Birds in drought

 This year's drought has been considered even worse than the 2011 drought. It's not personally worse for me because of the new tank and the fluke rain I got in June that others didn't get. But it's worse for the birds. Our local National Public Radio station had this to say about it. 

“This will go down as the driest April through September on record here at Midland International Airport,” [weather service meteorologist] Rick Hluchan said. “It even beats 2011, which everyone knows was a horrible year.” And the immediate future isn’t promising. A “La Niña” pattern is taking hold, which is apt to mean a warm, and dry, winter.                                                                

“It’s very likely that we will stay in drought until some time next year,” Hluchan said, “if not longer..."

Next year could bring wildfires, and water restrictions. But in wild systems, the impacts are already plain. In New Mexico, catastrophic die-offs of migratory birds – in which drought may be a factor – have made national news.

To quote Linda Hedges, a retired Texas Parks & Wildlife interpretive specialist, "i'm fond of saying, 'What's good for birders is not necessarily good for birds. '" So true! What is a smorgasbord for birders is barebones survival for birds. 

My son's yard probably isn't one of the lushest in town, but he has a permanent water feature going in a mini-habitat, on the outskirts of town, and here's the result!

Overgrown water feature (hummingbird feeders on right side)

(To see how it looked before it got overgrown click on "Red Crossbill" label which showed it on Dec 11, 2012)