Here and there

I've been enjoying fall migration and weather that's a tad cooler. No rain though. If the oasis doesn't get rain soon, it will be bleak water-rationing to make it through to next summer's rainy season. I really should let a few water-needy trees go. So hard for me to part with them. Mostly referring to the half-dead cottonwood tree. Birds love it so much. But at least the oasis will always have it's specialty species, like Elf Owl, Varied Bunting, Lucifer Hummingbird, etc.

Couldn't resist doing a little birding in Marathon and lots of birding at my ponds here in Alpine too. Here are a few photos I like. Finally getting better with the camera. This Swainson's Thrush here in Alpine doesn't have a tail. It hung around for 2 or 3 days.

Next is a Blue-headed Vireo captured on the game camera at the oasis. Alas, I didn't see it, so can't count it on ebird, or as a lifer, but it is a new oasis species.

Got lucky on this Nashville Warbler shot in Alpine. They're hard for me to photograph, especially considering I was so far away from the bird. Too far away to see what it was until I looked through the camera lens.

On the other hand, this Black-and-White Warbler was much less evasive. Even saw one in Marathon, the oasis, and in Alpine.

The nice thing about fall migration is that it drags on for a month or two, unlike spring migration that only lasts two weeks. So it's not over yet, and maybe, just maybe, we'll have another awesome winter of birding like we had last winter.

One month from today I'm scheduled to get my new implants put in. I surely hope nothing prevents that from happening.