Blucher Park Improvements Press Release

Blucher Park Improvements are for the BIRDS... Birders and Nature Lovers will benefit too! (Corpus Christi, TX - February 20, 2009) Almost half of the seven million visitors that flock to Corpus Christi each year are bird watchers and nature lovers. The Coastal Bend is the perfect place to view birds and is one of the top birding destinations in the world located at the point where two migration 'super highways' converge. Hundreds of different bird species stop to rest and fuel during spring and fall migrations. And Blucher Park is one of the major "Fall Out" or resting stops along the way. Blucher Park provides a green space in the heart of downtown Corpus Christi. Several footpaths have been created throughout the park to allow visitors a chance to explore the natural surroundings of the park. Known worldwide the park attracts bird watchers year round in search of flycatchers, thrushes, vireos, warblers, chimney swifts and dozens more species. This densely wooded park with a small creek flowing through its center contributes to the coveted title, "America's Birdiest City" claimed by our city six years in a row. Just a little over 4 acres in size, Blucher Park was donated to the city by the Blucher family in 1914. In 1990 a small group of birders raised $5,000 from Conoco Phillips and committed to the creation of a richly diverse bird habitat in Blucher Park. To this day, some of those same birders meet at the Park every Monday afternoon during daylight savings time to clean and maintain it. They call themselves the "Blucher Bunch" and can tell you where nearly every plant in the park originated. Their passion and knowledge of Blucher Park is priceless. The Blucher Park Enhancement Project was generated from the Coastal Bend Nature Tourism Initiative, a project of the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau. Keith Arnold, President/CEO of the CVB, believes "Growing and marketing nature tourism in the Coastal Bend is the answer to gaining new business from leisure travelers. Birding, hunting, wind surfing and kite boarding, wildlife photography, fishing, kayaking, etc. are exceptional in the Corpus Christi region. As we work to package these products to increase essential visitor spending, it is equally important that the CVB serve as a catalyst and a facilitator to improving our nature sites and experiences. Blucher Park was selected as a model project for enhancement of an existing site that draws international nature tourists, but with meaningful, thoughtful improvements can migrate from a good attraction to a great attraction." The improvements will include a defined trail system mulched with native wood chips, pedestrian bridge, seating stones, way-finding markers, removal of invasive plants and a chimney swift tower kiosk. The Chimney Swift (a cigar shaped bird with slender wings) is believed to be declining in numbers, partly due to the disappearance of many old chimneys. To help conserve the Chimney Swift the CVB is designing a chimney shaped tower above the kiosk to provide the much needed habitat for the birds to roost and nest. The project will also include signage, graffiti removal, improved park maintenance, and increased bike patrols. The total expenses for the enhancement project including in-kinds services totals $85,710. The CVB has committed a dollar for dollar match up to $50,000 to support this and several other park improvement projects in the city. In addition the American Birding Association (ABA) has granted $2,500 to the project as part of their Convention Conservation Project. Richard Payne, President of ABA commented, "We are very proud to join the Corpus Christi CVB as well as the City of Corpus Christi in recognizing the value of such a remarkable urban oasis and sharing that desire to enhance its habitat value for the birds that reside and visit there." ABA will be hosting their convention in Corpus Christi this spring. The support of financial partners and grants will help the CVB and its Coastal Bend Nature Tourism Initiative stakeholders the ability to improve several sites throughout the area that can draw significantly more visitors when improved, interpreted and packaged for aggressive marketing. The Nature Tourism Initiative is currently in Phase II of the planning stages for an interactive website, informational kiosks and marketing collateral with the assistance of Fermata, Inc., a Houston-based nature consultant firm. The Coastal Bend alone has an impressive 153 nature & birding sites in the area available to bird watchers and nature lovers year round. Contact: Michelle Horine Communications Director Corpus Christi CVB 361-881-1818 office 361-446-4152 cell 361-888-4998 fax mhorine@cctexas.org

Coastal Bend Shines in Great Backyard Bird Count

The 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) has finished its four-day run (the last day being Monday, President's Day) and Coastal Bend communities lead the nation! Corpus Christi reported the most species in the nation (176). Rockport is third (160), Aransas Pass is tied for fifth (152), and Kingsville is in ninth with 146.

The GBBC is an annual four-day event when birders count the birds they see in the backyard, at their feeders, at a neighborhood park, even at a local wildlife refuge. Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count web site.

The GBBC engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event.

According to count organizers (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, National Audubon Society), as the count progresses anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the online photo gallery.

Check the GBBC website to see a current list of the top cities. For 2009, though, the Coastal Bend has hold on four of the top ten spots!

The Martians Are Back! The Martians Are Back!

Years ago, while jogging on a trail near my home, a young woman came running toward me, shrieking "the martians are back, the martians are back!" Honestly, I did not expect to be confronted with Tim Burton's melon-headed green men. In fact, she even had the bird species wrong (the Barn Swallows had returned to nest under our bridge over our jogging trail; the Purple Martins had come back weeks before).

January is when we expect to see the first Purple Martins return to the Texas coast. These are the risk takers, the adult "scouts" who have forsaken the comforts of South America (such as Brazil) to risk a late cold snap here in Texas. The Purple Martin Conservation Association's scout arrival study has already received reports of 74 returning martins this 2009 season.

Interestingly, these early arriving "scouts" are not scouts at all. These are older adult males that have successfully nested in the past and are returning to the same nesting sites where they raised young the previous year. The scouts (unpaired birds without traditional nesting sites) will return weeks later.

