Thanksgiving Family Get Together

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend with all the family here.  Weather was great so we got out a lot.

Family picture down by the big Red Oak.



A hike down into the Love Creek Canyon



Some family members took a hike up Love Creek to see the springs.

Others rode around in the ranch cart.

RINGTAIL DAYLIGHT VISIT

In the last couple of days we have seen a Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) or Ringtail Cat moving quickly around the front yard during the daylight hours.  Not sure why this very nocturnal mammal is being seen during daylight. The Ringtail Cat is not a member of the feline family, but is in the Procyonidae family that includes the Racoon, Central American Kinkajou, South American Coati.

HUMMINGBIRD FEEDING FRENZY

This has been the most active hummingbird I can recall.  Perhaps the recent rains that kick-started our native flower beds to explode with salvias, lantana and Turk's Cap and the lack of any other flowers must be the primary draw.  I have been filling feeder daily. The major species are Ruby-throats with a few Black-chinned and a couple of Selasphrous.

UNWELCOME VISITORS

This past week we’ve had two unwelcome guests around the ranch house – The large bug (True Bug) in the photo is an Easter Blood-sucking Conenose – Triatoma gerstaeckeri - AKA “Kissing Bug” named for drawing blood from human lips while they sleep. These guys are known to carry the vector for the disease “Chagas”. The vector is a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi that resides in its feces of the bug that it deposits on your skins while piercing the skin to draw blood. After it moves on, you scratch and help insert the parasite into the bite.

The other little fellow in the photo is a dead Brown Recluse which is another rather bad character whose bite can be quit serious. The small inverted violin / fiddle shaped feature on the carapace (shield) of the cephalothorax (head) is the best diagnostic for this arachnid.

Lucky Shot

From time to time I get lucky with a better and average nature shot - this Yellow-billed Cuckoo gave me that really lucky pose and I had my camera in hand at the same time ----

Painted Buntings Galore

This year has even exceeded last year's outstanding hatch of our favorite ranch bird, Painted Bunting.  Almost daily we can see 3-6 male birds plus numerous females and juvniles.  Perhaps as many as 20 plus members of this gaudy species.

Male Painted Bunting one left and the only all green NA bird species is a female Painted Bunting.


Hot Weather Brings Critters to Oasis

Over the past few days lots of critters have shown up - too many Rio Grande Leopard Frogs to count, but easy to count our solitary Checkered Gartersnake.

One of about 20 Rio Grande Leopard Frogs

Checkered Gartersnake looking for some of the smaller frogs

Grand Kid Carriage

We had all four grand kids visiting for several days - the ranch cart appeared to be one of the favorite activities.

EMILIA TURNS 3

Our youngest grand-kid turned 3 yesterday.  She is a doll with the attitude of a NFL Linebacker...

Emilia 

Marcelo, me, Sherry and Emilia

HOT WEATHER AND COOL BATHS

The recent hot weather is bringing lots of birds and their recently hatched young to the Oasis...

First year Summer Tanager

Female Painted Bunting

Male Painted Bunting

Female Black-and-white Warbler

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

MOTHS

Recently I have become interested in moths so I invested in a blacklight and started photographing these little bugs. To date I have documented about 20 species of the hundreds found in this area.  Most of those found and identified are new species to Kerr County and will be submitted to the BAMONA (Butterflies and Moths of NA).  Below are a few shots of some of the moths found on our front porch at 11 pm at night...

4794 – Eustixia pupula – Spotted Peppergrass Moth 

5029 – Pyrausta volupialis – Volupial Pyrausta Moth

8999 – Cydosia aurivitta – Straight-lined Cydosia Moth 

Early June Activities

June started out with a visit of grand kids Marcelo and Emilia.  Mom wanted a picture of them in the wildflowers.

Later in June Sherry and I celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary.  You might enjoy the YouTube video I made for her...

Oh My Love

Hail Storm

Yesterday we had a late day 10 minute hail storm.  The hail was around marble size and made a terrible sound bouncing off the metal roof and gutters.  Rain and hail combined for a totaled 0.13 inches, however suspect none of the hail went in the gauge which used a funnel to collect and I'm fairly sure of the hail pellets bounced off the entry area and back onto the yard.

Wildflower Heaven

Until recently I would have rated the spring of 2010 the best ever Wildflower season we've had here on the ranch.  But this year is certainly giving 2010 a challenge for the abundance and continued blooming period The two big rains this year starting with a mid-March 3 inches that got the wildflowers going and then followed up by a early May week total of over 6 inches regenerated the blooming season into what can only be described as a landscape of yellows, reds, white and blues.  So dense is the wildflower cover that it is impossible to walk the ranch without every step landing on a solid mat of wildflowers.  Truly amazing sight that without sunglasses, the brilliant colors will make your eyes water as they reflect back their colors.  Unless we get another rain, I believe we have seen the zenith of the wildflowers for 2012.

