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Mourning dove is the most abundant dove species, the most abundant game bird and one of the most abundant songbirds in southern Oklahoma and north Texas. Many people enjoy watching, feeding, photographing and hunting mourning dove. Yet, it is surprising how few landowners and land managers manage for dove.

Neotropical migrants are a group of birds that live, breed, and nest in North America during spring and summer and migrate to and live in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands during the fall and winter. There are approximately 60 species of neotropical migrants that nest in Oklahoma.

Management of native bobwhite populations is very challenging, often frustrating. The frustration occurs because quail managers often do not adequately identify and change the real factors that limit bobwhite abundance. Some aspect of cover, either too little or too much, often limits quail abundance.

If you are like me, you are already planning for the upcoming quail season. The habitat available for this upcoming season is a result of current-year and past-year habitat management. Management practices affecting habitat include grazing, mowing or haying, prescribed fire or wildfire, and brush or weed management.

Mycotoxins, toxins produced by fungi, are known to negatively affect mammals, birds, and fish. Some of the grain produced this year might have higher levels of mycotoxins due to drought related stresses during seed production.

Guidelines for construction and placement of wood duck nesting boxes.

Some of the best duck hunting is a result of abundant food, and the most important foods are primarily aquatic plants. Since most aquatic plants grow during the summer, management for those plants should be done at that time.

Predator guards for nest boxes minimize predation of eggs, nestlings, and adult birds at the boxes. Predation is a major cause of mortality among cavity nesting birds.

Recently, several of the Noble Research Institute's wildlife staff traveled to Abilene, Texas, to attend the North Texas Quail Symposium: Preserving Texas' Quail Heritage into the 21st Century. Information is summarized from the symposium explaining why quail are declining in some areas and are stable in others.

One of the reasons people fail to attract martins is improper housing location. Timing is a critical component of attracting martins. Competition from other species greatly discourages martins from taking up residency.