Current Bird (and nature) News

MOST RECENT UPDATE: October 4, 2024
(prior updates: September 27, 20, 13, 6, August 30. 23, 16, 9, 2)
(updated Friday evening)
~ ~ ~

FOS - first of season - for the first one back, any season.

First a short version of highlights of the month as we go.

October ~ Our only Mourning Warbler so far this fall was the 2nd in front porch flower beds. A Couch's Kingbird is with some Scissor-tailed Flycatchers south of town. A FOS Belted KIngfisher was at park the 4th.

September ~ Over FOUR INCHES of rain fell on the 2nd and 3rd. The FOY Couch's Spadefoot Toad called on the 2nd, two were calling on the 3rd. Just needed to add water. After several days of NE flow, it hit 60F or lower on morn of the 8th, and about 55F on the 9th. Lowest temps since early April, in five months. Seems the fall Ruby-throated Hummingbird passage has peaked already, about Sept. 4-7 at our place. On the 17th I heard a LONG-EARED OWL, surely returning for its fourth winter here. Saw my FOS fall Firefly evening of the 18th. A FOS Great Egret was at the park on the 20th. A GIANT WHITE butterfly the 22nd is maybe the fourth I have seen in 21 years here. On the 24th I finally had two FOS migrant warblers, a Yellow, and a Nashville. Our FOS Baltimore Orioles (a pair) visited our birdbath the 24th. Couch's Kingbird also here the 24th. Kathy saw a FOS Blue-headed Vireo on the 27th.

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• Jump To Bird & Nature News

This page has the current bird and nature news from the area around Utopia, the Sabinal River Valley (SRV), and occasionally elsewhere in the area, such as Uvalde, Concan, Lost Maples, etc. Often unusual sightings will be in CAPS. There will also be occasional mention of butterfly (lep) or dragonfly (ode) sightings when they are out and about (in season). Anything of natural history of interest, bats to beetles, flowers to fungus, may be mentioned.

In general for current Lost Maples sightings ebird seems to be the place most folks put them. Go to ebird and search Lost Maples SNA in Bandera Co., Texas. Same for Garner St. Pk. but which is in Uvalde County. Often reports there do not include specifics about where a bird was seen though. There is a Lost Maples reports page here on the site, but which is not often real useful for the latest current news. It is a good reference though. I post my walk notes there. But we have not been going there as much since the pandemic got going.

Pro Tip: Ignore the ebird Chihuahuan Raven reports at Lost Maples, they are mis-ID'd Common Ravens which are common residents. You would think with so many reports, ONE could be proven. Guess again.

A quick note about Utopia Park. There have been some changes in management and rules. It is now $10 per person per day to enter No charge for Utopia or Vanderpool residents. Been gently suggesting we need a one hour or two hour birder rate. They are receptive to the idea but no action yet on it. They said if you parked outside the gate and walked in only without using tables, swimming, and just birded they would not charge.

You may want to scroll down to the date of the last update you read, and scroll or read UP day-to-day to read in chronological sequence, some references might make more sense that way. For repeat offenders there is a link above and just below to jump to newest update. There is a broken line of tildes (~) to denote prior update breaks, usually with a low quality photo of some sort to make them easy to spot. The 'quick take' monthly highlights header above is archived within body of news as well since it changes. Seperated by tildes as well, generally after the monthly summaries.

For visiting cell phone users, often only AT&T works here, or Concan, and many local areas Sabinal to Leakey, etc. Often around Hwys. 10 or 90 (Hondo, Uvalde) you can get other signals. Then wi-fi is available at the Utopia Library, the store in Vanderpool had a sign saying they have it there too. State Park headquarters may have it? Don't tell them I told you.   ;)

Please holler if you see something good locally! THANKS!  :)  (local 830 Utopia landline WON~2349)
E-dress clickably linked at bottom of most pages: mitchATutopianatureDOTcom

Note on navbar at top of this page and the home page, and somewhere around the chat picture below is a link to a new LINKS page that is a quick handy way outta here. Who loves ya baby? It is a collection of some of the links I will publicly admit to using, though a couple with no small amount of trepidation. Space, weather, bugs, birds, blogs, bird cams, and other stuff...   Enjoy!

• Jump To Bird & Nature News

I have been fairly good for several years now about posting the weekly update Friday evenings. Since night life is so exciting here. Usually this is just minor local (often yard) notes from nearly every day. Some daily notes of what is going on with birds, or butterflies, dragonflies, fish, flowers, reptiles, triops, cerambycids, buprestids, or bombyliads, and so on. Anything might get mentioned. Usually just yard notes. Unless you got to be stationed at the park all day, one site of observation locally is about as good as another. The big picture only becomes amazingly fascinating by filling all the little details in, one tiny bit at a time. I have a strong interest in bird behavior and often will discuss some aspect of that which I observed.

If you're in the area and see something, please don't hesitate to let us know. For instance, we would be happy to post Lost Maples SNA, or any bird news, if it were reported to us. I love hearing from locals when they see something of interest. Perhaps other visitors might better know where to look for something of interest. E-mail link in next (pale yellow) box, and at bottom of most pages. Local (eight-three-zero) landline WON~2349. I can be at the park in 10 minutes, 8 if I was dressed with shoes on, 5 if it is a Sabine's Gull, but I might not be neatly dressed.

Some rudimentary maps of the area are at the bottom of the "site guide" page, if you need help locating any of the places mentioned.

There are now 20 (!) years and growing worth of nature notes here, mostly in the bird news archives (Old Bird News) pages linked at the bottom of this page in 6 month segments. You can fairly easily check 10 fall or spring periods, etc., and get a good idea of what goes on when, where, or how weak migration is here.   :) If you're coming in April, you can check several years out and see when different species arrive.  For instance for Painted Buntings not till later April, earliest numbers about the 18-20th, later is better, some years not till the 21-22 are the first back locally.  Often a few days earlier down in lower altitude brush country (earlier still down on the coast) etc. Adult males mostly depart territories and the area the first week of August.

Be sure to check out the Bird List page, which is updated (2022) with seasonal status and abundance for each species. It lists all 350 plus species (!) known from the upper Sabinal River drainage.

The BIRDING SITES, HUMMINGBIRDS, BIRD LIST, LM REPORTS, SPARROWS, BRUSH COUNTRY, WARBLERS, HAWKS, and the RARITIES pages have all been recently updated! Most have lots of new pics added in the last few years. The photo pages named by the year are the weekly update photo break photos and text for each year. They may be birds, bugs, flowers or a snake, though mostly birds. Since 2017 the last six years have bigger better improved images, and lots of the unusual or interesting stuff encountered.

With apologies, I am not interested in photos from other areas for identification. Please please please do not send unsolicited out of area photos. Contact your local Audubon Society if you have pictures of a bird that you would like identified, every area has one. From Houston to Travis to Ft. Worth, Big Sky, Llano Estacado, no matter where you are there are other local folks interested in your local birds, and since you are (to have a pic that you want ID'd) you should want to know them.  :)  Thanking you in advance.



Back to Top

Here are links to some new pages added in the last couple years:


Woodpecker Photos


Vireo Photos


Flycatcher Photos


Here is a master index page of 'Old Bird News' links:

Bird News Archives Index

It has links to all the 'Bird News' pages, in 6 month increments. It is the 19 year plus bird news archive file.

***  This is the page for visitors with ideas, links, phones, contacts, etc., about where to stay locally.

Where to Stay

***  Here is a page which compiles 18 years of observations at Utopia Park. It is a long discussion about the how and why of birds at Utopia Park, and is the home of the park bird list.

The Birds of Utopia Park

Here are assorted links of all manner, and a handy way outta here.

Mitch's Links

Here is a new page where moth photos will be tossed.

Moths of Utopia

Here is a new page of recent ode photos the last few years.

New Ode Photos (2.5mb)


 * * BIG NEWS * *

The Butterfly Photos pages have all been updated! Finally! Each group's page has new photos. Over a hundred new better higher res butterfly pix have been added to this set of pages. A massive overhaul and improvement that was years overdue, and in the making.

Butterfly Photos


And now for something completely different ...   support page


~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ finally, current bird news from the greater and lesser Utopia area ~ ~ ~

BIRD & NATURE NEWS 2024


Notes without location cited are in or from yard which is a couple miles south of town at edge of the river habitat corridor. If it doesn't say where it was, it was in or from the yard. Usually a few daily yard notes is all the drivel you get. But you never know what that can lead to. Ready, steady, go!

Commonly used ABBREVIATIONS are:

To repeat since commonly used:
sps.=species; FOS=First of season (can be any season); FOY=First of Year; FOF=First of fall; LTA=Less than Annual; UP=Utopia Park; SLC=So. Little Creek Rd.; dF=degrees Farenheit; (ph.)=photo obtained; ad.=adult; imm.=immature.; ma.=male; fem.=female; juv.=juvenile; odes=Odonata = dragonflies and damselflies; leps=Lepidoptera (butterflies), town=Utopia; the park= Utopia Park at SW corner of town. WU = Weather Underground (sometimes local station readings referenced) BanCo = Bandera Co.; UvCo = Uvalde Co.

---

Just to have this handy again for reference, recent prior updates:
September 20, 13, 6, August 30, 23, 16, 9, 2, July 26, 19, 12, 5

Each week's update break is marked with a bad (often bird) photo.
You may want to scroll down to said bad photo (at last prior update)
and scroll up to read in chrono order day to day.

~ ~ ~ and now for the news ~ ~ ~

Oct. 4 ~ Low about 62F, feels great. Clear and back up to near 90F after noonish. The Mockingbird is still out there singing early in morn. The Selasphorus Hummingbird is still here, and likely a Rufous. Town run and park check. Nothing there. Deadsville, except for a FOS Belted Kingfisher.. Nearing 2 p.m. back here at hovelita I heard the Couch's Kingbird just upriver a bit from us. Two Canyon Towhee still here. Kathy caught a bug I took a photo of, it looked like a Reduviad, so it was dispatched. Those are the kissing bug that can carry Chaga's, aka Blood-sucking Conenose. Hard pass here.

Oct. 3 ~ Low about 61F, KERV had 59. Clear and the high pressure dome still seems locked on us, no rain in the 10-day forecast. No warbler around the front porch today, musta left last night. No migrant motion in yard today. Hot, but dryish. Busy desk day. A new Selasphorus, probably another Rufous showed up in the afternoon. Kathy spotted a Sachem on the Blue Mistflower. The rest of the butterflies were the same few as our bloom fades. The Mockingbird was singing again this morning, day three in corral. No Chat, White-eyed Vireo, Hooded Oriole, but might have heard a greenie Painted Bunting.

Oct. 2 ~ Low about 62F. KERV had 57F, if we did it was way before 7 a.m. Only migrant noted in morn was a warbler in the flower bed with Lantana and Blue Mistflower that Kathy saw and it got away. I worked around it several times and got nuthin'. We had to go to Sabinal (20 miles) to get the car inspected for registration. So hit the Family Dollar store since there for stuff we can't get here. We got back just after 5 p.m. and lo and behold a FPS Mourning Warbler was chipping from the Lantana. Surely that is what Kathy had this morning, a Mourning Warbler! It is the only one I have detected all fall. Probably the fourth one we have had in the flower bed around the front porch. In 2022 my only Mourning Warbler of fall was at front porch flower patch on Oct. 2! At twilight a Great Egret flew over calling. <>br />
October 1 ~ OMG, October! The last quarter is here. Low about 58F, which is fantastic. The ten day forecast has us in low-90's F straight across, continued high pressure and no precip. We have lost much of the summer Gulf humidity though, so way more bearable. Before 0 a.m. I saw an immature Cooper's Hawk fly off with a caught Cardinal. I presume one of the hatch-year immatures. Heard the Chat first thing at dawn. And one still begging Great Horned Owl. There is way less food out there and like the juvie Red-tail the young are taking longer to become able to hunt and be independent The Tawny Emperor was around the water hoses again today, as was a Peach or Fig Beetle Scarab (the big metallic green ones) that Kathy saw a couple days ago. A couple Scissor-tails were vociferous in the big dead Pecan for a while, including bursts of song. Very neat.

~ ~ ~ September summary ~ ~ ~

Mostly hot and mostly dry this month. There was 4.35" of rain here at our place, all in a couple days,. So most of the month was bone dry. Rain does not do the same biological good over the month when 4 inches at once versus four one inch rains a week apart or so. Drought stage is D3 at end of month, so worse from recent D2 status. Water is around four feet from going over spillway (normal bankful) at the park pond.

Odes (dragonflies and damselfies) continue at pitiful levels. I did not see ten species again this month, and nothing unusual. Kathy saw a male Roseate Skimmer on clothesline here. The butterflies were a bit better, but only at our watered flower garden around house. There are almost no wild natural flowers blooming out there. There were 31 species for the month, very poor for September, and individual numbers were way down. Scraping for most things (no metalmark or blues, no patches, only two individual hairstreaks, etc.). One great rare type, a GIANT WHITE, was photographed at our Lantana. There were a few moths showing up at a porch light late in month, more than all year actually. One un-ID'd so far Cerambycid was photographed, and is a new one for me here.

Birds were fairly poor of showing like everything else. Worst fall migration evah. It seems we get overflown by much when the place is so dessicated and parched. My fourth Canyon Wren at Utopia Park is very good there without a rock in sight. The return of the LONG-EARED Owl on the 17th was amazing. Fourth year back here now. A FOS Blue-headed Vireo was on the 26th. A pair of Canyon Towhee spent the month around the yard here. Ruby-throated Hummers peaked early and only small numbers present after Sept. 8. Up to four Rufous Hummer for the fall by end of month.

Great was a Couch's Spadefoot Toad calling here on the 1st, and two were calling on the 2nd, after the big rain event. We did get some nice cooler low temps for a third of the month, but other than during the rain event, most of the high temps were 92-96F or so, very hot.

~ ~ ~ end September summary ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ back to the daily drivel ~ ~

Sept. 30 ~ Low about 57F or so, clear and cool, it felt great. Still going up to low 90's F so very hot in the afternoon. At least we can keep house cool all day if we get down to lower 60's. Neww was a Mockingbird singing. Sure would be neat to know where they are from when they show up. This one was around Purple Martin, Robin, and Flicker for starters. Still not hearing Summer Tanager, White-eyed Vireo, or Hooded Oriole. The last ones all seem to have departed. But did hear a Chat and a greenie Painted Bunting, which are good late dates for both. Heard a couple Nashville Warbler over the day, Kathy saw one at the bath. Saw a Gray Hairstreak on the Frostweed, and Kathy had a Tawny Emperor come in to water. She saw it yesterday too. The rest was the same. Lots of Queen on the Blue Mist but little else. Some small moths on the Frostweed. Kathy had a 17 count on White-winged Dove near dusk.

Went to town for the garage ot install that new switch, on the clutch pedal so the car starts. Dumb place for a mechanical switch that is only an alleged safety feature. I I liked being able to start my stick shifts in neutral without the clutch having to be depressed anyway, and switch failure would also preclude being able to push start it, nimrod engineers. .

