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.

Fall migration fun!

Both the oasis and the ponds in Alpine are getting wonderful birds lately. I can't be two places at once, so trying to keep abreast of what I can, and see (and document) as much as I can. My feet hurt a lot so it's painful doing all the walking I'm doing.

There's been a Broad-tailed Hummingbird hanging out near the feeders in Alpine, which is very exciting. This photo is by Tim Handren. He's doing a Texas Big Year and was very happy to be able to add this bird to his tally.

A week or so ago, I found a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at my ponds in Alpine, but didn't figure out what it was until the second day when I got better photos. It didn't hang around, so only one other person got to see it. Here's Kym Morse's photo of it. My photos aren't as good as other people's. Can't carry my heavy Canon anymore.

The last two days there was a Magnolia Warbler seen at the oasis. Here's my lucky shot of it.

My son is for sure no longer interested in taking over the oasis after I'm gone, so I'm just going to enjoy it for as long as I can. It's getting pretty unkempt, but I'm sure the birds don't mind. Nothing is forever!

A few life adjustments

For awhile now I've been weighing shoulder replacement surgery. My left shoulder is painful (at best) when I use it, and often won't move at all. But I can't bring myself to go through surgery for it (or for my knees), so I'm making some adjustments. I cut my long hair about a year ago because I can't raise my left hand to brush it and pin it up. 

Now, I had my son install a knob on my steering wheel so I can turn it with one hand. Before, I had to turn it a ways with my right arm (which is now getting painful too), then stabilize the wheel with my left hand, then reposition my right arm, turn it more, etc.

I also got rid of half my T-shirts, since it's too painful to get in and out of them, and now I'm wearing button up shirts. Also have resolved to quit working online crossword puzzles (my favorite pasttime), and cut down on online scrabble to no more than two games per day. I had been trying to edit and organize my thousands of digital photos, but going to let that go. And going to use a monopod to hold my camera up to my eye. I need to stay as mobile as I can for as long as I can.

I was pleased to learn that my grand-niece, Sudi Green, won an Emmy for her work on SNL. We're very proud of her!

Fall migration is usually so slow as to be almost unnoticeable, and even more so with everywhere being an oasis these days. Hopefully, winter birding will be good here for the same reason.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds only migrate through our area in the fall. Sometimes in quite large numbers, but this year not so many at my feeders. (Photo from Alpine yard)

This Olive-sided Flycatcher has hung around our town ponds for at least a week now.

Never know what might show up any time though, so a fun time of year!

Torture in paradise!

I keep pushing myself to keep the trees alive a little longer. Just water one more time. Pump one more time. Realistically, I know I'm beyond my limit. And the trees will start dying. Today, I came to the oasis to service feeders, pump, and water. Again, carrying the 35 lb. pump down the muddy slope into the broken tank. Hoping I won't fall, or my back won't just give way under the weight, like my foot seems to have done.

This trip the mosquitoes were a nightmare! I'm watering with no relief, limping on my either broken, or arthritic, foot. Doesn't matter how much insecticide I cover myself with, or the head net I wear. They're voracious! I quit after 3 miserable hours. And the cowpen daisies, that I'm allergic to, are thriving. I doubled my dose of  allergy meds, but that didn't stop my nose from running like a faucet. Kept me breathing though.

Enjoying birds while I watered wasn't an option. Couldn't see through the net anyway. On the bright side, the mosquitos weren't bad during last month's festival tours. And I didn't get bitten by a rattlesnake. 😅 I did get bitten by a black ant. So painful that I wasn't able to nap after watering and lunch. 

Taking the pump out of the tank is the hardest. There's no way to wrestle the heavy, unwieldy 2" hose out without getting it covered in mud, which transfers to me, and I'm covered with mud. But, once again I topped off the stucco tank, which holds pretty well.

The only bird activity I was able to witness were three female/ juvenile Summer Tanagers feasting at a wasp's nest. I think they were eating the larva.

Interesting weather

The oasis got another big monsoon last night, and more rain is in the forecast. This one wasn't as bad as the one on July 3rd, but bad enough. During that July devasting monsoon everything was full and no place for water to go. At least this time, the broken tank was empty, as was the dragonfly pond. You can see where the water level was after yesterday's rain on the broken tank. 

Broken tank water level  going down fast

Dragonfly pond

While no catastropic damage this time, still a mess. What little mulch I had been able to retrieve from before, went away. Bit by bit, I had been trying to restore watering basins under some trees. All gone. Not to mention, I had just finished watering the oasis, which turned out to be a grueling labor for naught. Yesterday's deluge totaled 1.2". Everything brimful.

Lower dirt tank

Lower dam

Road is iffy. Bottom line, until monsoon season is over, and the road is repaired, be sure to have decent clearance if you visit. Other than that, migrants are trickling in, tons of butterflies, and lush vegetation. Quite a paradise!

Here are a few of the migrants I saw today.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

This Spotted Sandpiper is enjoying the fresh mud created as the water in the broken tank leaks out.

