lily
Saturday, June 12, 2004
06/12/04
These are the newest photos and now that they are posted, they aren't very good. The fringes of the pond are incredibly green, especially considering how brown everything else is turning as Summer heat pulls every bit of moisture out of the area. I spent several hours trying to photograph the black birds because they are beautiful birds, and because their social behavior is so interesting. Yesterday each of the males had from two to four chicks following them around. The chicks have so few feathers it is amazing they can fly (but they do), and they still depend on their parents for food, but they are obviously in some kind of training program.
This is my first attempt at gardening in several years. The last time I harvested two tomatoes from about $50 worth of plants and a lot of water. This time I have chosen a spot out of the relentless wind, that is shaded from the afternoon sun. The tomatoes and jalapenos already look promising. I used pieces of slate, sandstone, and shale to build a small ditch from the waterfall, around to the garden area, and that is working well also.
Early morning (just after sunrise) and late evening (just before sunset) are the nicest and most active times for the pond. I usually just stop work and watch whatever happens, and it changes daily.
This is my first attempt at gardening in several years. The last time I harvested two tomatoes from about $50 worth of plants and a lot of water. This time I have chosen a spot out of the relentless wind, that is shaded from the afternoon sun. The tomatoes and jalapenos already look promising. I used pieces of slate, sandstone, and shale to build a small ditch from the waterfall, around to the garden area, and that is working well also.
Early morning (just after sunrise) and late evening (just before sunset) are the nicest and most active times for the pond. I usually just stop work and watch whatever happens, and it changes daily.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
06/09/04
Have current photos of the pond, but might not be able to get them posted tonight. Just imagine green. Beyond that, I haven't been able to photograph some of the most interesting parts. The first group of red winged black birds has hatched, and the chicks are already out of the nests. They have been here for a couple of years now, and this is the first time I have paid attention to their social behavior. For example, the males seem to be the baby sitters. Every day the males will each lead one chick at a time around the different areas by the pond. The male eats, and the chick hops along behind it and gets fed occasionally. It is genuinely interesting to watch, and often comical. The hard part is convincing the local dogs to leave the babies alone. My dog doesn't really want to eat them, she just doesn't want them in her yard.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
05/31/04
Although this Spring has been extraordinarily wet, the long hot days have evaporated most of the stored moisture and what isn't being watered is starting to stress. Bill's daughter now has access to a digital camera and took photos yesterday. We should get them posted within a few days. Although most of the landscape will be brown within the next few weeks (unless the wet trend continues - not likely), the pond is an explosion of energy. The red-winged black birds are becoming a really interesting group. They are so bold that they walk right up to us, scolding and displaying the red on their wings. Although they chase most intruders away, they have allowed (only) one seriously ugly bird to move in, and it now has a seriously ugly chick in its nest. No clue as to what it might be yet.
The snakes are out, but none around the pond yet. I saw one a couple of morning ago while walking, and my sister-in-law saw one at a friend's house a few blocks away. I still think that the roadrunners, owls, and hawks eat any that might come around here.
The snakes are out, but none around the pond yet. I saw one a couple of morning ago while walking, and my sister-in-law saw one at a friend's house a few blocks away. I still think that the roadrunners, owls, and hawks eat any that might come around here.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Llano Estacado
I found this short but fairly informative page about the Llano Estacado, which supplements this second page found on the USGS site.
Anyone wanting more in-depth information should start with either of the following two links.
Handbook of Texas Online: LLANO ESTACADO
or
Sky and Mesa, and the Llano Estacado Bioregion
Anyone wanting more in-depth information should start with either of the following two links.
Handbook of Texas Online: LLANO ESTACADO
or
Sky and Mesa, and the Llano Estacado Bioregion
Sunday, May 23, 2004
05/23/04
4PM. I haven't been awake very long and this is my first time outside since I got in from work this morning. It is hot with a mild breeze. Although I have other things to do, I can see Bill working on the pond and it is like a magnet to me. He has just finished mowing the flat top of the berm and I have trimmed about 1/4 of the inner edge and outer bank using clippers and a weed-eater. My recent plantings have a few new leaves - I would guess a sign of life - but none of the seeds or bulb plants have surfaced. This is the best time, and the worst. Most of May and June will be manicure, trim and remove debris. The visual rewards are still a few months away, but then they last almost until Winter.
