TIMING IS EVERYTHING: WINTER AND WILDLIFE (JANUARY - MARCH)

Wildlife management activities to consider for January - March:

BRUSH MANAGEMENT
While the cool of spring might be the most enticing time of year to fire up a chainsaw to clear brush, this type of "spring cleaning" might actually be detrimental to the wildlife you are trying to protect. Spring is a familial time of year for all the mama and the papa animals -- the whine of a saw and the disturbance of brush are not conducive to reproductive activities; nesting may be disrupted and newborns stressed. Rather, it is a much better practice to do your important brush thinning and habitat improvement now, before spring has sprung, or wait until the hot summer months.

MOWING (OR NOT MOWING, RATHER)
Another time-sensitive activity is mowing native meadows, it is important to not do so too early in the season. It is a much more effective practice to let the grass and wildflowers stand undisturbed until they go to seed. If you watch the plants carefully in the late spring and summer, you will actually see the many ways that seeds are formed and dispersed. Occasional mowing at the right time, in the right amount, and correct patterns can be important to the health of a grassland, but allowing nature to run its course is the best possible method of reseeding.

FIRE ANT CONTROL
While it is typically in the heat of the summer when seething fire ant rage really takes hold as mounds of imported red fire ants dot the land, Plateau finds the key time for fire ant control actually begins in March and winds down in June, before throes of summer and toes in sandals. Treatment starts up again in September after the hot, dry summer ends, and before the cold, wet of winter. Why this timing? It's a temperature issue. When the ants are cold, or hot, they go deep into the ground for temperature regulation and do not actively forage above ground. They also go deep during dry periods in order to find moisture, and come above ground during wet periods to avoid drowning. Now is the time to get on the schedule.

NEST BOX MAINTENANCE
For some birds, breeding season begins as early as February and for those who do not have Plateau maintain your nest boxes, consider this a friendly reminder that your boxes need to be checked and readied by the start of February. Some birds will not use boxes with abandoned nests in them, plus, removing debris (and other little critters who may have snuggled in for the winter) creates a healthier environment for the next brood of nestlings.

PURPLE MARTIN BOX INSTALLATIONS
Purple Martins have been managed intentionally by humans longer than any other North American songbird. Today, whether for their beauty, song, or voracious appetite for pesky flying insects, an estimated 1 million North Americans provide housing for Purple Martins. Due to a decline in natural nesting sites (such as tree cavities) as a result of urban sprawl, farming and logging, as well as competition from the non-native House Sparrow and European Starling, human-provided housing and management has become vital to Purple Martins, especially east of the Rocky Mountains, where they have undergone a complete "tradition shift". Purple Martins are now the only bird species entirely dependent on humans for supplying them with nesting cavities. Purple Martins arrive in Texas around the first half of February. Installation of Purple Martin boxes by Plateau's expert field technicians is currently underway and will finish up for the season in February. Contact us for more details.

SPRING BREEDING BIRD CENSUS
Our Spring Breeding Bird Census (BBC) is conducted during the breeding season -- approximately mid-March through early June. These popular surveys begin at sunrise for the "dawn chorus" and give you the opportunity to walk your land accompanied by a skilled birdwatcher. This is a fantastic learning experience, not only for information about birds, but you can learn more about your land as well.

Plateau can help you meet all of your wildlife management goals. Contact us today for more information!