Just spreading the word - Texas Parks and Wildlife - Winter Storm Uri Wildlife Deaths project
Please, spread the word to add your Texas winter storm death observations to the Winter Storm Uri Wildlife Deaths project. Spread the word, please.
Texas Parks and Wildlife is trying to better understand the impacts of Winter Storm Uri (mid-February 2021) on wildlife. Please contribute any observations of wildlife that you suspect were killed due to the cold and include photos where possible. Please also complete the extra observation field "Number of Individuals" so we can account for multiple individuals that were noted in a given observation.
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lovebirder,
February 23, 2021 23:39
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebeObserver
lovebirderDescription
I was devastated to find that this EAPH had taken refuge in the nest to try to stave off the cold, wind and snow, but it froze there. RIP
Photos / Sounds
What
Mourning Dove Zenaida macrouraObserver
lovebirderDescription
victim of the hard freezes
Comments
Thankfully, I didn't encounter any casualties directly related to Winter Storm Uri (aka The Polar Express), but I'll help spread the word!
I did not see any casualties directly related either, but did notice many observations by others across the state. Then, I saw @mako252 's observations of the fish kill on the Texas Coast. Appalling.
Thanks for making me aware of this. I've only seen a couple of birds, but know other who've seen a lot. I'm sharing this link to our TX Master Naturalist chapter, and a birding facebook group I'm on. Thank you!
@gwaithir
Here’s an article describing the 1983-4 winter storm we had that out froze this past storm by quite a bit out here in the Hill Country. The air mass pushed well out into the Gulf of Mexico and froze the Laguna Madre. I doubt this one did because even here, the day after the coldest day, Tuesday, we went above freezing in our downtown lot each succeeding day, thermometers reading above 32 every day thereafter and the snow and ice melting each day. And of course, Saturday we were in the 60s and yesterday in the mid seventies. I was in shirtsleeves. In 83-84 our ground in our lot (and all around) froze and since we didn’t have any predicted snow or ice, what moisture was in the ground froze the soil into foot square blocks like what happens in the arctic. Walking on the ground meant you had to wear your heavy duty hiking boots due to the rugged nature of the terrain. This article says Houston experienced five days of below freezing weather, setting a record. Also, I don’t remember an uptick in wild bird deaths or other impacts. Just frigid air. What was different from that storm and our recent one was in ’83 the wind howled in a way I never heard before and the sound alone was unsettling. This storm was the first winter storm I felt could just flat out kill us without trouble and resulting in our loosing all interest in the ‘beauty’ of winter and the cold North! We prayed for Global Warming;-)
https://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Effects-lessons-of-1983-freeze-evident-on-Texas-5092926.php
I've seen one deer carcass so far, but photo is still in the camera. I notice Black Vultures hanging around in trees during the day, a sign of something dead nearby.
@baldeagle: Here is an additional hope for those working on Riparian habitat restoration and alien species eradication: We had a large Glossy Privet in our yard. After the freeze, it died and eventually rotted away leaving seedlings as the only sign it had existed. Those I pulled up and our lot is Privet free. I will be watching the alien shrub/tree invaders in hopes the cold will have a devastating on the population. Perhaps this is the silver lining in this devastating development.
I added a link to the project to the North Central Texas Wildlife group on Facebook, thanks for the info.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/winter-storm-uri-wildlife-deaths
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