View of ranch front yard

Back View

A Tanager of a Different Color

There must be an infinite number of ways that a molting Summer Tanager can appear.  This guy has been singing his syrinx (sound producing organ of a bird) off.  I wonder if any female will take to his odd color?  Perhaps by season end he will reach his full mating color, but until then he will remain a Tanager of a Different Color...

Molting Male Summer Tanager

Old Friends Passed By Briefly

The other day we had two old friends (Critters that is) make a short visit to the front yard.  First was an adult Canyon Towhee - been a long time since we've seen one.  Then a while later a Gray Fox did a slow trot by in just far enough aways so it could camouflage its self in the high wildflower.  Nice to know they are still around.

Canyon Towhee

Gray Fox

MacGillivray's Warbler

This was the second MacGillivray's Warbler to visit the Oasis this spring.

Colorful Bathers

Still a few migrants passing through.  Yesterday this male Orchard Oriole showed up and decided to bath with the Painted Bunting.

New Ranch Moth

I expect just about every moth I find could be classified as a new ranch moth, but this bug was in the garage and since it was large (4cm) and nicely marked, I took its picture.  My resource is Maury Heiman in Medina County.  He tells me this is a Coryphista meadii – Barberry Geometer Moth.

Busy day in front yard

A few interesting birds today - Red-winded Blackbird (very unusual for the ranch), Hutton's Vireo calling, late season Lincoln's Sparrow, a small flock of Cedar Waxwings that should be in Michigan by now, and a female MacGillivray's Warbler that took a short bath and then was gone.  No photos, just memories...

Love Creek Tour

I guided a group from Wild Bird Inc (Staff and customers) down into the canyon of Love Creek Nature Conservancy Preserve.  Got the big three - Warbler, Vireo and Hawk plus many of the breeders - 23 species and everyone got good looks at most of the birds.  One lady had a serious time returning and delayed the group, but we still managed to get to the Apple Store in Medina for a great lunch.

That's me behind the camera.

Rain without Migrants

This has been the slowest migrant year I can recall since moving to the Hill Country.  With the exception of three new species to the ranch, I have seen and heard very few migrants this spring.  The new species are Bronzed Cowbird, Philadelphia Vireo, and Black Headed Grosbeak.  The Cowbird and Vireo were briefly at the Oasis, but no photo was taken as they were gone before I could turn my camera on and focus.  The Grosbeak came to the hanging feeder and was a female that only remained a few seconds as a White-winded Dove forced it off and was last seen flying away - no photo.

The few migrants we have had are Catbirds, Common Yellowthroats, and Yellow Warblers.  Last year was one of the best ever years with dozens of migrants and often several at the Oasis all drinking and bathing together.

My guess is the rains are providing plenty of easy access sites so our Oasis is just one of many and thus few visitors.  At least that is my best guess and hope.

One interesting observation has been the Cedar Waxwings hanging around the ranch.  I found 12 while doing my Spring Point Counts last week.  And yesterday I found 8 flying just above the ranch house.  Must be plenty of fruit still available for them - Elbow Bush has lots of purple fruiting seeds and perhaps there are some Agarita with fruit, although I would wonder how a Waxwing could feed on this thorny bush.

Meow and Wichity Calling Migrants

One of two Gray Catbirds that showed up together.

Female Common Yellowthroat dropped in to join the Catbird in a short bath.  Maybe some day I will locate a nesting bird if only I could find the right habitat here - perhaps Love Creek marsh?

Molting 1st Year Male Bunting

More Rain...

Yesterday we posted 3.0 inches of rain bringing our yearly total to just over 16 inches compared to last year's total of about 13 inches.  Hopefully this trend will continue and we will be moved from the Extreme to just Severe Drought conditions.

Hail of a Night

It was another one of those Hill Country nights with lighting, strong winds and pea sized hail.  Thanks goodness it wasn't the softball size they were predicting - can't believe those weather guys - all hung up with their technology and they probably never look out the window to see what the real weather is doing.

The good news is we are almost at the same amount of rain we got all of last year or about 0.5 inches short of last years 12.9 inches - and we are still getting a light rain that looks to be hanging around.

As night sets this strong storm roared in over the ranch.

Chatting

You always wonder if a bird will return.  Somehow you know its the same friend from the previous year.  Maybe its the way they come so quickly to the Oasis and settle right into bathing.  Whatever it is, I'm sure this Chat was here last year.

Reptile Time

With all the recent weather changes we are starting to see more critters including reptiles.  Several Six-lined Racerunners, a Texas Spiny Lizard has reappeared and a Checkered Garter Snake has been slithering around the back porch area.

Six-lined Racerunner that looks like it lost its tail to a Paisano.



A regular summer visitor - perhaps this one has found a good cache of food in a recent hatch out of katydids.



