Hard watering day

Since my son is in Alpine for a few days I wanted to hurry and water and get back to town. So I pushed myself hard. I'm really dragging now. It got up to 107° today although when I finished watering it was only 104° I'm trying to see my cup half full, not half empty, so instead of posting pictures showing the sparseness of the trees, I tried to take pictures showing the fact that I even have greenery.

I was surprised to see one of the Chisos Rosewood (Vaquelinia angustifolia) blooming.

Hot and hotter

I watered things lightly yesterday and today. Just can't sustain adequate watering when every day is over 100° and forecast to get even hotter. I don't have my records with me in town but I believe the oasis has had a total of a little over an inch for the year, mostly all in increments of hundredths, or tenths of an inch. Nothing substantial.

Photographed a Rambur's Forktail damselfly, the first photo I have for that species from the oasis. I'm sure I must have had them there before as they common throughout the state.

Also photographed a Gulf Fritillary, first for the year. Other than that, things are rather bleak. Lots of deer and javelina hanging around the water tank.

CMO water rationing

Today I decided I better start watering less than normal, even though I wouldn't have enough water to make it to next summer either way. Gotta get at least one monsoonal rain this summer. Maybe I should have started rationing sooner but it seems silly to ration, then get a monsoon and no where to put the water. When we installed the new 65,000 tank it was just to be used in case no monsoon arrived. But I need a place to put the water that fills the stucco tank during a flash flood so I can pump it out and check for leaks. And the tank water is better for the plants since it hasn't been subjected to evaporation. So it's a gamble. There's still several feet of water in the big tank that I can use when the new tank gets empty. It probably is about two-thirds empty now. And the next ten days at least are forecast to be triple-digit and dry. Pretty depressing.

Meanwhile, my beloved soapberry thicket is losing leaves. It has before, and will probably survive, but still....

While watering today I came upon a couple of just-fledged Bell's Vireos. Here's one attempting to get fed. I think the parent realized the worm was too big and probably departed with the worm. While looking through my viewfinder I couldn't really tell. This is all I ended up with.

Alpine mystery solved

All day we heard grackles squawking in a big pecan tree behind the house. I assumed they had fledglings. Finally, mid-afternoon I decided to take a closer look to confirm why all the ruckus. For a long time all I saw was a Great-tailed Grackle fussing, but I kept changing my position looking for a fledgling. When I got to just a certain spot I spied a Great Horned Owl high in the tree. No fledglings.

Here's a video of some of the action that went on endlessly all day.

For several days now we've only seen three ducklings. It's pretty safe to say that's all there are.

A lot going on

More birders are trickling into the oasis and the traffic on Highway 118 seems back to normal for this time of year.  The weather has been cooler. I'm hoping the first Pacific storm (Amanda) will bring some much needed rain to the area. Had a Killdeer at the big tank today. Rarely get that species at the oasis so always a treat.

I watered yesterday at the oasis. Had birders there yesterday and today, then came to town today. The Trumpet Vine in town is looking good these days.

I went out back to the ponds to see if all four ducklings were still there but they're no longer staying with the mother, and are so all over the place that it's hard to tell. They hide so well. I for sure saw 3 and no reason to think there aren't still 4. The lotuses are so big now that even an adult duck could easily hide in them. I'll check again tomorrow.

Finally made me a couple of face shields to wear until I get the one I ordered online. By the time the virus reaches Alpine I should have protection down pat. (My neck isn't splotchy. Just the light reflecting on the plastic.) I'm tired of wearing a mask that doesn't protect me as much as it protects the person that refuses to wear a mask. Plus, I can't tolerate having a mask against my nose. This should be better protection and no itching. Bad selfie of me. I got into dust today and my eyes and nose got a bit irritated, but it gives you the shield idea. I figure I'll be wearing them for a long time to come.

Here's the one I ordered online.

Oasis watering day

Once again watered the trees. Here's a late migrating female Wilson's Warbler taking advantage of the hose watering a tree. Not dirty pond water for her. Nope. Fresh from the new tank.

Photographed this Blue-ringed Dancer quite a ways out in the big tank. Was surprised to get this good a photo at that distance. Credit my new, albeit very slow, camera. Usually by the time I turn it on, check settings, zoom it out, and focus it, my subject has gone. Once in a while I get lucky.

Very little is blooming these days but a big Feather Dalea by the big tank is blooming and covered with Reakirt's Blues.

Need rain bad

Once the monsoons start... if they start... things will get lush. Meanwhile everywhere you can see right through the trees. I hate that.

There is no longer any doubt in my mind that a Groove-billed Ani has visited the oasis. I'm not positive which day, but it had to have been the 25th or 26th. I watered half one morning and half the other morning. But what really blew my mind was, already knowing that's what I saw and heard, a while ago I decided to listen to recordings of the ani calls and see if I could jog my memory further. And boy did it! I played a recording of it that I hadn't played before and I thought, wow, that sounds a little like a whippoorwill. And then it hit me! The day I heard that unfamiliar bird calling, I had thought it sounded "a little like a whippoorwill, but wasn't, and a whippoorwill wouldn't be calling loudly from the oasis in the middle of the morning," I had reasoned. I totally forgot about thinking that at the time until I played one particular recording.

