Ghosting

I learn a lot from NPR on my car radio while I'm commuting back and forth between Alpine and CMO. Recently, I learned that "ghost" can also be a verb. And you can "ghost" people (cut them out of your life without warning or explanation). The term originated in 2011, but I'm a bit behind the times. That year I was fighting desperately to keep the oasis alive in the face of record cold, heat, and drought.

So when Mac brought out his black light and shone it on scorpions, it made me think of my new verb "ghosting." I know, not the same meaning of the word, but, hey, words and meanings change. I'm trying to stay ahead of the process. Here are my ghosted scorpions. 😀

Final mountain climb

My sister and I both agree that the climb we did today will be our last. However, my son says to hang in there and drone technology will take us up there before too many years. I'll try. I didn't find any Lucifer nests, unfortunately. Ann, who's an archaeologist, did find the oldest dart point she's found on her property though. She thinks it's an Arenosa point, and between 3-4 thousand years old.*

It was right on the edge of the trail we built several years ago. Just overlooked all this time. She documented it with GPS, etc.

I located a female hummingbird at the patch of oaks (above), but it was just a Black-chinned. Probably has a nest in there somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

Desert Willows are blooming back at the oasis along the arroyo.

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* When I googled Arenosa point I found this distribution map. It says they date between 4,500-3,000 years ago. I saw some of them for sale on Ebay for around $25.

Anatomy of a CMO scam

The definitions of scam is "fraud or trick." So I/CMO got scammed. In hindsight, I think I should have gotten suspicious, but while it seemed strange, I didn't really suspect a scam. I was too busy with birders and work at the oasis to pay enough attention.

It started with an email on April 27th, that in hindsight, said rather non-typical things. It was from a Tom Peters with an email address that had "tphardtom" in it. Birders have some weird email addresses No red flag there. It read:

Hi Carolyn,

I wanted to reach out to you for our group of birders. We are all retired and every summer we travel around the country birding. This year we will be somewhat close to you and would like to possibly bird at your Oasis. Is there a fee to come and bird? How large of a group can you accommodate? Many of our members had also expressed a desire to help you with work around the Oasis. We come from many different backgrounds. We have Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, engineers, and ecologists just to name a few. I look forward to hearing from you. Tom 

Of course in hindsight, what unnamed group of retired birders travel around the country every summer? None. Has members, but no group name or contact, other than Tom. Now it's obvious he was fishing, and while I didn't totally take the bait, I did treat it as legitimate. I'm sure he saw my go-fund-me page and was curious as to how legitimate my campaign was. He could have followed every detail on my blog, but like any good scammer, chose to assume a fraudulent persona.

I replied that they were welcome to visit and a group of 20 would be OK. At this time I was getting lots of birding requests. It was one of the busiest weeks of the year. I never gave it a second thought, although I was aware that this wasn't a typical request. He responded, probably chuckling as he did so:

Hi Carolyn,

We are extremely flexible on dates. Let us know what works best for you! We are a group of around 35 so perhaps splitting into two different days will be better?

Me: What is the time frame that you're able to come? How many vehicles will you be in? There is no fee.

Tom: We have yet to nail down a date, but it would likely be from early May to early June. We tend to try and limit our impact anywhere we go so there would likely be around 4 total vehicles. We all pitch in and rent passenger vans for our bigger excursions.

"Bigger excursions?" In what way I wonder. All groups have rigid itineraries, even small groups. None are "extremely flexible." Why no red flags, I don't know, except that I'm so honest and trusting. 

Me: There are plenty of dates available in that time frame. Except for May 28, no groups are yet scheduled after May 9th. You can all come at once if you don't mind the crowded birding. The oasis is small and only has seating for about 20 or so people, but however you want to do it the vehicles will be no problem.

Tom: Does May 17th work for you? We don't mind being cramped as we've traveled as a group for a long time. Do you think that it would affect the birding? The last thing we want to do is disturb anything.

They've birded together for a "long time" and don't know if it would affect the birding? LOL In hindsight, you can tell he's just pulling this dialogue out of his hat.

Me: That date is fine. I think it'll be OK with the birding. Movement bothers them most, so if people are fairly still, it should be OK. Probably no different here than other places you bird together (Maybe a bit of subtle sarcasm on my part.) Directions attached and I'll reserve the 17th for you but if you need to change the date, it shouldn't be a problem.

