Because there was no way I could go see the record snowfall at the oasis my awesome sister and her awesome daughter walked the mile in through foot deep snow to take photos of the wonderment for me. Here are a few of them. My mountain...
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Thursday, December 31, 2020
New Year's Eve update
2020 year in review
(photo by Kim Wylie, Mar 4) |
Photo by Jon McIntyre. (His was better than mine) |
Photo by Jimi Lowrey |
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Unexpected bear visit
Hadn't had a bear visit this year so figured none would show up. Took away the unwelcome mat, unfortunately. I didn't see a bear but only a bear would have been heavy and strong enough to straighten the strap the steel ring was anchored to. I can't even bend it without a lot of effort. I had bolted it together during bear season, but it was a bother so I quit doing it.
Sunday, December 27, 2020
More transitioning in progress
My son is working at making the oasis property his future home, while I'm spending more time in town. It's a necessary transition, and better than not being prepared for the future. He's been there making the tool storage shed into a functional workshop, a most daunting task.
The shelves were so deep that there wasn't much space down the middle, so he took everything out and cut the shelves shallower. I don't know where he gets all that energy. I'm very grateful for him. He's just what the place needs.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
A year of change and transition
The oasis went from the birdiest it's ever been to the least birdy, almost overnight.
One big, more permanent, change is my son moving to the area. He's doing most of the maintenance at the oasis other than I'm still watering and servicing feeders. He bought a jackhammer today that he plans to use to make improvements to the road. That is huge! He'll be able to make the steepest part a little less steep and less rough. I'm excited about it!
And my husband sold his rent houses so that takes a big workload off me.
And my birding buddy, Dale Ohl (sister-in-law) moved back to the area
.
And I'll probably wear a mask in public for the rest of my life now. Seems unwise to expose myself, at my age, to whatever viruses are circulating. Plus I'll always limit close contact, hugs, and shaking hands from now on.
I'm also going to be more focused on proper breathing. It seems modern man is always suppressing breathing to the bare minimum, for whatever reason. Like I hold my breath when listening for birds, looking through binoculars, and especially camera lens. But new research is bringing to light the value of good breathing practices. Maybe it'll help my essential tremors and tinnitus. Can't hurt.
Today I took a few bird photos before heading back to town. The Ladder-backed Woodpecker doesn't seem to tilt the feeders like the Golden-fronted did last winter. I haven't had the feeders swarming with bees anyway.
Molting male Anna's Hummingbird |
Rufous-crowned Sparrow |
Monday, December 21, 2020
Shortest day of the year
I always love it when the days start getting longer. Reenergizes me. Came to water the oasis today. Still basically bird-less here. Even the very first winter of the oasis, while the trees were little more than saplings, I had a flock of Mountain Bluebirds visit every day to get a drink. Other places in Big Bend area have good birds. I guess the drought is keeping birds away from this area. But it'll improve. Before I know it the Lucifers will be back. And the abundance of good birds in September and October makes up for the scarcity now. Thankfully, water isn't an issue this winter.
I've been entranced by the Big Bend ever since I first came here in the early 1970s. I especially loved Agua Fria Mountain.
Photo by Marshall Bowling |
Originally, I purchased land near the base of it. On my deed it said they would furnish me a road to my 80 acres. I camped in a trailer and tent for a year waiting on the promised road. Finally, they said it couldn't be done and refunded my money. Several times I tried to climb it unsuccessfully, and I've visited the spring for which it's named a couple of times. Photographed the rock art near the springs too. But I never saw what the top of the mountain looked like and always wondered. A few days ago I found a photo of the top of it online. I'm sure that's the closest I'll ever get to actually seeing it, but based on experiencing my mountain, I bet it's a whole other world up there.