Sept. 29 ~ Low about 58F No migrant motion. Except perhaps what I am not hearing. As of late afternoon I have not heard a Chat, a ?Summer Tanager, or a ?White-eyed Vireo. The migrant motion is in the form of long-staying territorial breeders, departing. Yesterday there were a couple Hooded Oriole visits, we have not seen one yet today as of 4 p.m. The Selasphorus presumed Rufous, is still here. Heard a couple Scissor-tails at the airstrip a hundred yards away. Lark, Field, and Chipping Sparrow all still present. There are a few Pecans but nothing you could call a crop this year. But besides squirrels using the roof as a freeway to access one tree, there are at least two each of Ladder-backed and Golden-fronted Woodpecker on them.

Sept. 28 ~ Low of 55F or so was awesome. No migrant motion in morn though. Clear and got hot, about 93F or so, still hot, though not as humid as in summer. The Selasphorus Hummer is still guarding the back feeder. Still maybe 10 Lark Sparrow chorusing when I toss seed. Heard Canyon Towhee and White-eyed Vireo. Not sure I heard the greenie Painted Bunting or a Summer Tanager today, heard both yesterday. Heard one chat early at dawn. On the Blue Mistflower there was a Pearl Crescent and a Southern Broken-Dash. On the fading Lantana a S. Dogface. Turned the porch light on for an hour at 10 p.m. to which there was a fair response, good considering how bad it has been. Mostly just moths, but several dozen including micros. Saw one each Green Lacewing, and Antlion briefly. A basic Field Cricket.


~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Sept. 27 ~ Low about 55F here! KERV had 54. Awesome. No migrant motion early though. Town run but due to a car issue I could not stop at the park other than a drive-through. Part came in but they can't fix it until Monday. After all the usual errand stops, the one at Rosie's for tacos was most fulfilling. Got home and a Scrub-Jay was calling over in the corral! Sept. is when young get pushed out of territories and wanderers are seen on flat valley floor. Kathy had 20 Queen at once on the Blue Mist Eup., and a couple hundred Snout came into water. Yesterday afternoon and this morning until 11 a.m. or so there was no Rufous Hummer here. A Selasphorus sps. showed late morning and was here at dusk. It took over back feeder, and I have not yet ID'd it. Selasphorus number FIVE for the fall so far, prior four were all Rufous, as expected.

Sept. 26 ~ The cold part of the dry cold front that passed yesterday afternoon arrived overnight. We had a low about 57F! KERV had a 55! Weewow! There were a very few migrants in the yard briefly this morn. So the day before, and the day after the actual dry passage, there were birds. Kathy saw a FOS Blue-headed Vireo come to bath briefly. Seemed three Nashville Warbler then came in. Which is four more migrants than we had yesterday. Greenie Painted Bunnie still here, as is the second fall male Hooded Oriole. The Rufous Hummingbird was here in the morning but left on the northerlies mid-day or so. Heard Scissor-tails over at the airstrip. A Thursday so OD'd on the desk and computer. Today was the EQULUX. That is, 12 hour daylength, and night length. At about 7:30.

Sept. 25 ~ I saw 68F at 7 a.m., so likely hit 67F or lower at the big dip. KERV had a 65! Clear and cool. Wonderful. Still hear the Rufous Hummingbird, a Chat, and two Canyon Towhee. Thought I heard a White-tipped Dove, cannot imagine what else it could have been. One greenie Painted Bunting still here, appears a hatch-year immature, and late. At least one White-eyed Vireo still around yard. Saw a hatch-year (or first fall) Hooded Oriole at a feeder. Saw an Andromena moth (aka False Underwing) on the Frostweed. Still hitting the mid-90's F here daily. Make it end. Some north winds for a bit in afternoon is the tail dry end of a cold front eastward. Daylength today is 12 hrs 2 minutes, which is TWO HOURS shorter than at solstice 3 months ago. Flushed something out of the Frostweed patch that got away and was likely of interest. It should be noted the 'big' day of migration yesterday was the day prior to a cold front arriving from the north. Which was the north winds we got today. But there were no migrants today. The stuff is moving ahead of the front. Tomorrow we see if a post-frontal movement.

Sept. 24 ~ Clear, low about 72-73F. KERV had 67F Theirs and Boerne stations are next to water and get evap cooled air, so as to appear cooler than almost all of these towns really are. Was clever Chamber of Commerce move to sell the places. So anyway, fall migration was on a Tuesday this year... Amazing in the morning was two fall migrant warblers! One Yellow and one Nashville. So there are fall migrant warblers after all! Was in town early for car stuff and a quick look at the park saw nothing, but heard a chainsaw. Kathy saw a male Vermilion Flycatcher, which is likely a transient as ours left months ago. Noonish a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher went through. Nice to see some migrant motion!

About 4 p.m. a few birds hit the birdbath including a greenie imm. Painted Bunting and a Nashville Warbler, plus an imm. or fem. Hooded Oriole. At the same time there was a Couch's Kingbird calling from the Pecan, along with a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Is it the one that has been around off and on all spring and summer? Or a new one? Was able to sex the imm. or fem. Rufous Hummingbird, it is an imm. male. Determined by its display dives which only a male does. These included the tail wagging whence the audio hum is cut in and out by tail movement. The hits just keep coming. Later afternoon Kathy spotted a female FOS Baltimore Oriole at the birdbath, I got there just in time to miss it, but a male dropped down! Was almost like fall migration here today. In butterflies there were likely three or more Giant Swallowtail, but no E. Tiger or Two-tailed. Only new item was a very worn Olive-Juniper Hairstreak devoid of any green, on Frostweed. Which is now opening well. The one shaded specimen is SEVEN FEET tall. Almost forgot, both early first thing, and late nearing sundown, I heard Orchard Orioles chucking.

Sept. 23 ~ Still holding steady with 75F lows. Some overcast early. No migrant motion. Kathy saw an (the?) adult male Hooded Oriole take a bath. Too fast to get a pic though. I heard the Hutton's Vireo Kathy heard last week, uphill behind us in the live-oaks. Heard Canyon Towhee, Summer Tanager, White-eyed Vireo, and a few Scissor-tails. Did not see any Giant Whites today. Camera does not auto-focus worth a dang, so threw 40 images away, got a couple barely salvageable ones. At least enough to prove the record. About 6 p.m. a Selasphorus hummingbird showed up. Number four of the fall, and seems a Rufous as others, and I think an imm. male.

Sept. 22 ~ Feliz equinox! It is fall, officially, celestially, and astronomically. The daylength is 12 hours and 7 minutes here so not actually equiLUX yet, that is a few days away still when night and day are both 12 hours. The sun is over the equator. We are very near 7:30 a.m. for sunrise and set now. Low was about 75F barely. Humid and overcast with low Gulf stratus.

A Chat roosted in the thick stuff at the front porch. I heard it clicking in there way before sunup. Most of the Hooded Orioles must have left last night, only a couple vists today. Was non-stop yesterday and the few days prior. Seems like it went from 5 or 6 to one or two. Only a handful of Ruby-throated Hummingbird left here now too.

Same four Swallowtails on the Lantana: an Eastern Tiger, a Pipevine, and two Giant. The lack of small stuff is amazing. Skippers, blues, hairstreaks, crescents, checkers and patches, and metalmarks, are all but absent. Some Queen and a Gulf Frit, plus the few Sulphurs is it. Ooops, spoke too soon. Noonish a GIANT WHITE showed up for a while. I have only seen a few around Utopia here in 21 years. Which includes the first Uvalde Co. record Sept. 24 2005 up on Seco Ridge. Amazingly it is butterfly species number 100 for the yard list! Quit paying attention to that as the last few years of drought were poor years and we have been stuck at 99 forever. Also THREE skippers showed up in the afternoon! Two Southern Broken-Dash, and one Fiery. Kathy had a 5th swallowtail missing a chunk of wing late in day. Also was a N. Mestra and a couple Lyside Sulphur. Next day when Kathy got pics off camera, it showed her swallowtail to be a Two-tailed! So we had FOUR species of swallowtail here today! Too bad there was no Black.

Sept. 21 ~ Another balmy 76F low with the low stratus and humidity accompanying it. No migrant motion still. Usually September has lots. It is dead as the vegetation. The (non-native) Lantana continues to bring butterflies. Today all at once I had a Pipevine, 2 Giant, and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. But no small stuff at all. Still a herd of Hooded Oriole hitting the back hummer feeder. Might be more than there are of Ruby-throated Hummingbird left. Still Canyon Towhee, Summer Tanager, White-eyed Vireo, a Chat, at least a couple Scissor-tails. About 3 p.m. saw 91F on shady front porch, so 95 or so in sun. Kathy saw TWO Firefly at dusk, doubling the number here.

This is the adult male Baltimore Oriole that was briefly at the birdbath Sept. 24.

and a bonus pic...

Giant White (Ganyra josephina) Sept. 22, 2024. Most of one anyway. Vagrant butterflies are often torn and frayed. Probably travelled hundreds of miles from Mexico. Maybe the fourth one I have seen here in 21 years, but only second photographed. The first one Sept. 24, 2005 on Seco Ridge was the first ever found in Uvalde County. Some occur annually a couple hundred plus miles south in deep south Texas along the Rio Grande from Sept.- December. Remarkably this was our 100th butterfly species for the yard list. Took 11 years, and the last ten sps. took about seven or eight of that.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

Sept. 20 ~ Low of 76F is a drag. Overcast and humid. Amazing we can be sooo humid, and in such catostropic drought conditions. Heard at least one Chat at dawn. Town run and so a park check. One FOS Great Egret was the prize migrant. Otherwise not much. A Summer Tanager and two White-eyed Vireo are both likely birds that summered there still present, as ours are here at our hovelita. Hooded Orioles were heavy on the feeder all day. There were two Giant Swallowtail at once on the Lantana. A few Large Orange and Cloudless Sulphur dashing about, two Lyside. One N. Mestra, a Pipevine. About 4 p.m. Kathy saw a male Roseate Skimmer dragonfly when she was spraying water on patio. First one all year, I have not seen one at the park. One of the most stunning 'bugs' in America. Just after 4 p.m. I saw 92F on the cool shady front porch, which means 96F or so in the sun, hotter on the back porch and patio. The concrete patio is a heat multiplier in summer. Kathy saw the male Hooded Oriole at the bath for half-a-minute. So it must have been very hot.

Sept. 19 ~ A low of 77F is a balmy one. Two chats still making the clicking blackbirdish 'cht' notes back and forth at dawn. At the Hooded Oriole party on back feeder the adult male showed up, or we caught it there. So it may well be five of them here now. Ad male and female, first summer male, and two hatch-year juveniles. They do not have ten days left here this year and is likely why thy are fattening up on sugar, for the big flight outta Dodge. The new U.S. drought monitor update is out. We are back in D3, extreme drought again. It was a nice couple months in D2, just severe. Bandera Co. mostly improved to D2 so that is good. But we are regressing. It is parched out there. Hardly any insects, and so far migrant birds seem to just be overflying us as there have been incredibly few. Kathy saw a or the Firefly again tonight.

Sept. 18 ~ Low about 75F with low stratus from the Gulf keeping it warm and balmy. Was still clear at midnight, guess we were lucky to see the eclipse. No migrant motion in the morning. Kathy heard a Hutton's Vireo which have been all but absent since spring. I think one a couple weeks or so ago is it in last four months. Mid-day Kathy saw a N. Mockingbird at the bath, a passage transient. A few Hooded Oriole coming in to hummer feeders. There are first-summer (year old) male, a hatch year (few months old) male, what seems a first summer and juvenile females as well. Presume the ad. male is around still too. Had a Scissor-tail go over. I saw 90F on the shady front porch 3-5 p.m., so a few dF warmer in the sun. Toasty. Had a quick look of an orange butterfly that surely was a Goatweed Leafwing. Saw my FOS fall Firefly this evening.

Sept. 17 ~ Low about 67F felt great. Clear. Forecast staying in the 90's for the next week. A bunch of Tropical Sage plants and flowers eaten last night. The torn stems indicate deer. They are being deleafed meticulously, and the entire infloresence is eatern off the top. It is a massacre. It would be a thousand flowers now without this. I heard a bunting buzz that sounded a Painted, not Indigo. Wet and slurred, not dry and mechanical. Otherwise sounded the same out there in the heat, quiet. I am going to miss that Lark Sparrow chorus when they leave. Roadrunner, Ground-Dove, a few Lesser Goldfinch. Was out watching the eclipse, chasing that moonshadow, and heard the LONG-EARED OWL calling. It's back, fourth year! Last year it showed in latest August.

Sept. 16 ~ I saw 68F at 7 a.m. so it surely hit 67, KERV had 66 for a low. Felt great. No migrant motion still though. Sunny and hot, about 94F or so for a high. The heat hates giving up. Same stuff here otherwise. Canyon Towhee, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager and Lark Sparrow all still around. Couple Field Sparrow as well. More Broomweed blooming out back. Some Frostweed is starting to open up. The Blue Mistflower Eupatorium is opening new blooms up as are the few Tropical Sage that did not get denuded.

Sept. 15 ~ Low about 76F, overcast and balmy. Heard a Chat or two first thing before sunup. Heard a or the Inca Dove mid-morn. At least a few Hooded Oriole, a White-eyed Vireo or two. A few Ruby-throated Hummingbird. It is dead for migrant motion out there. Very few birds around in general. About 95F for a high, still. For all the flowers there ought to be more butterflies on the Lantana.

Sept. 14 ~ Low about 72F maybe, some low stratus early. No migrant motion. Need that first big fall front to get some bird turnover going. Heard all the same stuff as the last week. The Lantana is starting another bloom cycle, so a few butterflies. Saw a Giant Swallowtail, a N. Mestra, a Southern Broken-Dash and a few Sulphurs. On a climate note, we just hit the days when the record highs for SAT are 99F, that is, not a three-digit figure. We had about 95F here today, hot and humid.

Looking west at sunset, Sept. 17, 2024. The bigger hill at left is the one on north side of the 1050 pass a few miles west of town.

and a bonus photo...

And in case you missed the incredible excitement, here is a poor photo of the partial lunar eclipse a few hours after the above sunset.

This concludes the report from the sky division for Sept. 17, 2024.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

Sept. 13 ~ Happy Friday the 13th. KERV showed a 69F low, I only saw 72 here. Overcast held heat in. It is getting mighty quiet out there in the mornings. Stillk hearing Summer Tanager, Chat, White-eyed Vireo and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. No migrant motion though. Town run and park check, deadsville, nothing there. Water is about 40" from going over spillway. At least Rosie was there for tacos! It is like going to Mexico.

Sept. 12 ~ Low about 64F or so, clear. Heard a Gnatcatcher and an Orchard Oriole early in morn. Nothing else though. Was a Thrusday whence I am mostly stuck inside at desk and computer. Was a hot one too. Local WU stations show low to mid 90'sF. Back to summer temps. Sure was a great break for almost ten days. Heard a couple Scissor-tailed Flycatcher over at river. Did not seem like there were a dozen Ruby-throated Hummingbird left here today. Did not hear a greenie Painted Bunting again today. Two Canyon Towhee still around. Tropical Sage being decimated, denuded, by whatever is eating them. Which I can't seem to find.

