SONGBIRDS SAVED: A COWBIRD TRAPPING UPDATE

In the spring issue of Seasons, we discussed the sad reality of Brown-headed Cowbirds, nest parasitism, and what it means to our native songbird populations. But the good news is some Texas landowners took action and, as result, songbirds have been saved.

By way of example, on one Travis County ranch, home to Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat, Plateau delivered and monitored one cowbird trap from early April through the end of May. The trap was located along a fence with cattle present on the neighboring property. A total of 49 male and 89 female cowbirds were caught and dispatched. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department reports that for each female cowbird caught, an additional 3.5 songbirds survive. Using this figure, the trapping that Plateau performed on this property resulted in 312 additional songbirds in western Travis County.

Plateau wraps up cowbird trapping in June as breeding season slows and the risk of trapping non-target birds (mainly juveniles) goes up. Trapping will begin again in March of 2011. For more information, contact us today!

BREEDING SEASON IS HERE, ARE YOUR SONGBIRDS SAFE?

A Brown-headed Cowbird reality check for landowners

There was a time when the Brown-headed Cowbird migrated with bison across the Great Plains. In the words of rock band Journey, "they say that the road ain't no place to start a family" and, as birds on the road, cowbirds would lay their eggs in nests of other birds and then move on with the bison.

But the days of that traveling roadshow are long gone. Where there were once open plains and roaming bison, there are now fenced pastures and cattle.

After a cowbird lays its eggs in a host nest, the host bird returns to unwittingly raise the cowbird's young as its own. As typically larger eggs that hatch earlier than the host eggs, the large and in charge cowbird hatchlings loudly vocalize their hunger, beg for food, and ultimately kick out the host bird's offspring. Back when cowbirds migrated with bison, the impact on a host species was not as great. Many songbirds, for example, when parasitized by a cowbird will simply build a new nest. If cowbirds were moving on down the road this would work, but, today, cowbirds hang with cows in fenced pastures. The cows don't migrate and neither do the cowbirds, which leave them to concentrate on one area and potentially decimate a species of host birds. In fact, cowbirds are known to parasitize over 225 species of birds. Moreover, on average, female cowbirds lay an astonishing 40 eggs per year in other birds' nests.

While many argue the cowbird as misunderstood, the fact of the matter is that humans created this situation and, if we want to protect our songbirds, humans will have to take action.

Because Plateau believes the Brown-headed Cowbird poses a potentially dire situation for our native songbirds, we are now offering cowbird trapping and trap monitoring services. We have been trained and certified by Texas Parks & Wildlife to humanely dispatch the cowbirds and safely release non-target birds. The key time to implement is now through the end of May when the songbirds are nesting. In addition to helping promote songbirds, cowbird trapping qualifies as an activity for Wildlife Management Tax Valuation purposes.

For more information on Plateau's Brown-headed Cowbird trapping options, contact us today. We can sell traps to all landowners and perform trap monitoring for properties close to our home office in Dripping Springs.