Joann Merritt's Essays
This, That And T’other
June, 2004
The title of my journal is an expression used by my Mother-in-law, but her “this, that and the other” did not mean birds, butterflies, wildflowers and native plants as mine does.
April 14 & 15: Charles Flugum wrote “Birding From a Tractor Seat”, a book of his experiences on the farm in Minnesota, but in all his years of farming, he never witnessed a hawk migration like the one his Midland counterpart Charlie Wright did last year. Charlie (that’s Texan for Charles, folks) was disc harrowing on Don’s sister’s farm when Swainson’s Hawks started following his tractor. The next morning a migration of about 100 Swainson’s Hawks in various plumages flew around his tractor or waited patiently on the next row to eat the mice and other prey stirred up by the disk harrow. Seeing this was a great birding experience, but by noon all the hawks had disappeared. This farm is adjacent to Sybil’s place, and later in the day she reported a large kettle of hawks circling in the sky. When Alvin, Don and I arrived, we saw only 14 until Charlie had refueled and started working the field again; then we were entertained by 50 or so hawks plummeting from the sky like falling stars to again feast on the abundant prey. The next day the Swainson’s Hawks had continued on their migration route.
April 5: It was a cold rainy day with temperatures ranging from 47 to 53 degrees. Late that evening when my brother’s wife, Jackie, looked on their back porch she saw 12 Inca Doves lined up on the porch railing huddling together to keep warm; House Sparrows had gathered on the porch floor while a Curve-billed Thrasher sat on the handlebars of their exercise bike ready to do his warm-up exercises if necessary. A tiny Black-chinned Hummingbird sat on a wire very close to the porch light. He was evidently in a state of torpor, not reacting to motion or voices. Jackie turned out the light and called me and we decided that she should do like Tom Bodette in the old Motel 6 commercial when he says “We’ll keep the light on for you”. The next morning when she touched the hummingbird, it fell off into her hand, so she took it inside to warm up and when it revived, she released it. I’ve read of birds being in a torpid state, but have never witnessed it.
May 4: When Don and I checked the Patriot Ditch we saw Rock Wrens fly up about 8 feet to where their nest was located. They had lined the entrance with small gray rocks creating a nice patio effect. Later both parents and three young flew to big hunks of concrete in the bottom of the pit when they hunted for insects. While watching the wrens we saw a Rough-winged Swallow enter a white plastic pipe that was sticking out of the side of the pit very near the wren’s nest. This may have served as their nesting place, but we have not yet seen a family of wrens there. Near Mulberry Lakes, an Ash-throated Flycatcher flew out of a round metal fence post where they had nested last year. These experiences brought back memories of John Cys, who encouraged MIDNATS to explore this area of birding.
April 30: A hundred Chipping Sparrows and a solid carpet of Golden Crownbeard enlivened Crawford’s pasture while hundreds of Lark Buntings provided the music. A HUGE Bullsnake enlivened me! Tall white Larkspurs beckoned to us but we had to search for the small Skullcap and Midland Sage.
At Harris’, 4 baby Killdeer ran across the road and flattened themselves on the ground becoming practically invisible. We located two of them and they didn’t move at all when Don took their picture. As we left, the adults quickly returned to the area. A Scaled Quail constructed her nest under the slotted wooden pallet used for a doorstep to David’s shop; but she abandoned the nest after laying 18 eggs in it. Why would she choose such a high traffic spot when she had the entire ranch? A turkey wandered through the mesquite trees and quietly slipped away.
Still at Harris:…many wildflowers greeted us with colorful blooming faces. Winecup and Ironweed grew abundantly, especially in Pemberton Draw northeast of the orchard. It was too early for the Ironweed to bloom, but the light and dark pink Winecups did double duty.
April 8: The small emergency spillway at I-20 Pond that dubbed Dry Gulch by Ken Adams when the Native Plant group met there last April became Gorgeous Gorge this spring with 50 species of wildflowers in bloom. We found a Mallow, Abutilon parvulum, which is new for Burr’s county list.
May: May was butterfly month. The heavy sweet smell of Catclaw blooms at I-20 Pond enticed numerous colorful large and small butterflies to come and nectar. Don Hunter, Sybil and I found 25 species one morning. At home Sybil had Soapberry Hairstreaks and a Theona Checkerspot and also a Fulvia Checkerspot at Crawford’s Ridge where its host plant Paintbrush grows.
May 29: Rose Marie came to document a Ruby-spotted Swallowtail that I found, and her digital pictures are good. It is certainly new for our list.
Spring Migration: A female Blackpoll Warbler was the highlight but 10 other warbler species stopped on our two acres. Philadelphia, Solitary, and Bell’s Vireos arrived; Rose-breasted, Black-headed and Blue Grosbeaks came to eat mulberries; and Indigo, Lazuli and Painted Buntings visited also. A male and female Summer Tanager, Western Tanager, Brown Thrasher, Green-tailed Towhee, House and Carolina Wrens and a Poorwill calling early one morning complete my “best of migration list; all of these were seen here at home. I’m still looking for migrants because Sara found a male Chestnut-sided Warbler one June 14 when she was here looking for the Bell’s Vireo. Keep looking and listening!!