First time visitor at Rockmoor

I've lived in Austin long enough to know how uniquely 'weird' it is. There are so many quirky, odd aspects of this city that truly make it one-of-a-kind. For the past few years, I've heard this tale of 'wild tropical parrots' that dwell in the downtown area and are often spotted by delightfully surprised onlookers. Being an amateur birder myself and having never seen one of these wild 'parrots' I thought perhaps I had fallen prey to another urban legend. Several friends of mine swore that, no!, they did indeed exist and can be spotted with a sharp eye all over town. I had pretty much given up on finding this exotic feathered creature. Until Monday.
I have a morning ritual that includes feeding the chickens and dogs, watering the garden, and filling up the various bird feeders I keep. Usually when I go out to fill up the bird feeders all my feathered friends fly away in a panic thinking me some giant raptor that is going to attack them. I have about ten different species of avians that frequent my feeders on a regular basis and every so often will find a new, unusual one out there grabbing a snack. So, much to my surprise as I'm pouring birdseed into my tube feeder I look up and gasp. Not even four feet away away from me is an electric, neon green and yellow parakeet!! The kind one sees in a cage as someones beloved pet. What!?? At first I immediately assume it has escaped the confines of a tiny cage and found its' way to my bird sanctuary. Then I recalled the famous 'parrots of Austin' and quickly went inside to consult with my bird books and the ever faithful Internet for a positive ID. After a few minutes of searching, there was no doubt that what I had perched in my cedar tree was indeed a Monk Parakeet. There are, I learn, about 700 of these birds living in and around the downtown area of Austin.
A native of South America, the monk parakeet started appearing in North America in the late sixties. One story I read says that they were imported as pets and a crate of them was dropped and busted open at the Kennedy Airport in New York releasing dozens into the wild. These 'escapees' quickly established a wild population on Long Island. They have been reported in several different states but Florida and Texas are home to the largest populations in North America, with Austin boasting the largest breeding population in the state.
The Austin birds may have come from an intentional release in the late 80's or early 90's. The 'legend' claims a woman named Janet Giles released 19 monk parakeets when they simply became too much for her to take care of, near Zilker Park. And from there the birds began establishing themselves all over the downtown area. According to the Travis Audubon Society, there are about 720 parakeets that live in the Austin area. I've heard about giant nests that they construct. Apparently they build very large, dome-shaped twig nests and are often occupied year round. They nest communally, yet construct separate entrances and chambers for each pair. How cute! A nest 'condo' may house up to 20 pairs of birds, sometimes more.
Many folks keep these birds as pets as they can be very animated, social and apparently good 'talkers'. An ornithologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife states that monk parakeets are on the top ten common caged birds people keep. And under optimal conditions a monk parakeet has a lifespan of 25-30 years. Not as long as a larger parrots(up to 75!) but certainly longer than the family Fido. I read, as well, that in captivity they bond closely with one person and are known for their loyal nature. Which reminds me of my Grandfather's pet parrot Stoop, who was not particularly nice to anyone. Except my Grandfather.
The monk parakeet gets its name, because compared with other parakeets, they are rather 'un-flashy'. Well, you could have fooled me. Because this bird certainly stands out among all the other birds at the feeder including the male Painted Bunting which looks as if he rolled in a rainbow. The Monk Parakeet is most certainly eye catching.
It's quite unusual that this bird has opted to stop by my feeder and bird bath. But even more curious is that he's been here for 5 days! I mean to say, he has not left the cedar tree that the feeders are hanging on. Every single time I look out the window or walk by he's still there just perched. He must be amused by all the avian activity that goes on out here. (And that fact that he has an endless supply of water and seed) Perhaps he just wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and decided to take some vacation in the Hill Country at Rockmoor Bird Sanctuary. Where the feeders always full and the bird bath never runs dry.
I'll keep everyone posted on our little green friend and report if I find any macaws or pelicans in the near future.


Sally Anne

Drought. And critters.

