The mammals are out

Not many pictures for this episode. Because mammals are very active right now and tend not to give good pictures unless you are prepared and know when and where they will show up.

I have not seen many rabbits because the grass is not throwing up the tender young shoots that keep the bunnies out during the day. 

The ditches have started showing the clear footprints of raccoons in the soft mud. They like to search out small pools that might have trapped fish or tadpoles in them. 

The smell of skunk is pretty potent and is now often smelt just after dark. Those guys are looking around for any pet food that may have been left out overnight. While they are very shy if spotted while walking, they seem to be pretty bold about getting close to human habitation. 

The squirrels are apparently in a mating mood and are often caught on my trailcam running between yards after each other. 

This gets the interest of bobcats and coyotes as well. Many neighbor programs like the "nextdoor" app. have pictures of the bigger macro vertebrates that so scare outdoor pet owners.

I think we have located a source of bats in the neighborhood. Every evening just after sunset they seem to pour out of an old cottonwood in a small cloud, before they disperse across Corrales.

While I haven't seen the owls anymore, there is a small muskrat that is pretty reliable about swimming up clear ditch as we are walking down. He is pretty entertaining to watch, as long as you are quiet and can hold still for a while. He like to dive and is awesome at swimming.

Here is a night heron just arriving at his favorite roost for the evening. Many of the birds do not like being conspicuous during the day. I think it is because of the aggression of the hummingbirds and tyrant flycatchers that are pretty territorial right now. 

We watched a Coppers hawk chasing a small group of doves that were trying to hide among the trees. Raptors especially seem to be singled out by nesting birds