I photographed ten species of sparrows today at the feeder. Here is the most interesting, a Grasshopper Sparrow.
I hate it that bird seed has nearly doubled in price. Not to mention the cost of water went up from 3 cents per gallon to 4 cents per gallon.
4 comments:
You've probably spent a couple hundred dollars on water for your oasis and burned $15,000 worth of gas getting it there. Hope the drought ends soon for you.
Unfortunately, I have two homes so I go back and forth between the oasis and Alpine, a 140 mile trip. It costs the same whether I carry mulch and birdseed with me or not. A local store has birdseed on sale tomorrow so I'm going to stock up for the winter.
As for hauling in water, it's a 14 mile round-trip. Probably uses a gallon of gas, or less each time. So that's approximately $4, more or less, for the gas, and $12 for the water (300 gallons). To water my place decently, it takes 2000 gallons. So that's in the neighborhood of $100 each time. I'm just surviving one day at a time.
I believe many of us that lived through the nearly unbearable heat and drought of the 2011 Texas summer had to be compassionate towards the critters and plants with which we share our habitats. Although I lost many plants I am amazed that some shrubs and plants that I gave up for goners have reappeared after the few rains we have had in NC TX with little or no help from me. What a blessing the rain has been, although it is not near what we need. I am with you, Carolyn, on the sacrifices we make in our little worlds during such harsh times. Here's hoping this severe drought will end soon.
I'm amazed at what survived too. Some things I thought were dead leafed out after we got that rain earlier this month. But it remains to be seen if they can survive another brutal winter combined with this continuing drought. They have to be in a weakened state. I'm headed south with another load of mulch early AM. I meant to say it's a 140 mile ROUND trip in my comment above.
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