Fall Begins - Good rains and more Oasis visitors





Gray Fox - Sherry took this shot with her new Cannon



Youngt Raccoon has been around for a month



Summer Hummers

Each summer we are overrun with all ages of Black-chinned hummers.  The juveniles being the most common right now. Fewer feamle adults and even fewer males are still present.  Later on we will be hit hard by the migrating Ruby-throats, but for the present the 8 feeders and many native plants are the Black-chins lunch table.

Juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird
 

Our hummingbird / butterfly native plant beds are doing very well despite the ongoing drought.  Hummingbird prefer plants with a tubular flower while butterflies prefer plants they can perch upon while feeding.  Our hummer plants are good nectar sources.



Mexican Honeysuckle
 

Salvia Gregii comes in red, purple, white, and pink



 

Texas Betony

 Yellow Bells - Tacoma Stans

 Texas Lantana

 

 

Hot Lips - Salvia

Turk's Cap

Some rifle time on the Gun Range

Trent firing my father's Steven's 44 shot...

Gettysburg 150th Anniversary

Sherry and I participated in the 150th Gettysburg Battle anniversary.  My great grandfather fought at Culp's Hill on July 2-3.  We were there for 5 days and on July 3 at 3pm stood in the Armistead Brigade position and began the maneuver to bring the thousands of participants toward the Corpus of Trees and the Angle where the Confederate battle hit the High Water mark of the Civil War.  Our route was over a mile through high grass, thistle, over two rail fences and across the Emmitsburg road to a point where all stopped and taps was played.

Sherry had an opportunity to visit with

Robert E. Lee (her hero).

 

 

Later on Sherry and I re-said our wedding vows.

General Stonewall Jackson's wife took our picture...

Metalmark

Found this new ranch butterfly but unsure of the species as did not get a look at the underwings - will remain a Metalmark species for the immediate future.  These late May rains have finally got the wildflowers going so I'm seeing more butterflies.



Metalmark species (Fatal or Rawson's)

Ranch Visit and a Zoo Trip

Our two little grandkids are moving to New Mexico so they spent a few days at the ranch and then Sherry and I took them to the San Antonio Zoo.

 

 

Green Skipper

Saw this butterfly late today on Verbena - our only blooming wildflower this year.  After close study of the pictures I took, decided it was a Green Skipper, 2nd record for the ranch.

 

 

 

New bird for Oasis

Today I had a new species for the Ranch Oasis - Northern Parula.  This bird made a very brief showing while I was rushing to get the camera out.

 

 

Some other visitors.

White-eyed Vireo

Yellow-breasted Chat

 

Black-throated Green Warbler



 

 

Trapping Brown-headed Cowbirds

Upon returning from Thailand, one of my first ranch duties was to get the Brown-headed Cowbird trap ready to receive some decoy birds.

Home from Thailand

Sherry and I are recently home from a month long birding trip to Thailand -  Highlight was seeing Spoon-billed Sandpipers (3) - Some estimates say that fewer than 200 remain and this species may become extinct in 5 to 10 years.

 

 

The other key trip birds were the Gurney's Pitta and Nicabar Pigeon.

 

The Nicabar Pigeon is fewer than a couple of dozen and are endemic to this island off of Thailand. 

 

Gurney's Pitta once thought to be extinct.


 

 

Long Time Friend, High School and College Class Mate Visit

Harry Haggard, a High School and College class mate paid a visit from Canada.  It has been years since we last saw each other which occurred while Sherry and I were on a skiing trip to Canada back in the 80's.

Recent Human Visitors



That's Rich on the left.


Last week one of my best friend and our "Best Man" at our wedding cmae by for lunch and a long visit.  Richard Jenkins and his mom (94) live in SA and Rich is still working - The Professor of Technical Communications at Texas A&M - SA.

This past weekend Sherry and I had grandkids for a stay over.

Sherry making MAC & Cheese for Rmilia and Marcelo



Yesterday Sherry's BFF (Paula Haddox) came up from Jourdaton for a day visit.



Sherry and Paula





2012 Christmas

Christmas at the ranch was short, most of our time was on the road, but we did get a day before with the grandkids here.

Making Christmas cookies

Making a Ginger Bread Train

A little fishing at Flatrock Lake

Decorating Christmas Tree

Christmas Morning

Stockings

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Dinner with grandkids

More Stockings to open

Off to Dallas for a short trip there



Trip to Dallas Arboretum



Francy and Sherry

Far from the ranch...but leaving here for home...