Another intense day

I usually can't sleep the morning before it's time to get up and go banding. About 3 or 4 AM and I'm up. I hate that. Gonna start taking a little Benadryl or something I guess. It's not good to get so little sleep followed by such a long strenuous day. As it was, I gave out before dark. I try to work until dark and not "waste daylight." Tomorrow I'll get an early start and get a lot done.

I'm planning on making a concrete pad in the viewing area here so the table will stay level and the banding chair will roll in and out from the table. Should have done it years ago. I didn't think to take a photo before I moved the table and chairs out of the area to be concreted.

I'm going to divide it into quarters since I probably won't be able to do it all in one day. That's a lot of sand to haul out of the arroyo, and a lot of cement to mix in the wheelbarrow. And I don't expect  it to be cool. In the 90s before I know it, would be my educated guess.

Today the steps brushed against me as I was maneuvering them through the guesthouse door. It caused a big swath of the fragile skin on my arm to peel back almost all the way down to my wrist. I patted it back down where it belonged, but I usually end up losing the skin and having a big sore that takes a long time to heal. I had just healed from my last booboo. It's hopeless. Always going to have scabs on my arms. Getting old sucks.

Late this afternoon a pitiful hummer migrant arrived. It's in dire condition, having gotten it's bill into something bad, maybe spray foam, chewing gum, or something. I have no idea, but if it doesn't get it rubbed off, it won't survive. In desperation I tried to capture it, but couldn't. Maybe tomorrow. You see why I didn't get my work done today.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

It spent hours trying to force it's bill into the feeder port. Here it is in the last waning daylight. That glob on the end of the bill prevents it from fitting into the ports but maybe it can extend its long tongue and feed. I sure hope so.

But even if it does get sugar water, it needs protein to survive and there's no way it can catch insects in this condition.