Northern Parula
Parula americana
male
Near Caddo Lake,
Marion Co., Texas
12 April 2010
By: Tom Behrens
Mary Jo Peckham Lake will be regularly stocked with catfish from April 21, 2023 through October 27, 2023.
Catfish are fun and easy to catch for anglers of all ages and experience levels. If you’ve never fished before, the lake at Mary Jo Peckham Park is the perfect place to get started. If you are an experienced angler, the Lake is the perfect place to introduce fishing to a friend or family member.
Each lake will receive channel catfish every two weeks through the end of October, with a brief pause during the heat of Agust, to ensure there are plenty of angling opportunities for everyone throughout the spring, summer and early fall.
An angler can keep up to five catfish of any size per day. Children under 17 fish for free, but adults who fish must have a fishing license. Fishing licenses can be purchased for as little as $11 for “one-day, all-water” access. All proceeds go toward management and conservation of the fish and their habitat.
Turn the Lights Out – Spring is the peak time for bird migration through Texas, but the bright lights of cities and towns can confuse birds as they fly to their northern breeding grounds. Texans are encouraged to help our winged friends on their journey by turning “Lights Out” at night across the state from April 22 through May 12.
In 2017, after discovering the bodies of more than 400 birds that had slammed into a skyscraper, the American National Insurance Company and Houston Audubon launched the original Lights Out initiative. A nationwide program, sponsored by Bird Cast began around the same time. Both groups sought to reduce bird mortalities associated with light pollution, which attracts and disorients birds, causing collisions and deaths.
Two decades of research from Chicago, the country’s deadliest city for migrating birds (followed closely by Houston and Dallas), show that darkening the windows produced 11 times fewer bird collisions during the spring migration and 6 times fewer collisions during the fall migration. These results are significant because one of every three birds migrating through the United States in the spring or fall — nearly 2 billion in total — pass through Texas.
How can Texans help?
Turn off all nonessential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night during the program.
Don’t use landscape lighting to illuminate trees or gardens where birds may be resting.
For essential lights (security and safety lighting), use the following dark skies-friendly lighting practices:
Aim lights downward.
Use lighting shields to direct light downward and avoid light shining into the sky or trees.
Use motion detectors and sensors so lights only come on when you need them.
Close blinds at night to reduce the amount of light from windows.
You can find examples of dark skies-friendly lighting from the International Dark Sky Association and additional guidance and language from the McDonald Observatory’s dark skies resources and recommended lighting practices..