Fall 2012 A publication of the Wildlife Diversity Program—Getting Texans Involved
Habitips
In General
- Monitor grazing pressure on rangelands and move livestock accordingly.
- Continue controlling feral hogs.
- Preserve brushy fence rows, shelterbelts and critical wildlife cover by fencing.
- Order survey kits for Texas Nature Tracker programs such as Hummingbird Roundup and Texas Horned Lizard Watch.
November
- Monitor use and condition of key vegetation going into winter.
- Move livestock off of fall food plots for wildlife.
- Order spring-planted annual seedlings.
- Construct brush piles needed for winter cover.
- Begin developing winter prescribed burn plans.
- Disk fire lanes as needed.
- Clean up leaf litter within your firewise defensive zone.
December
- Prepare fireguards for prescribed burning program.
- Disk in proximity to woody cover to provide habitat interspersion for game birds.
- Get prescribed burn equipment ready.
- Strip disk to encourage native food resources.
- Focus on providing travel lanes and cover for birds.
January
- Prepare fireguards for prescribed burning program.
- Disk in proximity to woody cover to provide habitat interspersion for game birds.
- Get prescribed burn equipment ready.
- Strip disk to encourage native food resources.
- Focus on providing travel lanes and cover for birds.
Febuary
- Conduct prescribed burns as needed.
- Begin planting annual seedlings.
- Monitor turkey flocks.
- Conduct mechanical brush control as needed.
- Disk wetland areas to encourage moist soil plants as needed.
- Look for early spring wild-flower blooms - mostly gold colored flowers.
- Hummingbird migration begins.
- Repair and install nestboxes for the nesting season.
March
- If trained begin trapping brown-headed cowbirds.
- Plant native grasses, forbs and legumes.
- Conduct prescribed burns as needed.
- Watch for developing wildflower blooms.
- De-water flooded areas to encourage wetland vegetation.
April
- Monitor grazing to provide nesting cover and plant diversity.
- Clean and store prescribed burn equipment.
- Develop a checklist of birds you see in various locations - note habitat use.
- Continue trapping brown-headed cowbirds if trained.
- Protect turkey roosts in areas with limited numbers of large trees.
- Continue monitoring wildflower blooms.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744
