Only in Alpine

A lovely group of birding ladies visited the oasis today, and were telling me of their Alpine adventure yesterday, or maybe the day before. (It's hard to get into trouble in Alpine.)

For starters, they were only staying in Alpine because of an unconscionable mess-up in their Fort Davis reservations. They had called the Limpia Hotel (I think it was) in January to make reservations for this week. When they arrived this week they were told that the reservations were for 2020, not 2019. No one had told them reservations had to be made at least a year in advance. So they retreated to an Alpine hotel.

While shopping in downtown Alpine for a few items they needed, one of the woman (Jane Wicker*) dashed into the drug store. When she went to leave a few minutes later she was locked in. The place closed at 6 PM and the pharmacist had gone home for the night. It was a big hassle, but eventually she got a policeman to come (they thought it was a prank call), and eventually the police got the pharmacist to come (he thought it was a prank call) and let her out. Everyone thought it was hilarious. The policeman told them that had never happened in Alpine before.

At the oasis I found a new flower I hadn't seen before... a Chocolate Flower, or Western Green-eyes (Berlandiera purpurea). It bloomed this morning, then by midday was shriveling, and by 3 PM was pretty much gone. Since it only had the one flower, I'm glad I didn't miss it.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Here's one of the relocated agave stalks. For now it makes use of the dead apricot tree. I checked one of the new Ladder-backed Woodpecker holes in it and it was at least 6" deep. I'm impressed!

Bell's Vireos are sitting on eggs in their nests all around the oasis.

The Tarahumara Indians call night "the day of the moon." I like to think of it as "the day of the owls."

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*Jane declares she's from "the Greater Metropolitan Beeville."