Sept. 11 ~ Low about 65F, KERV had 64. Clear. Hooded Orioles hit feeders at sunup. Had to make a quick town run early so spun through the park where nothing, but a singing Yellow-throated Warbler still going there. Here at the casita there was an Inca Dove mournfully calling 'oh no, oh no'. Otherwise same gang with Chat, Summer Tanager, White-eyed Vireo but not sure if I had a greenie. Very few hummingbirds, they have flown the coup. Last week seems early to have had peak occur already. Did hear the Summer Tanager sing late in day. Temps warming back up to near normal early September values, in the 90's.

Sept. 10 ~ I saw 64F at 7 a.m. before the final dip. KERV had a 60F. Some low stratus for a couple hours early, then sunny. Heard a Summer Tanager singing a bit. Still a greenie Painted Bunting here, seems one of the same juveniles. Saw a chat, heard a White-eyed Vireo. Hummingbirds are way down since the Saturday blowout on the northerlies. Seems all Rubies, and not very many, a dozen or two. Hope we get another wave of them. A nice chorus of Lark Sparrow erupts, unseen in the Junipers out back, when I go out and toss seed. Got up to about 85F, but dry.

Sept. 9 ~ An amazing low about 55F or so. Some local stations were cooler than that! KERV had a 52 or lower! Coldest air since April 6-7, the last time it was in the mid-50's here, five months ago! Did not have any migrant motion in morn though. Kinda thought we would, since it felt like fall. I think it is that big grasshopper that is defoiliating the Tropical Sage as it tries to bloom again. I can't find it though. Turned light on again last night hoping it would come back in, and it did not. Still Lark Sparrows going off vocally well. Heard a couple each Chat, Summer Tanager, and White-eyed Vireo. Three of the longest staying migratory breeders here. At least two or three Hooded Oriole still here too. It looked about 75 Red Turkscap flowers on the patch.

Sept. 8 ~ At 7 a.m. I saw 60F, and it usually dips another dF around 7:30, so we likely were 59F! KERV had a 58! Lowest temp here since April I think. Within a dF or two of a record low temp. Yer dang right we're excited! May 13 was the last 61F low temp. Hooded Oriole singing a bit early morn. We had a fair look at the back feeder. It is a first summer male, just getting its first orange plumage below. Now actually it is a second-fall bird, just over a year old. Saw a Canyon Towhee on one of the truck mirrors, must have been Narcissus. Still one greenie here. Only barely over 80F on the front porch at 3 p.m., incredible, maybe 82 in sun.

Sept. 7 ~ Low of 69F at 7 a.m. so it surely dropped another dF to 68. KERV had a quick 66point something! Still NE flow, so drier air. Heard a couple Orchard Oriole in morning. Around noon heard a Dickcissel. A few Hooded Oriole around, one singing a bit, and Kathy saw a year old sub-ad. male. Might be four here now. The rest seemed the same gang. The 85F high was great. We were in dire need of heat relief here. About 7-8 Upland Sandpiper were heard taking off at twilight, southbound. Also had a Field Sparrow come into the tub pond. Heard Screech-, and Great Horned Owl after dark.

Turned porch light on and there was actually a bit of insect response compared to how bad it has been. A dozen or more micro-moths of various sorts, a few slightly larger than micro- moths, some things I think were Mirids. Best was a Cerambycid (Longhorn) Beetle of a different sort, though not a fancy of color type. One Green Lacewing, some small scarabs. A big grasshopper came in and I think that may be what is defoiliating our Tropical Sage, instead of a deer. It needs to go. Might have gotten some pics of some stuff.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, immature or female. The bill can appear longer than the head. Note dark green back, snow white underparts. Looks like peak fall numbers here this year were about Sept. 4-7, which is on the early side by a week.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

Sept. 6 ~ Low about 71F, and still the northeast flow, like fall. What a great break from the heat it has been. One Gnatcatcher in morn, otherwise no migrant movement. Nice to still be hearing Lark Sparrows go off vocally. One greenie still. Town run and park check. There was almost nothing there. Heard one Yellow-throated Warbler. Water came up maybe 8" at spillway, presume more will show up within a week or so. Great was Rosie being back from vacation, so real deal tacos! That was a long three-week dry spell.  :)   And the people were joyous... Nothing over the afternoon different. Heard Field Sparrow. AT 8:08 p.m. heard a dozen Upldand Sandpiper go overhead southbound. They were low still, so up-valley for the day in a pasture.

Sept. 5 ~ I saw 69F at 7 a.m., so it likely got a smidgen cooler. KERV had a 68F! NE winds are nice to feel too. Heard an Upland Sandpiper high up just after midnight. Two Canyon Towhee still here today. Heard a couple Orchard Oriole. One Gnatcatcher went through in afternoon. At least one greenie Painted Bunting here still. Flushed TWO cats. OMG, the worst ever bird and lizard killers ever, here!! Do you remember Bill Murray in Caddyshack? That is where we are at. Was a busy Thursday at the desk so not much time outside. There are at least 50 Red Turkscap flowers in our little homegrown patch. Heard Barn Swallows overhead a couple times over the day.

Sept. 4 ~ Low about 72F, very humid but so what when coolish. A little more rain sprinkled overnight, a tenth and change. Likely not much migrant movement overhead overnight, so hope for something moving by on the gorund. We did hear a singing Yellow-throated Vireo from bed with morning coffee first thing. Heard a couple Orchard Oriole over the day. Over a hundred Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and not sure about Black-chinneds I photo'd a couple dozen in ten minutes at the communal feeder. Blew 'em up real good, on screen, and they were all Rubies that I could ID, one was a possible Black-chin. Heard three White-eyed Vireo at once, a couple Chats, a Summer Tanager. Kathy saw a green Hooded Oriole with a black throat, so likely a hatch-year immature male. Amazing to feel NE winds again, almost like fall. The record high for SAT this date is 111F! Was 82F here today.

Sept. 3 ~ Low about 73F, light rain began about 6 a.m. and looks another rain day. A low in west Texas and one on the coast, whose chunrnings meet over central Texas. As of 10 a.m. another half-inch for the total, now a 4" event since yesterday. Another quarter-inch in afternoon and early evening, make it 4.25" for the event now. Heard about four Orchard Oriole over the day. Kathy heard a Gnatcatcher. At least two, maybe three Hooded coming to feeders. Likely a hundred Ruby-throated Hummingbird here now. They exploded in numbers over the last three days. Today a quart of fluid was consumed. This evening there were TWO Couch's Spadefoot Toad calling in yard. Awesome. Never can get a light on them, or even spot one at a pond in daylight. The Leopard Frogs were in full roar, and a few Barking Frog were, uh, barking. It is really more of a chirp I would say. Still two begging Great Horned Owl juveniles. Heard a Great Blue Heron flying at river near midnight, likely got flushed from the way it was complaining.

Sept. 2 ~ About 74F for a low, very humid, some sun briefly early gave way to overcast. There was an imm. Blue Grosbeak around, after a month without any, a migrant. Heard a couple Orchard Oriole early. Got up to about 80F before cooler air hit. After 1 p.m. a rain cell found us from the upper level low still over central Texas. By 2:30 it was over 2"! Looks 54mm. Holy bovine! Kathy saw a male Summer Tanager at the bath, I presume our local breeder. In the evening there was a FOY Couch's Spadefoot Toad. calling right outside. Under the concrete and stones of patio on side porch. I heard the Rufous Hummingbird first thing this morning, but then not all day, so suspect it left before the rain got here. From about 9:30 to 11 p.m., another big cell found us and dumped another 1.5"! So 3.5" of precip today! Amazing! After dark there was a large termite hatch as always when a good rain after a long dry spell.

September 1 ~ And so we start climatalogical fall! I saw 74F at 7 a.m., so likely got a dF cooler. KERV had 72F. Very humid, and we may get more rain. There was no sound of the river early, so it was just a bubble of water passing by for a few hours. Early part of morn had a couple Upland Sandpiper dropping down out of sky, and a couple or few Orchard Oriole. A couple Hooded Oriole, one an adult male. Rufous Hummingbird No. 3 of fall here on day three now. Lots of Ruby-throated Hummers here now, still a few Black-chinned. At least two Canyon Towhee here. Two White-eyed Vireo around, and at least two Chat. Saw 94F in the early afternoon when some rain-cooled air took almost ten dF off the top. But no rain for us. I missed the twilight peak as they take off, but after dark did hear an Upland Sandpiper. It was 12 ga. clear that dove season started today.

~ ~ ~ August monthly summary ~ ~ ~

In three words, hot and dry. There was record heat, most days were just under or above 100dF pending location locally. There was less than an inch of rain for us here (.9"). Drought stage remains D2 but botanically it is a five-alarm 'pants on fire' dire straights. River did not run all month for the most part, we heard it the 31st for the first time in months. All month water has been four feet below normal at park pond spillway.

Insects have been accordingly pitiful. Odes (dragons) were less than ten species still, again. Odes need water and there isn't much around. Red-tailed Pennant still being seen at park. Best was a mosaic Darner that surely was a Turquoise-tipped, also at park. Our porch light hardly attracts anything. Though a couple others did get lucky this month. Shirley had 17 Polyphemus Moth at the store morning of Aug. 7. Junior photographed an Io Moth Aug. 11. Both are great records. Great that locals let me know when they see such neat stuff!

Butterflies were 30 species and nothing unexpected, as expected. A Two-tailed Swallowtail for a few days was great, fair numbers of Cloudless and Large Orange Sulphur have moved in. Snouts numbered in the hundreds at once on peak days. A Rounded Metalmark was great, finally this year. A few skippers were nice for a change, but very few. All 30 sps. were at the well-watered mostly native flowers around our front-porch.

Birds were as expected in drought times. Far fewer than usual around, and most of the migratory breeders depart in August if they did not leave in July. A few linger into September. There is a trickle of migrants that are probably hill country breeders departing, like Orchard Oriole, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Dickcissel. But some long-distance migrants show up like Rufous Hummingbird and Upland Sandpiper. By the end of the month migrant Ruby-throated Hummingbird outnumber the few remaining (seemingly overwhelmingly imm. male) Black-chinned leftover from breeding season and still here. Scarce here lately so nice was Aug. 23 at the park, a Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Bank Swallow and an amazing THIRD Canyon Wren record there. The only Yellow-crowned Night-Heron I have noted this year flew over calling on Aug. 31. Birds totalled about 65 species locally for me.

~ ~ ~ end of August monthly summary ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ August update header archive copy ~ ~ ~

August ~ The first big excitement was on the 7th when Shirley at the store found the walls out back covered in large moths. Which were Polyphemus moths, and which she counted 17 (!) of early in morn. At twilight on the 9th I heard a couple FOS Upland Sandpiper overhead southbound. Several more have been noted since, at twilight. A FOS Dickcissel was on the 17th, a second on the 21st. A second Rufous Hummer of fall was here Aug. 18-21. Major heat Aug. 19-22, hopefully that was peak. Dangerous out there now folks, have water. A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird was here the 23rd. Also Aug. 23 at the park there was a Greater Yellowlegs, a couple Bank Swallow, and my third ever in the park CANYON WREN. A tenth of an inch of rain on the 26th was unfortunately noteworthy. Another rain on the 28th varied wildly for totals locally, but we had just over .75 of an inch here. On the 26th our FOS (2) Killdeer flew over calling. There are multiple sightings of Rufous Hummingbird from the area curretly, watch for a small mean rusty one.

~ ~ ~ end August update header archive copy ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ back to the daily drivel ~ ~ ~

Aug. 31 ~ Last day of climatalogical summer. Low about 75F was not very, but it was very humid. Early in morn heard at least three Upland Sandpiper dropping down out of the sky after a night of flying. Heard the Rufous Hummingbird, and an Orchard Oriole. At least two greenie Painted Bunting here still. Was a hawk-induced dove flushing in the afternoon. At least two Canyon Towhee around. Heard them making a grosbeakish 'boik' call much like the California Towhee, and which I almost never hear here. Early evening after having two green Hooded Oriole, I heard one singing in a Hackberry which I could not see to age. If it was the ad. male that has been around off and on, there were three here today.

It got up to 94F before some rain-cooled outflows found us in afternoon, but only a spit here. Based on the hummingbird fluid consumption we got innundated today. This is migrant Ruby-throated Showing up now, which will build until the first cold front of fall around mid-Sept. and poof! they are gone. I saw ad. male Ruby-throated once when I looked. More immatures, which appeared Rubies, very short-billed and white below, and sounding different that what we have been listening to since March. Kathy even noticed and commented on it. Their calls are not identical as oft claimed. Kathy is not a trained ear-birder like I am, and she noticed the different vocalizations without any prompt from me.

Kathy found a mammilian skull of sort I need to ID. I am going with Opossum, final answer for all the dough. Most amazing today was hearing water running in the river. The west side channel at the 360 x-ing on Friday (yesterday) was all but dry. The rainfall up-drainage or valley, finally arrived here. We had been told there was a bubble coming downriver a day or so ago. Running water in the river! At least it should act as a good flushing out for it. Takes some flow for us to hear it a quarter mile away. Very likely a result of being washed out, at last dusk, a calling Yellow-crowned Night-Heron flew over! Every week at the park I wonder why I am not seeing one in July or August, with all the mud edge habitat. In the 'It ain't over until it's over' department, about 9 p.m. I heard at least four Upland Sandpiper go over, taking off for the night flight. We are now 90 minutes shorter of daylength than at the solstice.

Almost all the hummingbirds at your feeders now are Ruby-throated. Immatures and females have white underparts and throats, only the males have the color in throat, which appears black unless the light is at the right angle. This is an immature or female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We had a hundred here this week, but today the 6th there was a major departure on the northerly winds.

Aug. 30 ~ Low about 74F and humid. Some scattered clouds. Heard a Gnatcatcher and an Orchard Oriole early, Kathy saw a green Hooded Orio on a feeder. Another Gnatcatcher at 11 a.m. as I headed to town for stuff. Water still dropping at park, at least four feet below normal bank. Heard Summer Tanager and Yellow-throated Vireo, which was it for the place. No people so far for the holiday weekend, as no river to swim in. Saw some Frostweed opening flowers up in the woods. Hardly an ode to be found and no butterflies. Sure love when the month ends AFTER the Friday update, giving me a week to do that roundup. In the late afternoon a third so far here at our place this fall, Rufous Hummingbird showed up. Kelly at the P.O. said he had one yesterday and today upvalley a bit in Bandera Co. and last Sunday Kathy talked with Sarah who said she just had one recently as well. Tis the season to look for small rufous pugnacious ones at your feeder. Just after I posted the update Fri. eve, at twilight I heard an Upland Sandpiper flying over low heading south. It spent the day in a pasture not far north.

Aug. 29 ~ Another 74F low, overcast and humid from the very welcome rain. Heard an Upland Sandpiper go over at 7 a.m., and a Gnatcatcher. An Orchard Oriole mid-morn. Before noon at second seed toss I had two Canyon Towhee in Mulberry by cottage at south fence. Grabbed more seed and went to back where I toss along west-north fence, and heard another one. It seems like there were three. At least one greenie Painted Bunnie still here. Only got to low 90's F, a big 10dF break from last week. Cannot believe all the yellow dropping Pecan leaves so early. At least we had some rain yesterday. Still under an inch for August here. It is dessicated. Late nearing sundown heard a Chimney Swift overhead a couple times. Screech-Owls around yard after dark.

