Time to blog

 I figure it's been nearly a week since I blogged so I better let everyone know I'm still alive. Birding has been nonexistent at the oasis, yet pretty good in Marathon, so been birding there a lot lately with Dale. And if that wasn't excitement enough, we just now learned of a sighting of a rare Clark's Nutcracker in Alpine not many blocks away from my house here. Tomorrow early a bunch of us are going to brave the cold and go look for it. Meanwhile, here are a few pics from Marathon. Besides the Wood Thrush that is still being seen at Gage Gardens, we saw a couple of [red] Fox Sparrows today.

A few days ago I got a slightly better photo of the Yellow-throated Warbler we discovered at Post Park.

Wilson's Snipes are still around at Gage Gardens too.

The place is really getting on birders' radar. Partly because its so lush and green, but also they are maintaining a bunch of seed feeders for the first time. Before it was done sporadically. With the drought it's an oasis for birds.

I thought it was really bizarre when I discovered there's a hummingbird (in Chile) called Oasis Hummingbird. And my oasis is the main breeding ground for a hummingbird that looks so similar.

There are obvious differences, of course, but they both have the same color gorget and a decurved bill. I think the Lucifer is much prettier with its green head and gorget "wings," some rufous on the flanks, and the lovely forked tail. And they'll be back in 3 months.