Early morning

My cold camera (45°) in overcast early morning light was no match for the speed of the thrush. I got this blurry shot and even on continuous shoot mode the bird was absent from the next frame.

Late afternoon: Well, had fun with today's birders but did not get a photo of a wren that Tripp Davenport discovered. It seems to be a Pacific Wren (recently split from Winter Wren). Tomorrow getting a photo of it will be priority.

All birders got plenty of Varied Thrush and Costa's Hummingbird views, as well as photos. Sometimes the photography was a bit challenging.

Michael Gray

Thrush in training

The Varied Thrush comes readily to the ground grape feeder, but isn't coming to the hanging feeder. So I thought I'd try hanging a log beneath it for stability, and more perching.

Since putting up the log, I witnessed the thrush making two failed attempts at nabbing a grape from it. Back to the drawing board. Meanwhile, I thought I'd vacate the area and see if, left alone, the bird can come up with a workable grape-plucking system. The problem probably lies in removing them from the toothpicks. But if I just hang clusters it's so hard to keep track of usage. And a partially eaten cluster could fall into the water below.

It doesn't look to me like the Costa's Hummingbird is making much progress in growing a gorgeous gorget. By the looks of all those white pin feathers he's still got a ways to go.

New revised grape feeder

Critters, as well as ants, have discovered the feeder, so it was time to do something else. I made a hanging branch feeder. Now the trick will be to get the thrush to find and use it.

The new feeder is suspended from ant guards and should be critter-proof.

When I got down to the oasis (from the house a block away) shortly after daylight today the ground feeder had been emptied (I suspect coons or ringtails) and I heard the distraught thrush scolding back in the arroyo. I hurriedly put a few grapes in the old feeder. It wasted no time gobbling them up. My hope is that when that feeder gets empty, he'll look around and find the hanging feeder. But I've learned not to make assumptions, so I'll probably put out grapes in the ground feeder until I'm sure he's discovered the other one. I almost got a decent photo of him grabbing a grape this morning. 

Routine day? Not so much....

We were excited to do our scheduled banding in south Brewster Co because a recent cold front may have brought in some interesting hummers. The six species we ended up seeing, and/or capturing, far exceeded our expectations. We were determined not to recapture the Costa's Hummingbird we banded a week ago. But that little ball of energy was a force to be reckoned with.

After the day we banded him a week ago (see post of Nov 7), I didn't see him again, and was sure he was gone. But when we arrived today he was lord of the realm. Kelly placed the trap where we had it last week, but this dominant Costa's wouldn't let any other hummer near the trap.

Fat and sassy

In desperation we set up another trap at the other side of the oasis. He'd already been inside a trap twice the week before so we weren't worried that he'd go in again. And we hadn't arrived at the oasis until peak feeding time was pretty much over. Nevertheless, before long he headed for the feeder inside the newly placed trap. Kelly thought to let him feed, then leave, none the wiser. But the slow-to-learn demon soared straight up into the top of the trap, totally forgetting the huge door he had come in a moment before. So Kelly had no choice but to assist him out of the trap. The bird took off, and we don't know if he'll return or not. I sure hope so. His gorget is filling in nicely. I'd love to see him in a few weeks with a brilliant new gorget. We shall see.

Meanwhile, I'll have to content myself with his partial gorget. He is record #34 for Texas.

Cold front

Well, our first freeze of this fall occurred last night. Now I won't have to water as much. It brought a few new hummingbirds to our feeders in Alpine. Here's a male Anna's Hummingbird that was at my son's place...

Tomorrow I'll be going to the oasis. I think the Varied Thrush is still there, but feeding along the arroyo on native berries. When they're gone it'll probably be easier to locate near the grapes I put out. I left the grape feeder uncaged Friday (for a photographer) when I came to town, and the javelina ravaged it. So with no grapes there, I couldn't tell if the thrush was still around, or not.  I refilled and caged the feeder so tomorrow I'll know.

The Williamson's Sapsucker didn't hang around at all. Lucky I even got photos of it.

