Ducks Hang out in Shallow Wetlands Called Feathers Were Designed to Help Them Get Attention from Girl “Potholes” up There for Most of the Year but Then ﬂy Down Ducks

Texas Wildlife Association presents....

December 2008 Kid’s Quarterly Mini-Mag! Vol. 2 No. 4

Postcards from Nancy... By Sarah Stannard

Dear TWA, tan-brown feathers on their heads and bodies. I told Delilah The holidays are here! Winter break from school started that I thought the ladies were supposed to be the pretty ones a week ago and so I am back in San Antonio for a little while. in the family and she just laughed. “Nancy”, she said, “The My friend Delilah came home with me to spend the holidays girls are the ones that have to build the nests, lay the eggs, with my family since most of her kin are out of state. Delilah is and take care of the ducklings. Our brown feathers are our a Mallard Duck from the “Prairie Pothole Region” that stretches camouflage so that we can blend in with the things around from the north central United States into Canada. Delilah us while we are nesting.” She also said that the boys’ bright said that a lot of ducks hang out in shallow wetlands called feathers were designed to help them get attention from girl “potholes” up there for most of the year but then fly down ducks. It seemed crazy to me that the fellas would rather be south in search of warmer weather when the temperatures bright and showy when that meant that things other than girl drop. I guess they are what we call “Winter Texans.” ducks (like predators) could see them too! Silly boys!!! Delilah The trip home from Pecos, TX sure was long but we made and I chuckled about it and she said that her brother used to pretty good time. I jogged most of the way and brag and brag about his pretty green feathers to her so she I sure was exhausted each night. Delilah, told him that those feathers were bound to attract coyotes to on the other hand, barely even broke their nest. She then explained to him that his feathers were a sweat. Her wings and muscles are so pretty—he would probably be the first one eaten. He was built for flying long distances, so she just so frightened that he went down to the creek and soared above me while I waddled along. covered his whole body in mud so that he would Speaking of waddling, it is a good thing that be brown all over! After that, I guess he didn’t ducks can fly because Delilah sure moves slow make fun of Delilah’s camouflage anymore!! as a snail when she is walking on land! Her feet Well, I had better run for now. Delilah is are flat and she has extra skin between all of helping mom make cookies and Dad and Ned her toes called “webbing” that reminded me of are putting up lights on the burrow. Goofy, swimming flippers. And—swim—she can! males! I wonder if I should tell them that That girl can move on the water! It is really lights on an armadillo burrow are like a neon cool to watch her swim too because she just sign at a fast food drive thru? Nah—it’s the floats on the surface with her wings neatly holidays. I’ll just wait until they fall asleep and folded against her back. She looks so peaceful then unplug them. It seems a female’s work is at first glance. But if you look underwater, you will see her never done! flipper-like feet moving a mile a minute, and those special feet Happy Holidays Y’all! are what make her zip across the surface of the water! When we got to my house, mom and dad and even my Your friend, creepy brother, Ned swarmed me with hugs and questions Nancy about my trip. Delilah started to feel a little homesick and Nine-band pulled out some pictures of her own family to show me. I was surprised by the photos because her dad and brother looked totally different from Delilah and her Critter Connections is made mom and sister even though they are all Mallards! possible by a grant from the Her dad and brother have beautiful sparkly San Antonio Livestock green feathers on their heads, gray and brown Exposition. body feathers, and gorgeous blue patches on their wings. They are both handsome as can be!! On the other hand, Delilah and her mother and sister are all kind of plain looking with the same color of Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) have joined forces to offer Our Mission youth hunts that are safe, educational and very affordable. The Texas Youth Hunting Program We sponsor introductory, instructive youth hunts for deer, was established to increase the numbers turkey, hogs, javelina, exotics, dove, small game, waterfowl, of youths participating in wildlife varmints and other species. Normally, we provide mentors, and hunting activities and to promote lodging and meals. the hunting heritage in Texas. Our Goals To preserve the hunting heritage in Texas for present and future generations. To instill in youth a basic understanding of practical conservation measures. To encourage wildlife habitat access, enhancement and management. To teach the basic skills, values, techniques and responsibilities of hunting. To promote the highest ethical standards in hunting. To give our youth an initial, positive, safe, educational, mentored hunting experience

To participate in the Texas Youth Hunting Program, you must ... Be 9 to 17 years old. Complete and submit the Texas Youth Hunting Program Application at www.tyhp.org.