Learning the hard way

 A few days ago I stumbled upon a comment by a birder in an unrelated ebird checklist that he had a flat tire visiting CMO. I dread hearing things like that! I worried that I may not have raked up enough sharp rocks after the recent roadwork. So I contacted the birder to get the details. Thought I'd post it here in case it might help some future visitor.

The birder came in a rental car. Unbeknownst to him, rental cars don't come with spares anymore. Here's his description of the event. I added some clarification in brackets [ ].

"My problems began when I unwisely elected to use navigation to get to your place, went up about 1.5 miles after the Terlingua Ranch Rd. pavement ends and later realized it was fruitless.

I then followed your directions & map, but evidently ended up passing your house [my earth-sheltered cabin] (just as you warn against up top of p. 2) and then climbed a hill, I ended up reaching the end of the road at the CMO [house I gave my son].  I backtracked and reached the absolute end of the road on your map at the boarded-up house [my late sister's house way down a washed out, never used, lane. Can't hardly make it in my pickup. Don't know how a rental car could].

Instead of coming straight back downhill on return, I got lost; for some odd reason I kept wanting to turn left (west) prior to your house, ending up descending quickly, passing an arroyo, and then coming immediately to a gate.  Just beyond this gate, and very slightly uphill of it, is Andy's place [my neighbour just outside my east gate].  I nearly got stuck on the now-flat tire in this little arroyo [Almost impossible to turn around in that arroyo without getting stuck. You may recall a UPS truck getting stuck there a few years ago.]

The car, astonishingly, had no spare.  It had a pump-up kit (you can add air on the spot), but it was useless because the tire was very quickly destroyed (shredded).  Andy managed to get the vehicle's tire off, while I hunted in vain for the spare (in the place in the back where one would expect the spare, there was instead a hybrid propulsion system!).  So we put the tire back on and I limped (now riding on the wheel) down to the paved road [Terlingua Ranch Road blacktop]."

There's more, but you get the idea. All the wrong turns originated within easy sight of the oasis. I'm sorry that happened. It's rare something like that happens, but I'd like to prevent it from ever happening. Also take note, he said the tires were "nearly bald" on the rental car.

On a brighter note, fall migrants are starting to trickle in. I had this Dickcissel today.

My favorite find of the day was this Zebra Heliconian butterfly. Had only seen that species at the oasis once before (July 2018).

I watered today, so plan on focusing tomorrow on birds and butterflies.

Life is like a whirlwind!

Second day group

Every single afternoon of the festival the oasis got a big rain. The groups came to the oasis in the mornings, so the rain didn't affect the first day's group, but the roads were a mess for the second and third day groups.

Third day group

Then this afternoon, after the third and final group left, I was packed and ready to head to town. It started to sprinkle, so I decided to cover the bear-proof ground feeder with plastic since rain fills the ports and clogs them up with wet seed. I did it successfully as yesterday's rain started, so rushed to do it again today. Like yesterday, the deluge came quick and hard as I was covering the feeder. Yesterday, I made a dash for the cover of the viewing blind. Same today, only this time I accidentally stepped on the bear unwelcome mat in my haste. Normally, that wouldn't be so bad, but today I was just wearing thin crocs because my broken navicular bone seemed to hurt less in them than regular shoes. It hurt bad and my sock got bloody. Soon my feet were soaked with water and I focused on setting up a pump in the broken tank. Water was gushing into it and I knew it wouldn't hold water for long. 

I waded out into the tank and hooked up the pump and began pumping. Before long, my punctured toe swelled and was unbearably painful. Walking was an ordeal, between the injured toe and the broken bone that had already had me limping. I started worrying that going into the tank mud and all might have been a stupid thing to do with an open wound. We shall see. Meanwhile, I unpacked my pickup and prepared to spend another night. I estimated the stucco tank will be topped off around midnight.

Everyone watched a pair of Curve-billed Thrashers relentlessly carrying food to this nest. The bottom of the box has fallen out and I worry the nest will fall before the nestlings can fledge. I simply am not able to climb a ladder to fix it.

A nice species during the festival was this Common Ground Dove. 

Too bad it's feast or famine with rains.

___________________________________

UPDATE: Toe less painful Monday morning.

One hurdle behind me

Finally got someone out to work on the road. It's still a rough road, but not as scary, in my opinion.

I killed myself raking and picking up rocks for two days, so back in town to rest. I would never rest at the oasis with so much to do. The road needs a lot more raking, etc, but for now it should be ok. I'm hoping we'll get some rain to settle the dust, but likely won't. Once it rains, it's too late for me to rake anymore, as it packs hard. I still recommend visitors have decent clearance because of the steep rough big hill.

We're a week away from the hummingbird festival, so I'm hoping to rest up for a week. For some reason the road looks better in photos than it actually is to drive on. Frustrating!

I had to water before coming back to town today. Since I had to do raking in the morning, with a little help from a dear neighbor friend, I had to water in the heat of the day this afternoon. It was 103° but that doesn't bother me, it was just the no-nap exhaustion that did me in. When I'm watering in heat I sprinkle myself down with the hose frequently, and shivver through it. LOL