Impending migration

I see lots of birds but I think they're mostly Chipping Sparrows. Been real busy so haven't sorted through them. However, all my nesting species are here except for the buntings (Varied & Painted) and Blue Grosbeaks.

I can't know whether this Lucifer Hummingbird is gravid (pregnant with egg), but she sure seems to be proud of her belly. When Kelly banded last week, he caught 3 females, all gravid, so it's possible.

I've always enjoyed working on my road, even long before I built the oasis. In fact, the oasis has kept me so busy, I seldom work on the road anymore. But with spring birding tours due to start in 2 weeks, I'm determined to have the road a little better for low clearance vehicles. I can work about 4 hours a day. Since I have all my energy in the mornings, it doesn't affect me if the afternoons are hot, or not. After today's 4 hours of morning work I came to Alpine to bring my husband's truck back. I'm never driving that truck again. Too much for me to handle. It's bad enough to lift all my rocks, sand, and cement into my low pickup, but it's a killer to get it in, and out, of his high truck bed. Anyway, one more 4 hour day will finish this curb, then I'll do a smaller one at a different bad place that should be another 4 hour job.

Looking downhill (southwest) toward the main arroyo. There's a culvert under the road right at the edge of the photo where the water that runs down the small arroyo (to the left of the road) goes under the road and into the big arroyo.

Looking uphill (northeast). Still a ways to go. I have a hard time driving the pickup up the steep hill and didn't want to drive over the concreted hole (center right). Not able to see where my tires were and not daring to stop, I got too close to my curb. Yikes! When I could stop and look though, I couldn't see where the tires had touched the curb. Another inch and I hate to think what might have happened. Never driving that truck again. If you look real close, you can see my track alongside the wet rock work.