Aug. 28 ~ Low about 74F, overcast and very humid. Heard an Orchard Oriole early in morn. May have heard two Canyon Towhee. Still a Chat or two, same for White-eyed Vireo. Chipping, Lark, and Field Sparrow all still around and with young. At least one greenie juv. Painted Bunting still here. The event of the day (as of noon) was setting a record for altitude above ground by a Roadrunner. It was up in the top of the big dead Pecan, 35-40 FEET above ground. Bill clacking at me when I went out to toss seed before noon. That darn white cat is hanging around, which statistically never lasts for long. One of the rain cells found us in the afternoon, so we beat the heat again with another late afternoon to evening in 70's! And we got a little bit of precip out of the deal. Around 8:30 p.m. looks like four-fifths of an inch, or 2 cm (.80"). Outstanding! THE big rain for the month so far here.

Aug. 27 ~ Low about 72F and overcast. There is a tropical origin upper level low over So.Cent. Texas. Not much to it but enough to squeeze some rain out the atmosphere. Hopefully some here. Carolina Wren now the noisiest bird out there in early morn. Still at least one probably two White-eyed Vireo around. Chats still here but not singing, just chatting. Canyon Towhee remains. Saw a couple ad. male Ruby-throated Hummers, and a couple imm. type that looked Ruby-throated as well. About 4:30 we got the cool air from a raincell outflow and there was rain all around us. Great to beat the afternoon heat a second day in a row. Some heat relief, if not rain. Something is eating the leaves off of the Tropical Sage out front. It is usually fairly immune to such. I see no insects on it, so think it is deer. Probably since we water it, the leaves are high moisture content. Dang deer. I am surprised the Red Turkscap has done so well, though much is fenced now, some is not. They eat the flowers like candy. Currently there are over a half-dozen Cloudless and 3-4 Large Orange Sulphur (all males) on it much of day. Heard two begging Great Horned Owl still.

Aug. 26 ~ I saw 74F at 7 a.m., so it likely hit 73, maybe lower. KERV had a few 69F readings! Great was hearing a cople FOS Killdeer go over southward. First ones since spring. Kathy did not see the Black Witch moth at Hattie's this morning. I would have run up for pics if there. Heard a Gnatcatcher and a couple Orchard Oriole early. Almost like fall migration. I expect we will largely be overflown again this passage, due to the dessicated appearance of the habitat. Summer Tanager sang a bit. There are some Cypress and Sycamore along river that are turning rust color of fall already, months ahead of schedule. Some appear to be dropping leaves, others dead or dying. Those are tapped into the riverbed and are not making it! We have some Pecans in yard with yellow leaves already, over a month ahead of schedule at minimum. Too hot and too dry for too long. A couple showerlets passed by dropping near a tenth of an inch of precip. Besides a few hundredths, it is the only rain all month so far. Near dusk heard a Vermilion Flycatcher out front, which I have not heard one of in a month, so I presume a wandering bird from elsewhere.

Aug. 25 ~ Low about 75F, some low stratus arriving shortly after sunup. Didn't hear anything different in several sessions outside early. Except a Carolina Wren singing a song with a different rhythm or cadence than any I have ever heard. Amazing that with a bird you hear all day every day for twenty years, one day you can still hear one sing in a new different way. By knowing tonal quality of the voice you know what it is, even though an extra syllable is being used in each repetition. Tonal quality is what to learn. Just like people speaking you learn to recognize, regardless of the words used. Learn the tonal quality.

Saw at least a couple ad. male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and likely an imm. or two as well. Heard one or two Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Canyon Towhee and Roadrunner still here. Still a couple greenie Painted Bunting here. Saw that second feral cat again. Afternoon clouds kept it a bit cooler, maybe 95F or so, which is unfortunately, much better. Below 90F at 7 p.m. is a great change. The bird of the day was a moth. Kathy is watching Hattie's dogs and there was a Black Witch moth in their breezeway this evening at dusk. Can't buy one here, even with peaches or bananas. In the evening we twice had edges of rain cells nearby sprinkle a showerlet, maybe a hundredth of an inch each.

Aug. 24 ~ It was 78F at 7 a.m., but I think dipped to 77 before it turned back around. Way too high of a low for me. Above 80 almost all night. Wouldn't be so bad if we could go swimming, but for third year the river is too low of flow to be safe. Except for tourists. ;) Not much for bird action. The Canyon Towhee was at the trucklet, so surely that was what we have been hearing messing with the mirror. We'll name it Narcissus if it goes on much longer. After 7 p.m. I heard the sound a Cardinal makes when it is grabbed by a hawk, and saw a hawk flying away that looked like a Cooper's, with something in its talons. Roadrunner about again.

Cloudless Sulphur on Red Turkscap. Most of the largeish yellow butterflies around lately are either Cloudless or Large Orange Sulphur. Males are easy to tell, Cloudless are lemon yellow, Large Orange are Orange dorsally, and yellow orange below.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

Aug. 23 ~ Low about 77F or so. I see sources saying yesterday and the day before were record heat in SAT. Likely here too. A bit cooler today, which means only a hundred and a dF or two. Hope that was peak summer this week. In the morning I saw a FOS male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Though twice in last week thought I had one. I heard the Canyon Towhee and Roadrunner here in morn. Town run and park check.

Great was a Greater Yellowlegs on far muddy bank at park pond. Haven't seen one at the park in several years. Also less than annual there were a couple Bank Swallow. Better yet, was up in the woods, in the big live-oaks, and once in the giant ancient Cypress the other two were in, a CANYON WREN. Anytime you get one away from breeding areas and rocks it is a rare find. It sang the speedy fast song a number of times! The twp prior park records, and the record we have on our stone chimney, are all in AUGUST. The month to get one moving around locally. Perhaps wandering young? Heard Summer Tanager and a singing Yellow-throated Vireo. Water is dropping still, lots of muddy edge. Kathy found a mint condition Black Swallowtail male dead in yard. Probably roasted.

Aug. 22 ~ Low about 76F. At KERV it was 77, and they only got below 80 at 6 a.m.! A brutal hot day again. The birds were all the same for the most part. Chased the Roadrunner off the porch. Heard the C. Ground-Dove. Couple Field Sparrow, begging young Lark and Chipping Sparrow. Heard the Canyon Towhee. Saw a large yeller swallowtail butterfly, either E. Tiger or Two-tailed. It was another brutal baker. About the same as yesterday, some local WU stations reading 105-108F! Power went out for nearly a couple hours making it even nicer. Apparetnly per Bandera Elect. webpage, there were 40 of us lucky residences, SW of town, 5:20 to just after 7 p.m. or so. When it was a hundred and somethin'.

Aug. 21 ~ At 7 a.m. it was 71F, so likely got down to 70, KERV had a 69F briefly. Today is supposed to be peak heat day, and another heat advisory as yesterday. Also today, we are one hour shorter of daylength that at solstice two months ago. Rufous Hummer still terrorizing anything that makes a move for its feeder. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher went through yard first thing. Another Dickcissel was out in back on the millet. At 3 p.m. some temps around are 108 at Junction, 105 at Uvalde, 104 at Hondo, and 103 at KERV, as well as at several local WU stations. Down on the coast Rockport was 97 with a heat index of 115! Come on down, it's wonderful. At 4:30 p.m. I saw 101F on thet cool shady front porch, had to be 104-5 in the sun. KSAT hit 108F and said to be hottest in 11 years there. Had a bee swarm go over, first one I have heard this year.

Aug. 20 ~ Low about 71F was outstanding. KERV was 71 or lower from 7-8 a.m., and briefly hit a 69.4. I see their station shows 80F or below from 2: to 10: a.m. to give an idea of that duration. Anyway, Weewow! Coolest air in a while here. First thing at 7 a.m. at least three Orchard Oriole dropped into yard for a few minutes. The Rufous Hummingbird is still here, as is Canyon Towhee, and a couple greenie Painted Bunting that appear juveniles. Local WU station over a hun dF in afternoon, with humidity in low 20% area; there was no additional heat index add-on misery. I saw another (!) feral cat in the yard at dusk, which looked a clone of the one recently removed. Lots of folks have unfixed barn cats, which lead to local populations not in barns in adjacent habitats. Feral cats are an ecological disaster in action.

Aug. 19 ~ Low was about 73F, and felt great briefly. Some local WU stations were a dF or two cooler. I check at 7 a.m. when tossing seed, whilst KERV low point has been 7:35 so I am missing the final dip. Heard the Canyon Towhee and the Roadrunner. In a.m. Heard a Rufous Hummingbird out front, which is the second one of the fall. Got a bins look at it later in day. Not an adult, it is a hatch-year bird, just a few months old. It was going to the Red Turkscap besides guarding the front porch feeder.

Aug. 18 ~ Low about 75F, maybe a brief dip a few tenths lower. The summer sub-tropical high remains locked on us. August is likely the month with the least amount of morning low stratus from the Gulf, due to the heat dome. Heard the Canyon Towhee and Hooded Oriole is still coming to feeders. Still at least two greenie Painted Bunting here, not sure about the male Indigo though. I did glimpsee a hummingbird with a big black deeply forked tail that was surely a male Ruby-throated.

Aug. 17 ~ Low 76F, here we go again. Heard the Canyon Towhee first thing early. Seemed to be looking for that nice lady with the hose. Late afternoon I heard a FOS fall Dickcissel call a couple times just off patio. Love getting them in the yard. Begging baby Lark and Chipping Sparrow around, and Field singing when I toss seed. Several Hooded Oriole visits were heard. Thought I heard a Ruby-throated Hummingbird but didn't get eyes on it. Later in afternoon I heard some Barn Swallows overhead southbound. At twilight I heard at least 6-7 Upland Sandpiper go over low, so just getting going, and must have spent the day in a pasture in the valley not far north.

Junior sent me this great photo of an Io moth, on a wall Aug. 11. I have only seen one here, and it was dead at the gas station. It is also one of our silk moths, but of the smaller group around a couple inches long. If you are local to Utopia, I don't mind seeing pics of anything neat you saw, if you think of interest.

A bonus Io blast from the past...
What a surprise it has for you on the hind wing!

This is the Io Moth (Automeris io) I found dead at the gas station. on Aug. 13, 2021. Note similarity of dates, a clue on when to look. The females are browner of forewing so less yellow,

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Aug. 16 ~ Low of 78F is a drag. All the same here in the morn. Hooded Oriole female coming to feeder regularly must be nesting nearby. Kathy had at least a dozen Queen on the Blue Mist Eupatorium. It is the best thing blooming here now, though there is still some Red Turkscap going, so still a few Sulphurs stopping by. I saw a Questionmark. Town run and a park check. It is dead there. Water might be FOUR FEET below spillway now and dropping fast. There is no pond, only a little puddle on downriver side of dam. We are in bad shape here folks. In the woods only a few residents: a chickadee, a titmouse, a Cardinal and a Carolina Wren. That is all. Some odes out over the water but only thing different I saw was a Black Saddlebags, probably the first all year for me here. Kathy heard the Canyon Towhee in the afternoon heat. Early evening when she was spraying water about, it came in for a shower from the hose! Have you watered your Canyon Towhee today?

Aug. 15 ~ Was about 84F quarter after midnight. Low was about 75F. Passing 80F at 9 a.m. No change on the ten-day, same as the last ten days. Dog days. Saw a couple greenies, that looked like juveniles. Male Indigo still here, but starting to drop blue feathers. Would love to find one. On the Blue Mist Eup. there was a Texas Powdered-Skipper. Still a few Sulphurs around, mostly on the Red Turkscap. Only a wee bit of Tropical Sage left going. Kathy had a small Giant Swallowtail. Smokin' hot at 97F at 3 p.m., in the shade, so surely a hun in the sun. Was still 90F after 9 p.m.! Heard the Roadrunnner out there today.

Aug. 14 ~ More of same. Only thing different was hearing a Canyon Towhee out along front fence and near gate at driveway. The rest was the same. Hardly any birds, butterflies decreasing except Queens at the Blue Mist Eup. Birds are few, and without seed and water here I suspect it would be dismal out there. The numbers of everything are way down. Pour the heat on the drought and you get not very much in wildlife. Begging Great Horned Owl was out there, but it is not around every day now.

Aug. 13 ~ Low of 75F, no morning low stratus, go straight to heat. We get a few bearable hours if not doing any work out there. First thing at 7 a.m. I heard a begging young Common Nighthawk go over southward. The two pair that nested on the two knolls near us for years have not done so several years now. They come in and count bugs and go somewhere else. Also heard a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher early. Another migrant heading south. Otherwise it seemed the same. Hot as heck in the afternoon, likely near a hun in the sun. After 7 p.m. a greenie and a bluey (ad. male Indigo) buntings were on patio white millet. Today was a whopping 90 seconds shorter of daylength than yesterday!

Aug. 12 ~ I did not see any Perseid meteors in a brief watch just after midnight. Was barely clearing skies then. Low of 76F this morning. Too bad the flower bloom is fading so fast. Did not last but a couple good weeks. So hot the Tropical Sage is mostly closed by noon. Lantana finsihing up too. Not much for birds but the few regulars. Upper 90's F or hotter on the 10-day, no relief in sight. Mulberry still dropping yellow leaves despite getting regular watering. Lots of Snout if you spray water about. Nearing dusk a male Indigo Bunting was on the patio. No male Painted around for a few days at least now. While I was watering flowers out front I heard a bird messing with the mirror on the trucklet as Kathy did yesterday. It was on other side though so I could not see what it was. If I had to guess I would say Canyon Towhee.

Aug. 11 ~ A low of 79F is no low at all. The Tropical Sage seems to have peaked for this round of blooming. Saw the Southern Broken-Dash again, and two Elada Checkerspot. Butterfly numbers are down though. The burst of flowering was short-lived, likely due to the heat. The Mealy Sages has some flowers open, love that nice dark purple. Kathy saw a bird messing with the mirror on the trucklet, but in bad light. Maybe a Canyon Towhee? I heard everything scolding up the hill, and out pops a Roadrunner. The Carolina Wrens especially make sure everyone knows that dastardly thing is about. I suspect they have seen it take just-fledged wrenlets. It was upper 90's F and relatively quiet out there today. The critters must be feeling as oppressed from the heat as we are. Still nothing came into any of the peach I put out. Untouched!

Aug. 10 ~ Low about 76F, not very, and not very much for morning low stratus. The sub-tropical high continues to win. Just after midnight last night, I heard at least 3 more Upland Sandpiper going over high up, southbound. In the a.m. here I heard a Hooded, and an Orchard Oriole, the former likely our local nester, the latter likely a transient. Mid-morn there was a FOS Clouded Skipper on the Lantana. Saw the Two-tailed Swallowtail again. With it there are four species of swallowtails visiting our flowers now. It is so hot by late morn lots of the Tropical Sage is already closing up for the day. The small yeller bumble is still here. What is a bird or spider going to think when it tastes a Gray Hairstreak that fed on Basil for a week? Early afternoon there was a FOY Southern Broken-Dash on the Lantana. Great to see one again! Just at dark heard a couple more Upland Sandpiper heading south.

This is another of the Polyphemus Moth. Note how much variation there is in the species. Compare to last weeks photo. Some species often all appear to be clones, others have high variability, such as these moths.

