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Saturday, November 30, 2019

Back to normal

Family's gone. Had a good time. As the grand-kids get older I enjoy them more. They played chess and we worked jigsaw puzzles together.


If you thought I was exaggerating about the park traffic, looky here.


Yesterday at the Hot Springs I recalled when my son had been there as a child so I dug out the photos.


In those days we had the place to ourselves. Like sardines in a can now.





Friday, November 29, 2019

Never again!

I thought the grandkids would enjoy the hot springs in the park. Big mistake. When we got to the park, the line going in was 25 cars ahead of us and soon that many behind us. Then the dirt road to the hot springs was jammed up with traffic. Cars couldn't move. We finally got parked down the road and walked to the springs. Packed with people. Not one of the four grand-kids would stick a toe in the water.  Then my 19 year old grandson disappeared. My son finally found him. He had gone downriver, crossed into Mexico and was petting a horse. (He's my daughter's son.) There were repercussions.

Leonardo calling across the river to his nephew
We were in two vehicles. My grandson and I headed for the oasis. My son and his wife and three daughters wanted to see the basin. They tried, but the basin was closed due to too many vehicles. There was a line and one couldn't enter until another left. They didn't want to go that bad, so they went to the packed Santa Elena Canyon. Meanwhile, I was delighted to get back home away from the crowds. It never used to be that bad in the park. I blame it on social media. Daily people are posting to Facebook groups how great the park is. It's not great when it's bumper to bumper traffic. Word gets around and people pour in. I can't begin to imagine how all those crowds impact the environment.


Thursday, November 28, 2019

The gang's all here

Family and friends
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving dinner. Ours was delicious as usual.

Got my sons to do a few little tasks for me. My seed feeder is now back to pre-bear condition. We assume bear season is over, so removed the unwelcome mat and lowered the feeder. Hope I don't regret it.


Had a really lovely sunset this evening. That doesn't happen often up here in the Christmas Mountains Oasis basin.



Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Upcoming oasis Thanksgiving


A couple of days ago I had to come to town, hating to leave the oasis. Here's how it looked when I drove off just at sunset.


But I'm headed back tomorrow. My three kids will be coming and most of my grandkids. My neck doesn't hurt at all and I can turn it a little bit better now. Have a happy turkey day!


Sunday, November 24, 2019

Pushing my limits

I tell myself no more swinging the pick ax. But then I do it anyway. Today I spent 3 hours working on the road. Two deep holes had washed on the edge that I feared a vehicle would fall into. I had placed a red sawhorse over them but that looked awful, so today I filled the holes with two pickup loads of rocks. I tried to cover the rocks with dirt but gave out. At least it's safe now.

I think I had taken a picture of the holes, but it must be on my town computer. I can't find it. Here it is today after the first load of rock. I had to drag that biggest rock into the hole behind my pickup with a chain.


Here are the holes after I couldn't go any longer.


I would resent the doves hogging the feeder but then I think about the Peregrines and don't mind so much.



Saturday, November 23, 2019

The oasis and me

Last night while I was playing on the computer, our internet went down and they can't come fix it until Monday, so I headed to the oasis. My neck barely hurts as long as I don't try to move it, but I can only turn my head about 3° to the right, and not at all to the left. Hope that improves.

When I got to the oasis I checked my critter cam. No bears. I think their season is probably over. Thinking about removing the unwelcome mat, lowering the feeder some, and putting on the new pad beneath it. Here's a fox the cam captured.


I totally forgot about the camera when I was watering the other day. It captured the essence of me and the oasis in our symbiotic bond. For 23 years I've been dragging hoses around watering everything, often, twice a week, until I can no longer separate my existence from the existence of the oasis.

me

Friday, November 22, 2019

Neck 50% better today. YAY!

Wow, what a relief! I was worried that I might have to have surgery. Today for the first time since the pain started I didn't have to take ibuprofen to endure.

Had a couple of hummers at the feeder here in town today. One I didn't get a good enough look at to ID. My best guess would be Broad-tailed. Here is the only shot I got of it before a male Rufous chased it away. Pitiful photo, I know, but when a hummer comes in and I fear it won't be long, I just click without focusing, then if I have time, I focus. I figure a horrible shot is better than none. As it flew in, or off, I saw some orange-ish color on the flank. So that eliminates Anna's. That's the best I can do. Hopefully, it'll come back again, but the Rufous is very territorial.



Also had a bunch of Yellow-rumped Warblers foraging in the pecan trees. What was notable to me was that some of them were the Audubon's and some were the Myrtle's.

Look at my bright yellow throat - you can see I'm an Audubon's
Look at my pale throat - you can see I'm a Myrtle's

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers also like the pecan trees.




Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Still neck pain

Sunrise at the oasis
Because I still have the horrible neck pain I don't think it can be due to hidden MSG. For one thing, hidden MSG hasn't previously been a problem for me, and would more likely affect my head if it was. And by now, it would have been better. So, I guess I must have a pinched nerve or something. I have to keep taking ibuprofen in order to function.

