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)