Raptor-ous day

Spring is officially here and I did some serious watering. Usually this time of year I severely ration water, but not today. Having that 65,000 gallons of water in the new tank gives me the courage to water normally even though I should save that water for a summer with no rain. I won't have to touch it this year unless it doesn't rain.

Was surprised to spot a perched Peregrine Falcon from the oasis. If it hadn't been squawking loudly I wouldn't have located it. Even still, it was quite a distance from the oasis near the top of a big hill in the distance.

And as if that sighting wasn't enough, I saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk soaking in the tank.

When I arrived at the oasis I saw kestrels dive-bombing a Red-tailed Hawk too. Such an ordinary occurrence I didn't bother to photograph it.

Was a little perturbed to discover insect damage to my Tree Tobacco plants. It's rough country to grow stuff in. Hopefully, they'll all survive. I still have 4 in pots I can replace some with if need be.

Plant life

The tomatoes have progressed to the next stage of their lives now. I'll harden them off for a couple of weeks and then we'll cage them. Their leaves are really not tough enough yet to withstand our extreme weather. Hot. Cold. Windy. Maybe even hail. One never knows.

My sister loaned me the book, "The Hidden Life of Trees." Translated from the original German in 2016, and written by Ludwing Verlag. A lot of the book seemed a little incredulous to me, too anthropomorphic (I know, laughable since I anthropomorphize the birds and everything), but.....

For years I've said, mostly in jest. Mostly. That I hate to walk past my trees because they cry and beg for water. I may have mentioned that a time or two in my blog through the years. So imagine my surprise when I read this in the book (page 48):

"When trees are really thirsty, they begin to scream.... , you won't be able to hear them because this all takes place at ultrasonic levels. Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape research recorded the sounds, and this is how they explain them: Vibrations occur in the trunk when the flow of water from the roots to the leaves is interrupted." (Vibrations that work similar to our vocal chords.)

It makes me want to rush down there today and water them. The good news is that trees learn to become drought tolerant, so mine will probably only whimper softly until I get down there in a couple of days.

Keeping up

I'm really struggling to keep up with the flower identifications. And it's so frustrating when I forget the species of one I've already identified. Especially when it's a common one I know so well. I have to focus (literally) on getting better photos of the flower parts too. At least the guide I worked so hard on has been very useful. Here are more bluebonnet photos. Can't get enough of them.

Photo by Tim McKenna

Photo by Chanci Anderson

Our poor tomato plants in Alpine have had to spend their nights under covers. We aren't taking chances on a surprise freeze. Soon though we can unwrap them. A couple of them are pushing through their bucket covers. As you can see I had to put an extension on one of them.

I'll be real surprised if we get any fruit from that apricot tree this year. Lots of freezes.

My daughter and her husband own a condo in Colorado that they rent out. If anyone is interested, here's the link.

https://www.vrbo.com/1464881?unitId=2023473&fbclid=IwAR1KSH5nWWTdS0ECd72UVsuwt2o0LyTR5wGtlwY7NVe_97fnl9fUNK6ve3I

Chilly day

A group of birders came today, and it was so cold this morning, and my electricity was out all morning. I was so frustrated! Called the electric company and they said it'd be out 3 or 4 more hours. No way could I make it that long without internet, so I packed up, ready to head back to town, without watering, when the electricity came back on. I got all happy again and it warmed up nicely. Luck of the Irish,* I guess, whatever that means.

Lots of Lucifer Hummingbird activity. I expect the feeders will stay busy except when the ocotillo blooms.

Orange Skipperling

J
The electric company said the reason for the outage was a bird flying into the transmission line.
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*Recently I had my DNA tested and found out I have more Irish in me than I had expected. All my long life I thought I was 25% Irish and 75% German. (In pre-DNA days we estimated like that.)

I'm still not going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  LOL

Surprise lifer butterfly

I ran outside late this afternoon to cover up the tomato plants. They're looking healthy and I want to keep them that way. Forecast for 33° tonight and forecasts are not accurate at all so not taking chances. While I was dashing around weighting down quilts over them I saw a butterfly. I watched where it landed, grabbed my camera and got pics of it. When I couldn't ID it I consulted Brian,  assuming it was either a Funereal or Mournful Duskywing. Brian said it's a male Juvenal's Duskywing, which is a lifer for me.

I always have Mexican Ducks on the ponds but not very often Mallards. Here's a lovely male Mallard. Not rare, but a treat for me.

