May 2020 Activity

 Mid may we received a good rain.  Good rains are those that don't produce a lot of runoff and yet are more than the usual amount lost to evaporation the next day.  This rain was about six inches and ran through the pipe under the driveway,

Another bag of sunflower seeds bought from Tractor Supply, along with a bag of sweet feed.  Sweet feed seems like a better food for deer than corn.  Filled the bird feeder 12 times this month, between the birds and occasionally a squirrel and the raccoons at night, it disappears rapidly.

Deer twins are still hanging around.

One load of brush to the pile in back.

April 2020 Activity

 Mowed some of the land but stopped due to the presence of many birds that were flushed from the deep grass ahead of the mower.  They were either loafing or were eating seeds.  There are not many seeds to be eaten as they grass did not do well last year to produce any seed heads.

Waiting for the quail to start singing but have not heard any yet.

Moved the 30 gallon watering tub to downhill from the main water tank to make it easier to fill with a permanent hose running atop the ground from the water source to the tank.

Continuing to provide kitchen vegetable scraps to the deer to not only provide food, but to lessen the load on the garbage hauler, and at the same time adding to the humus should the deer not like the selection.  So far over the last few years, they turn their noses up on radishes and cucumbers.

We are not putting the rainfall record here because it is all recorded by a rain gauge 1000 yards from this location.

March 2020 Activity

 Hauled two loads of brush to the pile in front this time, as it was shrinking.  Feeding the cardinals and the titmice sunflower seeds while trying to keep the squirrels away from the feeder

Deer twins are still around.  No other wildlife observed other than the usual suspects of deer.  There is some evidence of a visit by raccoons as there are nose prints on the glass windows next to the front door. We think they come to the glass to chat with the cat.

Quiet month,

February 2020 Activity

 Even though we have received some rain, it is not nearly enough to saturate the ground preparing it for the hot summer months when we get little rain.

The (as many as) 6 deer show up for their scraps of vegetables from the kitchen.  This last spring we had twins born to one of the does, and those two have stayed together all this time and seem almost inseparable.  We simply call them the twins.

Observed a gray fox in the front yard and again in the back yard this month.

Noting that the fox is considered a predator, we have heard nothing of the coyotes for some time and presume that some local rancher is poisoning them.  Thats a shame as deer are more of a problem to the natural world than the coyote or the fox.

Deer don't appear to need special watering yet, so holding off on that.

Cardinal population is definitely down this year from last, all supported by the December bird count.

January 2020

 January started off with average conditions for wildlife, with just the amount of rain and normal temperatures.  Not much activity to be observed.  We see about four deer, all does, and no sign of any bucks as they are either hiding or dont yet realize that the hunting season is over.  We have not heard of any of our neighbors having a successful deer hunting season this year.

Cut some brush and hauled two scoops to the brush heap.  Its amazing how the brush heap keeps getting smaller, or at least staying the same size despite me hauling new loads to dump on top of it.  It would be interesting to know what might be using it for a den,

No sign of a cottontail so far this year, and no sign or sound from any ows.  We need to remember that we experienced a severe drought in this one spot of Hays County last year and that effect will roll on through in other ways in future time.

Bought one sack of sunflower seeds and six gallons of diesel fuel.

December 2019 Activity

Rainy weather has arrived, but not much rainfall, so the ground is still dry.  Maintaining the water trough, but cutting back on food to just the kitchen vegetable scraps.  (better this use than the landfill)
We have not seen much deer hunting activity, but on the other hand, have not seen any bucks since opening day.
The annual Christmas bird count has been completed and the bird population is way down from last year when we had a bumper count of birds.
Here are the three sheets of results, this year and the last two years.   Bryan Tarbox interprets the low bird count being caused by the lack of rain for most of the mid year.