To hunt with TYHP, youth must ... Complete the Texas Hunter Education Program and be able to provide a copy of your certiﬁcate, card or student registration form that shows your test score, etc. You must have Hunter Education to hunt with TYHP, regardless of age. If you are less than 12 years old, you cannot be certiﬁed by the Hunter Education program and must retake the course after your twelfth birthday. Call Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112 for more information and a schedule of upcoming Hunter Education courses in your area. Have a valid Texas hunting license and appropriate tags or stamps when required. Be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Complete a TYHP Hunting Application that lists your choice of hunts by priority. TYHP hunting schedules will be sent to you periodically. Complete the TYHP release forms sent to you when you are selected for a youth hunt. Submit a refundable deposit to secure your position when you are selected for a youth hunt to insure all youth hunt opportunities are utilized. 2 puzzles.....mazes.....oh my! go ahead.....give it a try!

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We’re looking for some young outdoorsman to spotlight in Critter Connections. Why not you? It is simple. Just answer the questions above, tell us who your parents are, and send your answers, along with 3-4 really good pictures of you pursuing your favorite outdoor activities! We will select one person each quarter to spin the spotlight on! The deadline for consideration is the 1st of the month, so send your spotlight in today!!

Mail your information to: Why not YOU? TWA Attn: Critter Connections 2800 NE Loop 410, Ste. 105 San Antonio, TX 78218

Or email it to: [email protected]

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By Helen Holdsworth is not completely understood by scientists, but one theory is that changes in The ducks that use the Central Flyway are too day length (days getting shorter or longer) trigger the birds’ migration. numerous to list, so we’ll just mention a few here. If you are lucky enough to have ducks living in a Mallards, redheads, lesser scaups, and teal are just some of the ducks you may notice flying in the V formation waterway near you, I strongly recommend spending Wigeon Bufflehead a little time duck watching. They may be noisy but across the Texas sky. Why do they fly in that formation? c they are fascinating to study. How many animals can (The answer may be found in another section of Critter you name that can walk, swim, & fly?!? So let’s take a Connections). Others in the Texas sky are the gadwall, closer look at ducks. canvasback, and hooded merganser. A baby duck is called a duckling, doesn’t matter if it Many hunters have nicknames for ducks. A mallard a boy or a girl. An adult male is a drake and a female is drake is a greenhead; a female is a suzie. Wood ducks called a hen. Females will lay their eggs in the spring. are called squealers because of their unusual call. Ask a r duck hunter you know for some other nicknames. Different species of ducks lay different numbers of eggs; mallards lay 8-12, pintails 3-12, and wood ducks How do you identify ducks as they are flying overhead? 6-15. Eggs will be incubated for an average 28 days. You can look at body, wing, and bill (beak) shape, flight When ducklings are born, they have to get out of speed, and feather or foot color. Some males have the nest and get moving. They will be very vulnerable Ducks breeding and non-breeding plumage, so in the fall the i to predators if they stay in the nest. A lot of different males will be similar in color to the females. animals like to eat duck eggs & ducks! Ducks must have wet areas to live and we call these Ducks are put into two different categories. Puddle wetlands. Over the years, many acres of wetlands have or dabbling ducks are found in shallow marshes. These Across been drained and this has hurt some duck populations. ducks generally do not have to submerge their entire In recent years though, laws have been passed to t bodies to reach any food. Their legs are placed near protect wetlands and several non-profit organizations the center of their body, they will spring into the air have purchased land to keep the wetlands intact forever. upon take off, and their foot is smaller than the diving Texas In some places there are so many ducks, they are eating ducks. themselves out of a habitat. Diving ducks are usually in deeper waters and have Ducks are a federally protected species because they to completely dive under the water to get food. Their are migratory and cross countries’ borders. Hunters t must follow the federal regulations when hunting for legs are set near the rear of their body. They will also, on take off, patter or walk along the surface of the ducks. Duck hunting season varies in Texas (there are water for some distance. 3 different zones) but generally runs from mid- to the Speaking of food, what do ducks eat anyway? end of October through the last weekend in January. They don’t have any teeth so they can’t be carnivores. Remember, you have to have a hunting license, a Federal e But they do eat small fish, snails, and worms, as Duck Stamp, and a Texas Migratory Bird Stamp to hunt well as grass, seeds and insects. This makes ducks ducks. Always check the annual hunting regulations omnivores. published by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Pintail Ring-necked There are a lot of different kinds of ducks across the Happy Duck Watching! world and many that live in Texas at least part of the Sources: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (www.birds.cornell.edu), r year. Texas is a popular stopover for many migratory The U.S. has three major flyways, and different species of ducks travel the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (www.tpwd.state.tx.us), Waterfowl Hunting in birds winging their way north or south. different flyways. Texas is in the Central Flyway, which stretches from Alberta Missouri (http://www.mosportsmen.com/hunting/waterfowl.htm), Robert Sanders of Freer, Texas, and Waterfowl Identification in the Central Flyway (published by the Most wild ducks migrate from north to south in the & Saskatchewan in Canada through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Central Flyway Waterfowl Council, 1999). fall/winter and south to north in the spring. Migration Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. All photos this page courtesy of Russell Graves Let’s Talk Duck Did you know that...

