One less Starling

I've been pretty much holed up in town lately since I came down with a bad bout of vertigo a week ago. Trying to get over it. I was nearly well when Lee and I went and watered and serviced feeders Wednesday. I relapsed after that, even though it seemed as if he did all the work. Now I'm feeling a bit better today. Still staggering around like a drunk though.

While sitting in my "viewing room" a while ago, I was startled to see a Western Coachwhip snatch up a young Starling. The mulberry trees are covered with Starlings, but I hadn't seen a sign of the snake until after the fact.

Strangely, the grackles seemed to be trying to figure out how to attack the snake. Not a sign of Starlings anywhere. Oh well. Glad it wasn't a vireo or warbler.

It's not just the vertigo that pulls me down. It comes with mouth sores and extreme lethargy too. I've come to believe it's that Herpes Simplex virus that apparently lives in the nervous system. Ironically, I hadn't had a bout all through the eight months of dental torture. I figured that was because that Hep C antiviral cocktail I had taken the previous year had knocked it out. I was elated, figuring I'd never have to deal with it again. Then toward the end of the eight months, during a routine dental procedure, the dentist went between me and another patient. The next day I started getting the virus. And after not having had it in my system for over a year, my immunity was gone. It hit me hard (late January), and now has flared up again. I'll have it for life now, just when my tremors and tinnitis (also part of that nervious system infection) were almost gone. I read that about 80-90% of the world has herpes, and that dental offices are a big spreader of it. Since I'll always need dentists, I just have to hope my body will eventually build back immunity. Most people do that when they're young and healthy, so it's a battle at my age. Wondering if a regimen of antivirals, like Acyclovir, would help, or just prolong the process.

I feel extremely lucky to not have cancer or something worse. My oldest son and two of my brothers are in life-long battles with prostate cancer. I wouldn't mind my situation nearly as much if I wasn't worried about caring for the oasis. But I'm optimistic that I'll be better any day now!

Small mystery solved

I couldn't figure out what "Bonus Bear" ate the last day or two he stayed at the oasis trying to outsmart the electric feeder. I saw from his scat that it was all fiber, whatever it was. Determined to find out, I searched up and down the arroyo for "sign," as it's sometimes called. (Previously posted photo of his scat.)

It didn't take long to solve the mystery. He ate sotol hearts, which makes sense because prehistoric people of the area ate a lot of them. There were remnants at CMO of numerous sotol ovens that they baked it in. Here's the only photo I could find of sotol in my archives. (Taken in August of 2019 when things were green after a monsoon.)

In the arroyo I found several neat bunches of sotol leaf/blades where the bear had removed them to get to the edible hearts. I've never seen that before and nothing else would've done it at the same time the bear was here and hungry. I was busy watering and moving hoses so I didn't have time to locate the actual plants he ate. I hope to do that soon.

Yesterday I wore myself out watering and birding. I've been sickish with vertigo ever since. I hate becoming such a weakling. I enjoyed briefly hearing a Cassin's Vireo and Red-breasted Nuthatch but the only photos I got of them were on the trail camera, so not good quality.

My niece took this photo of Lotebush berries, ripe now, and a favorite of the birds. I presume there were none adjacent to the oasis or surely the bear would have eaten them. Just wish I had more time and energy to search for this stuff.

It's amazing to me that there's any food out in the wilds around the oasis for the birds since we've had less than half an inch of rain all  year. (A little in late January and less in early March)

Bonus bear is gone!

I was at the oasis a couple of days ago and no bear scat (seeded or unseeded) anywhere. No sign of bear. He has moved on. 

Migration is still ongoing, though apt to wind down any day now. At my place in Alpine, with about ten mulberry trees loaded with berries, the orioles and tanagers are keeping me well-entertained.

Bullock's Oriole

Western Tanager

Orchard Oriole

Hooded Oriole

Bonus Bear's bonuses

Note: The bear preferred to walk on nails before he'd walk on the ground panels again.

His scat is no longer seed-laden, in fact, I looked hard at it for seed and found none. Beargrass (Nolina erumpens) is my best guess. Disclaimer: I can find nowhere that says bears eat beargrass. Whatever he's eating, it seems to be all fiber.

A couple of days ago I took these photos of a Gray Fox at my water feature in Alpine.

And this Common Yellowthroat, also in Alpine. We seem to be at the peak of migration this weekend!

Cactus saga

On my sister's place adjacent to CMO, there's a Desert Night-Blooming Cereus.*  To our knowledge, it has bloomed only on May 6, 2010 and May 3, 2022. When it budded out to bloom again this year (May 1), my sisters hovered over it so we wouldn't miss the event. It blooms during the night only. They contacted me, but after making so many bear trips** to the oasis, I wasn't able to go down last night to witness the grand opening. Here it is last night just before dark.

 See "Cirri" on ground in front of Julie and Ann

At 9:30 PM I got a text from my sister with this photo and cryptic message, "last photo." Nothing else. A little strange I thought. Just one, and not the usual dozens from all angles. I didn't give it any more thought. Never remotely did I imagine the truth.

Here is what Julie said on her Facebook:

"May Day! May Day!

The wait is over. After watching for two hours in a cold wind last night, just as Cirri was opening, I was walking carefully around her, wrapped in a fleece blanket, to smell her lemony scent, when the wind grabbed my blanket and smashed it into Cirri, killing her instantly. Gaby said it sounded like a snap bean. Not my finest moment!

Ann took Cirri home with her and she opened right up and still smells lovely this morning. Maybe she'll bloom again next year."

Personally, I'll be surprised if it ever blooms again. I have to admit, when I got over the shock, I had a good laugh about it! I feel horrible for the loss. Blooms are to them as birds are to me, but, what can I say? I found humor in envisioning their mortification!

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*To our knowledge there's only one other on her property and none on mine. The second one is smaller and has never bloomed. This one bloomed only in 2010 and 2022. The year after 2010 was the horrible drought year that killed tons of stuff, including half of our Cholla Cacti. Ann speculates that it took the Cereus 12 years to recover from that drought before it bloomed again.

**No more bear sightings at CMO. Problem seems to be solved. Eventually, we'll concrete the feeder to where it can't be moved and dispense with the electric element, but for now, we're good.