Nothing is forever!

Disappointingly, I've come to the conclusion that my days of serious birding have to be over. Not only because of the energy it requires, nor because of my lack of expertise, but due mainly to my physical limitations. I'm hoping the vertigo I've had for three weeks will eventually go away, but pretty sure my eye issues won't.

This morning I was excited to go to Gage Gardens in Marathon, hoping to photograph two species that were reported there yesterday that I don't have photos of (Ovenbird & Red-eyed Vireo). When I got there shortly after 7:30 AM the place was plenty birdy. But I couldn't pick out the more furtive species quickly enough to ID them. Finally, I figured out it's because my eyes focus so slowly anymore, especially when flashing from dark to light, and vice versa. I've been aware that gradually through recent years when I go indoors I can't see anything for a while, but hadn't made the connection to birding difficulties until today. Suddenly, I'm confronted with bright sun, dark shadows, all milliseconds apart as I'm trying to track a bird darting around. All I see are tiny shadows, with no clue as to what it is, other than vague jizz. Adding to my frustration is my difficulty in IDing birds, even after I'm successful at getting photos.

Today I saw what I thought was a White-tailed Kite. Then I decided it was a Mississippi Kite. After studying my photos, I redecided it was a White-tailed Kite. I posted it as such. Then actually changed it twice more before settling on White-tailed. 

Before long, I was contacted by the reviewer that it was a Mississippi Kite. I've never been a skilled identifier, but adding that to my other handicaps is discouraging.

I'm sure I'll always bird to some degree, like looking out the window at my water feature, etc. And it might not even be possible to quit such an addiction. But realistically, I'm not going to chase rarities unless I'm with an expert to help me locate them. At least that's the way I feel today. It's more important that I focus my waning energy on maintaining the oasis. That's challenge and reward enough!

And while I'm disappointed, I'm not complaining. I feel extremely lucky to be as healthy as I am. For that and many other things I'm grateful every day!

On a brighter note, I was thrilled to see that about 40 new fruit trees have been planted in the orchard part of Gage Gardens (west side). Included were fig trees, apricot trees, peach trees, etc. That should make for some spectacular birding in a few years. Who knows, maybe you'll see me there. LOL

The gang's all here!

I arrived at the oasis at daylight so as to water before it got too hot. Everything was parched. No water in the tanks, and the solar water feature hadn't yet had enough light for the pump to function. Only water available to wildlife was the drip in the back. The hummingbird feeders were all empty too, except one that was filled with ants. Yuck! That was a mess to clean up.

Soon I was running water from the storage tank into the stucco tank where I keep the level just high enough to cover the pump. Birds and deer flocked to it. 

 As I slogged away, I remembered my mantra of nearly 50 years ago when I was building my house, against all odds. On my refrigerator it had said, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!" Today my mantra was more like, "stay strong, stay strong, stay strong....  breathe!" 

There were lots of distractions. First distraction was I had to clean four frogs from the water line before water would come out (two survived). Next, I rushed to turn on another faucet and as I turned it on I realized my one foot was 6" from a rattlesnake, and my hand on the faucet (I measured later) was 20" from the snake's head. Whew!

Luckily, it was the least aggressive species of rattler we have, a Black-tailed.

In short order, I had sprinklers going, and for a few hours the place was a bustling oasis. Javelina showed up too, once the solar pump began circulating water in the main water feature.

Of course, birds are the main distraction. I saw a few that I was determined to get at least diagnostic photos of. One was this Gray Catbird. It skulked back in the shade near a watering hose, so not a very good shot, but diagnostic.

As I was rushing between hoses while scanning for birds, I thought I saw an interesting little bird flitting around high in some foliage. When I got my binos on it, it turned out to be a lizard. That was a first!

Honey bees were all over the water drip and main water feature. The only thing missing was a bear. Thank goodness for that! I have to put out extra sugar water due to the Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. Yummy!

In spite of everything, and more that I haven't mentioned,  I got the watering done and back to town in good time.

Apricot bonanza

This year our apricot tree in Alpine was solid fruit, hardly even any leaves. Biggest crop ever! Bushels! I've been busy picking and giving away apricots. I dried some for my husband, but I'm not supposed it eat stuff like that on my teeth, so wasn't very enthused about drying them.

Then my son Eric's partner told me she's freezing the ones I gave her and how good they were. I tried it, and OMG, the best ever! It's like eating great apricot ice cream. She puts hers in shakes. So now I'm busy freezing them. I have no trouble chewing them either. Same nutritional value as fresh, and if anything, tastier!

This is Memorial Day weekend. Can't help but remember how this time two years ago my daughter and husband were both near death. (She with a brain tumor and he with a punctured colon after a bad fall.) Both are doing great now! So it's a time of thankfulness for me! Here's a recent photo of my great-grandson at his High School graduation with his father. I love this photo! It's one I'll always remember.

Several days ago I was at the oasis watering when I took a short break to visit with some bird photographers there. As we were sitting there, a rare Prothonotary Warbler paused just long enough for us to get a couple shots before it disappeared. Here's mine:

Checking my trail cam later, I discovered it had made a 15 second stop at the water drip. We had seen it about five minutes later. Just a pit stop for the bird. Here's from the trail cam video.

So that was fun!

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.