Aug. 14, Pat Porterfield spotted four Northern Bobwhite quail at the corner of Maple and Cedar. They were scurrying around in the greenbelt area. Pat tidbitted, “Beautiful birds indeed.”
Do you remember the good old days when the “bob white” call was often heard? According to TPWD’s “Quail Initiative” publication, since 1980 bobwhite populations in Texas have declined at a rate of about 5.6% per year. “These numbers add up – or down to be more correct – to a 75% loss in bobwhites.” The leading cause seems to be the loss of quantity and quality of habitat.
Pat continued, “Also, we have a roadrunner that spends a large amount of his time in our yard, on the roof, on Elsie’s back (the cement cow in our front yard) and even runs along the top of our privacy fence, never hesitating to hop down into our back yard. I saw him shortly after leaving the bird bath just to lay out on our driveway under the shade of our mountain laurel. I love watching this guy!”
We love watching the lesser goldfinch covering our thistle feeders. Never before have we seen so many in August.
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It looks like this will be a heavy year for our city’s Tree Limb Haul Off.
Here are the “rules” from Mayor Tiffany Curnutt:
• All tree limbs MUST be in your front yard along the roadside (NOT on the road) by Sunday, Aug. 30 in order to be included in the city-provided tree limb haul off. There are no size limitations on branches/limbs.
• When placing tree limbs curbside for Tree Limb Days, please lay limbs in 3 to 5 foot sections with the cut branches facing the street in piles no higher than 3 feet. Piles organized in this fashion will save the city costs by reducing the amount of time the contractors will spend in the clean up.
• If you have already placed your limbs please take the time to reorganize them to save YOUR tax dollars.
Remember, haul off will not be immediate.
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The “rules” for Montage tidbits: Must be related in some way or fashion to Mountain City. There are no size limitations. When submitting a tidbit, send to ptom5678@gmail.com (subject: TIDBIT) or phone 512-268-5678. Thanks! Love, Pauline
