Wildlife habitat development in the spotlight

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

May 5, 2005 - The informational spotlight shone on nature as people from all over South Central Texas gathered in Waldeck, at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Cooper Farm, to hear about wildlife practices. For landowners seeking to develop their property as prime location for wildlife, the April 19 workshop fit the bill.

A full day of wildlife-related information was offered by a variety of professionals, including developing and restoring wildlife habitats.

Many landowners want to attract dove to their properties; mostly for hunting purposes. Todd Pilcik, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) wildlife biologist, listed the seven species of dove in Texas: Mourning doves, White Wing, White Tipped, Eurasian Collared, Rock, Inca and Ground. Of these seven species, the major one in Texas is the Mourning Dove -- about 50 million of them reside in the state. The Mourning Dove can also be found from Canada to Central America.

Mourning Doves usually breed between March and September, said Pilcik, and the birds are very territorial ... especially, when they are nesting. Their nests are not built to withstand high winds or thunderstorms, and are normally built in two to four days. The female lays only two eggs, but some have been known to lay one or three. The eggs hatch in about 14 days, and the female bird will nest, again, in 30 to 40 days. This is why there are so many of them, the biologist pointed out, although many are killed by predators when they are young.

Habitat management was a key phrase throughout the day, no matter what type of wildlife was planned for the area. To prepare land for wildlife habitat development, prescribed burning was suggested as a good method. Disking the land between November and March should be done, annually, with the best results coming when it is done between December and January of the year.

Although some landowners continue to run cattle on their land, there was discussion that the cattle will eat the sunflowers planted for attracting wildlife, yet at the same time, the "hoof action" could increase the land's ability to generate good wildlife habitat.

Obviously, water is a very important part of good wildlife habitat, no matter if the landowner intends to raise wildlife to be hunted or songbirds for bird-watching. Landowners can use available ponds and streams, but should also plan for drought or flooding situations through water level management that involves the use of drains and other tools.

Food for wildlife can be enhanced by planting crops (such as milo, millet and corn) or boosting the production of native plants (sunflowers, croton and barnyard grass).

Finally, Dr. Brent Ortego, TPWD wildlife diversity biologist, talked about non-game management. The first thing a landowner needs to do, according to Ortego, is to "... look at the land and individual goals in order to see what to produce."

Ortego noted there are around 500 species of birds in Texas, and about 300 of these can be found in Fayette and Colorado counties. Developing the habitat these birds like will increase the chance of them staying around.

"If you don't have the habitat, it's hard to produce anything," explained Ortego.

He suggested that if a landowner has grasslands on his property, it is usually best to restore the land to native grasses, but added that the cost is about $200 per acre to restore native grasses. Although many people do not care for ragweed, Ortego explained "ragweed is a tremendous wildlife plant," if it is controlled. Switchgrass and sunflowers are big attractions for songbirds, too.

Ortego spoke about some of the region's popular birds -- Purple Martins and Blue Birds. When it comes to Purple Martins, many build the houses too small. The recommended size for these houses is 6"x6"x12".

While the Purple Martins don't seem to mind having housing close together, Blue Bird houses should not be any closer than 100 yards apart.

In closing, Ortego said Hummingbirds are numerous in the Texas Hill Country -- about 3,000 per day can be in an area feeding. South Central Texas doesn't have that claim, but improving the habitat for the Hummers can increase the number of birds attracted to your area.

Again, Ortego mentioned that the key component to being successful in attracting wildlife to your land is close monitoring and management of the program chosen.