Monday, December 14, 2020
Oasis time
I went to the oasis early this morning, planning to stay overnight. But when I got there I discovered the water heater in the kitchen was leaking. House water is in really short supply without a well and with this record drought, so my priority was to get the water turned off. Took a couple of hours. There are three valves between the tank and the water heater but one doesn't shut off and the other two were frozen. Finally, with a hammer and kleins, I got the water off. My back hurts all the time and even more so contorting my body to get to the valves, which were both in hard to get places. I ended up breaking the handle of one of them.
By then, I didn't have it in me to do any watering, so I tackled the drip that hasn't worked for awhile. I made it much harder than it would have needed to be. All I needed to do was take off one connection and clean it, but I had it in my head the skinny line would always be a problem plugging up with silt so I took everything out and put in a garden hose. But once I got that installed I couldn't stand the looks of it, and couldn't hide it, so went back to the original line. When I took off the reducer in it, there was algae plugging it. No silt in the line. In the future, I'll know to just clean that fitting.
As soon as I had it running two Anna's Hummingbirds jumped in to bathe. Just reinforced how wonderful a drip is. Worth all the trouble for sure.
The oasis is so dry and dead looking and so bird-less that I don't enjoy being at it right now. I would have needed to build a fire in the house, and I would have pushed myself to get more work done, so I retreated back to town with its warm house.
I bought a new water heater that my son will install this weekend. Meanwhile, it's so hard to wash your hands or brush your teeth without a faucet. I can do it, but didn't see the point.
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Third's a charm
Three times I went to the Davis Mountain State Park trying to photograph a Ruddy Ground Dove being seen there. Yesterday it had been seen at 8:30 AM, so I arrived today at 8:20, and there it was feeding beneath a feeder. But as soon as I raised my camera it disappeared. I waited and froze for three hours when another birder spotted it back in the brush a ways uphill from the viewing area. Finally got a photo. I would have preferred one of it feeding, but just thrilled at this point to have anything.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Winter birds
As long as birding continues as good as it has been, winter is more tolerable. Today I impulsively rushed to Balmorhea to see some rare Tundra Swans reported there.
And I still haven't tired of photographing the Clark's Nutcracker.
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Alpine snow day
No precipitation at the oasis but a nice snow in Alpine.
I've been wanting a photo of a Harris Hawk for a long time. Today I finally got photos of three of them. It's feast or famine!
The cold doesn't seem to slow birds down, or birders either. Lots of birders in town seeking the Clark's Nutcracker. I put out some nuts for it that I'm told he ate, but I didn't hang around waiting. Went seeking the Harris Hawk instead. I already had the nutcracker's photo.
Even the Rufous Hummingbird seemed not to notice the cold and snow.
Friday, December 4, 2020
The birds keep coming
Nothing good at the oasis, but Alpine has had really good birds lately. The Clark's Nutcracker is still here and delighting many seekers of it. Today it flew into a pecan tree, knocked a pecan to the ground, dropped down to retrieve it, and consumed it back in the tree.
Monday, November 30, 2020
Crazy birding!
Yesterday a birder discovered a rare Clark's Nutcracker in Alpine not too far from our home here. Although I rushed over there to look for it, by the time I had learned about it, it was probably through feeding for the day.
So, at daylight this morning, as the moon was setting, I staked out where it had been reported. Other birders, including Dale, began showing up and looked elsewhere. The more eyes spread around, the better the chances. In 30 minutes to an hour, to my astonishment, it landed on a high wire not far from where I was sitting in my car. The temperature was freezing. I was so excited that I fumbled quite a bit with my esoterical phone before I got hold of Dale. By then the bird had hopped down along the fence where it had been seen yesterday. Dale spread the word and within a couple of minutes birders were photographing the object of our pursuit.
I went back to our house to warm up and eat something, then headed back. The observers said it had flown across the golf course, so I drove over there. Dale joined me. Soon she spotted the bird in the grass. Word spread and others arrived. (Cell phones and social media make birding so much more fun!)
Female Red Crossbill |
Male Cassin's Finch |