One of today's visitors wanted the Allen's Hummingbird and Scaled Quail, which would be a lifer for him. I could not believe we didn't see one quail today. Yesterday they were everywhere. Go figure! This birder also discovered 3 Cassin's Finches. I heard and saw them circle above the oasis, but didn't know what they were, other than I didn't recognize the call. When we played the recording it sounded just like it. The visitor also got a pretty decent look at them, enough to confirm ID along with the call. But they didn't come into the feeder, so no photos. Bummer!

Got some nice shots of other stuff while I was (uncharacteristically) waiting around for the finches to come in. The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is still around and I was surprised to see him plucking grubs from a dried up old snag.

Spotted Towhee
Almost overnight the Bigtooth Maple tree changed color.



Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Not bad for late fall


Weather is great and birding is fairly good, all things considered. Didn't see the juvenile male Allen's yesterday, but he popped in today for a visit.


The adult male Allen's and Anna's are still here too. Was surprised to have a female Cardinal visit.


The oasis doesn't get overwintering Spotted Towhees every year, but it seems one is here this year. I always get overwintering Green-tailed Towhees. And, of course, the Canyon Towhees are here year-round.

Spotted Towhee
One thing that should be here, in large flocks, is Lark Buntings. Surely, they'll show up one of these days.


Monday, November 18, 2019

Hidden stuff

Not long after supper tonight my neck swelled and was very painful as well as the base of my skull. I originally attributed it to hidden MSG in some canned gravy I ate for supper. Now I think it's a pinched nerve or something. Came to the oasis this morning as planned, even in my semi-functional state.

A visiting birder got to see the male Allen's Hummingbird today, but the juvenile male must be gone. The Anna's Hummingbird now comes to the feeders unmolested.


The oasis almost never gets a House Sparrow, but today a female came by sporting, what seemed to me, an abnormally large bill.


My critter cam is hiding in plain sight, but no one sees it. I forget it's there. The only critters it caught lately are the human kind. 

Me doing my thing

Bruce Cramer doing his thing

Paul Jordan doing his thing.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Birds and road work


This morning visiting Virginia birders, Bruce Cramer and Paul Jordan, were observing the Allen's Hummingbird at the house courtyard when an Anna's tried to come to the feeder. The Allen's instantly chased it off. Way too fast for my camera.


This afternoon my help showed up and we put a concrete patch on the steep part of the big hill. Every little bit helps, in my opinion. Time will tell.



Thursday, November 14, 2019

Chilly oasis day

Christmas Mountains
It never quite made it up to 60° today, which is below my comfort level. At least I didn't arrive here to need to do any emergency repairs. So I built a fire and took a long nap. Tomorrow I want to be in as good shape as possible because I've again scheduled a little work on the big hill and optimistic that it'll happen this time.

Since birders are coming tomorrow also, I wanted to confirm if the Allen's Hummingbirds were still here. They are. Not much else of interest though.


Luckily, I had seen that the above juvenile Allen's would not let the below Anna's Hummingbird near the feeder area so I had hung one feeder back in the wooded area for the Anna's. The Allen's can't patrol them all, although the adult male Allen's is able to keep all other hummers out of the courtyard where he's set up his territory.


Things are still pretty green at the oasis. Guess not a real hard freeze yet. That's fine with me.


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Cold

I hate cold so I'm experiencing the Chisos Mountains only through other people's photos. You won't run into me up there. The Christmas Mountains are bad enough. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to heading back down there tomorrow.


I never mind the hot summer weather, just get so tired of watering in hot weather when it doesn't rain, like this past summer.



Tuesday, November 12, 2019

What a difference an hour makes

Up in the Chisos this morning by Bob Wardlow
Yesterday I was at the oasis basking in perfect weather, happily taking photos. Feeling really reluctant to head back to Alpine. In procrastination, I decided to download and process my photos. Then I blogged. Excited to learn what I thought was a Rufous Hummignbird was actually my second Allen's Hummingbird, I posted about that and did an ebird report. Time got away.

Juvenile male Allen's
By about 3 PM, I regrettingly decided I had better start packing up and get going so I'd get to town before dark and possible icy roads. I knew a cold front was forecast.

My house is earth-sheltered, like a cave. Inside I have no idea what it's like outside. What a shock I received when I opened the door! A winter storm had arrived, seemingly in the blink of an eye! Instantly I went from not wanting to leave, to wishing I had headed back to town sooner. Hurriedly packed up my ice chest, and all the stuff I haul with me, in bitter cold wind and rain, did a few last minute tasks, and off I headed.

By the time I got to the big hill south of Alpine freezing rain was accumulating on my windshield. Vegetation was covered in frost.


It was impossible to wrap my mind around that just a couple of hours earlier I had been taking photos in calm 70° weather. Seemed a world away.

Here's a shot I had taken of one of my mulberry trees. Worms had denuded it totally. Oh well, worms, frost, all the same to the tree I guess. The leaves would be gone either way.



Monday, November 11, 2019

What got into the oak tree?

When I saw that something had been in the only oak tree that had acorns left on it, I went to check my critter cam. All that was on it was javelina. Not enough damage for it to have been a bear. Just broken twigs and leaves littered on the ground. Maybe a fox or ringtail.



The javelina don't seem to mind walking on a bed of nails at all. Figures!

2019 10-11 CMO