Vegetation

Some kind of moth caterpillars ate a big chuck out of the top of my precious Chinese Pistachio tree. I'm sure it'll recover, but I don't have to like the damage.

Sunflower Goldeneye

I love Sunflower Goldeneyes (Viquiera dentata), as I assume most people do. I may have over-loved them, however. They're everywhere, clogging the paths and making birds impossible to locate. 

Since we'll be off banding hummingbirds the next couple of days, I worked hard yesterday and today to get my work caught up. I was able to spare some water for the above wildlife pond. It doesn't hold all that well, but it'll be nice to have water in it for migrants in October. (Last October is when the Varied Thrush showed up.)

I did find a little time, by skipping a nap and multi-tasking, to photograph damselflies today. May have added a couple of species to the oasis list. Here's what might be an Arroyo Bluet...

And here is a Rambur's Forktail, new to the oasis.

Young Montezuma Quail

While banding in the Davis Mountains today we saw a covey of Montezuma Quail. I never pass up a chance to photograph them. Here's the most cooperative of the bunch. He's not a full adult yet, although he appears to think he is.

Later, back at the oasis, I came across a dragonfly that I had seen briefly a few days ago, but didn't get satisfactory photos of. It's a new species for the oasis, even though it's fairly common throughout Texas. Unless someone corrects the identification, Swift Setwing it is.

I'm especially tired tonight, so hope to go to bed now and be able to accomplish more tomorrow.

Trying to catch my breath

Brian made it all the way to California with his Ornythion Swallowtail still alive, but it died before he could get it to lay more eggs, so I sure hope the two he got are viable.

Here's a Palmer's Metalmark he pointed out to me at the oasis, but so much going on I forgot to post it.

Today we banded hummingbirds in South Brewster Co and I got a shot at some Scaled Quail with baby chicks. I was looking toward the sun so it's not a good shot. One of these days I'll be in the right spot at the right time and have my camera in hand. Meanwhile, this is it.....

Summer's come and gone

Quite a few migrants around today, though I probably wouldn't have noticed if Kelly hadn't been here most of the day. We banded hummingbirds here and then went to another location to band. Later, back at the oasis we watched birds and odonates. Here's a really distant shot of a Dickcissel.

And the best photos I've gotten so far of a Desert Firetail at the oasis.

Chaos and frustration

You all know how desperate I always am for rain. Well, got some today. Just happened to be a day my lepidopterist friend needed sunshine to see butterflies. So I drove him on a tour around Terlingua Ranch for something to do, and like a dummy I returned via the road that has a big hill on it, a hill that isn't passable when it's raining. It was, by then, raining. I could have not gone out, or returned the back way in, or maybe even put some rocks in back of my pickup. But to make a long story not quite so long, I almost made it up, but skidded cross-ways in the road near the top of the hill. Could not go forward as my rear wheel was in a ditch and in front of me was an embankment. We had  to walk half a mile to the house through pouring rain and mud. In my frustration, I totally forgot to take a photo of the mess I got myself into. Doesn't get much worse than that.

So, late in the afternoon, after it hadn't rained for a couple of hours, my two sisters agreed to meet Brian and me at the big hill to try to get my pickup out. We piled rocks in the back and when they all got ready to push, I couldn't find the keys. Seems I had thoughtlessly stuck them in my pants pocket, then thoughtlessly changed out of my wet pants at the house. I never take the keys out when I'm here, only in the city, so I was obviously stressed to have done that. After another round trip to the house, we finally were ready to crank it up. They  pushed, and I spun the wheels big time, dousing them all with plenty of mud. Made it out just barely. Whew! I was exhausted from walking all over the place carrying a gas can between gas pumps and up to the house and everywhere. Good to have my wheels back. Not to mention the road was blocked to where Brian couldn't get out. You can always make it down the hill, just not up when it's raining. Steep and slick.

In all so far, still raining off and on, I've gotten over an inch and had some run into my dirt tanks that I'm pumping into my concrete tanks. Should, with rationing, make it through until next rainy season, plus don't have to water for at least a week. Good on that.

Rainy weather

I was in my usual rush to get to the oasis this afternoon after helping with Kelly's banding in Ft Davis, but just couldn't resist stopping along the highway and snapping a few photos. That rain is between Highway 118 and the Christmas Mountains, but there's been a light rain here off and on ever since I arrived about 4 PM. And more is in the forecast. This moisture is coming from the Baja, which is where I usually get my best rains. Here's hoping the tanks fill up.

My valued lepidopterist friend, Brian Banker drove all night, 1150 miles, from California to get here. He's already seen 3 life butterflies here, and added 4 species to my oasis list. This is really exciting for me. The new species for the oasis are Large Orange Sulphur, Dingy Purplewing, Tropical Leafwing, and Zilpa Longtail. His main objective was to see an Ornythion Swallowtail and he succeeded this afternoon shortly before I arrived here. Incredibly, it was a different individual from the two I had previously photographed, and are shown in previous posts.

Better Ornythion Swallowtail photos

Luckily, I refound the Ornythion this morning. Maybe because it was cool and overcast, it wasn't very active. It mostly perched, and since I now knew it was a rarer butterfly than a Giant Swallowtail that I originally thought it was (9/11 post), I succeeded in getting better photos of it. It has lost one of its tails though, so not quite as pretty.

UPDATE: OMG, my lepidopterist friend (Brian) just brought to my attention that this individual lacks the black spot on the yellow rectangle that the one I photographed on Sep 11 had. I can't believe I have two of them. That is too cool! Brian informed me that this one is a female. They only lay eggs in citrus, so not likely to be breeding here. The 9/11 photos weren't good enough to determine the sex of that individual.

Swallowtail-mania

I sat and watched for the Ornythion for a while this morning. Thought I might have glimpsed it, but while I was watching I got photos of a Black Swallowtail and a Two-tailed Swallowtail. The latter I had only seen here once before, years ago, before I had a digital camera. So I was thrilled to get a decent photo of it.

As you can see, I struggled with the manual camera setting on these.

The Two-tailed didn't hang around long. It got mobbed and harrassed by Pipevine Swallowtails.

And here is the Black Swallowtail.

Pipevine Swallowtail

This is the prettiest Pipevine I've ever seen I think.

After I finally finished pumping water I sat and watched butterflies. I saw either a Giant Swallowtail or the Ornythion (see yesterday's post), but it would not land and without a photo I can't ID it. I'll try for a while in the morning. Otherwise, not much activity. Here's a close look at a tarantula.