Warn the Neighbors...

There have been several Heron and Egrets spotted in the area. The neighbors are preparing to fight and make sure we do not go through what we did last year. This means they will go somewhere else and another neighborhood will have to suffer.

The local, state and federal government will do nothing to help them.

They will learn really quick that they have no rights and how their families will suffer...

The neighbors have been warned...

The neighbors have all been warned that a few scouts have been seen down by the lake. There has also been evidence on the streets of the birds in the trees.

The City has been doing mini migratory bird work shops for several neighborhood associations who were unable to attend the large one. I was told that at one of the meetings that several of the people kept asking more biology questions regarding the birds. One of the men stood up and told the people there that if they wanted to know why the meeting was important to go to city website. He advised them to watch the first 10 minutes and they would know why they were holding the meeting.

Cattle Egrets in Hawaii

This is from the Hawaii Audubon Society:

"The extent to which this egret has fulfilled its purpose in reducing flies on cattle has never been measured empirically, but cattlemen insist the incidence of insect-born ailments on cattle has decreased where they are present (Telfair R.C.II 1994). They undoubtedly perform pest control services in consuming grasshoppers, crickets, centipedes, millipedes, moth and beetle larvae, cockroaches, frogs, toads, ticks, rats and mice. But they also devour small birds and the eggs and nestlings of larger birds including seabirds on islands. (Long,1981;Telfair, op cit)."

"Another problem with Cattle Egrets is their potential for transmitting parasites and disease organisms to livestock, domestic fowl, wild birds and people. In Florida, they were found to have viral encephalitis, mycoplasma (PPLO ) infections, and salmonellosis. Parasites included louse flies, mites, trematodes, cestodes, helminths, and nematodes (Telfair, R.C. II , 1994). In 1972, Gagne (1972) urged theState Board of Agriculture to invoke strong regulations on the introduction of birds quoting a book by John Davis listing wild birds susceptible to Newcastle’s Disease. Cattle egrets were included. Gooch (1977) in a letter from the State Department of Health to R. Walker of the Department of Land and Natural Resources reported nestling and juvenile egret samples positive for Salmonella. The concern is that this disease might spread to native birds (Rauzon et al, 2004).Upon its introduction in 1959, the Hawaii Audubon Society said, “Although some of us regard importations with some trepidation, it would seem that the Cattle Egret will not displace any of our native birds” (Anon 1959a). But for other reasons,it is clear now that this deliberate introduction was a mistake. A wildlife biologist has said, “In view of the various negative impacts associated with Cattle Egrets including predation on young endangered waterbirds, depredation on aquaculture organisms, as hazards to aviation, and vectors of disease, the location of rookeries is important to management” (Walker,1983)."

This is from August/September 2011...

What we could have...

Here are some scary numbers...

If the adults return: 4,804
If 80% of the babies return : 5,764
Total number of adult birds: 10,568
Breeding pairs: 5,284
Eggs Laid: 42,272
Chicks:21,136

Total number of birds in the Rookery = 31,704

This can not be allowed to happen. The figure above is what could happen to our neighborhood if the birds are allowed to roost again.  I can not believe that Texas Parks and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife and the Department of the Interior have been allowed to get away with this for over 30 years!

How can this be right to subject American Citizens to the kind of biological hazards the birds create? They don't test them for salmonella because they know they carry it. They don't test them for histoplasmosis because they say it's to hard to prove. There are also several other diseases the birds are known.

The laws need to change!