Back to CMO

Always good to be back even if it means lots of work. Some more stuff is starting to bloom. Couldn't resist photographing this cute little Gregg's Tube-tongue (justicia pilosella).

Ocotillo is blooming everywhere. Here's a photo of it that I like, taken by Tim McKenna.

And here's a Big Bend photo I found posted on Facebook today, with permission to share, taken by Mike Marvins. I loved the poetic caption he had with it, which read, "The fog whipped by a passing storm, crashes over the mountains like giant waves on an ocean."

Occasionally, birders try to find CMO without contacting me for directions. It almost never ends well. I copied this from an April 1st visitor's blog:

 "I had tried to find the place without specific directions when we drove down from Marathon, I got lost and all we found was a white donkey, that our rental pick-up wasn’t 4x4, and that they shoot people trespassing on the Terlingua Ranch property.  I emailed her for an official invite and directions.

That next morning now armed with a map, but less one of my birding partners, my daughter, who decided to sleep in, we made the trek to her Christmas Mountain Oasis.  It is a cool project she has accomplished.  Three Lucifer hummingbirds waited for us perched at first light before feeding, mating, and then dispersing off to the blooming sacred ocotillo to hang for the rest of the day.  By 8am, it was all over but my wife and I had seen the stunning hummer. "

NOTE: GPS doesn't work here. 

They left at 8 AM, but  a few Lucifers do make occasional short visits to the feeders throughout the day. In a couple of weeks the ocotillo will be through blooming and the Lucifers will be abundant at the feeders.