The Purple Martin is a portal species, one that allows us easy entry into the natural world. Martins readily take to nest boxes (although martins in the west still primarily nest in natural cavities). Even Native Americans attracted martins to their habitations by providing empty gourds as nesting cavities. Once birds are attracted to a "martin house," people are able to watch and experience the entire breeding cycle of the birds from the comfort of their own yards. These Purple Martins become "their" Purple Martins.

Why do people go to such great lengths to attract martins to their yards? A new study from the University of Alberta reports that volunteers who take part in such conservation efforts (providing nesting habitat) may do it more for themselves than the wildlife they are trying to protect.

A study of purple martin landlords revealed that they were more motivated to take part in the conservation project for egoistic rather than altruistic reasons.

"Though there were areas of overlap, we found that common motivations for self-benefit included interaction with the birds, a sense of achievement, social interaction, personal stimulation and enjoyment," said Glen Hvenegaard, a co-author on the qualitative study and a professor of geography and environmental studies at the University of Alberta's Augustana campus in Canada.

Whatever the reason, ego or generosity, the martins are back!

Ted Eubanks

For more information about Purple Martins, consult the following websites:

The Purple Martin Conservation Society

The Purple Martin Society of North America

All About Birds (Purple Martin)

Jon McIntyre's Winter Swainson's Thrush

Today (15 Jan 2009) Jon McIntyre found and photographed a Swainson's Thrush at Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond in Port Aransas. To the best of our knowledge this is the first documented record of this migrant species in winter in our state. Although this species has been reported on a number of occasions in winter (such as from the CBCs), this is the first time that similar species (such as western Hermit) can be definitively ruled out. Also of interest was a Yellow Warbler seen by Jon at the Port Aransas Turnbull Birding Center.

Jon has given us permission to publish this photograph of the bird along with this note. Thanks, Jon, and congratulations on the great find!

Goose Island State Park January Activities

Mike Mullenweg, park interpreter at Goose Island State Park, sent the following description of activities for the park this January. An activities calendar is available on this website. Thanks, Mike!

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone survived the holiday without gaining too much weight. Come on out to the park and join us for some interpretive hikes and walk off a few of those holiday pounds.

Every Wednesday through Saturday – Spend the morning with our birding experts as they lead a walk through the park identifying the birds of the Gulf Coastal Bend. Walks will take place in the Wooded Area or on the Bayfront. Bring your field glasses and comfortable shoes. Call for meeting locations.

On Saturday, January 3rd join us at 7 pm when volunteers from the Corpus Christi Astronomical Society will lead a tour of the night skies. Learn about the constellations and see the moon, planets, stars and galaxies through the telescope. Bring your lawn chairs and your binoculars and meets us at the Recreation Hall for an informative and fun night.

On Saturday, January 24th Doris Mager, founder of Save Our American Raptors (SOAR), will be making a presentation involving three live birds of prey including an American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, and a Crested Caracara. Come join her as she relates her experiences of spending the last 35 years dedicated to the preservation of American birds of prey. Show starts at 7 pm in the Rec Hall.

On Saturday 10th, 17th and 31st join us at the Recreation Hall for an evening of learning about nature. Topics include birding, history, plant ID, astrology and more. Programs change weekly. Call to inquire about this week’s topic (361) 729-2858.

On Sunday January 18th meet at the Rec Hall for “The C.C.C. in the Park”. The Recreation Hall at Goose Island was made by the Civilian Conservation Corps from the natural resources found nearby. Come join our park ranger as he talks about the role of the CCC in Texas State Parks and “shellcrete”, a type of concrete made from oyster shells.

Mike Mullenweg, Park Interpreter
Goose Island State Park
202 S. Palmetto (Lamar)
Rockport, TX 78382
361-729-2858 Office
361-729-1041 Fax

American Birding Association Continental Convention Comes To The Bend!

The recent buzz surrounding Choke Canyon State Park is but a taste of the spectacular birding that comes with spring in the Bend. Therefore it is no surprise that the American Birding Association (ABA) will convene its continental convention in Corpus Christi 27 April through 3 May 2009. There will be field trips to all of the area's hotspots (such as Choke Canyon), and a myriad of speakers (such as Kenn Kaufmann) and workshops about bird, birding, and the tools of the trade.

This year marks the ABA's 40th anniversary (founded in Texas, by the way), and what better a way to celebrate than to come home! Corpus Christi has been named "America's Birdiest City" many times over, and even the convention hotel, the Omni Corpus Christi Bayfront Tower, is within walking distance of one of America's best known migrant traps - Blucher Park. There will be daily fields trips to the breathtaking variety of sites (such as the Port Aransas Turnbull Birding Center) and habitats accessible in the Coastal Bend (coastal bays and marshes, thorn-scrub brushland, eastern woodlands, coastal prairies and mottes, to name a few). Conventioneers will likely see more species of birds at this event than any in ABA's storied past.

The ways in which birders can participate are flexible. The convention offers a full package (all field trips and events), a partial package for nonbirding companions, and even an ala carte package for those wanting to attend a single event. In other words, there is simply no excuse for not attending! Corpus Christi is within a few hour's drive of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston. What a fantastic opportunity for Texas birders to gather and celebrate the remarkable birdlife of the great state!

To find out more about the convention, as well as to register, go to the ABA website. We at Bird the Bend look forward to seeing you this spring!

Birders Converge in Choke Canyon State Park

One inevitable result of the presence of a rare bird is the crowd that appears. Birders will converge on the least likely of spots as long as there is a rarity to be ticked off the list (think Brownsville Dump and the Mexican Crows). The possible Pine Flycatcher is no exception, and Bob Rasa generously shared this photo of the Pine Flycatcher watchers as they huddled in the park in early January.