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.