...ducks and geese ﬂy in a V formation to conserve energy? The bird in front blocks the wind to make it MallardMMalMaalallarllaaarrd easier on the one behind. The birds will take turns taking the lead.

...lesser scaup adults will play dead or become immobile with their head extended, eyes open and wings held close to the body when grasped by a red fox?

...wood ducks nest in trees near the water and the baby wood ducks will have to jump out of the nest down to the ground soon after they are born? Some may have to jump 200 feet!

...in Texas, you may hunt ducks with a falcon, if you are properly trained and licensed?

Photos courtesy of Russell Graves Pintail

Iridescent Color Me... green feathers on head Mallard Duck Black eyes Anas Platyrhynchos

Light brown White ring feathers Yellow Bill

Dark brown feathers

Orange/red legs and Swimming webbed feet Drake

6 LET’S RODEO EVERYBODY!!

Stock show season is just around the corner and now is the time to get fired up! Many people think the rodeo is the only thing going on at the San Antonio Stock Show. You’d be surprised what else there is! Read on to find out.

Livestock Show & Rodeo Tidbits • Attendance for the 2008 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo totaled 1,300,513 including 8 record breaking days. • The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo contributed over $8.5 million to help educate the Youth of Texas in 2008 with your support. • World’s Largest Junior Livestock Show • Over 1,500 active students attending or will soon be attending college with San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc’s assistance.

2008 Livestock Show Fun Facts • 252 out of 254 counties were represented at the 2008 Junior Livestock Show. • The Junior Livestock Auction broke records again this year, with an auction total of $3,610,612, with record-setting Champions in four out of five auction categories. • If each calf scramble participant ran just one lap during the calf scramble, the total # of miles run would be 85.6 miles.

2008 Horse Show Fun Facts • The weight of all the horses shown would equal more than 20 semi-trucks with trailers. • Over 9,000 horse shoes walked through the horse barns and arenas. • If all the stalls used during the horse shows were stacked on top of each other, it would be twice as tall as The Tower of the Americas. • The number of trucks pulling horse trailers admitted onto the grounds would create a line over 11 miles long!

New For 2009! • This year, President’s Day falls on a Monday, Feb. 16, 2009. Our special promotion is $1 grounds admission. So bring the entire family and enjoy a day at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. • The last day of the show, Sunday, Feb. 22, is called Family Day. We have lots of great activities for the whole family to take advantage of. From the 2nd annual South Texas Ranch Rodeo Finals to the Western Art Auction to an interactive group of activities hosted by Texas Parks & Wildlife, to a world-class carnival and lots of food, games, and fun--there’s something for everyone! • The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is starting a new Kids Club. We don’t have much information on it right now, but keep checking www.sarodeo.com! th 60anniversary