At least it's cooler

I got down here yesterday after banding, but had pulled a muscle or something in my back and didn't get anything done. So today was catch up, and tomorrow already I have to go back to Alpine for Saturday banding at CDRI. Banding season is winding down though. Less hummers around. Most have taken advantage of the recent cool front and gone south with it. And with slightly cooler weather there's less pressure on me to haul water. After the first freeze twice monthly will suffice. October is forecast to be warmer and drier than normal.

This morning I spent squeezing the last drops out of the big tank that had fallen into it during that 3-day rainy spell we had that gave me, bit by bit, an inch or so of rain. (Sept 15-17) I bailed the water into the tub (as it pumped out) to the big cottonwood tree. I thought about leaving the water in the tank for wildlife, but it would evaporate in a week, and not before it made a big mosquito hatch. The birds still have 3 water places in the oasis, so they're not hurting. I could bail faster than the pump could pump, so I set up my tripod and took this self-portrait to help pass the time.

It seems to me that the Lucifer Hummingbirds are more orangish this summer than normal. I was wondering if it could be drought related. Maybe forced to a different diet, or something. Here's an example.