Spring 2013 A publication of the Wildlife Diversity Program—Getting Texans Involved
Habitips
April
- Monitor grazing program to provide nesting cover and plant diversity.
- Continue controlling feral hogs through hunting or trapping.
- Clean and store prescribed burning equipment.
- Develop a checklist of birds you see in various habitats.
- Clean your hummingbird feeders every three to four days.
- Continue to trap brown-headed cowbirds.
- Protection of roost sites is essential in areas with limited numbers of large roost trees. Turkeys like a lot of open space adjacent to roost sites for.
- March, April and May are prime wildflower blooming.
May
- Leave some unharvested winter crops next to edges of field.
- Monitor grazing program to provide nesting cover and plant diversity.
- Prepare ground and plant summer food plots.
- Clean your hummingbird feeders every three to four days.
- Monitor wildlife food plots. High-protein foods in May and June are critical to good antler growth.
- Continue controlling feral hogs through hunting or trapping.
- Cowbird trapping season ends May 31. Report all trapping data to TPWD.
- After dispersal of wintering flocks, juniper and mid-story hardwoods should be thinned adjacent to roost sites when they become too dense to provide for open space from the ground to tree branches where turkeys roost.
- Begin fire ant control as daytime temperatures reach 85 degrees.
June
- Monitor grazing program to provide nesting cover and plant diversity.
- Continue to control feral hogs through hunting or trapping.
- Leave some unharvested winter crops next to edges of field.
- Before mowing, walk through hay meadows in order to reduce wildlife mortality, and consider leaving unmowed strips.
- Do not mow wildflowers until the seedpods have matured. Mowing at the proper time will ensure reseeding for a good crop for following years.
- Make sure summer wildlife water sources are operable.
- Clean your hummingbird feeders every three to four days.
July
- Monitor/fluctuate water levels in wetland areas.
- Monitor grazing program to provide nesting cover and plant diversity.
- Continue to control feral hogs through hunting or trapping.
- Provide supplemental water for wildlife as necessary.
- Complete wetland dike repairs as needed.
- Defer grazing in some pastures to ensure adequate nesting cover for ground-nesting birds next spring.
- Start planning for fall youth hunts to assist in reaching wildlife management population goals.
- Clean your hummingbird feeders every three to four days.
August
- Monitor wetlands for signs of botulism. Notify TPWD of any disease problems.
- Monitor grazing pressure on rangelands and move cattle accordingly.
- Conduct spotlight deer counts.
- Roadside disking will promote germination of both warm and cool season forbs.
- Defer grazing in some pastures to ensure nesting cover for ground nesting birds.
- Provide supplementary water for wildlife when necessary.
- Clean and maintain bird feeders.
- Clean and maintain nestboxes when birds have finished.
- Prepare some boxes to serve as winter shelter.
- Increase the concentration of sugar in hummingbird feeders to prepare for migration.
September
- Prepare ground and plant winter crops.
- Conduct soil tests on food plot sites.
- Shred or disk sunflowers, millet or goat weed for dove feed.
- Shred around tanks to facilitate doves coming to water.
- Continue control of feral hogs.
- Begin flooding moist soil units for ducks.
- Defer grazing on some pastures to protect nesting cover for ground nesting birds.
- Hummingbird migration peaks this month, begin providing additional feeders for winter hummingbirds.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744
