February felt like nothing to do but wait it out. A Golden-fronted Woodpecker over-wintered, which seemed nice for a while until it kept tilting the hummingbird feeders, causing bees to swarm them.
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| (photo by Kim Wylie, Mar 4) |
Early in March I got some much needed work done on the road. That was a big relief.
Then came the pandemic. How ironic that the first time the road was good for low clearance vehicles, none came. All birding groups and trips canceled their visits.
April migration was slow, maybe because so few birders documenting it. Used water from the new tank to keep everything lovely.
In May I got a life bird, a Blue-winged Warbler at the oasis. A species I only expected to ever see in photos.
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| Photo by Jon McIntyre. (His was better than mine) |
June arrived very hot and dry. Started to get concerned about water supply holding out so cut back on watering. Triple digit heat daily. Things were starting to die when a surprise cloudburst slammed the oasis at the end of June. Surrounding areas didn't get hardly any. The oasis was the epicenter. And if that wasn't a miracle enough, the stucco tank didn't leak. So the oasis was in water heaven.... for a while anyway.
July continued with record breaking heat, and no rain. I didn't mind so much with having all that wonderful water. My pride was the dragonfly pond but it didn't host any interesting odes.
Since, for the most part, surrounding areas were hot and dry, the oasis attracted some nice species. The best butterfly was a female Ornythion Swallowtail.
There were some great odes (California & Chalky Spreadwings) in the stucco tank for a while.
And my favorite ode photo of the year is this one I took near Balmorhea of Rambur's Forktails with a Desert Firetail.
Also in July was the comet Neowise. Here's my favorite photo of it taken from the big hill on my road.
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| Photo by Jimi Lowrey |
Incredibly, August continued with the triple-digit heat and scant to no rain. It was very wearing on the soul. If not for the late June rain I got, the oasis would be history.
September rolled around and things did finally cool off slightly. Migration was awesome. The June rain had arrived just right for the persimmon trees in the arroyo. Between them, the hummingbird feeders and seed feeders, birds were happy campers. Always plenty of insects too. Really enjoyed the oasis's first Least Grebe.
It was extremely exciting to discover a molting male Costa's Hummingbird at my oldest son's house in Alpine on Sep 22. It hung around for three weeks. Quite a few birders made trips to see it. My youngest son moved to Alpine in September and took this photo of it. (He'll be running the oasis when I'm gone.)
Not much cooler in October, with daily high temperatures in the 90s. Birding was still the best ever! The oasis hosted wonderful birds, including this Cassin's Finch.
Got my first Common Loon photos at Lajitas. Then an arctic blast came along which shut me down for a few days. As soon as that abated I went to Lake Balmorhea and got a lifer Yellow-billed Loon.
November remained unseasonable warm and dry. I was surprised to get a lifer Wood Thrush in Marathon. My sister-in-law, Dale Ohl, moved back to the area, so I'll be making birding excursions much more frequently. It's just like the good ol' days, but better, because now we have the internet, ebird, decent cameras, better birding skills, etc. Of course, we've slowed down some during the past fifteen years since we had been birding buddies.
Bird-wise, December was the bleakest ever, since the beginning of the oasis. I read somewhere that 2020 was the fourth driest year on record. Other places had way fewer birds too even though rarities kept popping up, including a Clark's Nutcracker in Alpine (late Nov-early Dec.). Another lifer for me.
A horrible year for the whole world has finally come to an end. For me personally, it's been a good year other than the drought. Great birding! I love having my son and sister-in-law living here. Since I'm certain I had covid a year ago, I don't worry much about getting it. I rather like an excuse not to socialize or eat in restaurants, etc.
In true 2020 fashion, the year ended with a record snowfall (about 12"). My sister said it's indescribably gorgeous. No way can I get to the oasis to see it. Her carport collapsed and I have no idea what damage, if any the oasis suffered, but I do know we got some welcome moisture. Over an inch for sure when it melts.
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