So now that I know 100% for sure, I regret being so ignorant at the time. Why didn't I record the call?  DUH! Bird calls have always been a weakness for me. Some people can memorize hundreds of bird calls and remember them forever after. Not me. It sure makes the oasis more special to me, if that's possible, now that I've seen and heard an ani in it. I think of it as a tropical bird, like a trogon. I'm so hoping it'll come back. I'm familiar with the species but it's been many years since I'd seen or heard one so I didn't remember what they sounded like. And that day I had long forgotten about it by the time I got to the house after watering, and could have played an ani recording. If Lee Hoy hadn't had one at his place my sighting would've been lost. It sort of is anyway since I have no documentation.

New Terlingua Ranch bird species

Lee Hoy, a local bird guide, found a Groove-billed Ani at his place on Terlingua Ranch. I've seen many of them, mostly in Mexico, and a couple in Big Bend National Park as well. I never expected I could ever have one at the oasis, so when I saw a black-colored bird there a few days ago (not sure when. I don't keep track of time well which is why I write stuff down) my mind went to Ani, but I immediately dismissed it as not an option. I told myself it must have been a grackle and forgot about it. Didn't get a diagnostic look. So busy with watering and so much other stuff. I even heard a bird call I didn't recognize, but that happens occasionally. Not too alarming. Then when I heard of Lee's sighting, I looked up the Ani's sound and it sure sounded like it. But not counting it until I get a photo of one there. Meanwhile, here's Lee's. His place is probably about 5 miles from the oasis, in the direction of the Terlingua Ranch Lodge.

He said it's been there at least two days so it would be strange if it hadn't been to the oasis. I just wish I had more time to spend there. Normally there would be lots of birders around to help document stuff, but with this pandemic and all...... not so much.

A while ago I went to our ponds here in town to see if all four ducklings were still there. I didn't see them, but did flush several wild Mexican Ducks. Still looking, I walked around the perimeter of the ponds. When I got to the south side of the east pond I accidentally flushed the four, yes still four, babies. I guess they had been in the grass at the edge of the pond, not sure. But they tore out squawking across the pond like lightning, frantically flapping their wings as they skimmed the water's surface. The mother was in the middle of the pond totally unperturbed. They didn't slow down until they approached the safety of the willow tree hanging over the water. So cute to see!

I read that Big Bend National Park is opening in a few days. I'm going to make myself a face shield. I'm tired of protecting people that refuse to wear masks. Gonna focus on protecting myself. Besides, a mask over my nose causes it to immediately itch... maddeningly. I don't know why. Doesn't matter what material it's made of.

I came across this in eBird online. I thought it was interesting that the oasis is #4 on the Brewster County species totals. 

Since Big Bend NP is a rather general area that includes #1 and #3, technically the oasis should be #3, not far behind Cottonwood Campground.  I'm really surprised that the oasis is that close.

Slow Alpine day

I took an easy day of little work in town, staying indoors mostly. Nothing of interest to report. The bougainvillea is outdoing itself this spring.

Getting ready for monsoons

No rain is forecast but it's getting closer to monsoon season. I got tired of procrastinating so today I plumbed the inlet going into the new tank. I had filled the tank via a temporary pipe when it was installed. No need to get it plumbed to add water when it's been full since November 2018. But now I'm using the water and need to be ready to fill it when we get our first flash flood. Occasionally that happens in June. The curved pipe going into the top of the tank wasn't there until today. That flat blue hose laying on the ground is what I'm using to take water out of the tank when I water. Like tomorrow. The tank is less than half full now. (Big pipe in foreground is overflow)

In order to fill the tank again I'll run a nearby gas pump and take water from the leaky stucco tank when a monsoon fills it. I'll hook up the pumps outflow to a hose and fasten it to this plumbed in pipe. Quick and easy.

Next I made sure the oil was clean in all the gas pumps. And finally I tackled the hex tiles that I bought with money leftover from the go-fund-me tank project. They've proven to be very disappointing. I think I purchased around 1000 floating tiles for around $1 each. Soon they started sinking, one by one. So I'm taking out the water-logged ones. Don't know if I can patch them or not. Probably not. Most just have pinhole leaks at the corners. Maybe from rubbing against the concrete tank wall. I was too exhausted to finish today. Tomorrow I have to water trees but maybe I can work on the tiles some. Getting the heavy water-filled tiles out of the tank in 100° heat wore me out. I'd say at least a third of them leak. Here's the worst one I've encountered so far.

I'm proud of this photo taken by a visitor to the oasis two days ago. It's a Giant Darner. I usually get at least one every year. They don't stay long and they don't perch, so it's hard to get a decent photo. This one is by Nancy Norman. Way better than any in-flight shots I've gotten of that species.