Rain, Hail and Lighting

Had a good thunder storm last night,  Lost power for an hour.  Rain gauge showed 0.56 inches.  The wind was blowing so hard you might have thought we got several inches, but we will take whatever the good lord is willing to send us.  Should pep up the wildflowers that haven't already gone to seed and maybe a few new ones will appear.  We are supposed to get rain off and on this week.  Climatologist tell us La Nina is gone and we are now neutral, perhaps heading into an El Nino  (ENSO - El Nino Southern Oscillation) which will mean more rain for us and hurricanes along the gulf plus much cooler as well.

Sherry's BFF

Sherry's best friend paid us a visit today.  Paula and Sherry have been friends since our kids were pre-kindergarten.  Paula lives in Jourdanton and she and her husband manage their cattle ranch.  Her husband and I worked at Dow and our kids grew up together playing soccer and scouting.

Bad Day for Buntings

Sherry and I watched as two male and one female Painted Bunting chased each other around the back yard and one male and female collided with our window.  The Male was KOI, while the female lay there with some visible sign of her heart still beating.  I picked her up and held her for several minutes until she began to regain some degree of controlled movement.  Decided to place her in a shoe box with a towel to keep her body temp up.  A few minutes later Sherry called to say our little lady had escaped her shoe box and was now sitting on the dinning room chair.  I manged to walk up behind her and grab her, then to the door where she gave one more jerk and the typical bunting chip, and off she flew.  I'm still sick about the male, but these guys are know to be very aggressive to each other and sometimes will fight to the death.

Wildflowers and Quail

Upon returning from 4 days at Nature Quest it was really great to see how full our wildflowers have now covered the ranch.  We will need rain soon or they will all start going to seed and that will be the end of what has started out to be a great wildflower spring.  I'm afraid with no rain forecast for the next 10 days,  the blooming season will be short.

View of Wildflowers from our front porch

 Upon returning, I heard for the first time in months, the call of a Bobwhite.  Each time I hear one call, it is like a new day in my life.  There is something special about some of the bird calls that stir my inner DNA - calls that are very special - the Bobwhite, Sandhill Crane, and  Chuck-will's-widow.  Soon after hearing the call a pair of Northern Bobwhite appeared under the feeder and then this male took a short drink from the Oasis.  So glad they have returned.  Maybe this year with some good green plants providing cover and grasshopper food for the young, they can raise chicks.

Northern Bobwhite male

Nature Quest

Sherry and I spent a lot of time preparing our programs for Nature Quest this year.  I upped my number of programs from 1 to 3 and Sherry who did none last year signed up for 2.  I repeated my Hill Country Butterfly and added a Migration Program which I had given at Riverside Nature Center in the past.  My new one was a workshop on Hill Country bird songs called "Do you hear that bird?".  In the past I had a similar program for the Upper Texas Coast.  So the overall structure was there - I just spent hours out recording birds with my newly acquired recording equipment and building a easel to hold my hand written flip chart discussion items that took hours to copy from my computer printout to the 18x24 inch paper.

Sherry did one program that she has used in the past - "Beginning Birding" and she added a new program on "Hummers of the World".  This was also her first time to use Power Point and she quickly got over the hard part of the learning curve and put together two excellent programs.  Like my workshop on bird song, her Beginning Birding was also a workshop - a walk around the Nature Quest area finding birds to study.

Nature Quest Beginning Birding group

My Bird Song program was held at Love Creek.  It was a wonderful morning, cool and overcast with just a little wind.  Every bird song I played was quickly joined by one of the local breeding birds that decided there was an intruder and while trying to find this invader, all the participants got good looks at the birds.  The trek down to the creek produced those birds that are best found down in the canyons - Golden-cheeked and Black-and-White Warblers, Canyon Wren, Hutton's and Red-eyed Vireo plus Zone-tailed Hawk.

Love Creek Preserve Bird Song group

With a little free time on our last day, Sherry and I took a short birding trip over to Neal's Lodge and got great views and sound recording of a Tropical Parula.  Seen several times in the past in the RGV and once at Garner State Park, but this was my best view ever.

Painted Buntings Return

Every year I wait impatiently for our Painted Buntings to return.  There is always a possibility one or more may be lost during one of their migrations - south or north.  Plus their is the concern that they can fall capture to one of the illegal caged bird traders.  Well almost to the exact day one showed up at the Oasis.  Then disappeared for a a day, then it or another one made an appearance.  Finally I am hearing their bubbly song and know they have found the ranch once more.  So far I believe we have 3 males in full adult plumage, one that is still showing a lot of orange to the breast and one that is a first year male.

1st year male Painted Bunting

We are also overrun with Clay-colored Sparrows.  Based on the amount of birds at the Oasis bathing and their constant calling from almost any brushy  area on the ranch, we have several hundred.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Another early visitors was this Blue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak - male