Down to the wire

I sparsely watered some things at the oasis today. Tomorrow I'm going to transfer the last foot of water in the big tank to the stucco tank where there's a pump hooked up to the watering system. That's it. The survival of the oasis depends on whether it rains in the next 4 weeks or so. Meanwhile, I'll water only what I hope is enough to keep the most important things alive. It's been a great experience for the last 20 yrs and nothing is forever. If I can no longer water, I'll see what is still alive when it does rain and focus on those things. Also maybe spend more time traveling and photographing odes and butterflies. Trying to stay positive here. And of course the Lucifer Hummingbirds will still be here.

I took this photo late this afternoon. There was a deer drinking when I approached but he bolted before my autofocus would focus. I'm going to start just using manual focus. My new faster focus lens doesn't seem to do well. Maybe it's my old camera body. Definitely going to get a new one.

A pair of Filigree Skimmers were out too. Too dark and far away for good photos, but I tried.

A Clay-colored Thrush was seen yesterday at Cottonwood Campground in Big Bend NP. I'm thinking I may try to locate it in the morning before it gets hot out. I can pump the water when it's too hot to do anything else. I've seen that species before but don't have photos of it.