoy the Refuge. Happy New Year, from the Friends of Hagerman

Photo - Great Blue Heron, by Sandy Boltman

The Twelve Days of Winter at Hagerman NWR

On the first day of winter, at Hagerman we see - a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the second day of winter, at Hagerman we see - two eagles soaring and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the third day of winter, at Hagerman we see - three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the fourth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the fifth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the sixth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the seventh day of winter, at Hagerman we see - seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the eighth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the ninth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - nine cameras clicking, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the tenth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - ten pintails dabbling, nine cameras clicking, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the eleventh day of winter, at Hagerman we see - eleven geese-a-browsing, ten pintails dabbling, nine cameras clicking, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.

On the twelfth day of winter, at Hagerman we see - twelve bluebird boxes, eleven geese-a-browsing, ten pintails dabbling, nine cameras clicking, eight birders watching, seven shovelers shoveling, six winter wrens, five hiking trails, four leaping deer, three anglers angling, two eagles soaring, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched in a tree.


For more information about Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, see http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/ and http://friendsofhagerman.com.

Audubon’s 112th Christmas Bird Count Is Model for “Crowd Science”

The Christmas Bird Count at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge will take place on Saturday, December 17. To participate, contact the Friends of Hagerman. For the post this week we have a press release from the national Audubon Society about the annual event:

The longest running Citizen Science survey in the world, Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will take place from December 14, 2011 to January 5, 2012. Tens of thousands of volunteers throughout North America will brave winter weather to add a new layer to over a century of data.

“Audubon was a social network before the world ever heard the term,” notes David Yarnold, Audubon President & CEO. “Each December the buzz from our social network goes up a few decibels, as people with the knowledge and the passion for birds provide what no organization alone can.”

“It’s a globally recognized example of crowd-science,” says Gary Langham, Audubon’s Chief Scientist, who took his young daughter and wife on last year’s CBC. “Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count is also a tradition that does good things for families, communities, and the conservation movement.”

Scientists rely on the remarkable trend data of Audubon’s CBC to better understand how birds are faring in North America and beyond our borders. “Data from Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count are at the heart of hundreds peer-reviewed scientific studies,” adds Dr. Langham; “CBC data have informed the U. S. State of the Birds Report, issued by the Department of the Interior, and modeled after Audubon’s annual reports begun in 2004. For example, in 2009, CBC analyses revealed the dramatic impact Climate Change is already having on birds across the continent."

“Everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count plays a critical role in helping us focus attention and conservation where it is most needed.” said Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count Director, Geoff LeBaron. “In addition to Audubon’s reports on the impacts of Climate Change on birds and our analysis of Common Birds in Decline, it is the foundation for Audubon’s WatchList, which most identified species in dire need of conservation help.”

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count began in 1900 when Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore (which evolved into Audubon magazine) suggested an alternative to the “side hunt,” in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most game, including birds. Chapman proposed that people “hunt” birds only to count them. Chapman’s initiative was described by British actor John Cleese in this video clip from The Big Year.

Last year’s count shattered records. A total of 2,215 counts and 62,624 people tallied over 60 million birds. Counts took place in all 50 states, all Canadian provinces, plus 107 count circles in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. The first ever CBC tally was submitted from Haiti, where the count circle is located at Les Cayes, the birthplace of John James Audubon. In Colombia, the Audubon count is a crucially important monitoring system of biodiversity in the country. More about last year’s results here.

Audubon CBC data not only helps identify birds in most urgent need of conservation action; it reveals success stories. The Christmas Bird Count helped document the comeback of the previously endangered Bald Eagle, and significant increases in waterfowl populations, both the result of conservation efforts.

Counts are often family or community traditions that make for fascinating stories. Accuracy is assured by having new participants join an established group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter circle or can arrange in advance to count the birds at home feeders inside the circle and submit the results to a designated compiler. All individual Christmas Bird Counts are conducted between December 14 and January 5 (inclusive) each season, with each individual count occupying a single calendar day.

The journal Nature issued an editorial citing CBC as a "model" for Citizen Science.

A New York Times opinion piece captured the pleasure and precision of counting: “The personal joy they experience from patiently spotting and jotting down each flitting fellow creature, exotic or not, is balanced by a strong pragmatic factor in the management of the census by the National Audubon Society.”

Photo of Geese at Hagerman NWR by Robert Cummings

Geese at Hagerman NWR

Geese and ducks are now at the Refuge in huge numbers, so we decided to re-print this article by Helen Petre that originally appeared in the Featherless Flyer, November, 2009, edition.

Great flocks of waterfowl arrive at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge every fall from the Central Fly-way to find food, shelter and protection for the winter. Waterfowl are the Order Anderiformes, Family Anatidae. Geese are the Subfamily Anserinae. Geese are heavier and have longer necks than ducks. Their short legs are farther forward than those of ducks; an adaptation for more efficient grazing since they are terrestrial feeders. Geese have broad, round tipped bills and feed on grains, seeds, aquatic plants and young grasses. They thrive in the grain fields over the winter at Hagerman. The geese migration is best known for the large number of birds migrating and for the loud, noisy communities that spend the winter here.

Male and female geese look identical. They fly with deep, powerful wing beats. In November at Hagerman, listen for the noisy birds migrating and look for the V formations and long undulating lines.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are the most widespread geese in North America with a black head and neck, white breast and chin strap and characteristic honk, bark or cackle. Historically, Hagerman has had more Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) than Canada Geese , but both species spend the entire winter on the Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma, arriving in late fall and staying until March. Hagerman also has some Greater White Fronted Geese (Anser albifrons), a fairly common brownish goose with a white face and orange legs. Some 10,000 geese winter on the refuge feeding on grain and aquatic plants. Rested and refueled, they return north along the Central Fly-way to nest in the Arctic again next summer.

It is the Snow Geese that are the most abundant Hagerman winter residents. Snow Geese are smaller than Canada Geese and migrate in to Hagerman in great numbers along with smaller Ross’s Geese (Chen rossii), the rarest goose in North America. Snow Geese are white with black wing tips and have a heavier bill than Ross’s Geese. Ross’s Geese look like miniature Snow Geese. Look for the smaller birds which lack dark streaks on the bill.

Snow and Canada Geese are common in Oklahoma at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, but Ross’s Geese are uncommon north of Texas. Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge seems to be the place to go for the winter for Ross’s Geese. They are becoming increasing more common winter residents and mix well with Snow Geese.

Hagerman provides food, rest and shelter for the migrating geese that now depend on the 400 acres of planted wheat for energy to keep warm and build up reserves for the return trip north. Providing food also keeps the birds from foraging in farmer’s fields. Historically, waste grain from agricultural fields was the primary food source for migratory geese, but more efficient harvesting leaves less food available in the field. Without Hagerman management, there would not be enough food energy to sustain the numbers of geese over wintering here in north Texas.

Editor's Note: Second Saturday, December 10, will feature programs on the winter waterfowl at the Refuge. There will be a talk by Dr.Wayne Meyer at 10 am, followed by a field trip along Wildlife Drive aboard TAPS buses, with a guide on each bus. The youth program will also take a tour to see the geese; reservations required for the youth program, call the Refuge, 903 786 2826. Programs are free and open to public, sponsored by the Refuge and the Friends of Hagerman.