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Aug. 9 ~ Low about 73F, no morning stratus as the high pressure dome wins. We are in another long run of daily hundred dF highs. Dog days complete with cicadas. In the morn there was a Two-tailed Swallowtail on the Tropical Sage. Great to see. Three Mestra at once now. Lots of Large Orange and Cloudless Sulphur, and Snout. Gray Hairstreak still hitting the Basil. Heard a Canyon Towhee out by the gate. Town run and park check. No birds, but a heard Yellow-throated Warbler. A few odes were mostly Blue Dasher, a Red-tailed Pennant, and what appeared to be a Turquoise-tipped Darner, though not a positive ID. Just a most likely. Kathy had the Roadrunner on roof of cottage. Late eve heard the Canyon Towhee again. At twilight I heard at least two FOS Upland Sandpiper overhead, southbound starting a night of flight. Another sign of fall, long-distance migrants.

Aug. 8 ~ Low just under 74F momentarily. We're under that high pressure dome we love to hate in summer. Looks a hun daily with no precip on the 10-day now. Ugh. Did not see anything such as a good bug this morning, around where I put some peaches last night. I can tell one Mestra is new as it is so much smaller than usual. Heard the Roadrunner singing. White-eyed Vireo remains the most dependable singer. There was a False Duskywing around, which actually I glimpsed yesterday. Better was the FOY Rounded Metalmark, the first of any Metalmark all year, on Blue Mist Eup. Also saw Julia's Skipper again. Kathy spotted a big beetle at front porch which turned out to be the hollowed out shell of a female Ox Beetle. I presume wasp parasites?

Aug. 7 ~ Low about 71F was great, because it was clear overnight. Got a call from Shirley at the store about a bunch of big moths on the walls out back. Before 10 a.m. I made it down there to see more Polyphemus Moth than I have seen in my life. Shirley counted 13 when I was there but said earlier there were 17! Amazing! One of our big fancy Silk Moths, like Luna and Cecropia (last week's photo). Always great when on Wednesday I know what the photo break is gonna be. What a beautiful moth. Thanks Shirley for the call!

Then it got hot. Over a hun in the sun. Local WU stations were showing up to 103 and 105F. Kathy heard a bunch of scolding with the only predator about being a Roadrunner. They go after juvenile birds especially. Hooded Oriole at feeder. Heard one bar of Indigo Bunting song. Heard a little Summer Tanager song in morn, from the big dead Pecan right out front. Butterflies rermain the most action though. The same things so far, but building numbers of sulphurs, and way more Snouts come in when Kathy waters now. Saw a Julia's Skipper and late Kathy had a Duskywing.

Aug. 6 ~ Low was 73F, not much for morning low stratus. We have high pressure moving in, and temps up. The Tropical Sage continues to expand its blooming, and the butterflies continue building. There were at least ten Large Orange Sulphur, including a few pale morph females. It is great to just stand in the middle of the patch with them all bouncing around and dashing about oblivious to lunks. Saw one Lyside Sulphur, and a different Gray Hairstreak on the Basil. A few Cloudless Sulphur, Kathy saw a Hackberry Emperor. The (small almost all yellow) Bumble Bee is still here. I thought I heard a Black-n-white Warbler zzeet a few times. An hour before sundown Kathy spotted a male Orchard Oriole coming into the tub pond right out office window.. Screech-Owl calling in yard right after dark.

Aug. 5 ~ Low of 72F is nice, unfortunately. Not much for morning low stratus. Hardly anything singing out there now. Kathy saw an ad. with juv. Chat outside kitchen window again. A couple weeks now this has been going on. She also had an ad. male Painted Bunting out that window. Butterflies were good. Black, Pipevine, and Giant Swallowtail, probably three Giant. Maybe three N. Mestra. The Gray Hairstreak was back on Kathy's Basil flowers. White-eyed Vireo might be the sps. singing most now. Field Sparrow singing a little bit. A couple each begging juvenile Lark Sparrow and Painted Bunting are around. Another out-of-sync Firefly with a bad circadian clock last night late. Have not seen the other lone single one since July, presume this is a new one.

Aug. 4 ~ There was a showerlet overnight, maybe .1" (a tenth) of precip, washed the dust off the leaves and made the ground dampish. Clouds held the heat, low was 76F, with very high humidity. After the July rain, the Tropical Sage and Lantana have both gone into bloom cycle mode. Which is getting a fair butterfly show response. There are two pale morph female Large Orange Sulphur, besides the 5 males. There were two each of Giant Swallowtail, and N. Mestra at once. Nice was a Julia's Skipper since have not been seeing any small stuff. Looked fresh. A Gray Hairstreak was on Kathy's Basil which is flowering. That is gonna be a spicy one. Second day with nary a bar of Indigo Bunting song. So they and the Painted have gone silent. It is no longer the season for bunting song. About 7:30 p.m. we got an outflow boundry taking the oppressive out of the heat and humidity. Looks like it rained up-valley a bit, and more over in Frio Canyon, we just got a spit or two.

Aug. 3 ~ The low of 71F was fantastic. It didn't last. No low stratus, the clear skies is why it cooled more. KERV had about 70! Had an Orchard Oriole out in yard about 9 a.m., likely a transient considering the date, and that I have not had the first-summer male that had been around for a couple weeks. The rest was all the same. It got very hot, probably a hun in the sun, was 96F in the shade at front porch. Screech-Owl in Pecan over birdbath after dark, begging Great Horned Owls still out there but moving around a lot more. Looking for mom and dad with a cotton rat. Almost forgot, there was one of the small mostly yellow Bumble Bee on the Tropical Sage, nice since we have not been seeing them. Today our sunrise and sunset were 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the dot.

This is a Polyphemus Moth. On the right wing the thin dark marks are shadows from grass blades, not a field mark on the animal. This is one of a large gathering at General Store Aug. 7.

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Aug. 2 ~ Low about 76F, good low stratus layer first few hours. White-eyed Vireo is now the most vociferous singer left out there. The occasional Mourning or White-winged Dove still goes off, a wren once in a while, but pretty quiet. Town run and park check. Nothing there. No people in town, no birds at the park. Saw a Leaftail sps. dragonfly, a Red-tailed Pennant, a few probably Swift Setwing. Kathy saw what was likely the Elada Checkerspot I saw a few days ago, still around. The N. Mestra is still out there too. It was at least 95F in the afternoon. We had one adult male Painted Bunting on the seed late.

August 1 ~ Low of 74F, some low stratus. I can't get over the quiet out there in the mornings now, it sounds like a morgue. A good bird was had, just after midnight so just a few minutes into August. I heard the first Yellow-billed Cuckoo in a month. Local breeders are gone, Is this a passage transient, or local bird out wandering around? Might be my first Aug. record? I know I have an August cuckoo locally, but a Black-billed, about the 5th or 6th maybe, at Lost Maples in about 1996. So though Yellow-billed is a low-density breeder mid-April to early July, anything outside of that narrow window of presence is very rare here. The rest was the same gang all day. Again saw five each Cloudless and Large Orange Sulphur, pretty neat zooming and bouncing about sulphur show at the flowers around front porch. No Painted Bunting song, though a couple juveniles were here late in day. Kathy saw a stream of Snout butterfly yesterday afternoon mostly over in the corral. I saw a Giant Swallowtail on the Lantana late in day.

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It was surprisingly wet, with an amazing 5.5" of rain! On the heels of a wet June, it is great. Brought the river up a little, but barely, still mostly not flowing. Water is 3' befow going over spillway at park pond. Drought level is still D2. Due to the rain days there was a quarter of the month with temps below the usual burn, so a break from the heat.

Insects continue to be mostly absent. Odes (dragon and damselflies) were less than ten species. Pitiful. Red-tailed Pennant are still at the park pond. Not seeing any Orange-striped Threadtail. For butterflies it was about 22 species of the expected types. A N. Mestra or two showed up, and later in month the first Cloudless and Large Orange Sulphurs arrived, as well as some Snout.

Birds were as unremarkable as everything else. The Couch's Kingbird that has been around since March was here with a Scissor-tail July 5, male displaying as if a pair. A Canyon Towhee was here on the 17th. An adult male Rufous Hummingbird was here July 27-30. Lots of the migratory birds that are only present a few months to breed here depart in July, from Yellow-billed Cuckoo to Ash-throated Flycatcher, most warblers, many things. By the end of the month there is almost no dawn chorus singing. It was about 65 species for the month, mostly from yard.

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July ~ this space available... Oh lookie here on the 5th we have a taker... what appeared a mated pair of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher male and a Couch's Kingbird (presumed female) was in our Pecan. Heard a Canyon Towhee on the 17th. By mid-month some migratory birds are departing already, like Purple Martin, the adult male Black-chinned Hummingbirds, as well as surely a majority of the Golden-cheeked Warblers, are gone already. July 22-24 we had about 4" of rain! The first long-distance migrant of fall migration was an adult male Rufous Hummingbird here the 27th to 30th.

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July 31 ~ Low about 76F and mighty balmy. No Rufous Hummingbird today, it left day 4. Did not hear a Painted Bunting singing all day. Of course hardly anything is now. The sounds of spring and summer are over. Now it is just occasional bursts from something or other. Nothing from the Chat now either. If the Chats go again they will start back up. They were still with their one young a day or two ago. The begging Red-tailed Hawk and Great Horned Owls are all still doing so. Great to have a small cloud of Cloudless Sulphur out front on the Tropical Sage. With the Large Orange, they both flushed out of it when I went to refill and refresh birdbath, so roosting in the patch. In afternoon there were five of each Cloudless and Large Orange Sulphur. So they are building. The N. Mestra is still here.

July 30 ~ Low of 74F again, humid with some low stratus. Painted Bunting have really dialed back their singing, only heard a couple short bits of song today. Most adult males will be gone in ten days or less. Indigo dialing it back as well, but still going some anyway. About 94F or so in afternoon, with highish humidity. Models showing a couple days of Saharan dust haze ahead. Still a few Brown-headed Cowbird here, which is a late stay for them. Still hear a couple or three House Sparrow. Butterflies were something to watch anyway. At least four each of Large Orange and Cloudless Sulphur, as well as Queen. Only thing different was an Elada Checkerspot. At dark Kathy saw the congregation of Harvestman again on back of shed near mulch pile. Maybe a hundred she said. They cluster up together, there is motion amongst them, so noise on the metal. Not sure if these are a breeding aggregation or what. Several years ago once I saw an area with 500 in a few clusters in a square meter or less.

July 29 ~ Low about 74F, some low stratus for a few hours. There was a shower pre-dawn and about .1" of precip. Got up to low 90's and very humid. The ad. ma. Rufous Hummingbird is still guarding a feeder. Field, Chipping, and Lark Sparrow all still singng. Hearing at least a couple House Sparrow, which is not pleasant. I consider not hearing them a treat. A couple Eur. Collared-Dove were out back as well. What is next, a Starling? Saw male and female Hooded Oriole one of their visits to the feeders. Chats sure are quiet. Sulphurs are the bulk of the few butterflies at our few flowers. Saw at least a couple Lyside, two Cloudless, and at least three (at once) Large Orange Sulphur. A few Pipevine and one Giant Swallowtail, some Queen, a Gulf Frit, some Snout, and a N. Mestra. A skipper blasted by for sps. number TEN today, but no ID onn what type. For ten sps. to be great reflects how poor it has been.

July 28 ~ Low about 74F, very humid, a bit of on and off low stratus. Some clouds off and on all day, a couple spits from the sky but no real precip here. Still a couple Large Orange and at least one Cloudless Sulphur visiting the flowers. Also a Lyside or two, a Pipevine Swallowtail, several Queen, but very little else and no small stuff. Almost no odes around yard all year, only a very few seen. For that matter none of the usual assortment of flying insects late in day. Probably why the hummingbirds have largely departed. No food but the feeders. The ad. male Rufous continues as front porch feeder overlord. Does not seem like a dozen Black-chinned here, no adult males, probably almost all immature males.

July 27 ~ Low about 73F, some low stratus for a short while. Hot and humid, the usual. Saw the ad. fem. Hooded Oriole at the back office hummer feeder. Sure seems like it must be nesting nearby, as a daily user, in July. Heard Field Sparrow sing, they must still be nesting nearby as well. Best was the first long-distance fall migrant of the year, an adult male Rufous Hummingbird. Right on time. Took it about 10 seconds to take over the front porch feeder. Cannot help but wonder if it is one that has been here before. Kathy saw a Four-lined Skink on the back porch.

Having done the compulsory annual photo of a 'greenie' type Painted Bunting last week, this one is clearly elective. This one is so bright limish green above, I think it is an immature male, about a year old. Absolutely not a juvenile, but could be a female. They are the only green bunting in America. Just make sure it has that conical seed cracking bill like a sparrow. BTW, that is a white millet seed, aka bunting honey. Photo taken June 21.

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July 26 ~ Low about 73F, some low stratus. Town run and park check. The water came up almost a foot from the rain, so now just under three feet below spillway overflow, instead of nearly four feet. Major improvement. Not good to swim it yet, except for tourists. No odes, and no birds. The woods were silent. Nothing around pond or upriver and on island. Deadsville. So was town, only saw a couple RV's. But Rosie was back this week, so, tacos! Here in afternoon saw Cloudless and Large Orange Sulphur on our flowers. Later two Large Orange at once! Doubling the number i have seen this month.

July 25 ~ Low about 73F, coolish, not much for low stratus. I think the atmosphere is fairly worked over by now. The trough seems to be moving off to the east. Kathy saw the ad. and juv. Chat still outside. I heard a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher or two, and a Roadrunner cooing. Heard three Summer Tanager calling at once, likely a family group. Three different widely separated White-eyed Vireo are in earshot. Barking Frogs still approving of the moisture. Heard E. Screech-Owl after dark right over the birdbath, which they surely use regularly. Need an infrared gamecam. Was a swamped day at the biz desk, Thursday ya know... Did see a Cloudless Sulphur on the Tropical Sage.

July 24 ~ I saw 71F at 7 a.m., scattered low stratus. Late morn another rain cell found us, and 11mm (just under a half-inch) more prercip for the tally. Which is now at 4" for the event, since Monday evening, so far. And 5" for the month so far! An adult female Hooded Oriole was on the hummer feeder out back. Maybe about 88F in the sun in afternoon. Daylength is 20 minutes less than at solstice, and losing over a minute per day now. Kathy had a big beetle that was probably a Fig or Peach Beetle type Scarab.

July 23 ~ It rained off and on much of the then noisy night. Looks like 55mm, or 2.2" for the total since 9 p.m. when the event started last night. More is inbound shortly. The Chat sure has quieted down in a major way. I presume they will still nest again with the rains so hopefully will get back to chatting. Mid-day mostly we got another 34 mm of rain! About 89mm for the event since last night, or about 3.6" WEEWOW! That was the excitement for the day, precipitation! Looked like the worst drought-stricken parts of Bandera, Kerr, and Kendall Co. all got a good dose too. Only thing different was a few Barn Swallow going south at dusk. Heard a Field Sparrow sing, as I tossed seed. The high of about 76F is fairly amazing. The Barking Frogs were happy at dark.