November 2019 Activity

Most of the activity in November has been to provide supplemental feed and water up through mid month and then we received some rain which should ease the need for feeding.
Bought 50 pounds of sweet feed, 40 pounds of corn and 40 pounds of sunflower seed from Tractor Supply.
Hauled two loads of brush to the main brush pile.  This particular plot of land is quite well balanced between open space and cover from juniper and oaks with not much brushy material underneath.  So, these stands of trees and evergreens offer good cover for wildlife.   We had to cut back on the clearing of brush to maintain this cover, so brush pile building has been cut back somewhat.  The main contributor to brush piles currently is prickly pear cactus.  We are trying to reduce cactus coverage by 10 % this year.
November is bird inventory recap for the last six months.  Here is our listing:

• Cardinal
• Mockingbird
• Bluebird
• Vulture
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Cara cara
• Phoebe
• Barn Swallow
• Titmouse
• Chickadee
• Painted bunting
• English sparrow
• Bobwhite Quail
• Inca Dove
• Turkey
• Cuckoo
• Warbler
• Scissor Tailed Flycatcher
• Lesser Goldfinch
• Carolina Wren
• Ruby throated hummingbird
• Raven
• Roadrunner
• Kildeer
• American Kestral
• Summer Tanager
• Poor Will
• Purple Martin

Missing this year:

• Great Horned Owl
• White winged dove

October 2019 Activity

October is usually quite dry, lacking rainfall and this year was no exception.
We maintain a 40 gallon stock tank with water for any and all animals.  Although not measured specifically, it would be a good bet that the animals are consuming more water than we do in the house counting all uses.  Refill rates of about 30 gallons per day are about normal during these periods of no rainfall.  (rainwater is our only source of water---so we are careful to conserve)

This year, the drought on this property has been more severe than the effect of the statewide drought of 2015. The effect of lack of rain for so long a period has resulted in no grass seed production at all.  The Indian grass, the bluestem, the lovegrass, and others did not develop seed stems at all.  Thus no seed was collected by hand and redistributed.
The effect on small animals has been tough.  No longer do we see any mice in the fields.  No mice, no owls.  Dove count has been really low.
Deer herd size varies from three to six.  Less than last year.  Two of the does had three fawns.  The fawns survived and still stay in the area.
Feeding of the deer has been frequent.  They are fed kitchen scrap greens mostly, but augmented with sweet feed and corn.
Bought 50 pounds of sweet feed and 40 pounds of sunflower seed.

September 2019 Activity

Still no rain of any merit and the temperatures are still high---which is normal for this time of year.
We have stopped irrigating plants as this is an endless game.  To keep them alive, we need to water every day and that is not possible.  So, with all our plant endeavors, start over again next year.
Therefore, all of our watering activities are geared to wildlife.  On average, the 30 gallon tub is filled every other day from our rainwater supply tank.  Wildlife use as much water as we use in the house.
The same goes for supplemental feed.  Since there has been little rain, the growth of forbs has been cut way back, so supplemental feed for deer and other smaller wildlife is critical.  We are not advocates of feeding wildlife, but in tough times, some help is needed.
Brewster County ranchers have a proverb on rain, it goes something like this.  But first, know that ranchers build stock tanks on runoff areas to catch rainwater.  It takes skill to build a stock tank by digging the hole and building the dam in such a way that the rain does not wash the whole thing away.  And, I think in this regard, stock of the stock tank refers to the stored water not the livestock.
"When it rains you can't stock it and when it doesn't rain, you sure can't stock it".  That saying reveals that their rain either comes as a gully washer, or not at all.

Lets hope for some rain in October.

August 2019 Activity

Still no rain for any benefit.
The whole effort is to supplement the food supply (and to not have to put kitchen vegetable scraps in the landfill) of the deer.  All the other animals seem to be able to cope with lack of forbs.  Water is a different story.  Not sure how many watering spots there are around the 2000 acres, but 15 gallons of water per day is about the consumption we see here.
We observed a "never before" this morning.  Five mature bucks were walking single file in the back yard, all with their nice racks of antlers.  No sparring, just meandering along.  Could not get the camera fast enough before they disappeared into the brush.

The herd, if one wants to call it that, is 4 does.  One doe has two fawns, the other doe has one fawn.
No other activity

July 2019 Activity

Lack of rain has been the big news here and with the wildlife as well.  Not only is it dry, but hot too and when the ground dries out the temperature of the soil rises.   Often I think that the high soil temperature is what destroys young plants more than the drought.  Anyway, food for thought.
The usual routine is to feed the deer the table vegetable cuttings, plus a bit of sweet feed, and of course water.   The challenge with water is to keep the raccoons from using it as a swimming hole.