The wind finally died down. My sister said two wind protectors blew off my Tree Tobaccos. She put them back on and watered them. Can't wait to get back down there myself.

Terrible wind

Last  night the wind blew off three of the protectors around the Tree Tobacco. I put them back on and secured them as best I could but I thought the wind would die down. I'm in town and my sister says it's even worse. So if more blow off I won't be there to rescue them. Frustrating. They'll probably survive but they were laid flat this morning.

I love Woolly Locoweed (Astragalus mollissimus) even if it is poisonous.

Here in town it might freeze in a couple of days so I have to protect the tomatoes. They're looking good now, but.....

Drifting along

Came to the oasis today. Watered some. Saw a few interesting flowers, but some weren't blooming, so will check them again tomorrow. Meanwhile, I saw a lovely Shortfruit Evening Primrose (Oenothera brachycarpa) blooming.

This next plant has been coming up in the courtyard for years but I wasn't into plants enough before to ID it. The digital Brewster Co. guide that I made last winter is very helpful. Trouble is, Powell shows the plant for this area as Arenaria ludens. His book doesn't have a photo of that species and I can't find one online, but based on other similar Arenarias, I feel confident that's what it is. Common name is Trans-Pecos Sandwort. It grows in a mat like a groundcover almost like moss, and is in the Pink (or Carnation) family.

I used a magnifying glass to photograph the close-up of the ever-so-teensy flower. Could have done better if someone had been here to hold the magnifying glass while I held the camera, focused the camera, and depressed the shutter.

Lots of Lucifer Hummingbird courtship displaying going on. I had the best photo op ever of the action but my camera went black for some reason. I put in a new battery. Didn't help. Then I fiddled with all the knobs and buttons and it finally started working. But too late for a photo. The female was perched about 10 feet from me, in the open, and the male displayed for the longest I've ever seen. The only consolation I had was that it was an overcast day and his gorget wasn't very spectacular.

I wonder if the reason for that orangish color on his side is due to the overcast sky. I don't recall seeing that before. Hmmm... Nature is always so fascinating.

The Tree Tobacco plants all looks great! As it gets warmer they should grow faster.

And verbena are everywhere.

Bluebonnets are everywhere too, even along Snake Road coming to the oasis, but none at the oasis. (The white flowers are Bicolor Mustard.)

Due to the lack of sun and not very warm, and now wind, not much butterfly activity. Hope that changes soon.

Can't get enough of the bluebonnets

By Tim McKenna - Big Bend National Park

Hugh and I finally found time to work on the broken limb on the peach tree. I think it'll recover.

Cardinals are common birds for most people but I rarely see one, so had to photograph this singing male here in town this morning.

A matter of math

Some birders at the oasis today were asking about the water situation and the new tank. So it's like this. The stucco tank holds 96 inches of water. If evaporation was ½" every day, the minimum it could possibly be, and no leakage, the water from monsoon season (Jul-Sep) would last 6 months. Of course, that's providing I never watered anything with it.That takes it, under best of circumstances, to March. Then it would be empty. But because I filled the new tank from it last fall, I now have 65,000 gallons of water I wouldn't have had. That's equivalent to 5 feet in the stucco tank. I plan to not touch that reserve unless we get a drought. And in a drought, without that reserve, the oasis would go away, because buying and hauling water is no longer an option for various reasons. Until rainy season I have water in the big tank that should get me through. I seriously doubt that you'll ever hear me whine about lack of water again.

Big Bend National Park by Gabrielle Rohr

I watered my trees today and had to come back to town. Planted some of the tomato plants, and am exhausted. Tomorrow I have to accompany my husband to Odessa to the eye doctor in case the dilation causes him not to be able to drive. He's close to cataract surgery.

Then I hope to address this peach tree. When we left the sprinkler on it for two consecutive nights the ice built up on it so thick that some limbs broke. I hope to be able to mend this one. The sprinkler needs to be turned off after everything is iced over, but neither of us could bring ourselves to go out there at 2 AM and do it. I would have been wide awake for the rest of the night. And I've been puny for weeks now. Plus, if you turn the sprinkler off in the night, then it freezes up and you can't turn it on the following night, if needed, which it obviously was. But this damage could have been prevented with more diligence on our part.

Spring again

More hummers keep showing up. Here's a female Lucifer. I love seeing them in their fresh breeding plumage.