Alpine surprise!

While most women renovate their homes at some point, I'm more likely to renovate my water feature. After the main work, I study and tweak it for quite some time. As I sat in the sitting room studying it, I was surprised to see a Long-tailed Skipper on my Plumbago, which is part of the water feature. It's a species of east Texas, and the gulf coast. 

As for the water feature, I constructed it three years ago. Here's how it looked this April (a greener time of year) before renovation.

Here's how it looks today.

I'm not sure it's any more asthetically pleasing, ie. I'm happy with either of them. The reasons I redid it was:

1. It needed to be taken apart to cut a hole in the metal grate for eventual pump replacement. I wanted to deconstruct it while I was still physically able to reconstruct it. 

2. When I originally built it, I didn't have the proper fabric liner for the grate, so wanted to update that.

3. After the original basin rock was in place, my sister and niece lugged a prettier, more suitable rock down the mountain that I wanted to use. It has a slightly better water basin and I thought it would look better. However, in hindsight, I think the original rock basin worked just as well.

4. The line connecting to the pump was clear plastic and accumulated algae in it, I wanted to replace it with black plastic so that wouldn't happen.

5. The pump has a volume control on it that I had positioned to half volume and was very happy with it. However, full volume (200 GPH) was fine too and I figured it would be easier on the pump, and maybe attract birds better, so wanted to try that.

So I'm all set. So far the birds seem to sense the change and are rather skittish, but I'm sure they'll be fine in a couple of days. Hoping for some great overwintering species. I'll find out soon, because there's a good chance of our first freeze in the next couple of days.

Another record deluge!

Another direct hit

I wasn't present yesterday, but first came a humongous hail storm, followed by torrential rains. The hail pounded most of the leaves from many of the trees, then the torrent swept everything (hail, leaves, and mulch) into big drifts, or the tanks. Some of the drifts were over two feet deep. By the time I left this afternoon, most of the hail had melted. 

This first photo shows how deep everything was covered with hail prior to the deluge washing through. I'd estimate at least 3" of hail fell for there to be 2" left today. (The rain gauge contained 1.34" of water.)

The path in the hummingbird garden was the lowest part of the garden, so the rushing water turned the path into a streambed.

The hail stones were up to half an inch in diameter this morning. I don't know how large they were when they fell. I had laboriously replaced all the mulch lost in the summer monsoons, only to have it swept away again. A lot of it could be retrieved after the tanks dry up, but it's too much work for me to do anymore.

This year has been really unbelievable with rains. Since my tanks were mostly all empty, yesterday's monsoon didn't do as much damage as the July 3rd one when everything was already full, but the oasis is looking very unkempt. And the road is really rough. My big concern on the road is a gully is beginning on the side of the culvert at the bottom of the big hill. (I forgot to take a photo.) If it isn't blocked up, it'll wash a 10-20' deep ravine there. That's how much fill was put in to make the big hill less steep. If I was physically able, I would put in a rock and concrete berm there. Hopefully, it'll be a long while before we get another such fierce monsoon.

Big broken tank

Dragonfly pond

In some places the water looked like it had icebergs floating in it. In all the years I've lived there, I've never seen anything like it. Crazy!

 There are still at least 3 Lucifers hanging around.

Juvenile male

Lucky to be alive!

I went to the oasis last night so I could get an early start on watering this morning. Once there, I took down and washed the dirty hummingbird feeders. 

This morning, as soon as there was enough light to where I felt I could see to hook up the hoses, I loaded up the clean feeders and carried them in two trips into the potty shed where I store them on shelves. While in there, I decided to use the potty. From it, I headed to the door. A round spot beside my foot looked out of place, when suddenly I realized it was a rattler (Black-tailed), not 2" from my foot. Luckily, it was a cool morning and the snake was cold, or if I had actually stepped on it, I surely would have been bitten, . Yikes! I was overcome with gratefulness!

Matt Walter took this photo of the Green Heron that's been hanging out at our ponds here in Alpine. Thanks for sharing, Matt!

This next photo, sent to me by Melody Lytle, was taken at the oasis, and appears in the Oct issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Thanks, Melody!

A few migrants kept me entertained while watering trees this morning, including a couple of Dickcissels. This one was bathing in the sprinkler.

Fun birding day with a fun birder!

I would love to bird with Kym Morse even if she didn't take awesome photos of the birds we see, but that's a super bonus. Today, I couldn't resist the long drive to the far corner of Big Bend National Park where a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker had been being seen. Especially as Kym agreed to go with me and help me find it. I have seen plenty of them while growing up in Iowa, but didn't have one on my Brewster Co (or even Texas) list.

Here's my best photo of it.

I hadn't been to the park since 2021 and was shocked to see how it had changed... and not for the better. I believe all the cottonwoods are dead, at least at Rio Grande Village where we went. And if that isn't bad enough, the area is overrun with cattle and burros.

Bear time!

While watering at the oasis today, I encountered the biggest bear I've ever seen. I'd guess on all fours he was at least 3-4' feet tall. Had I been close enough, he would've come well up to my chest. He was very skittish, so I couldn't get a good photo. When I first came upon him he was at the edge of the broken (now dry) tank. He dashed into the trees before I could get a photo. I followed him to the water drip, heard him drinking, but when I tried for a photo, he dashed into the brush, turned to look at me for a second, then noisily crashed away.

I think he just stopped by for a drink. With all the rains this year, wildlife isn't dependent on the food at CMO, but the water is inviting. I'm thinking when we get our first real cold weather that some interesting birds will arrive, and maybe overwinter.

Yesterday, I enjoyed this Gray Catbird, but didn't see it today.