Hauled two loads of brush to the pile, which is starting to recover the size it needs to be in order to shelter the wildlife.

Wildflowers are quite scarce due to the lack of rain.

No trees have shown up as a result of the planting of at least 100 acorns.  This is definitely one subject we will have to research more to find out why they will not get started.  As a result, we have concluded that the cover of the land in the area today is about what it looked like 100 years ago, as not new tree growth has occurred.

Bought one bag of sweet feed, 6 gallons of diesel fuel and one 20 lb sack of sunflower seeds.

June 2019 Activity

The animals have there sights set on getting the mustang grapes before we do, but I am not going to bet on who wins.
Hauled two loads of brush to the main brush pile.
It appears that we had one doe produce two fawns as the fawns are always together with the one doe
I forgot to mention last fall that we had three bucks dueling with their horns in the back yard.  Never did get a picture, dang it.
I have not seen "hide nor hair" of any of the bur oaks acorns planted last fall.   However I did stick on in a pot in the breezeway and it has sprouted and making a nice tree.   Conditions are harsh here in central Texas with regard to sprouting new trees. I think that these conditions are so typical that if one were to transport back in time, the trees that are here were here then and the open areas were open then.   Its tough for natural propagation of trees.  That make conservation of trees we already have so important.
Hauling water to the watering trough for all the wildlife.

We need rain.

May 2019 Activity

I am sufficiently recovered to do some work outside.
Bought 50 pounds of sunflower seeds for the birds.   Its interesting to watch how the sunflower eating birds will thrash the millet out of the feeder to get to the sunflower seeds.
A tad dry here so making sure the deer and other creatures have enough water.

April 2019 Activity

Still recovering but taking it cautiously, day by day to make sure my recovery is going well.

March 2019 Activity

Not much activity as I am recovering from head surgery.  In doing maintenance in the wooded area, hit my head on a very large (immovable) tree trunk as I fell sideways.   Developed a hematoma that shoved my brain off to the side.   Surgery was to fix that.

February 2019 Activity

We are continuing to produce a monthly nature newsletter for the community in which we live.  The purpose of the newsletter is to make everyone (including ourselves) aware of the importance of nature in our surrounding area.  This takes on the form of identifying plants and animals that are a bit unusual.  We plan to drift into historical stuff because history and our respect for it is important.
Rain is adequate but not great.
All is quiet
$14 of diesel fuel bought this month for tractor work around the place
Hauled two loads of brush to the main brush pile
As usual, kitchen scraps of vegetables to the deer yard.

January 2019 Activity

We collected about 30 bur oak acorns and planted them in tall grass in inconspicuous areas so if they do  sprout next spring, they might have a chance to avoid the deer.
An early morning roadside hunter wounded a large  buck which the died in a neighbors yard.  Illegal in several ways.
Doing well on rainfall, but the grass seed production can be forgotten for this last calendar year.
Flocks of robins and cedar waxwings have moved through the area.
Kestrals are back on the telephone wires.
We  are intrigued (again) with the prospect of getting Texas Madrone to grow here as it did on our property in Bandera County---more on that later.

December 2018 Activity

The big event this month was the Christmas Bird Count.  The bird count was conducted on nine different properties,  each property being about the same size of 20 acres.  In total, 54 species were observed and 1869 individuals counted.  This property showed more species and more individuals than any of the other eight.  Would like to think that this is a reflection on the preservation of the natural elements of the site.  Leave a note or send an email if a detailed listing is needed.
Several does have been spotted, but no bucks---maybe they sawed off their horns.
Two loads of brush to the brush pile.

November 2018 Activity

Deer hunting season is upon us. There seems to be a lot of hunting activity.  The deer herd is getting pretty large---as many as 9 does and 3 bucks have been observed on many occasions.

Otherwise, all seems quiet, especially with the recent hard freeze.