Last week a friend of Bill's brought a big mound of frog eggs which they placed in some reeds near the waterfall spill-way. Those were a bird feast within a few hours. This week he brought tadpoles, so, maybe. Bill has tried to introduce frogs into the pond for the past two years, but nothing yet. The year before last he placed two adult frogs (leopard?) in some reeds on the West bank, and we never saw them again. Occasionally as we are walking around the pond we will hear a splash as something hits the water in the reeds, and Bill thinks it is one of those frogs, but I once saw a snake drop into the water from the bank and it made the same sound.
About the local snakes - I don't actually even like the subject, but they are an element of this ecological situation.
There is a large variety of local snakes, mostly harmless to humans, but the one of concern to everyone is the rattlesnake. They are common here and I have seen them often throughout my life. And, although there are times when I am more cautious than others, (dense weeds, piles of rocks/boards/junk, old structures), they have never been a limiting factor. I have hiked and camped throughout the entire region without a lot of concern. The community where I live is a small collection of structures (less than 300) set in a large prairie. Snakes and all other wildlife pretty much pass through constantly. Every summer someone or several people will find a rattlesnake in the yard, in the garage or carport, or on one of the roads in town. We live on the Southeast edge of the community and there is an open pasture for miles beyond our yards. Snakes are just here and we are always watching for them, even if we aren't always aware that we are.
In the two years before he put the pond in, Bill lost two of his dogs to rattlesnakes. He also saw several others on his land. During that time I once found a Western whip snake in my kitchen, it apparently came in through the dog door, and a few days later found a rattlesnake outside my back door looking like it might be attempting to enter the dog door. I just removed the harmless snake, but killed the rattlesnake before I could even think about it.
It would seem that introducing a pond into an area where every animal is always searching for water would be asking for trouble with snakes. So far this isn't true. For the past three years a Grey Owl, what could be a pair of Kestrels, a Cooper's Hawk, and two ragged looking Roadrunners have lived in the trees beside the pond and hunt almost daily. Their predation is supplemented by a steady stream of other hunters passing through and munching on each other, all of which combines to makes us more "snake free" than we ever have been. The same general thing seems to have happened to the mosquitoes. Before the pond was here there seemed to be plenty around. Now there are so many birds hunting that they don't stand a chance.
Before total darkness I watered the new plants and checked the aeration system (we have to supplement the aeration process because the water-fall is a fill line, it doesn't recirculate).
Last week a friend of Bill's brought a big mound of frog eggs which they placed in some reeds near the waterfall spill-way. Those were a bird feast within a few hours. This week he brought tadpoles, so, maybe. Bill has tried to introduce frogs into the pond for the past two years, but nothing yet. The year before last he placed two adult frogs (leopard?) in some reeds on the West bank, and we never saw them again. Occasionally as we are walking around the pond we will hear a splash as something hits the water in the reeds, and Bill thinks it is one of those frogs, but I once saw a snake drop into the water from the bank and it made the same sound.
About the local snakes - I don't actually even like the subject, but they are an element of this ecological situation.
There is a large variety of local snakes, mostly harmless to humans, but the one of concern to everyone is the rattlesnake. They are common here and I have seen them often throughout my life. And, although there are times when I am more cautious than others, (dense weeds, piles of rocks/boards/junk, old structures), they have never been a limiting factor. I have hiked and camped throughout the entire region without a lot of concern. The community where I live is a small collection of structures (less than 300) set in a large prairie. Snakes and all other wildlife pretty much pass through constantly. Every summer someone or several people will find a rattlesnake in the yard, in the garage or carport, or on one of the roads in town. We live on the Southeast edge of the community and there is an open pasture for miles beyond our yards. Snakes are just here and we are always watching for them, even if we aren't always aware that we are.
In the two years before he put the pond in, Bill lost two of his dogs to rattlesnakes. He also saw several others on his land. During that time I once found a Western whip snake in my kitchen, it apparently came in through the dog door, and a few days later found a rattlesnake outside my back door looking like it might be attempting to enter the dog door. I just removed the harmless snake, but killed the rattlesnake before I could even think about it.
It would seem that introducing a pond into an area where every animal is always searching for water would be asking for trouble with snakes. So far this isn't true. For the past three years a Grey Owl, what could be a pair of Kestrels, a Cooper's Hawk, and two ragged looking Roadrunners have lived in the trees beside the pond and hunt almost daily. Their predation is supplemented by a steady stream of other hunters passing through and munching on each other, all of which combines to makes us more "snake free" than we ever have been. The same general thing seems to have happened to the mosquitoes. Before the pond was here there seemed to be plenty around. Now there are so many birds hunting that they don't stand a chance.