If you follow this blog, then you're aware that I haven't posted in a while. I was hoping to have a second installment of the 'Wildflower Report' a few weeks ago. However, as I patiently awaited the Spring rains to arrive I began having a sinking feeling that La Nina wasn't about to let that happen. The second round of wildflowers never really materialized. According to the National Drought Monitor almost over half of Texas is experiencing 'Exceptional' drought conditions. The 'Exceptional' category is the most severe. It follows 'Extreme' if that puts it into perspective. 75% of all Texas counties are under burn bans.
The Hill Country is not faring well at all. Along with lack of rain, temperatures this Spring have been running much warmer than normal. Soil moisture is very low, stock pond levels are dropping at an alarming rate and evaporation rates are very high. The long range weather forecast indicates rainfall will likely remain below normal through Spring and early Summer as the storm track generally stays to the North of Texas (good news for all you Ft. Worth/Dallas folks)
Even if wetter conditions return as a result of increased tropical storms this summer, I've read we would need to see more than 5-6 inches of rain to just saturate the ground enough to have any significant runoff.
The Texas Forest Service and area fire departments have responded to over 9000 wildfires this 'fire season' that have burned more than 2.2 million acres and destroyed 400 homes. And just this morning, it was announced that the City of Austin has officially cancelled their Fourth of July fireworks display over Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, something that has never happened in the 35 years the city has been putting the event on. In fact, all public firework display permits have been denied.
Last week, the private land adjacent to the Travis County Park I work at caught on fire due to a faulty insulator on a utility line and burned over 200 acres, including some in the Park. The land is remote with little road infrastructure, not unlike parts of Rockmoor, and was difficult to control due to the challenge of accessing the flames. Two helicopters doing water drops, over 15 fire vehicles and members of the Texas Forest Service, with three giant bulldozers in tow, were called in to tackle the fire.
As if the Oak Hill fire earlier in the Spring wasn't enough to scare me, witnessing this wildfire up close really hit close to home. The dry junipers and water starved grasses are like gasoline awaiting even the tiniest spark to set it aflame. So very dangerous right now.

On a lighter note, this severe drought has also created quite another annoyance for me and my two loyal canine friends. My dogs have been suffering through a flea infestation like no other I have ever seen. Many dollars on preventative medications, flea shampoos and consultations to the vet have only recently helped the situation. My vet says she has never seen a flea season this bad. Ever. She explained that the drought has brought more wildlife closer to humans. These wild animals are seeking water and, most often, bring fleas with them that we would otherwise never see. Interesting concept, certainly makes sense to me.

I have certainly seen an increase in nocturnal visits to my garden recently and whatever it is fancies the green leaves of my pepper plants. I rabbit-proofed my garden several years back and hadn't had a problem until a few weeks ago. It appears a very hungry rabbit/rabbits are seeking out anything leafy with moisture and my garden has suddenly become the hot spot for succulent greens. Which is sad, because my peppers, a very heat tolerant plant, look as if they are dying every morning when I give them water. These are desperate rabbits if they have succumbed to nibbling on dry pepper leaves.

I've also noticed an increase in snake activity around my place. Don't worry, not any 'bad' snakes. Yet. Several rat snakes have been in close proximity of my house. Just this morning I received quite a scare as I discovered a rat snake inside the little wooden dollhouse next to my front door(!) (for inquiring minds the snake preferred the 'loft' of the dollhouse as opposed to the first floor) I've no doubt that he had either already consumed the frog that lounges carefree in the dog's water bowl every evening or he had a sinister plan to join the frog for a dip when the sun went down. I guess I'll find out tonight if Mr. Frog is a no-show.

Anyone that has seen my chicken coop knows how much attention I paid to building it and making certain there were no holes big enough for a snake to get in and steal my eggs. Or worse! So last week, I noticed a big critter, most likely a raccoon, had tried to dig his way in under the entrance door, the only place on the whole coop that doesn't have wire buried underneath. Smart raccoon. Anyway, he pulled away a small piece of tin and moved a sizable rock that was blocking the gap. I suppose after a while he realized how futile his efforts were and gave up on dining on a chicken. That's the good news. The bad news is, he left a big gap for another, slithering critter, to get in. So once again, I got quite a start when I went into the coop last week to gather my morning eggs and there was a checkered garter snake just hanging out amongst the birds waiting for an egg to drop. Being the resourceful country gal I like to think I am, I grabbed the biggest barbecue tongs I could find, a five gallon bucket and some gloves. Voila! Snake outta' the coop. Apparently however, the snake must have really bonded with his new-found feather friends because he tried, in vain, to re-enter the coop for about 15 minutes after I released him. I observed him intently to make sure he didn't find some nook or cranny I had overlooked. Finally he slithered off without an egg snack.

It's a virtual wildlife show around here.

It's truly amazing to me that my chickens even lay eggs in this persistent heat. I've taken to bringing them a big chunk of ice everyday (a gallon water container cut in half and frozen in the freezer the night before) and they just LOVE it! They peck at it non-stop and then settle in next to it to cool off. It eventually melts and they have cool water to drink.

So who knows what critter/critters will visit my house in the coming weeks in search of water or food. If only it would rain! My outside thermometer, in the shade nonetheless, reads 99.1 at this moment. And just for the record, Summer doesn't even start until June 21st. Awesome. As well, the Austin area is forcasted triple digits all next week. With no cloud cover.


Anyone have a margarita machine they want to get rid of? Or a snow cone stand? Or a swimming pool?

Till next time,
Stay cool,

Sally Anne