October 2018 Activity

The weather has been very erratic this year and it seems to have affected the grass seed production.  Over the last month, we  have collected only a dozen handfuls of seed for reseeding in the areas where the particular variety of grass is scarce.
We are reconsidering the value of mowing.  recalling that we once mowed several times per year, then once per year in order to  maximize seed production, now we are considering not mowing at all unless weed production gets an upper hand on the grass growth.  So, thus far in 2018 we have not mowed.  First notable observation is that the birds have benefitted during the cold weather.   Walking through the grass, many small birds are flushed.
At least 100 red oak acorns were planted this month.  Expectations are low for their growth, but lets see what happens.  Also planted an equal number of live oak acorns, they should do better as this is demonstrated live oak  country.
We are developing our approach to controlling the many small prickly pear cactus that are sprouting up in many places.
The deer get no food as there is plenty for them to eat given the rains of last month.
Two loads of brush to the brush pile.

September 2018 Activity

Weeks 36, 37, 38, 39

Rain, finally go some rain.  In fact, over a two week period, received more than 10 inches.  It was a perfect rain in that all of it soaked in as evidenced by no runoff whatsoever.

Cut way back on deer supplemental food and water.

No sign of the bucks recently.

The bird population has shifted.  It will be interesting to make see how the October census looks compared to the one in the spring.

We have cut way back on mowing, mainly because of the drought, but some new thoughts are emerging on mowing at all.  But we still need to get at the prickly pear which seems to be spreading.  Maybe when it gets to be cooler weather we can do some experiments on selective eradication.  Selective as some of the wildlife need the prickly pear for hiding and for the fruit.

The rain rescued the mustang grape crop, and puffed up the grapes to the point where now the animals might find them as food.

August 2018 Activity

Weeks 31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Drought continues.

Two buck deer often show up in the south field.  Good racks on both of them.  Every once in a while they spar with their horns.

Grass still not showing any seeds.  This is important as we try to collect and redistribute native grasses seed every year, but so far have found nothing.

Watering and feeding deer.  We have not seen any more axis deer.  Rancher about two miles to the west said he has seen them on numerous occasions over the last two years.  I think most ranchers are probably harvesting them as they find them.  That's good.

Bought 20 pound sack of black oil sunflower seed.

Using milled cottonseed as a food, but so far it seems to be too difficult for animals to eat without making it into a mush.

Watering the oak (for acorn production in the future) trees planted in recent years to get them started successfully.

July 2018 Activity

Weeks 27, 28, 29, 30

The ground is getting very dry and the grass, especially has shown no tendency to make seed.

The deer are watered daily and they seem to be getting more desperate as they come to the front of the house and drink from the birdbath.  The two birdbaths need refilling on a daily basis.

Hauled two loads to the brushpile.  In spite of building this brushpile, it slumps a lot in between dumpings.  That's normal, I guess, but the whole idea of the brushpile was to keep it open underneath for small animals.  Perhaps I need to start putting some bigger diameter stuff  in it to support the top better.

No sightings of much this month, all seems rather quiet.

Yes, have been putting out kitchen vegetable trimmings for the deer.

June 2018 Activity

Weeks 23, 24, 25, 26

Special note:  First ever axis deer spotted this month.  Hope these critters are not moving in to the area.
Mid Year inventory of birds observed here:

1. chickadee
2. titmouse
3. lesser goldfinch
4. mocking bird
5. phoebe
6. towhee
7. purple finch
8. bluebird
9. caracara
10. turkey vulture
11. cardinal
12. painted bunting
13. summer tanager
14. Carolina wren
15. bewicks wren
16. house sparrow
17. humming bird
18. barn owl
19. bobwhite quail
20. Poor will
21. rio grande turkey
22. raven
23. crow 
24. roadrunner
25. cuckoo
26. white wing dove
27. inca dove
28. mourning dove
29. scissor tailed flycatcher
30. barn swallow
31. purple martin
32. red tailed hawk
33. kildeer

May 2018 Activity

Weeks 18,19,20, 21, 22

Bluebirds are raising a batch of birds.  Important now to see that they have water, because the rain has been really short so far.
Water in the feeder tanks disappears each night, so we are getting a lot of visitors at night at the troughs.
See only 2 to 3  deer on occasions. No fawns observed yet. (early part of  May).
Painted buntings have arrived.  One pair has always nested in the area for the past 8 years.
There must be a fawn nesting somewhere close by as a doe keeps moseying around the area to the north in the middle of the day.
No mowing, in fact if we don't get some rain, there may be any mowing soon.
Watering new oak trees on regular occasions as we need the acorn production in future years.