Final correspondence from Tom: Thank you! I will be sure to let everyone else in our group know. I'm the point of contact so if anything changes on your end you can just let me know. We are all very excited to get some lifers and hope we get a chance to meet you as well! Many of us weren't able to donate to your fundraiser so we hope to somehow pay it forward to you. Are there any items that you are in need of at the Oasis? Bird seed, feeders, chairs, labor, etc? We would be more than happy to help with anything we possibly could in exchange for you opening up your wonderful part of the world with birders from all walks of life!

He makes sure to tell me he's the contact. Why say that when he knew very well he was the only contact I had? And weren't able to donate to the go-fund-me, but happy to help with anything they possibly could? OMG Many people only donated $5 to the go-fund-me. His retired travelling group must really be poverty-stricken! Terms like "many different backgrounds" and "all walks of life" is not how birders approach me about visiting. He's obviously toying with me for his own sick entertainment. Normally groups give me phone numbers and several contacts. Even references. I guess he satisfied himself that I'm legit. It was a mean thing of him to do, but I would have caught on if he had carried it much farther. I'd like to think so anyway.  I think by then I was a little suspicious. I sent him this short message, and that was the end of it all.

Me: Thanks for the offer. I sometimes need help but can't predict when. Birdseed never goes to waste, but it's probably easier for me to buy it locally than for people to haul it in with their luggage. I'm sure I didn't show the enthusiasm he was hoping for.

On a more pleasant subject, Mac is here now and the temperatures are really hot. Morning and evenings are about the only time he can take photos. Here's one he took of a Spotted Ground Squirrel.

I've seen a lot of Lucifer Hummingbirds but never saw one that had a gorget perpetually flared like this one. Kelly says that not normal. This one is banded and is likely between 5-7 yrs old.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit cooler. My sister and I are going up her side of the mountain to the area where the Lucifers should be nesting. I'm hoping to locate a nest. Not to the summit where I went last time looking for butterflies.

May 16

Came to the oasis midday as soon as the tire shop finished aligning my pickup's front end and putting on new tires. A few miles before I came to the Elephant Mountain Rest Area (about 20 miles south of town) I saw a dead elk cow along the highway that had been hit by a car. I saw it there when I went to town the other day too.

Looking at the amount of car debris there, it damaged the vehicle that hit it pretty substantially.

At CMO I saw a waterthrush along the edge of the big tank. Thinking it's a Northern Waterthrush but not positive.

Hither and yon

Got to Alpine today and had a text message from Mac when I got into cell range. He was headed south of Alpine. Somewhere along the way we had to have passed one another.

Before I left the oasis I took a couple of quick photos of a Yellow-rumped Warbler preening after bathing under a drip I keep at the cottonwood tree.

Migrants are still trickling in, especially warblers.

Also shot a couple of butterflies. Part of a procrastination process. Always hate to leave.

Orange Skipperling

Nysa Roadside-Skipper

Still feel puny from my mountain climb five days ago.

Fledged!

I can't believe the Bell's Vireos fledged already. So fast! And so cute to watch!

The fledgling sits patiently making its loud cheep sound repeatedly... 

even falling asleep while doing it...

 When an adult is near it starts shivvering its wings...

The adult perches near the shivvering fledgling, but hidden from my view, and waits until the fledgling hops over to it. It won't feed it out in the open. I imagine that conditions the baby to become more secretive.

May 12

These Bell's Vireos won't have to fledge. As they get heavier, the nest sags more, and they'll soon be dumped out of the nest. Actually, of the four vireo nests I found this year, it's the only one that made it. It's also the only one I took a cowbird egg out of. I'm suspecting the others got abandoned when a cowbird laid an egg in them. Maybe this mother's strategy is to hang her nest right under my nose so I'll take care of it for her.

Found this Upright Prairie Coneflower in the courtyard this morning. I think the reason I get so many out-of-place flowers is due to all the mulch I've hauled in from Alpine through the years.

I knew a butterflyer was going to visit today who needed a Poling's Hairstreak, so I encouraged him to go up my mountain to get it. Even drew him a map. He was easy to persuade. (He doesn't count them unless he gets a photo.) It was pretty windy today, so not as productive as it should have been.

He was back in two hours (the amount of time it takes me just to go up to the summit). So I got a list of what's up there, which I always love. Added a species to my May list that I hadn't seen yet this year. And he got his lifer Poling's. A win-win!

May 11

It rained and hailed last night in Alpine. Didn't hurt the tomatoes too bad. Knocked off some leaves, but hopefully the rain did more good than the hail did bad. Nothing at CMO, of course.

In my usual excitement to get to CMO I forget half the food I had meant to bring. So frustrating. Not that I need it, but that it can spoil before I get back to town. But I'm all giddy with joy when I get here, rushing around checking everything. 

Right away I found a Theona Checkerspot. I've seen them up on the mountain, and I've seen them other places, like Lajitas, but this is my first one at the oasis itself. 

Perched on Fourwing Saltbush blooms

More mountain details

I was too exhausted last night by the time I got to town to include all I wanted to. My right neck/shoulder region was really painful. At first I thought it was a "Charlie-horse," but when it persisted, I figured I pulled a muscle when I fell. Took ibuprofen and made it through. Fine today.

Here are a couple of video clips I took, just in case I didn't survive the trip, to leave for posterity. Make no mistake, I really believed I would survive, but one can never know at my age

This first one was taken when I was almost to the summit. Having had no mirror, I see I still had a smudge of blood on my chin. Gross!

Note: To play the videos it seems you have to click on the little arrow in the lower left corner, not the big one in the center until it takes you to Flickr.



The next one wasn't too concerning since I had taken plenty of extra water along.



I hadn't lain down the whole trip because, although I needed the rest, it's too hard to get back up. Well, once I fell and was already down, I stayed there resting for awhile. Also trying to find a way to bandage my finger, which was cut quite deep. Couldn't figure out a way, and it finally stopped bleeding. When I'm climbing, I'm super careful, but I was on flat ground on the ridge and dragging my tired body more than I realized. Tripped over a rock that was poking out of the ground, but firmly embedded. A loose pebble wouldn't have caused the fall. It wasn't my first trip of the trip, just my only fall. (In this video, notice my foot showing.)



I'm almost as good as new today. Even still, I don't think I'll ever do the summit again. My knees are the worst problem. I climbed either up or down for at least 4 hours, plus an hour of walking on relatively flat land. Relatively. 

Why? Partly to get a photo of a butterfly that I hadn't photographed at the oasis. Partly to see if I could see an Ursine Giant-Skipper, and partly because it's heavenly up there. And partly because my options are to sit in front of the TV or computer. I enjoy those things, to be sure, but not how I want to spend all the time that I'm not working at the oasis. It's about my idea of quality of life, I guess.

The mountain

Today was the day! I took everything along I could possibly need so I wouldn't be stressed. Lots of water, inhaler, aspirin, food, pistol... well everything except band-aids. Never expected to need those.

Here's a rock shelter that I think was used by prehistoric people. I found it years ago and couldn't relocate it. Now I think I'll be able to find it again. I paid more attention.

I started at 7:30 this morning and did the whole ascent in the shade of the mountain. Once on the summit, about two hours later, it had warmed up enough for butterflies to be flying. I trekked a long way along the summit ridge to a huge patch of oaks. None taller than my head. There I found one of my target species, Poling's Hairstreak. It wasn't a lifer for me, but I wanted a photo of one from CMO.

Since the oaks are at the far end of the ridge, I made my way back toward where I had started from, hoping to get a better photo of an Ursine Giant-Skipper than I had from last year. No luck there.

While trudging along I tripped over a rock and fell flat. Tore a big patch of skin off my arm and gouged a finger. I spread the flap of skin back over the wound and hope it'll "take." Usually doesn't, but I always try.

By then my clothes were pretty bloody and a vulture started circling me. Rather unsettling. He must have smelled the blood.

Didn't see much else of interest, but I'm glad I went. Next week I hope to go up my sister's trail looking for Lucifer nests. It's not nearly as far and all trail, no bushwhacking. I did see a Central Texas Whip-snake on my way up. It's a common oasis species.

More tomorrow on my climb....