July 22 ~ Low about 74F maybe. Some low stratus, but spotty. There was an outflow boundry mid-day, but we had no precip here. About 3 p.m. was 89F, so a bit cooler, if you can call it that. Then we got some cooler outflow from nearish rain so spent late afternoon around 84F, a good 10F off the top, at least. Did not hear Ash-throatted Flycatcher again today, they are outta here. Still baby Bewick's and Carolina Wrens around. And the begging Red-tailed Hawk. Later a male Indigo Bunting was on the patio for white millet. Dispatched a vermin yesterday, so out by far corner of yard were Black and Turkey Vulture and Kathy saw a Caracara. A rain cell found us around 9 p.m. and dropped about 20 mm, or .8" and it was starting again at midnight when I unplugged.

July 21 ~ Low about 74F, with barely any low stratus early, another hot one inbound. But change starts this afternoon, they say. Was about 97F in afternoon and humid, when some rain cells moved by closeish. WE got a couple hundredths maybe, but the outflow took it down to 82F! What a treat! Some rain would have been nice, but we beat the heat again. Nothing different for birds, the same stuff is all still around. A Hooded Oriole was at back hummer feeder. I do not recall hearing an Ash-throated Flycatcher, will listen closer tomorrow. Way fewer hummingbirds out there now. The lack of bugs and flowers has caused a major early departure of them.

July 20 ~ Low about 73F, maybe 72 briefly. Not much for low stratus and a cooker in upper 90's F again. Forecast has a weeklong period of rain chances and cooler temps starting about Monday. We need the water, and some cooler temps would be nice too. Heard a great racket on the steel roof, sounded like about 8 reindeer, but since it was July I knew it was not that. At times you could hear it sliding on the fairly steep pitched roof. It was the Roadrunner! I probably flushed it away from that hummer feeder when I walked out. Daylength now is losing over one munute per day.

The compulsory annual photo of a 'greenie' type Painted Bunting. Limish green above, often more olive-green and greenish white below. So, a female or juvenile, or imm. male up to a year old or so, all look fairly similar. They are the only green bunting in America. Just make sure it has that conical seed cracking bill like a sparrow.

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July 19 ~ A low of 68F was fantastic, and due to that rain yesterday afternoon. The pleasant was short-lived though. Was 95F or higher in afternoon. Town run and park check. Water levels dropping so much we are in dire straights here. Probably 10 years since it has been this low. Soon pond will be FOUR FEET below spillway overflow (normal). Did not see any odes, they are in bad shape too. Still singing were Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireo, and Summer Tanager. No herons or such yet, despite lots of pond-edge showing now. Probably lots everywhere. There were a few Snout butterfly at the park.

July 18 ~ Low about 75F, some low stratus. A front and trough went across midwest this week, the tail end of which made it into north Texas. Which spun off a big outflow boundry a couple hundred miles long which made it across the Edwards Plateau. Weird for mid-July. We had thunder as it went over and maybe .45 or so, near a half-inch, of rain. Not to mention it took it down to 73F! Peak heat only recovered to 83F. Incredible. I saw 7 Queen at once on the Blue Mist Eup. A brutal Thursday at the biz desk. Did hear an Orchard Oriole a couple times, early and late, which sang some partial song fragments and I suspect the first summer male that has been around. Also heard the Black-n-white Warbler sing still.

July 17 ~ Low a balmy 76F, some low stratus, so humid. Another baker. Hearing at least one Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in corral or at airstrip. Ground-Dove and Chipping Sparrow singing, as opposite as possible. I see a Skeleton-plant flower. Kathy found a N. Mestra late in day that looked roosted up for the night down in the Blue Mist Eupatorium. Thought I heard a Purple Martin. Kathy flushed a feral cat outside, again. Hunting our birds and lizards among other things. They eat Painted Buntings no doubt. Begging juv. Red-tailed Hawk still - check. I heard what surely was a Canyon Towhee on the rocky slope behind us. Gave two different calls a few times but I didn't see it. Seemed like it must have been at seed along the fence where I toss it.

July 16 ~ Low was about 74F, with low stratus early for a few hours. Then comes the heat. Still hear Ash-throated Flycatcher around, and it seems two Indigo Bunting singers. Maybe only a couple male Painted Bunting singing. I saw a FOY Large Orange Sulphur, right on time. Kathy saw a more lemon yellow one like yesterday, likely Cloudless Sulphur. July is usually when both show up. I also saw a Vesta Crescent. Otherwise the same gang. Got to upper 90's F, very hot.

July 15 ~ Low about 74F, muggy of course. Kathy is still getting her baby Chat outside the kitchen window in the tangle. Through window and scrren in the dark tangle there is no light for photos. Back to the mid-90's F in the afternoons, sure was a great break last week. Today is the first day since last Thursday when I got bit that my foot doesn't hurt. Was one Red Harrvester Ant. Those things can light you up, it was still swollen yesterday on day four. They have not been the major problem this year as the last ten walking off with a pound of white millet daily. Kathy saw a big all yellow butterfly go by, most likely a Cloudless Sulphur, it is July now. She also said she had a large number of Snout come into water, which is the first of that this year. A couple to three weeks after 3 rain events that totalled over six inches. Snout are rain chasers. Be interesting to see if we get a major wave this year.

July 14 ~ Low about 75F, the cool nice morning break thingie is over. Sure was nice while it lasted. Still overcast all day again, so only 85F or so which is 10F off what it normally is these days. The Black-and-white Warbler on territory locally that visits near-daily sang in the Pecan over birdbath. Won't be hearing that much longer, sure is neat out the window. As of mid-July other things still singing e.g. nesting or territorial here, are, Indigo and Painted Bunting, Lesser Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrorw, Summer Tanager, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, House Finch, N. Cardnial, Carolina Chickadee and Wren, Bewick's Wren, Black-crested Titmouse, Mourning, White-winged, and Ground-, Doves. Maybe Eastern Bluebird, they certainly are still here and acting like they have another set going. Roadrunner and Black-chinned Hummingbird also still here going. Though only a few adult male Black-chinned Hummingbird left, most are gone.

Gone are Purple Martin, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Blue Grosbeak. The Ash-throated Flycatcher are just about to leave, chasing everything else. Yellow-throated Warbler are still at park, but I do not hear one here now. Up- and downriver a bit, but not here. Brown-headed Cowbird were fewest ever this year and will also soon be gone. There is at least one young Ladder-backed Woodpecker around. Of course the Red-tailed Hawk and two juvenile Great Horned Owl are still begging. Chucks are here but silent. Not hearing the Vermilioin Flycatcher pair in corral, and Scissor-tails go by near-daily but not sure if it is nesting nearby.

July 13 ~ One last low about 69F, man this has been great the last few days. Actually about five of last seven days we somehow beat peak afternoon heat, counting today. A large area of light rain was south of us covering all of the northern brush country, but we got the cool air from noonish on, spit on a few hundredths, and was about 80F! Incredible. Bunch of poor folks in east Texas still without power from Beryl!

Heard Yellow-throated Vireo singing early, a local unmated troller methinks. Kathy saw the Black-and-white Warbler at the bath, I presume the same summering first spring, now first summer, male. After dark a big sphinx moth came into my pipe tobacco. It buzzed all around my head touching me a few times, taking hits of that sweet and apparently irrestible golden cavendish aroma. Quick turned porch light on but it never came in. That 'one neat trick' brought the Lassaux's Sphinx right in. I think this was a Manduca sps., e.g. a Tomato Hornworm type.

While we are on birds in air at birdbath... this is one of our local pair of Carolina Chickadee. It watches bigger birds bathe and when they explode flapping throwing water all over, it quick flies down to hover in the shower as water goes flying. Seeing how much energy it can burn getting wet, when it can just land and sit in the water? When Kathy is watering in the yard and they are around they will show up for spray as well. Just loves a shower I suppose.

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July 12 ~ Another totally approved low, of 68F felt great. Some low stratus early, and mid-level in afternoon, so not as hot. Plenty humid though. It was all the same gang. Too swamped to look. Town run so a park check. To no avail. It was deadsville. No Martins overhead. Water dropping like a rock, lowest level and flow in a decade probably, based on shrinking park pond. The island is not. No odes either. Drought stage may only be D2, but we are FOUR FEET behind in rain. Kelly at the P.O. said he has most ever numbers of juvenile Cardinal at his place, loving his sprinkler. Water is better than food for attracting birds. Lots of things that don't eat seeds come in that otherwise wouldn't. Late afternoon there were some rain cells to our south, which sent us an 80F outflow boundry at peak heat. We have been very lucky the last week with beating peak heat a handful of days. Saw our Lonesome George Firefly out there again, day 7 all by its self. Saw the Mestra again.

July 11 ~ An astonishing low of 67F was fantastic! Best we felt in nearly two months. KERV had a 65 and change. What a difference five dF can make. Buried at the desk as a Thursday. Heard a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. The rest all seemed the same to me. I saw a rerport that the radar return rings of Purple Martin fall roosts are starting to show up at Houston. Time to check Austin radar at dusk and dawn. Saw my FOY N. Mestra (butterfly) today.

July 10 ~ After the rain yesterday afternoon we had a spectacular low at about 69.5F. KERV had a 68! Amazing! Feels SOOOO good. It is the little things. We did have another brief showerlet, maybe a half a tenth of an inch (.05-) of precip. But kept us below 80 for the first three hours of the afternoon. Very nice. Hear a Scissor-tail over by airstrip. The Gulf Coast Toad is still around the birdbath, and growing well. Heard Bluebirds and a Martin. Saw the lone Firefly (day 5) again. Also confirmed what I had been thinking for a couple weeks, but not nailed down, there are TWO begging Great Horned Owl fledglings around. Sometimes it takes a while to make absolutely sure of things, especially in the dark.

SPECIAL NOTICE !! ~ APOLOGIES if you visited after morning of July 9 to the 10th when the site was hacked and some foreign stuff showed. Apparently was at the webhost server. When we were able to get back, the server cloud copy they had was missing the prior birdnews update. We fixed it, and got up the next morning to find the update not there again. Now fixed again, and hopefully for good. SORRY!

July 9 ~ Low about 73F felt better. No morning low stratus though. Spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with the hijacking of the incredibly sought-after utopia nature website. I doubt anyone that reads the site could read what was there!

A shortwave trough moved over in the afternoon which rained over a lot of the Edwards Plateau. We got an INCH! ZOMG! Cooled it down to mid-70's F for peak heat, so which, we beat. Pure awesome. Kathy saw the male Indigo Bunting on the patio. That bird is so ginchy I cannot get a decent photo of it. After about 10 days of silence as often after a rain in July, at twilight the nearby Chuck-will's-widow was calling. Great to hear it again, and after rains is almost the only time I hear them after early July. This year they shut up in latest June.

July 8 ~ About 76F for a low. Beryl is making landfall near Houston, hope they come out unscathed in east Texas. You could not tell here save an occasional puff of an easterly. Both Hooded and an Orchard Oriole were around in morn. Kathy had a Black-n-white Warbler at the birdbath. I had a Scissor-tail call from the big dead Pecan in the afternoon. Kathy had the juv. Chat outside kitchen window in the tangle. Another hun in the sun afternoon here. Indigo Bunting singing over in draw the last week plus. If the same as in spring, as seems, then it disappeared for an entire week and returned. Which seems odd for a mated bird. Maybe they ran off with a set of fledlings? Never saw any here and we usually do. Nor has it ever left for a week, even between nestings. You lose your mate quickly methinks.

July 7 ~ The low of 71F was outstanding. KERV had some 69 readings! Wonderful rain-cooled air. Hot and humid, with some high thin debris clouds from Beryl, and occasional easterly winds. It has turned more northward towards middle or upper Texas coast and we will be lucky if we get anything out of it. The Common Ground-Dove has been calling a lot lately. I heard an abbreviated Blue Grosbeak song which I suspectd was that first spring male that has been around. For the third night I watched a lone Firefly with a bad circadian clock flying around blinking, to no response since spring flight was over weeks ago, and fall flight won't start for 6 weeks or so probably. Have not heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo since July 2.

July 6 ~ Low 76F, some low stratus for half the morning. Heard the Hooded Oriole around. Did not see anything different. Kathy saw the colorless juvie Chat again outside the kitchen window getting fed by adults. She also had 10 Queen at once on the Blue Mist Eupatorium. In the afternoon there were some rain cells around much of the Edwards Plateau, but mostly north of us. We got spit on, but were happy with the outflow which took it from 96F in the shade to 84, right at peak heat. Actually got down to 78F! A thrilling break. In the outflow gusty winds one of the big dead Pecan branches came crashing down on the porch roof, while I was out on porch. It then fell onto lots of our flowers around the porch. Got all of it off the flowers into bare area, will water good and see how bad the damage is tomorrow. Late evening heard the Couch's Kingbird calling over in the corral! Our FOS 'fall migrant', a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, went through in the afternoon. Done breeding and heading south.

This is a White-eyed Vireo diving into the birdbath. Vireos are mostly splash-bathers, not waddling in as most birds will. Only diving into the water and splashing as they do. You can see the pale iris, yellow lores and sides. It is kinda hard to catch in the act.

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July 5 ~ About 76F for a low, and some low stratus from Gulf until abut 11 a.m., whence instant hot and humid as the sun breaks. A great odd couple of birds was in the top of the big dead Pecan about 11 just before I headed out for my town run. A male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was acting like it was trying to get its mate to choose this as a nest site. The other bird was a COUCH'S Kingbird. I presume the one that we have seen monthly since March. These two species have been known to hybridize before. Had to walk in to park as they were setting up for the big firework show tonight at dark. Did not detect the Acadian Flycatcher, for the first time in about two months. I think last week when I heard what sounded like it feeding a young was the last of it. Still singing were Yellow-throated Vireo and Warbler, Summer Tanager, and below spillway an Indigo Bunting. Some Chimney Swift over town and park. Water is dropping fast and hard still.

July 4 ~ Happy Indepence Day, aka national beer and hot dogs day. And water recreation where available. Wish we had a running river. Third summer in a row without our walk-to swimming hole being in safe zone IMHO. Water is too warm and flow too low. Another just about a hundred dF day. Saw a male Hooded Oriole come into back office hummer feeder a couple times. Maybe it and that female have hooked up nearbyish? Would be great. We had a pair here for years, which one spring did not show up. We have had visitors since, but not a local nesting pair using it regularly. Did hear Martin today, they will be gone soon.

July 3 ~ Low about 76F and not much for morning low stratus, prepare to bake. Kathy had a juvenile Chat right outside the kitchen window being fed by adults in morn and evening. It has no color below, and virtually none above. Just a sordid dusky dark above and light below bird. I had it in front porch tangle. Heard a Field Sparrow sing out back. That Chipping Sparrow is sure a perfect trill. There is at least one juv. Ladder-backed Woodpecker around. Had a bunch of biz work and smokin' hot out there anyway. Begging Red-tail still whining all day, as is the juv. Great Horned Owl over in corral. Which seems a great place to lead and leave it. There are lots of cotton rats around. It HAS to be able to learn how to get them there. Hasn't stopped the begging yet though.

July 2 ~ Low of 76F, briefly some low stratus from Gulf in morning. Pretty hot out before noon, by afternoon a hun in the sun. Heard the Orchard Oriole singing again. Wish it would come in to the bath. Would love a pic of a partially chestnut first summer male. Heard the Hooded Oriole chatter. After not hearing it (presuming our local yardish breeder) for several days, I heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the Mulberry, so it is still here, or came back by to say goodbye. Also hear the Roadrunner cooing uphill behind us where it somewhere nests. There are very few Lesser Goldfinch around, maybe just one pair here, they never recovered from that major hail carpet bombing we had in May a few years ago. Kathy saw an Eyed Elaterid out back, first one this year. She also saw a W. Ribbonsnake on a trip outside. About 7 p.m. I heard an Inca Dove out front.

July 1 ~ Low of 73F felt great after the run of 78's we have had. Flowers around the porch are doing well, as we water them, but the rest looks fairly dessicated. Birds were the same, heard an Orchard Oriole sing in the afternoon. Heard some juv. Painted Bunting begging. Saw a swallowtail that I will just call an odd Black for lack of a better guess. About 98F in late afternoon. Today we hit 14 hours for daylength, so have lost a couple plus minutes since solstice, and almost losing a half-minute per day now.

~ ~ ~ June summary ~ ~ ~

We had two rain events in the otherwise bone dry month, but which were good ones totalling 5.5" for us here! Meanwhile water tables at park pond went down, from just over 2' below spillway to THREE feet below spillway overflow. Drought level remains D2. FIVE inches did not bring the water table up. It is parched and dire out there. Trees are dying.

Insects well reflect the dire situations of our habitats and ecosystems. Their numbers continue to be astonishingly few. Only minimal dragonfly and butterfly numbers. Still scraping for odes (dragonflies and damselfies). Three new for the year species seen: Red-tailed Pennant, a Prince Baskettail, and Widow Skimmer were nice to see. I saw only 8 species over the month. Pitiful.

For butterflies, there was nothing unusual, as expected, we typically do not get vagrant types in spring, that is a summer and fall thing. Flowers are all but non-existent away from water, and butterflies are hard to find, save at watered flowers. If we did not have watered flowers here we would hardly be seeing any butterflies. Looks like 31 sps. for the month.

Not insects but arachnids, we did have two Wolf Spiders in the house in sinks going after water (repatriated to great outdoors) this month. They used to be abundant. There has been a full-blown wholesale crash of spiders here along with the insect crash, of course. There was one group of numbers of Harvestmen (the outdoor daddy longlegsish thingie) seen here.

Birds were as expected for the most part. The only rarity was a female MacGillivray's Warbler June 3rd. My first June record for one. An Acadian Flycatcher again was territorial at Utopia Pk. the last two months and may have nested. No nesting Pewee there this year. Mostly it is just the breeding birds getting a clutch of young out. Overall numbers are way down, and fledgling productivity seems low. Another year, about the fourth in a row, of mostly one or two fledglings per nesting cycle. Over the month dawn chorus went from a mild roar to nearly non-esistant. Much is finished and done for the season already. I saw about 65 sps. locally over the month.

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~ ~ ~ June update header archive copy ~ ~ ~

June ~ A tardy MacGillivray's Warbler at the bath on the 3rd was very unexpected. A Bullock's Oriole at the park on the 7th was a surprise. June 9-11 we got a whopping 3.5" of precious holy RAIN! Almost 2" MORE fell on June 19-20 from Alberto. Usually this inspires most of the breeding birds to nest another round, if they had not bailed already (some have). Daily heat indices of 100F are typical all summer, be prepared. A Common Grackle was at Utopia Pk. June 28, first one I have seen this year

~ ~ ~ end June update header archive copy ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ back to the daily drivel ~ ~ ~

June 30 ~ Low 77F, a bit of low stratus in morn. Upper 90's F in afternoon. Hot and humid. Getting mighty quiet out there for birds. I hear new baby begging Chipping Sparrow, seeing juvenile Lark Sparrows. Summer Tanager and White-eyed Vireo still singing well. There was a dragonfly seeming to be attempting to oviposit on the wet sidewalk. It looked like a Pale-faced Clubskimmer which I had not seen yet this year.

June 29 ~ Another 78-98F temp spread day. So, nothing changed. Brutal out there. I can't believe how the Frogfruit has a fair bloom going, and nothing is on it. Should be covered in all the small butterflies like skippers, hairstreaks, blues, and such, nothing there. Did not hear a Chuck or a Chat after dark.

Our local pair of Carolina Chickadee in birdbath.

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June 28 ~ A chilly 77F for a low. Dawn chorus is dead. Some things go off here and there but the wonderful mild roar is over. It is mostly one at a time now. Town run and a park check. Singing there were Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, and in the live-oaks north of woods the Acadian Flycatcher. Which sounded like it was maybe with a young? Could not see it, but it seemed it and a second bird making similar call were together. Best bird was a male Common Grackle. First one I have seen this year. The usual nesting pair on the island does not nest when the island is not one. Same for the Green Heron pair. I have not seen them either this spring. Saw a male Widow Skimmer dragonfly again. Water still going down, the 5" of rain seems to have done nothing for the water table. Next week the big Utopia firework show is set for the 5th, on Friday. The fourth will be the parade. Which is a Utopia doo-dah parade. Everyone is welcome to do anything they like. Old cars to decorated ones, and hopefully not too many trombones. Kathy saw a Hackberry Emperor on kitchen window screen again. She also flushed a Roadrunner off the back porch under the hummingbird feeder stalking for a victim. That means there are very few lizards out there to eat.

June 27 ~ Another 78-98F temp spread day. Heat index over a hun. Sticky and not particularly pleasant. Oh for the beach or mountains. Some low stratus a couple hours in morning. A Celia's Roadside-Skipper landed on my ankle out on back porch this morn. I guess that is close enough to count it? Not hearing cuckoo, which likely means it is done and gone. They leave immediately after fledging their young, often by late June, and that is that. By early July they can all be gone locally. Where do they go? Saw an Elada Checkerspot in the afternoon. Heard a Martin family overhead, and near dusk a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher went over.

June 26 ~ Ran about 78-98F for a temp spread. Hot and sticky. Stuck at desk working and just as well. The female Hooded Oriole is around, and ginchy as they are. There was a Gulf Coast Toad at the birdbath early first thing. Did not hear a cuckoo today, again. A male Indigo Bunting is singing over in the draw, but no Blue Grosbeak around. Heard Yellow-throated Warbler visit the Pecans. The Tropical Sage is getting a bloom cycle underway so a hundred or two flowers open around front porch is nice. Lantana doing another bloom cycle too.

June 25 ~ Low a hair under 77F, balmy, and a brief showerlet to make sure humidity was topped up. A Hooded Oriole hit a hummer feeder earlyish but could not sex it due to bad light. Kathy saw it later morn, said it looked a female. Otherwise the same gang. Chuck-will's-widow are fairly quiet already. Just a little calling. They go mostly silent here by end of first week of July. Begging Red-tailed Hawk still going. Some baby begging Carolina Wren too. A juv. Cardinal is losing the dark bill and has pinkish color in basal half now. Heard the Black-and-white Warbler a few times. Did not hear a Cuckoo today.

June 24 ~ Low of 76F is nearing balmy. Sure getting quiet of birdsong. Barely a dawn chorus left already. If we get another round of nesting from the rains it could pick back up. Mr. Bell singing in the Mulberry over cottage. It was the same avian gang as is the June passerine program. Some family groups with begging babies is always nice. Bluebirds still noisy and around. Best was near 5 p.m. Kathy spotted an oriole at the birdbath. I got a look through bathroom window and screen. It was an adult female Hooded Oriole. No way you could get window open for pics without it flushing, darn it, as sun was on bath. Have not been seeing one on hummer feeders but they can be pretty furtive.

June 23 ~ I saw 70F on the front porch at 7 a.m., and it felt great. Earlier KERV had some high 60's! We may have before I got out there. What a difference a few dF makes. Lark Sparrow, Carolina and Bewick's Wren are three of the birds singing most around yard. A few morning looks and listens turned up nothing of note. Note over the next several days we saw a ad. female Hooded Oriole around. So, that could well explain the mystery song yesterday. It was a female Hooded Oriole. Lots of female songbirds sing and we know very little about it. Kathy had a Bordered Patch butterfly today.

June 22 ~ Ran about 72-92 for the temp spread today. Kathy caught another big wolf spider, this out of the bathroom, and set it free outside. I think they were coming in for water and then did not find their way out. Mr. Bell still singing and was in yard doing so. Love that song. Neatest thing was Kathy spotting a Gray Fox which drank at the birdbath. The big mystery of the day was an oriole I heard sing in the late morning and again in late afternoon which I did not recognize. I know my oriole songs beyond well and this was none of the usual normal songs. Both times I went inside for bins and camera, and never heard it again once I got back out armed. The rest of the daily show was the expected. Heard Roadrunner, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Ground-Dove.

The compulsory annual photo of a male Painted Bunting in the bird bath. No better way to attract more birds than watering them. Even a sprinkler in bushes or a tree can be very effective. This bath is a large garden pot drain dish. Change the water daily if using a bath.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

June 21 ~ Full moon today on the heels of the solstice. Low about 72.5F, and a few more hundredths of an inch of precip from passing showerlets overnight. Near 90F in the afternoon. We luckily dodged several days of heat and got a much-needed break. If one of those parent Red-tails doesn't come by and feed that young (which sounds like pleading steel rail wheels) soon, I am going to have to shoot a squirrel and feed it myself. Town run and a quick park check. They were doing a sound check for the rodeo this weekend, so was loud. Best was a couple Red-tailed Pennant dragonfly. They surely must be on-site emergences now. They were rare here 20 years ago, far less than annual, becoming regular in last five years. Birds singing in the woods were Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireo, a few Yellow-throated Warbler, Summer Tanager, and with much less vigor than the last month, the Acadian Flycatcher. Heard a B-n-w Warbler. The 5.5" of rain the last 12 days has not caught up with the water table drop, which is still THREE FEET from going over spillway at park pond. It has gone down near a foot so far in June. Maybe some will filter down next week? I hear a Vermilion Flycatcher singing over in the corral here at hovelita, maybe they will nest again now. Fourth day with no Firefly, they are over until the fall flight.

June 20 ~ Happy solstice! Astronomical (or celestial) summer is here, the sun is at its furthest north bringing the longest daylength. Of course we have already had a way over a month of summer temps here. Which is why I like climatological summer better: June, July, and August. Farmer's Almanac for the win. The main band of light rain from short-lived Tropical Storm Alberto started yesterday evening and lasted until pre-dawn. Total was 3cm, or 1.2". We lucked out. Eastern Bluebirds singing up a storm makes me think they are going to try another round of nesting. The rain the last dozen days will induce lots of birds to nest again this season. They know there will be flowers and bugs. There are some Junipers and Hackberries with fair amounts of green berries on them, a good sign from the spring. I saw my FOY flowers of Red Turkscap, Indian Mallow, and those low peachy un-ID'd things have come out now too. Only saw about 82F in the afternoon for the second day, what a great break. About 4:30 we got another couple rain cells from leftover Alberto moisture and heating. Totalled about 17.5 mm or just under .75 of an inch. Making the two day and event total 47.5 mm or 1.9"! And making for 5.4" in the last 12 days! To say it is a relief is a gross understatement when you are three feet behind. It was a 'slow soaker' so there was little to no runoff.

June 19 ~ Low about 74F, overcast and rain from the tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico is supposed to make it here this afternoon, eve, or overnight. Thick clouds will keep it 10dF cooler anyway. Light rain started around 7 p.m. and brought temps down to about 70F. Wonderful. Heard the B-n-w Warbler, and a Blue Grosbeak sang nearishby, Cuckoo-cooed, and heard fledgling Lark Sparrow begging. As does the juv. Red-tailed Hawk still. Tomorrow the daylength will be 2 seconds longer. Being a glutton for punishment, I tried to take some pix of the awesome violet of the Wooly Ironweed flowers. You won't believe this, but Canon auto-focus screwed all six shots. I might grow to hate this camera. Saw a Gray Hairstreak on Tube-tongue.

June 18 ~ A low of 72F was induced by a pre-dawn showerlet. About a half a tenth of an inch (.05) maybe. At 3 p.m. it was 90F on the front porch. The first spring-summer male Black-and-white Warbler took a bath early in morn. Got a chigger yesterday, after not having a single one all spring so far. I told Kathy that rain would bring some out. Believe it or not, no one had complained about their absence. If only we could order summer rain, hold the chiggers.

Too many piggy juv. House Finch around lately, that need to learn how to forage for wild seeds. Near end of day an ad. male Blue Grosbeak was on patio, and then an ad. male Indigo Bunting tried to land on white millet tube! Have not seen or heard either in about a week. Are these new birds? If you leave for a week you lose your mate so not something they do when there is time to go another cycle still left in the season. Oh for some color bands on these birds. A freak feather somewhere, some way to differentiate and get us past unknowing speculation.

June 17 ~ Low of 75F, some low stratus, a brief spitting, exactly when I went to toss seed at 7 s.m., of course. Did hear cuckoo out there today, so still around. Heard a distant Blue Grosbeak, and the Bell's Vireo over in the corral. The Ash-throated Flycatchers got a couple young out and have been over in corral lots last few days. Kathy caught a big Wolf Spider in the kitchen sink, which was repatriated to the great outdoors. There were a Dun and two Celia's Roadside-Skipper on the Wooly Ironweed, which is blooming well now. What an awesome electric purple that is. I fenced it this year so unlike the last two it did not get massacred by deer early in season, so a good bloom again. Kathy saw a couple male Painted Bunting out back from office window late in day. No Fireflies tonight, I think they are done for the spring flight. Which was weak at best, a very poor showing for them.

June 16 ~ The standard, low of 75F, some low stratus for a few hours early. Then mostly sunny and 96F or so with heat index over a hun. Kathy spotted an odd skipper out front and Canon SX40 auto-focus screwed my six shots. WORST AUTO FOCUS EVER: Canon! A veritible Microsoft of auto focus. The engineers involved should commit hari kari. Fifty years ago for a hundred bucks you could buy a camera that focused on anything. Now with modern technology there is a $500 camera that can't focus on anything! Heard the Bell's Vireo over in corral. Kathy also saw a Questionmark. Heard some Martins overhead. Too hot and sticky out there. Still can't believe I am not hearing Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting. They both normally sing (nest) into August. When we are drought-stricken LOTS of birds only nest once. Especially the migratory breeders. Whereas many of the resident breeders have already gone twice. But with albeit low fledge rates. One or two young is the rule, three an exception. Two juvenile Raven were begging for an hour over in the corral.

June 15 ~ Half way through the first month of climatalogical summer. Low of 75F, high above 95. Little bit of low stratus for a short while in morn and very humid and sticky. Heard a Bell's Vireo singing in corral. Bird of the day was an Empidonax flycatcher Kathy saw. It disappeared before the resident empiphylliac could get a look. Have no idea what to make of it. Begging Chipping Sparrow still doing so, and besides the juv. Red-tailed Hawk, there is also a begging Great Horned Owl around. Kathy saw a couple Blues, the butterflies, probably Reakirt's. Makes me want to hear Butterfly Bleu, Iron Butterfly, Metamorphosis album, got the vinyl, 50 some years ago. Some Blue Mistflower still going and some Queens still on it. Not much for butterflies though, and less for dragons - none.

This is a Nashville Warbler this spring. Usually our most common migrant warbler in spring. Yellow underparts including throat, olive upperparts, gray head, big white eyering, no wingbars or tailspots, and sometimes you can see the rufous in the central crown feathers.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

June 14 ~ Low of 75.5F, not very. Some low stratus off and on, barely. That 3.5" of rain this week was a biological life-saver here, things were in critical condition. Red-tailed Hawk flew right over begging. I think it was going to land in the big dead Pecan until it saw me. Town run day so a park check. Singing were: Acadian Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Red-eyed, Yellow-throated, and White-eyed Vireo, Carolina and Bewick's Wren, Titmouse (B-c), and Chickadee (Caro). Purple Martin and Northern Rough-winged Swallow over the pond. In passage transients there was one Black-and-white Warbler, and across the river I heard a Golden-cheeked Warbler chipping in live oaks across from furthest north end of park. Post-breeding wanderers. My FOY Widow Skimmer was nice, what a beautiful dragonfly.

June 13 ~ Low was 74F, some low stratus early and some clouds scattered late afternoon, but probably 95F and heat index over 100. Come on down, it's lovely. A busy desk day, and with added phone issues for more fun. Did not see anything different. It is the silence of Indigo Bunting and Blue Grosbeak that is killin' me. It sure got a lot quieter out there in the last week. Two of the best blues, and best singers we had. Yellow-throated Warbler was around a bit. The big outflow boundry two days ago knocked down the martin house. I had already done so once to remove an in-process House Sparrow nest, no martins, so am leaving it down for now. Kathy saw a beautiful bright male Hooded Oriole at the back hummer feeder. I saw a dull brown False Duskywing.

June 12 ~ Low was 71F, not bad, and there was a brief pre-dawn showerlet of about .1", a tenth of an inch. A parting shot from the over-performing upper-level low. The cell last night got severe right after passing us, to our SE. Well now we have gone three days without the yard singing male Indigo Bunting. It is absent. Like the Blue Grosbeak. If they fledged young we'd see that here, the female and some juveniles. The males disappeared, dare I say in this case, out of the blue. They or their nests were predated, the latter far more likely. Two of my favorite singers, and the most beautiful blues in the yard, lost in one week. I would say that I would bet June is THE month that the most bird nests are predated in the United States. Begging juv. Chipping Sparrow around. Heard a Yellow-throated Vireo, but it went though yard quickly. Eurasian Collared-Dove singing, if you can call that that, out back. Please go away.

June 11 ~ A low of 71F is nice, if only it could do that all summer, we would be fine. Clear so go straight to the warmup. Sure a lot less bird singing going on out there already. Plants look better today. I see a couple FOY Texas Bindweed (a smaller magenta morning glory) flowers opened. Some skippers like it, will keep eyes out, there have been almost no skippers this year. Never seen anything like it in 20 years here. The cumulative toll of 15 of last 20 years in drought, as well as much of the 90's before that. You can only have so many bad years in a row, or so close together.

Had a Skipper land on my knee after I wrote the above about skipper scarcity. It was my FOY Clouded! Should complain more about the bad conditions, obviously. At 3 p.m. on front porch it was 91F, so a few dF higher in the sun. About 5:p another thundercell (!) found us and in about 45 minutes dropped about 42mm more of holy rain! About 1.7"! WEEWOW! An incredible 3.5" in the last three days! A week ago, studying the weather forecasts, you would have never guessed it. Couple Chucks in a calling duel over and up the draw not to far. Either yesterday or today we hit the 14 hour daylength mark. We will only add a couple minutes and change before it turns around.

June 10 ~ Pre-dawn we had another thundercell go over! Apparently we have an over-performing upper-level low that seemed to me to be fairly disregarded, until it couldn't be. It is always OK to wake the drought-stricken with rain. The low was a chilly 66F, which felt amazing. It was another INCH of rain! We have now 1.8" (45 mm) with the .8 last night and this inch. This was so badly needed. It is parched out there. Had a neat moth land on my hand, so no way to come inside for camera and pic. Heard an Orchard Oriole sing a bit early, poorly, so surely that first spring male I saw a few times recently. Also heard a Golden-cheeked Warbler chipping, and zzeet notes from the Black-n-white. No ad. ma. Blue Grosbeak to be heard. Aaaaaarrrrggghhh! Male Painted Bunting on seed out office window, I suppose consoling me. What do they think? They were watching it sing every day too, and know it was in the middle of nesting like it is. The Rio Grande Leopard Frogs are roaring. A small sphinx moth buzzed me whilst I was smoking my pipe.

June 9 ~ Low about 74F, low stratus held heat, but kept sun away early. And which lasted most of day, we were a few dF cooler than yesterday. The bad news is I did not hear the ad. male Blue Grosbeak all day today, or yesterday. The sudden departure probably means its nest was predated. Major bummer. I heard a poor quality song that was surely the blue headed first spring male that has also been around. But the ad. male is gone. Disappearing mid-cycle is either nest predation, or it got predated. Bummer. Heard Eastern Bluebird out there in morning. Kathy saw the Cuckoo almost come into bath but it chickened out. A Black-n-white came in. Study of the pics show it to be a first spring male, surely the one I have been hearing sing lately. A Yellow-throated Vireo made some splash bathing dives at the birdbath. Saw a female Hooded-Orchard Oriole there briefly too. A big and welcome surprise was a fairly unpredicted thundercell between 9 and 10 p.m. that dropped .8 of an inch (20 mm) of precip here~ And took 15-20 dF off the temps in short order! RAIN! It smelled soooo good. Sounds like the Barking Frogs are thrilled.

June 8 ~ The low about 72F was great. Dreamy after the hun+ heat indexes. Clear and hot early. At 4 p.m. on the front porch 96F, so a hun in the sun. Just two weeks or so to solstice and the longest day. Of course climatalogical summer is here as of June 1, and it feels like it. In morn heard Great Crested and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Birds were the same otherwise, nothing new or different. Tis the season to hide inside in front of a fan. No flowers out there save what we planted and water. Still Lysides and Queens, the odd Sleepy Orange and Red Admiral, but not much else. Kathy saw a teneral damselfly in the cattails of the tub pond. Which could mean there was an emergence there!?!

This is a male Yellow-breasted Chat. They sing all day and night, but the noises are often not very 'song-like'. Honks, chatters, whistles, squawks, all sorts of sounds, many not very avian sounding. They are in their own family, related to nothing closely, a one-off gene pool. Can be nearly common in riparian habitats along the river corridor. Upperparts are olive, this photo in shade under overcast. They are the only species I have seen take Red Harvester or Leaf-cutter ants here. We sometimes have duelling counter-singing constests, one on either side of yard, because one is not enough of a racket.

~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~

June 7 ~ Low about 74F with no morning low stratus from the Gulf. So, hotter faster. Our big old male Mulberry tree has leaves turning yellow and dropping. The drought is bad. Kathy flushed a feral cat out of the front porch flowers where Chats go daily. Town run and a park check. Best was my FOS Bullock's Oriole, which is actually pretty rare in the park (LTA-less than annual). Surely an unmated bird moving around. Acadian Flycatcher still there singing. A Yellow-throated Warbler sang a song I never heard. The first half was our normal (abnormal) song here, but finished with an accelerating trill recalling Wilson's Warbler. Weirdest Y-t Warbler song I ever heard. Some Swift and Checkered Setwing and a Red Saddlebags in dragonflies. Something at least. The Sneezeweed is finishing up blooming. Chimney Swift and Purple Martin in town. In that lot behind Big Ern's there are singing Bell's Vireo and Summer Tanager, both I suspect nesting. Rosie's tacos are still just as good as ever. At 4 p.m. five local WU stations were reporting 98 to 102F. Just before 5 p.m. I spent 10 min. outside, 96F on shady front porch. Singing were Roadrunner, Chat, Carolina and Bewick's Wren, and Indigo Bunting, House Finch, amd Cardomal. Heard Summer Tanagers calling, and probably the Black-n-white Warbler. The hummers kept fighting as usual, and the Red-tailed Hawk is still begging over at the river. Kathy thought she had a Beezlebub Bee-eater Robberfly.

June 6 ~ Clear for a change this morn, and low about 72, but likely dipped more after I looked. A local WU station had 71F and KERV a 70F. Didn't last but a few moments though. Saw 95F on cool front porch, surely a hun in the sun, and hotter on the patio. Was a desk day as Thursdays are for me. Kathy late in day saw the juvie Black-n-white Warbler come into bath again. That slaving away in the kitchen really pays off, eh?! I have yet to see it, she has seen it four times. Did see a male Summer Tanager come into the tub pond. The Money-Penny-Dollar-whichever-wort is doing great in the pond this year, and the Cattails not too bad. Still 90F at 9 p.m.! A big sphinxmoth buzzed me after dark when I was smoking my (tobacco) pipe outside. Manduca sized.

June 5 ~ A low of 80F is too dang high. Humid with low stratus as recently. Not exactly fresh feeling out there. Mid-day I heard the zzeet of a warbler, Black-n-white is most likely zzeeter now, but it sounded kinda Yellow to me. Did not see anything so just a zzeeting warbler sps. Another cooker of a day, at 3 p.m. 94F on the cool front porch in the shade. Near a hun in the sun, and heat index over that. Just three months to go. Hope we make it. If the morning stratus holds it is bearable to noonish. If you don't mind being sticky. Birds were the same gang, heard the Yellow-throated Warbler out there. Love the dedication to singing of Indigo Bunting. They are indefatigable. Kathy had a Setwing on the clothesline, likely a Swift, the default yard setwing.

June 4 ~ A low of 77F does not bode well. Overcast early to about mid-morn. I heard a begging juvenlie warbler uphill in the live-oaks behind us. Sounded Golden-cheeked or Black-and-white juvie (which are indistinguishable to me), but was absolutely not Yellow-throated. About 3 p.m. Kathy saw the juv. Black-n-white Warbler at the birdbath again, third day in a row. Also then it was over 100F, local WU stations showing 101-103F. Heat index is worse. I saw 98F on the cool front porch. Heard three coooers out there: Roadrunner, Cuckoo (Y-b), and Ground-Dove. In the afternoon, it sure gets quiet in the heat. Did not cool down as usual. At 11 p.m. it was still 90F!

June 3 ~ Low of 76F, overcast and humid. Nothing has changed. Kathy spotted a warbler at the bath which I got bins on too. It was a first-spring female MacGillivray's Warbler! Only Mac we saw all spring, my first June date for one, and surely my latest spring migrant warbler date. Wished I would have grabbed camera instead of bins! Late morn the first-spring male Blue (headed) Grosbeak came into bath quickly. It has new blue feathers on throat and breast it did not have a couple weeks ago. The blue of head is working its way posteriorly. Heard Bell's Vireo again around perimeter of yard. When I go out on front porch the Chat often flushes out of the thick foliage all around it. Probably grabbing some of the Lyside Sulphurs on the Lantana and Blue Mist Eupatorium. Still a handful of Queen on the Blue Mist too.

June 2 ~ Low of 75F, overcast and humid. Will be low 90's F, but heat index around 100F, a bit oppresive to me. In the very frustrating department in morn I had a singing warbler outside I could not see. which I think it was a Bay-breasted after coming in and listening to some songs. It was one of the types I told Kathy it might be before I looked the songs up. It went through fairly quickly, I heard about six examples of song very well. Late in day Kathy saw the juvenile warbler at the bath again, it is a Black-and-white. So out of the nest and wandering on own now. Otherwise it was the same gang.

June 1 ~ OMG, in a month we will be half way through the year! Low about 72F, KERV had some upper-60's F from rain-cooled air. We heard a Bell's Vireo singing from bed with that first cup of coffee. Mid-morn a Great Crested Flycatcher was trolling around, surely an unmated bird. It was encouraged to leave by the courage of an Ash-throated Flycatcher. After 7 p.m. Kathy saw a juvenile warbler at the birdbath, Black-n-white or Yellow-throated. Just a couple Chucks in earshot, used to always be a handful. Not hearing the Common Nighthawk either so wondering if they have come in, counted bugs, and moved on to nest elsewhere as they have a couple times in some recent drought years. Like the Scissor-tails do.

~ ~ ~ May summary ~ ~ ~

It was on the hot and dry side. The 1.6" of rain we had south of town a couple miles is less than half normal for the month. The drought stage is stilll D2 (severe), and water is still two feet from going over spillway at the park pond. Certainly some record breaking high temps were had as well, and lows were often in the mid-70's F.

In odes (dragonflies and damselflies) there were hardly any to be found. A few at the park pond, but it is dismal for them in general. Now, I cannot believe how abundant they were 15-20 years ago when we were in a wet cycle. I used to see more in my yard in a day, than I see in a month here now. I am seeing none in the yard. I saw 5 species this month.

Butterflies were also slow, with just the most common things, but in very low numbers save Lyside Sulphur. I count about 36 species for the month, of the statistically most expected types. You need spring rains, ergo flowers, for insects. March was a third of normal and May less than half. Fairly cancelling out that April was average.

Birds were about as expected for being way down overall in drought springs. The later migrants go through, especially flycatchers, the later breeding arrivals fill in, and the early breeders get the first set of young out of the nest in May. Though I wasn't out scouring as usual, a meager 53 species was all I saw in May. Far fewer warblers then when in wet cycles for instance, here in yard and at the park. Fewer migrants of all sorts. Also no rain ponds so no shorebirds. We are being overflown. The numbers of breeders are way down too.

The Couch's Kingbird continuing since March is great. A three-day Catbird in yard was nice. A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher calling at park the 17th was good as easy to miss any spring here. The Acadian Flyc. is back on territory at the park again this year. Did not see Am. Redstart or Black-throated Green Warbler, any Grosbeak but Blue, missed Olive-sided Flyc., easy stuff we should see. Also not seeng Zone-tailed Hawk as usual. Turkey Vulture are all but absent around our place. It is weird out there.

~ ~ ~ end May summary ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ archive copy May update header ~ ~ ~

May ~ Started off on the 1st with FOS Least Flycatcher. Late on the 2nd a FOS Catbird was calling. May 3 Kathy saw a FOS Wilson's Warbler at the bath. At the park I saw FOS Northern Waterthrush, FOS Great Crested Flycatcher, and at the UvCo 354 pasture a few FOS Dickcissel. Three tardy FOS on May 4 were Orchard Oriole, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and Chimney Swift. A Catbird was here the 6th. A Catbird was at our place May 6-8. On the 8th, noonish a FOS Swainson's Thrush took a bath. May 9 was my FOS Baltimore Oriole. The 10th brought a FOS Eastern Wood-Pewee. My FOS Western Kingbird was on the 11th in yard. A FOS Warbling Vireo was singing here the 15th. A couple FOS at the park the 17th were Empidonax, about all that is left that has not gone through already. One calling Yellow-bellied Flycatcher high in the Cypresses, and on the island a singing Willow Flycatcher, in the willows. The first Bank Swallow I have seen in a few years here flew over yard southbound on May 24. A singing Couch's Kingbird was in our big dead Pecan on the 30th.

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ end archive copy May update header ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jan. 1 through June 30, 2024 will be here:
Bird News Archive XXXXI
2024 - Jan. through June (Jan. through May so far)

~ ~ ~ ~
2024 weekly photo break pics are here:
2024 pix

~ ~ ~
Bird news July 1 through Dec. 31 is here:
Bird News Archive XXXX
July through December, 2023

January to June 2023 is now at:
Old Bird News 39
Bird News Archive XXXIX



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