Lone Star Travelers Blog

 Watch a short video of these hummingbirds.

The tiniest of all birds descend on Texas every Spring as they migrate northward.  18 species of hummingbirds have been identified in Texas with 9 being common.  The greatest variety are found in West Texas.  The Davis Mountains and Chisos Mountains areas are great places to observe the black-chinned hummingbird, the black feathers on his throat catching the light and flashing a beautiful royal purple as the rapid beat of his tiny wings, up to 80 times a second produces the hum these birds are named for.  East of Interstate 35 including where we live in the Dallas/Forth Worth area the ruby-throated hummingbird is common.  To prepare your own hummingbird food mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water.  Bring the water to a boil, stir in the sugar, boil 2-3 minutes until sugar is dissolved and let cool.  Never substitute honey for the sugar.  It is toxic to the birds.  Red food coloring is not necessary.  The hummers feed every 10-15 minutes so you can expect a lot of activity at your feeder especially during migration.  It is recomended that  Texans leave their feeders up year round as some birds spend the winter in Texas.  At night they go into a hibernation like state called a torpor and arouse from it quickly as necessary.  The hummingbirds northward migration is timed to the blooming of certain flowers.  Many of them travel 2.500 miles from Mexico to Alaska. resting in South Texas after flying 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico.  If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden choose native plants of bright color with tubular shaped flowers.  25 percent of the hummingbird diet consists of insects so choose plants for your garden that attract insects as well.   When you are camping at Davis Mountains State Park in West Texas or Big Bend National Park set up your hummingbird feeder in a nearby tree and enjoy these tiny birds as they hover, fly up and down then backwards putting on one of nature’s greatest shows. 

The javelina is not really a pig but a member of their own family, the peccary.   Only one of the three different species is found in the United States, the collared peccary or javelina.  (have ah lee nah)  In Spanish javelina means spear or sword, referring to the tusk like sharp, cutting canine teeth  Adults weigh up to 60 lbs and are black and gray with a lighter colored collar.  Youths are reddish to yellow brown.  In Texas the javelina are mostly found in the arid regions of West Texas or the brush country of South Texas.  They travel a tight range of usually less than one mile in small herds sleeping in caves and feeding on grasses, mesquite beans, fruits, insects and their favorite food, prickly pear cactus which supplies at least half of their food requirement and most of their water needs.  They will forage for food in campgrounds.  Tent campers in Big Bend National Park are often advised to partially break camp and leave their tents flat on the ground for the day while they explore the park to prevent javelinas from raiding and tearing into tents and supplies.  At the nearby Davis Mountains State Park the javelinas make the rounds of the campground at dawn and dusk rooting around for food.  As with all wild animals people should not feed them.  They are rarely agressive towards humans unless cornered however they will cripple or kill an approaching dog who perhaps reminds the javelina of the coyote who preys on their young.  When they come around you will probably smell them before you actually see them due to a musk gland on top of the rump releasing a strong odor especially if alarmed.  They have poor eye sight but excellent hearing.  If they stay and rummage around your campsite you can scare them off with loud noises.  They are very vocal and good runners.  They may snort, squeal and whoof as they take off at speeds up to 21 mph.  In Texas javelinas are game animals and may be hunted with  a license during hunting season.  Other predators include bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions.

Texas and the nation celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on September 27th, 2008.  Congress has set aside the 4th Saturday of September every year as National Hunting and Fishing Day, a public reminder that good conservation depends on hunters, anglers and shooters.  Texans will have a chance to participate in the Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo at their headquarters in Austin Texas on October 4th and 5th. Amongst the many outdoors events taking place will be a youth fishing derby, casting clinics, adult and youth shooting, demonstrations and seminars.  Outdoorsmen are encouraged to share the values and fun of the outdoors with young and old alike.  Hunting and fishing play an important ecological role by managing wildlife populations and creating a healthy environment.

Texas Parks & Wildlife biologists have completed a study showing a considerable drop in the population of the Pronghorn Antelope in portions of Jeff Davis and Presidio Counties in West Texas.  The region west of the Pecos River known as the  Trans-Pecos has experienced 7 months of drought and a rare late hard freeze at higher elevations.  These conditions may have resulted in poor physical condition of he animals  contributing to a possible loss of up to 50% of adults as they became more vulnerable to predators.  No signs of disease has been detected.  The Pronghorn Antelope is named for it’s backward curving horns that split to form forward-pointing prongs.  They are generally recognized as the second fastest land mammal in the world, (after the cheetah) able to run long distances at sustained speeds of 40 mph with bursts of up to 60 mph.   They have exceptional eyesight due to the large eyes set on the sides of their heads allowing almost a 360 degree field of vision.  

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has published a brochure titled Mountain Lions In Texas.  You may obtain a copy by calling the Wildlife Division 800-792-1112 or 512-389-4403.  The information outlines a study conducted from 1983-2001 stating “Sightings and mortality reports have consistently increased since 1983 and appear to indicate that the mountain lion distribution may once again be statewide.”  They go on to say that “The mountain lion is also known as a cougar, panther, catamount or puma, and has the widest distribution of any wild cat from Canada to South America.”  Additional information states that the mountain lion is large (100-150 pounds for males and 45-96 pounds for females) slender long bodies of 6 1/2 feet for females and up to 8 1/2 feet for males.  Their range is primarily in the west, south and central portions of the state however when we camped at Daingerfield State Park, an East Texas Park, the ranger spoke of a puma who roamed through periodically reinforcing the case that the Texas Mountain Lion is back.