Fall rolls on…

When I take Emma for her first outs each morning around dawn, I’ve noticed the increasing silence as the season progresses.  There is no longer the exuberant cacophony of the dawn chorus of birds that we experience in spring and early summer.  Now, only a few Western meadowlarks sing a few notes.  The nighthawks no longer roost in the trees overnight, and today I brought in my hummingbird feeder.  Last week’s cold front passage persuaded many of my avian friends to take flight for warmer climes.  I, too, shall take flight in one week and head South.

The warblers that nest up North in Canada are streaming through the refuge, and serious birders are haunting the paths around the visitor’s center early each morning.  The tall trees around headquarters are a magnet in this desert for those little travelers needing a place to rest and refuel on their long journey.  We haven’t had a hard frost yet, so there are still abundant insects to build up fat reserves.
The 200+ sandhill cranes that nest on the refuge are beginning to congregate, and are being joined by others from up North.  They will soon be heading off to central California.
The red-tailed hawks are still soaring each afternoon in the skies, and they are being joined by other raptors that will winter here.  It is a time of change and movement.  For everything, there is a season…

This noon, there was a luncheon at the Narrow’s Saloon for those of us volunteers that will be migrating on in the next week or so.  Thanks was expressed for our contributions to the refuge along with wishes that we would return.  It was a nice ending to my time here.  I still have a few work days left, but most staff members will not be around next week.  It will be up to us volunteers to keep the refuge running.  :)

On the more mundane side, Judd, a fellow volunteer, stopped over this afternoon to see if he could find the elusive hydraulic leveler dip stick that I have been unable to locate.  Before retiring, Judd spent 40 years with his own mechanics shop and was very familiar with this sort of thing and big equipment.  After I told him what the Winnebago tech had said, it only took him about two minutes to find the dip stick.  Of course, unlike me, he knew what he was looking for.  :)  I’ll be buying more fluid tomorrow to replace the stuff that leaked out, but at least now we know where to put it.  Then it will be a matter of getting the rig to a qualified repair shop to get the leak fixed.    I have e-mailed the manufacturer of the system requesting a repair facility location.  That will pretty much determine my route out of here towards Texas.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy