It isn’t the best photo ever, but it shows some of what I have come to love about this place. The mountains that hover on the horizon, ever changing as the sun touches them throughout the day. A Black Throated Sparrow. He and a few of his closest friends start my mornings with their serenade outside the window. A Black Tailed Jackrabbit. As the days grow longer and warmer, they are more and more active. Some of them have decided we are quite harmless and come right up into the yard – like this fellow – even while we are outside. And the wonderful wildflowers – new ones blooming every day this time of year.
Most mornings, this is my view, as we step outside and have our coffee (Pepsi for the hubby) at the picnic table.
Several times in the last few weeks, we have seen Pronghorn Antelope along the road into the ranch – a bunch of about ten, a couple, and a single who was actually on the ranch land – very close. I am wondering if they are the subspecies of Pronghorn that I read about over in Arizona – the one that is disappearing in Mexico, but we have lots, so we are capturing and moving some to Mexico to replenish their stock. My Audubon Guide to the Southwest just says “Pronghorn” so I’m going to have to dig around and find the information I picked up in Arizona to find out. Since I want to get as much done as possible today – I’ll let you know next week!
Yes, in other news, my poor little laptop croaked. Not much Internet access has gone to almost none, as I will only now be able to post when I make my once a week trip into town to use the Computer Lab’s computers. They limit my time (and patience) severely, but I’ll do my best to keep up. Hopefully, late May we’ll get Internet set up at the ranch.
We’ve had a number of one-day visitors as birds migrate back to the northern climes. One day we had four Great Blue Herons on the lake, along with a flock of Mallards – by the next day they were gone. One day we had a small flock of Tree Swallows lined up along the power line outside the house. The next- gone.
The Ladderbacked Woodpecker – a new bird for us – stayed only two days. The Hairy Woodpecker was only sighted one morning. We’ve seen a robin-sized bird with a red head, pale belly and gray back feeding in the yard several mornings, but can’t find him in the guide and can’t get a real good look at him. Hope he hangs around until we do!
Every few days the Say’s Phoebe is delighted with the hatching of a new damselfly. Each hatching seems a bit different. They all gather around our porch light, and on the front door. With their big black eyes and tiny waisted bodies they have a strong resemblance to wasps. The hubby dislikes them thoroughly for this – he can’t quite shake the feeling that they must bite or sting or SOMETHING despite how often I tell him they are quite harmless. I wonder if they mimic wasps for just that reason? Doesn’t seem to deter the Phoebe! I love to sit by the window and watch her capture them – she’ll fly right up to and even land on the windowsill as she snatches them off the door and window screens.
The porch light also gathers all kinds of moths now. Some quite large and attractive. Wish I could get photos of them – but that is definitely beyond our little camera.
White Crowned Sparrows have joined our Black Throated as regular yard visitors. They aren’t as vocal, but they are more curious and bold. They seem to be daring each other to see who will get closest to us at our picnic table breakfasts. Hani (our barn cat) doesn’t seem at all interested – so maybe I will hang a bird feeder after all. I was concerned that she might just consider it a buffet!
Mice on the other hand – are in big trouble if Hani sees them. Most of the ones I’ve seen her with are the Grasshopper mice. At night, driving back and forth, we see the Desert Kangaroo rats, and the other day I fished quite a large (and dead) black or dark gray rat out of the goat’s water tank. Not too sure what he was.
We’ve also seen a few Rock Squirrels on our way in and out of town – around Ashcan gully. As well as a few ground squirrels here on the ranch.
The wildflowers are a new thrill every day. There is an area on the north side of the house that is as perfectly arranged as any formal garden. Every day, it seems, something new begins blooming.
There is one we call the “One Day Wonder” because they open wide showy yellow flowers in the morning – only once and then it disappears.
Another we find intriguing makes the tiniest little deep red purple flowers, that then close and turn into big fat golden seed pods that bend the plant almost to the ground with their weight. I’ve only found one of our flowers in the guidebook so far. My project for next week is to go around and draw each of them.
And, of course, the Black Tailed Jackrabbits, and Desert Cottontails are regular visitors. Since I’ve already shared a photo of the Jack – here’s one of the Cottontails right outside the back window.
I haven’t mentioned the pretty white desert butterflies (as I think of them) or the various shades of yellow Sulpher butterflies. We still try to make a little mud puddle for them almost every day.
It seems as if most of what I’ve read in my life has referred to the desert as lifeless, dead, and sterile. I have to wonder what desert they were in – or maybe it does appear that way if you just drive through on a dusty Interstate highway that cuts straight across without any detours for nature’s wonders. In the last few months I’ve discovered that, if anything, the desert here hosts more and more varied wildlife than the plains I am more familiar with. We are fortunate, of course, to have the small runoff lake, as well as the big reservoir up the road (Elephant Butte State Park) so perhaps we aren’t that typical. I do know, I love it here.
Good birding!
Summer