Before total darkness I watered the new plants and checked the aeration system (we have to supplement the aeration process because the water-fall is a fill line, it doesn't recirculate).
05/21/04
8PM and I'm sitting on the East side of the pond watching the sun set. No clouds for a really great light show, but still nice colors. It was still warm when I came outside about 30 minutes ago, but has cooled noticeably, and in a few minutes a cool, dry breeze will appear. This happens nearly every night during the hot months and is one of the reasons I prefer living in this area.
There is noticeable humidity and I can smell blooming plants (honeysuckle) nearby. The birds are very active, possibly because it rained 3/10 of an inch last night, which is different. For the past five years we have had less than 6" of effective precipitation per year, about half of the normal average, then this year we had over 3" in April, and over 1/2" so far this month. Even such a small amount of moisture will bring arid region plants and animals to life.
9PM, the sun is down, I'm watching for the last view of Venus along the Western horizon, and the cool breeze just came. It's such a surprisingly instantaneous phenomenon. The season changes here happen in the same way. To quote Ian Anderson, "Summer always comes in a day."
There is noticeable humidity and I can smell blooming plants (honeysuckle) nearby. The birds are very active, possibly because it rained 3/10 of an inch last night, which is different. For the past five years we have had less than 6" of effective precipitation per year, about half of the normal average, then this year we had over 3" in April, and over 1/2" so far this month. Even such a small amount of moisture will bring arid region plants and animals to life.
9PM, the sun is down, I'm watching for the last view of Venus along the Western horizon, and the cool breeze just came. It's such a surprisingly instantaneous phenomenon. The season changes here happen in the same way. To quote Ian Anderson, "Summer always comes in a day."
Friday, May 21, 2004
Llano Estacado
This is the view in any direction from outside of the town where I live. Some of my relatives (by marriage) were among the first settlers in the community during the early 1900's. They are dead now, but often referred to the early years when I was around them. The grasses were taller, and more dense in the beginning, and even during my lifetime we have occasionally had wet years when they would shoot up and spread out, but generally during the daytime for much of the year, the plains appear to be worn out. Green is rare. We really only have two seasons, and the primary colors in the landscape, grey (Winter), and brown (Summer), reflect that. The sky is where the colors are and most of the action takes place. Sunsets and Sunrises are stunning, and some of the storms are magnificient.
Up to Date
Although I realize that the quality of most of the photos that I have posted is not so good, for now, I am out of any kind, and up to date.
The last nest of a new generation of blackbirds hatched since yesterday.
I planted a Crepe Myrtle and an Azalea against the shop on the East side of the water fall this week. I really don't plant according to a plan, and probably should, but am generally lucky with things like that - the right plant in the right place. I also cleaned up the East side of the shop (which is in the walkway to the Northeast side of the pond) and made beds to plant things in. I planted orange and yellow cannas in one section and am thinking about putting vegetables in the rest of the space. For one thing, I crave having a garden, and for another, anything that is watered from the pond grows incredibly well.
The last nest of a new generation of blackbirds hatched since yesterday.
I planted a Crepe Myrtle and an Azalea against the shop on the East side of the water fall this week. I really don't plant according to a plan, and probably should, but am generally lucky with things like that - the right plant in the right place. I also cleaned up the East side of the shop (which is in the walkway to the Northeast side of the pond) and made beds to plant things in. I planted orange and yellow cannas in one section and am thinking about putting vegetables in the rest of the space. For one thing, I crave having a garden, and for another, anything that is watered from the pond grows incredibly well.
The Fourth Year: June 2003 - May 2004
The Fall was beautiful and my sister and I spent most of every afternoon either working on, or enjoying the place. One interesting thing, although hanging out near bodies of water seems to be the way to contract the West Nile Virus, there are few to no mosquitoes around Mr. Bill's Pond. The Catfish skim the water like whales every morning and the birds feast on whatever gets past them.
The water never really froze over this past Winter, and during the coldest times there were always ducks, two large white birds with long black bills, and the red-winged blackbirds. When it was the coldest and the birds were the least active I cleaned out a boat load of Cat Tails from the West end and we left the rest as shelter for them. By this Spring, there were at least 8 males in permanent residence and they have the pond divided in half, four on each side.
The water never really froze over this past Winter, and during the coldest times there were always ducks, two large white birds with long black bills, and the red-winged blackbirds. When it was the coldest and the birds were the least active I cleaned out a boat load of Cat Tails from the West end and we left the rest as shelter for them. By this Spring, there were at least 8 males in permanent residence and they have the pond divided in half, four on each side.
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