We saw one of these guys at our bird bath the other day. He was looking a little haggard and thin, not so fine and robust as the one in this picture. A painted bunting showed up in '09, 11 and now in 13. What's interesting is that all three times they appeared in July.Their range is southern and eastern Texas, so seeing one in the the Hill Country is a little uncommon.
I imagine the drought is making some animals travel outside their comfort zones as they search for food and water.
Ah yes, the drought. This is the third year. We had a long, pleasant spring, nor has this summer been as hot as it was two years ago, for which we are grateful. But still there has been no significant rain. We need 23 to 25 inches, now, today, to bring our creeks and rivers up to normal levels.
Look at it this way. Texas has 254 counties, the most of any state in the union. 200 of those counties are experiencing severe drought conditions. The average rainfall for our area is between 30 and 31 inches. In 2011, the driest year on record, we had only 13.1 inches of rain. Last year we got all the way up to 25.04. So far this year we're up to 14.5 with the hottest part of summer looming ahead of us.
Sigh... Send us your extra drops. Pray for rain, help us with a rain dance.
I leave you with this, the sounds of a Texas downpour. Music I would love to hear.
How's the weather been in your part of the world?
