Hundreds of bird species stop in League City during spring migration. Discover more about spring migration and the birds you might see with the Spring Migration Birding Challenge. It features nine spring migrants that visit League City during their journey. Spring Migration Activities & Events Film, Food Trucks, and Feathers April 8 • 5 p.m. • Lynn Gripon Park at Countryside Grab a chair and bring your family to this fun outdoor movie night. Arrive at 5 p.m. to grab a copy of the birding challenge and walk the Feathered Friends Trail. On the trail you'll learn fascinating bird facts from special signage along the way. Beginning at 6 p.m. there will be an outdoor showing of the movie “Rio,” and food trucks will be on site for those who want a meal while they enjoy the film. ​ Wildlife Stewardship Presentation April 9 • 10 a.m. to noon • Helen Hall Library The Wildlife Center of Texas will be giving a presentation about responsible wildlife stewardship and rehabilitation at Helen Hall Library. The group will bring along 1 or 2 animal "Wildlife Ambassadors." The presentation is free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Kid-Friendly Birding Activities April 9 • 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. • Nature Center & Rustic Oaks Park Kristine Rivers—a Texas Master Naturalist—will host a kid-friendly nature walk where kids can learn the basics of birding at the Clear Creek Nature Center from 9 to 11 a.m. Later in the day, Kristine will teach nature arts and crafts from 2 to 4 p.m. at Rustic Oaks Park. No registration required. ​ Facebook Live Chat with Houston Audubon Birding Expert April 13 • 1 p.m. • City of League City Facebook Page If you can't attend an in-person event, that's ok. The City of League City will broadcast a Facebook Live chat with a Houston Audubon birding expert who will talk all things birding and migration. Set your calendar reminder to tune in. ​ Houston Audubon "Bird-Friendly Spaces" Program April 16 • 10 a.m. • Helen Hall Library This program will teach residents about spring migration and how to create spaces that will attract birds. There will be bird-related crafts for kids, as well. ​ Bird Walk for Adults April 30 • 9 to 11 a.m. • Clear Creek Nature Center Adults are invited to register for an in-depth guided bird walk with expert birder, Kristine Rivers. Please register for the event. For more information, visit LeagueCityCVB.com/SpringMigration

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you probably know I love birding this time of year. Not only is it more pleasant to spend time outdoors, but there’s a significant increase in the quantity of both individuals and species that may be seen. That’s because our temperate climate and abundant resources attract thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds, sparrows, raptors, and other migrants to overwinter here. Today we’re at the Clear Creek Nature Center in League City to talk about a migratory species that can be seen year-round in our area – the Red-shouldered Hawk. It may seem contradictory to say the species is both migratory and here year-round. Interestingly, our breeding population of Red-shouldered Hawks is replaced in fall and winter by migrants to our area. In other words, the birds we see in summer migrate further south for the winter, and the void is filled by birds from the north that overwinter here. The population density also increases in winter, so you might have noticed a sudden increase in the number of individuals you encounter. Red-shouldered Hawks are medium-sized buteos – raptors that soar on broad, rounded wings and fanned tails. Adults have bold black-and-white barring on wings and tail, giving them a checkered appearance on the back when perched, and warm reddish barring on breast and belly. The rusty shoulder patches that give them their name aren’t always noticeable. Juveniles are mottled brown and white on the back, with streaked, light-colored underparts and wide bands of barring visible on the tail. This time of year when it’s often foggy in the morning, it’s not uncommon to see Red-shouldered Hawks looking wet and bedraggled with wings and tail spread while perched. They fly once their soggy feathers dry, rising and soaring on warm currents of air called thermals. Individuals of all ages can be recognized in flight by the translucent crescents near the tips of their slightly squared-off wings. You can also use other behavioral clues to identify Red-shouldered Hawks. All ages are very vocal, giving their distinctive rising two-note call often in flight or while perched. Smaller than the Red-tailed Hawk, this species is more likely to perch on high lines than on top of utility poles, watching for prey moving in the grass or on the ground beneath them. They primarily hunt small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, but will occasionally prey on smaller birds at feeders as well. For this reason, Blue Jays frequently imitate the hawks’ distinctive calls to warn other birds of the presence of a predator. Look for Red-shouldered Hawks in wooded areas with deciduous trees and an open understory, often near water. Our suburban League City neighborhoods with large, mature trees offer the perfect habitat! These beautiful birds are quite common, and easy to observe because they perch in the open and are used to living near people. You’re sure to see them if you pay attention! If you’d like to learn more about birds and birding, be sure to check out my free series of Beginning Birding virtual classes that start in January, hosted by Galveston’s Rosenberg Library. Classes will be held via Zoom on Mondays at 4:30pm, and you can register for the entire series or just the classes that interest you. Visit www.rosenberg-library.org to sign up, but don’t wait – classes fill up quickly! You can also follow the City of League City and Birding for Fun on Facebook. Hope to see you soon! #LeagueCityBirding Contributed by Kristine Rivers, founder of Birding for Fun.

We added a birdhouse to our yard last year, and we were delighted when Eastern Bluebirds moved in and began nesting this spring. These beautiful members of the thrush family are year-round residents in our area and are a wonderful conservation success story. At one time, bluebird populations were in serious decline due to habitat loss that severely limited suitable natural nesting cavities. During the 1960s and ‘70s, conservationists began establishing bluebird trails with nest boxes, and encouraging people to add nest boxes to their yards. These preservation efforts have been remarkably successful, and bluebird populations have rebounded well since then. Eastern Bluebirds are small thrushes with large, rounded heads and plump bellies. They can be recognized by their erect posture when perched on highlines and fence posts. Males are a gorgeous, saturated blue on the head and back, with a rusty red breast, and white belly. Females have similar markings, although not as bright, with duller gray-blue coloration that deepens to blue on the wings and tail. Juveniles have white eyerings, and are spotted on the back and breast, making them look quite different than adults. Bluebirds are omnivores, preying primarily on insects, worms, and grubs during breeding season, and feeding heavily on fruit and berries in fall and winter. They prefer open country with patchy vegetation surrounded by trees. Watch for them flying to the ground suddenly from an open perch to catch an insect with a flash of wings, before returning to the same perch. Bluebirds are not likely to visit bird feeders, but they are attracted by birdbaths, and it’s important to provide fresh water daily. They will eat mealworms if offered, but the dried variety is not good for them as it fails to provide necessary hydration to their young. If you have space and would like to attract bluebirds to your yard, consider adding a nest box. You can find information about choosing the best spot, plans for building nest boxes, and more on the North American Bluebird Society website. Two or more broods per year are common, with juveniles from the first brood often helping care for those in the second. You can find Eastern Bluebirds at many of the parks in the League City area. If you’d like to see them, try the parking lot area near the playground in Challenger Seven Memorial Park – they are nesting there in old woodpecker nest cavities in the utility poles. The adults are active in the mornings and evenings, catching insects and bringing them to the nest to feed their young. They are often perched on top of signs near the parking lot, searching for insects in the grass. I hope you enjoy watching and learning about these beautiful birds as much as I have! #LeagueCityBirding

Thousands of American Robins are traveling through our area this winter. This is known as an irruption, when a species suddenly surges southward in large numbers to follow its food supply. Insider Tip: Want to attract American Robins to your yard? Add hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, suet, mealworms and fruit to ground feeding stations and platform feeders.

You know the old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together,” right? We usually think it refers to birds of the same species staying together, but in the case of Red-winged Blackbirds it’s even more accurate. Let’s take a closer look at this fascinating species, and I’ll show you what I mean. Red-winged Blackbirds are normally seen traveling together in large flocks. In fact, their genus name Agelaius derives from the Greek word meaning “belonging to a flock.” If you’ve been out just before dusk recently, you may have witnessed a mesmerizing flocking behavior known as a murmuration. In this amazing spectacle, thousands of blackbirds fly en masse in perfect synchronization, creating swirling, shape-shifting black clouds in the sky. After coming down to roost overnight, these huge flocks spread out as far as 50 miles foraging before rejoining the other members in the evening. In smaller flocks, Red-winged Blackbirds can be recognized by their distinctive undulating flight pattern, with rapid wing beats interspersed with short glides. Another behavior helpful in identification can be seen as flocks are landing: as the birds in the front light, the birds in the back fly over them to land in the front, creating a leap-frog effect. Males and females of this species are dimorphic, meaning they look different from each other. Males are glossy black all over, and easily recognized by their large, bright red and yellow shoulder patches (or epaulets) – the older and more experienced the bird, the more impressive the wing patches. Females are much smaller, brown, and heavily streaked, with a noticeable whitish eyebrow. They look like an entirely different species, and for that reason are often confused with sparrows. This time of year, when our resident population is joined by migrants from up north, identification is made even more difficult because males and females tend to flock separately. Males migrate before females in the spring, and after them in the fall. This means that even within the same species, birds with the same plumage flock together, apart from the rest! In breeding season, males perch high atop cattails and reeds, singing loudly while flashing their bright red epaulets. Females are more likely to be seen on the ground, foraging, and gathering nesting material. Red-winged Blackbirds nest in loose colonies in both fresh- and salt-water marshes. Due to the scarcity of appropriate habitat, males are polygamous, with as many as a dozen nesting mates crowded into one small territory. For this reason, the males’ flashy displays are not meant to attract females, but rather to defend their territories against other males. Once nesting has begun, the males shift their attention to defending the nests against predators. Throughout the summer, the Red-winged Blackbird’s diet is largely made up of high- protein pest insects, such as weevils, corn worms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and flies. During the rest of the year, they feed heavily on seeds and grains, making them an unwelcome visitor around farmers’ crops. When resources are abundant, two to three broods are common. Females build new nests for each brood, creating intricately woven nests within the reeds, and lining the cups with mud and soft grasses. Nests are placed a few inches above the water surface to protect eggs and nestlings from predators. Unfortunately, this makes them susceptible to spring heat waves and large flooding events such as the one we experienced in late 2017 with Hurricane Harvey. Our local population was reduced to around 10% of its normal size, and marshes once filled with the cheerful sounds of Red-winged Blackbirds were eerily quiet. I’ve been very happy to see the species rebounding in our area in recent years, and to once more hear their bubbly songs and enjoy their flashy displays. If you’d like to attract Red-winged Blackbirds to your yard, try scattering some birdseed on the ground – they love millet, cracked corn, peanut hearts, and black oil sunflower seeds. You can purchase pre-mixed premium seed at the store, but I enjoy creating my own special mix. Either way, your yard is sure to be a popular spot with these beautiful birds! #LeagueCityBirding Contributed by Kristine Rivers, founder of Birding for Fun.

Thousands of American Robins are traveling through our area this winter. This is known as an irruption, when a species suddenly surges southward in large numbers to follow its food supply. Insider Tip: Want to attract American Robins to your yard? Add hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, suet, mealworms and fruit to ground feeding stations and platform feeders.

Within any given area, different species of birds take advantage of different sources of food and cover. As a birder, you can follow habitat clues to both find and identify more species of birds, no matter where you are.

Join us Saturday, February 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lynn Gripon at Countryside Park (100 Alderwood) for our Tweet Heart Trail Walk. Not only will we be unveiling new “bird themed” trail signs at the park, but there will be valentines and birding related crafts, nature bingo, and conversation hearts along the trail for couples to answer while they enjoy a nature walk.