melting

 

The world is melting into the mud and slush that unpaved roads are known for to dogwalkers everywhere. The melting can also help a keen mind see new things. For example, this picture shows a band of early morning ice that marks where the frozen ground  hides a buried irrigation pipe. It shows how well the ground keeps its heat. This also explains why the submerged ditches are preferred to the river by our feathered residents; the water is less exposed to the cold air than the river, because of the warmer levees on each side.

This little pool was build by a local kid to save catfish fry and tadpoles. I helped translocate a few of those to permanent water to build a little karma. Unfortunately, this water is supplied by the water table, which was depleted faster than it was refilled. My dry period didn't fill the aquifer, and the sprinklers were working overtime draining it to keep the lawns in Corrales green. I sill have a handful of those formerly doomed tadpoles in my kitchen.

Thinking about the environment is not just some abstract thing. Humans are part of this nature too. Our wells must reach into the water table, but our septic systems must be above it. We live in that small dirt region between the top of the aquifer and bottom of the atmosphere.

This photo shows many things but the point here is the effects of humans. Those trees are a thicket of invasive species, crowding out the cottonwood saplings. Humans can remove them easily with the application of steel. In this case to make a multi use trail through the tangle. 

But in the foreground you can see the ground is denuded and compacted; icy, and turning to thick mud as the snow melts and it is trampled. When it rains in the summer, the mosquitos breed in the small pools formed in the thick clay and the constant trampling prevent tadpoles from predating those irritating mosquito parents.

Because everything in nature is connected, human solutions to problems always perpetuate the cycle in a different way.

Birds in the bosque are flocking, but many are also solitary. This female duck is using the ditch to feed and build egg laying reserves. She probably would prefer to be solitary, but a suitor has attached himself nearby. They will spend the winter away from the raucous , but safer flocks of younger, unattached birds.

While she has amazing camouflage, he stands out like a sore thumb. If he survives the winter she might consent to mate. But I have heard that duck social politics get very complicated.

There heron tracks give insight in their behaviors. They stalk the banks just before daybreak and choose a spot away from fishermen and dogwalkers and where the water changes depth quickly. They take up station on the edge of heavy plant growth in the water and just wait. If they are disturbed they do not go back but fly into the trees and try to find a new place. The stalking process seems to take 3-4 hours before they can ambush fish again.

Ice

this cold snow dump is bringing a lot of water into the ecosystem which we will probably notice in the next few days as it quickly melts!

The cold also does a good service by killing many insects that are not adapted to cold snaps, this includes many wood borer beetles that attack the native evergreen trees.

Many other species, particularly ducks and fishing birds, will use the bosque to forage and relax until the weather allows further travel. The downed logs and larger wood piles also house many mammals, insects, and reptiles in the hollow air spaces.

The abundance of vegetation and lack of impermeable surfaces means mud will be a pain soon, however, nature is holding the water in the ground and eventually the water table. The city up the hill will soon be having the usual issues with surface run-off.

my captive tadpoles are happily hibernating under the ice in the unheated back room. The fish and amphibians are active, just at a much lower rate while the snow is falling. They need at least six inches of standing water to survive below the ice, less if the water is moving. The temperatures under snow and ice are usually stable at around 4 degrees Celsius. 

Many critters rely on man during a cold period. Here are raven taking advantage of corn put out to attract cranes. The numbers were impressive, but they will disappear as the temperatures in the early morning get even lower. I noticed that there were flies and gnats trying to take advantage of the heat leaking out of the window panes on houses.

Heidi's raspberry farm is now an ideal animal refuge because instead of crowds of people, they are now actively discouraged. Also there is plenty of forage for birds of all types, from hawk, owls, cranes and sparrows.

moth

Backyard habitats are talked about a lot. Here is my two cents worth; last night there was an abundance of moth, which was odd. They were supposed to be snuggling under the newly fallen leaves for overwintering. I noticed the garden sprinklers were on, and I suspect the cold water at night was driving them out of their habitat.

Many naturalists talk about why it is bad to pick up leaves from a yard. I often wonder what weird critters and ecosystems are developing out in the Rio Rancho landfill among all the green waste.

the first snow has fallen and it is clear where the rabbits have travelled, at least where they have crossed the roads.

the birds have been calling a lot as the snow fell. Just over the river on Sandia reservation there is a large flock of raven kicking up a huge fuss.

We also saw a flock of cranes heading north instead of south. Maybe Bosque del Apache is all full up?

table

 The weird thing about Nature is how it keeps teaching. The Scuzzy ditch is dry, right? No, and here is why that is important....

This is a few days ago, where the ditch was dry, the tadpoles were dead in the last few pools left, and dusty. What you are looking at is gopher holes being made in the formerly wet ditch bed. The water table was at least 2-3feet below this level, because otherwise the gophers would be drowning.

Today, the same area has a pool. The tadpoles are still dead, but the area has some incredible young catfish who somehow managed to survive (probably in those gopher holes). There has not been any new water from the clear ditch, and no-one is bringing fish into these areas. 

Many birds are attracted this the scant water, from ducks, to heron and kingfishers.

    Even now, this dynamic system is adapting and the animals that living there are changing too. Incidentally, watch out for mosquitoes, there are no bats, dragonflies, or tadpoles to control their populations in standing water. This is a rare case where the mosquito swamp moniker might be true....until Halloween, when the temps will drop further.

The dry/wet mud is a great nursery for small plants such as grasses and elm, the meadow plants that are early colonizer specialists. The warm temperatures are allowing a longer growing season for these little guys, if they just can find the comfortable range of moisture, temperature, and shade.

The winter fall is usually hard on the insects the most. Moths go into a torpor on the house walls and are easy to photograph in the early morning. Most of them are one of a few furry species that can tolerate the cold.

However, the high altitude of New Mexico (about a mile high) means the thin atmosphere warms fast in the abundant sunshine, allowing turtles and beetle to bask and get up to working temperature quickly after a cold night. A dark color helps.

birds

 

There certainly is a lot if migrations going on right now. Flocks of cranes fly overhead in the evening and ravens fly during the day. Essentially the different birds are all doing the same things; migrating south and looking for safe roosting sites in between. The heavy drought and high temperatures right now seem to be making the crane flocks smaller, and the raven flocks bigger. There a few ducks and no more Canada geese around.

We nearly stepped on a snake today, luckily it was already dead, run over by vehicle. These gopher snakes are absolutely harmless, and fun to see, because of their big size. They are rarely aggressive and never move fast or act unpredictably. Roadkill and predation by domestic pets (or homeowners) kill a truly shocking amount of wildlife and is usually completely unnoticed, or explained away by the average person. Corrales has a lot of loose pets, however the small cats are more at risk from bobcats and coyotes, especially if they don't get returned home quickly.

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out these screeching calls that resemble a cooper's hawk. Turns out, it is coming from these northern flickers (I think) they have red wings and tails and I wonder if they are mimicking raptors like the red tailed hawk. They are very conspicuous right now that the hummingbirds have left.

this simple picture is of a stick of cottonwood sticking out of the mud. This is one of the many ways this impressive tree species propagates on newly exposed mud from receding floods. This is a perfect environment for new trees to colonize. a pity this one is benefiting from a drought lowering the water table in the clear ditch...

the scuzzy ditch is dry, but not as dry as it seems to be. Cold air collects in the lower ground and is more moist, especially among the tall reeds. this sections of the ditch had many small plans like dandelions among the stems, which thrive in a moist environment, like a grassy front lawn.

dross

 

this is the time of year when people see way more spiders inside their houses. Most of those are long legged, spindly types "cellar spiders" the black widows still seem to still prefer outside.

 this was not an easy shot to get on a smartphone camera. This coopers hawk would have been well hidden, but for the nest of sparrows nearby that kept up a constant, frantic twittering that totally gave away his position!

I am not a big fan of cars, especially when it comes to roadkill. However, this is about the only way I get a chance to see the secretive badger. I am always in awe of those amazing claws!

Snails, parasites and northern New Mexico seem to go together. I usually don't get to much much variety in Corrales. However, the more I learn, the more variety I seem to be able to find.

here is a great example of habituated wildlife. Good for getting pictures, but bad if they are a bear!

flight

 now that the hummingbirds have left for Costa rica, the birds are moving back into the bosque, chief among them are the raptors. This owl watched our backyard fire pit for a short while, taking a moment to chill in a busy schedule.

I was lucky to get a close shot of this guy just before sunset on the clear ditch. He is watching a flights of cranes, ducks, and geese that are flying into the bosque in large numbers.

With a little practice, it becomes easy to tell the strict V shape of the honking Canada geese from the ragged lines of clattering Sandhill cranes; to the tight, low flying V's of the ducks that whistle as they fly.

The image came out blurry, but this is the unmistakable shape of a great heron, with the double bow in the neck and a loud annoyed grunt. The ravens are in the orchards, dropping pecan shells all over, too.

The crested kingfishers have returned, with their raucous, rapid fire warning cry.

As the bats wind down for winter, there is a lot more varieties of moths out, which is good, because my bullfrog and spadefoot frogs have really big appetites .

This picture didn't come out so well, but looking closely you can see many aquatic larval insects, such as mayfly and dragonfly nymphs being trapped by the receding irrigation waters.

Those small pools attract all sorts of critters and their tracks can be seen in the mud pretty well. There is a downside: This time of year I usually see a few dead raccoons beside the dirt roads.

Historically, cars are usually the culprit, but there are probably infections going around that pets can spread, like distemper.

Bad news for mammals, but a boon for the flocks of vultures passing through. They look like giant Halloween bats, but very, very different. These huge birds are warming up for the day in the fierce New Mexico sun. These guys are way too slow to eat roadkill, so the ravens have adapted to handle that side of things.

Surprisingly, there are still bugs around, some are weird, like this little Jerusalem cricket (they get WAY bigger).

Others are a little weirder, like this moth.