Williamson's Sapsucker visit

Williamson's Sapsucker is a new yard bird for the oasis. Normally, I don't like sapsuckers damaging my trees, but I'm going to make an exception for this one, and do my best to like this handsome devil.

I saw the Varied Thrush at 4 PM, but it's so secretive that it may as well not be here. I hope people coming to see it this weekend don't go away disappointed.

Costa's Hummingbird visit

Kelly Bryan came this morning to do his regular banding session, and soon called to me that there was a Costa's Hummingbird here. What a fun surprise!



I assumed it was a juvenile male, but apparently it's a molting adult male. If you click on the next photo you may be able to make out his new band. Hope he sticks around a while....

Me, the toothpick fairy

As usual, leaving paradise and coming to town is painful. I miss it before I'm even gone. I was contemplating how best to put out all the remaining grapes for the thrush when I got a marvelous inspiration. I had run out of [toothpick] pegs (for lack of a better word) to impale the grapes on and still had grapes leftover. So I got the brilliant idea of leaving the grapes on the cluster and let the bird pluck them from it like it does in nature. Duh! Was that genius, or what! Here's a photo of the man-made cluster before I added the natural cluster.

Then I took another photo of it after I put a cage around it, to hopefully protect it from javelina. I'm sure there are many other critters that will eventually see it as food. Hopefully, not. Bears, racoons, and badgers come to mind, not to mention mockingbirds, towhees and other birds.

I just laid the remaining natural cluster on top of the man-made clusters. (Sorry, forgot to take a photo of it.) In the future, I'll fasten the natural cluster to the branch. The hope is that nothing will get the grapes but the thrush, as is currently the case, and that they'll last a few days until I get down there to restock it. He consumes about 8-10 per day. I put out about 50, so should be good for a few days.

He has a hard time choosing which grape to eat, they all look so good!

Look at the damage that sapsucker left on the locust tree.

Fourteen days and counting

I'm almost certain the thrush is still here. Kelly Bryan came over and banded hummingbirds so I didn't sit and observe, but the grapes disappeared at the usual rate, about an average of one per hour in the morning. And I guess now that the bird seems to have its reserves replenished, not in the afternoon. We'll see. It probably arrived here very hungry and got meager sustenance from the local berries. So I imagine it took a few days of grapes before it could afford to go to being its normal secretive self. Good for the bird, not so good for observation. It never would eat cranberries though. If it plucked one by mistake, it tossed it on the ground. Go figure!

Kelly banded 4 juvenile male Anna's Hummingbirds. I had hoped for more. He thought he heard the thrush, and I thought I saw its silhouette being chased by the silhouette of a mockingbird. At least the mockingbird hasn't recognized the grapes as food..... YET!

A short visit by a Common Grackle. I never could tell them from the Great-tailed or Brewer's Blackbirds, so I'm determined to learn the difference. Hopefully, posting a picture of the grackle will help. Yes, Kelly ID'd it for me, or I wouldn't have known. I think I could eventually figure out the adult males. It's the females and juveniles that confuse me.

Also got to enjoy a visiting Golden Eagle for a while. Just wish I could get better photos of raptors in flight. But what a wingspan!

UPDATE: At 6 PM I gave up my sporadic watch to see the thrush. Then out of curiosity at 7 PM I went down to the oasis to see if any grapes were missing. Yup, 2 were gone. Little rascal! It does not want to be seen, that's for sure. It's not called secretive, a skulker, shy, and retiring for no reason, but this is extreme. I've got a strategy planned for tomorrow morning though.

Halloween treat? Or trick?

I spent the whole day inside my photo blind trying to get a shot of the thrush with a grape.

The one time I saw it come in for a grape it happened so fast all I got a photo of was the grapes. That was around 11 AM. Then it didn't return anymore, maybe because it figured out that I was inside the blind. Don't know. I saw it in a tree at 4 PM and never saw it again. I feel certain if it hadn't left, it would have come within view of the grapes anyway. So, I'm thinking my orange and black Halloween bird left on the 13th day of  his visit. At least it isn't Friday.

     

Or maybe it'll be here tomorrow. I know I'm not going to sit in the blind waiting for it to show up ever again. Had all that I want. Cramped and staring out a slit.