change

The bosque keeps changing. Even the length of the day and the size of the moon seems to change right now.

The porcupines seem to be coming closer to people, maybe because the trees that still have buds are closer to the people. A lot of people don't even knowe they are in the trees right now. Often, people think the mistletoe clumps look like porcupines resting, however sun coming through their fur makes it look like they have a yellow halo around them, that stands out pretty well.

the bosque is a highly human modified place. The placing on animal feed for birds defintely changes animal behaviour of some birds(it explains why the mallards are around, they do well in large groups snd are bossy). More hidden is subtle effects of natural processes, such as diseases, on bird gatherings that would otherwise be much more dispersed.

Human sources of food probably delays migration too. For the big flocks this traveling timing is controlled by length of days and temperatures , but for a few individuals the extra food around might encourage they to stay over the winter.

This heron feather also hints at another big event that is pretty subtle. That is the nesting issues that come with being a waterfowl bird. All birds molt, but the process can be pretty complicated. .

BIrds have crazy colors that change at certain times of the year, according to breeding codition.

Molting is one of the reasons birds have such crazy behaviours, this process also affects their migration, and so much more

The spiders also are having changes. Right now is their hey-day, as they have low competition from insects such as ants, and low predation from insects such as wasps.

The biggest spiders, like the tarantulas,cannot be out in these low temperatures, so no need to get worried about creepie crawlies just yet. These spiders are a couple of millimeters long at most. They feast on the gnats that are swarming.

For some reason the moon is very prominant in the sky. The clear skies combined with the full moon are giving a lot of light at night, which encourages the moths to disperse. However, there are few bats to eat them this far north.

The sun is also acting weird, it is staying out much longer. It is very difficult to get a good picture of a sunset without any clouds to make the sky orange ad pink. I used the diffusion effects of tree branches to make this picture. But I am never happy with lanscapes.

The moon is still tricky for me, it doesn't have strong contrast to stand out. The moonrise time and location also makes it difficult to plan things right. It is..quirky.

These blackbirds are flying in flocks. They migrate daily from cattails to fruit trees to forage and socialize.

growth

Nature is always changing and it can be important to remember that we can only see a small part of how those changes occur.

Some things are familiar though. For instance, the relish on the face of this young porcupine as it chows down on elm buds looks very familiar to those who have had small children and cheerios!

the appearance of insects has drastically changed the types and behaviours of the birds that are around. Many birds are acting a lot more flustered and territorial. This insectivorous phoebe is perched and ready for action, even though it seems all relaxed.

small beaked birds specialize in these small non biting midges. But they do need to eat large numbers, but the flip side is that there is a plentiful supply of these insects.

this fly looking insect is actually a type of moth, with narrow wings. The variety of night time insects has definitely increased, and the insect hunting insects like spiders will not be far behind.

flies are popping out of the ground, and are in a big hurry to get off the ground and into the air before they get eaten.

after complaing all winter how hard it is to get a flicker to hold still, it was pretty startling to see them all over the side of clear ditch today, snacking on slow moving flies and termites!

there were crazy numbers of robin out hunting on the open ground, too.

but I have no idea why this great heron was also on the ground, their perching spot is usually high up in the trees. This one had just been chased by an off leash dog, as well.

but there were plenty of the usual players out in the woods. This other great blue heron was in his usual spot.

 as was the large female red tailed hawk who seems to have claimed this area.

The mallards are certainly more feisty, and there was a lot of tail pulling and squawking going on in the informal small groups.

I finally got a nice picture of the wood duck who moved in. The large water body by the treatment plant on Alameda has a bigger collection of animals. But Corrales still has some nice gems.

this photo shows a lot of the holes left by the foraging birds. Until this week, most of the birds had been hunting for moths in the leaf litter, but their behaviours have changed, seemly overnight.

this is a totally different type of hole, and looks like a cicada emergence hole, there are still carapaces left from last year's group as they molted on the trunks of trees.

also from last year are these bark beetle emergence holes in the softwood trees. These attract all those woodpeckers who are rapping on the tree trucks now to establish territory.

this sapling is a juniper, apparently. I have my doubts, but just about everyone knows more about plants than I do.

 I was finally able to witness a migration north of Canada geese. They make a lot of noise as they figure out who flies where in the caravan.

There is always some stragglers, it seems.

As well as early arrivals. Last year these killdeer arrived during the summer and ate my early tadpoles.

this green plant could be pigweed, or tumbleweed. I have no idea at this point and inaturalist is surprisingly unhelpful.

it was interesting watching the ducks feeding on the shores (I think for small snails)

and also dabbling (likely for plant matter and aquatic insects)

while other insects are not out yet, their evidence is all around us. Here is a nest of mud dauber wasps on a bridge.

this nest belongs to paper wasps and is about a year old, judging by the rate of growth of the one growing on my house. All the cells have hatched, so this is an old nest.

the clear ditch travels under Alameda and on the other side there is a whole different world, that seems to be inhabited by muskrats. I couldn't catch a picture, but the number of bank holes was awesome. It was a built up area, but much less foot traffic, so would be ideal for these shy mammals.

I was in a new area trying to see the roosting sites for all the gulls that were in the area. Of course, I forgot my zoom camera, so another trip will be needed.

they are in the area because of the deeper water created by this man-made barrier. Either because of safety, or attracted by the bigger fish that can be found in this area, I don't know yet.

winged

 The warm weather is causing an explosion in activity and change.If you see any birds looking at the ground right now, the chances are good that they are looking for all the insects that are emerging into the sun.

While these termites are not the first insects to come out, there is usually an emergence as soon as the sun warms the ground above freezing. These clumsy fliers crash to the ground, drop off their wings instantly, and scurry for cover. Vast numbers are eaten, but plenty survive to start new nests. I spotted this one land, but it had lost its wings by the time I got the camera on it. It has pale feet, but black tibaie, so I think it is Reticulitermes tibialis which is good news for homeowners worried that their houses will be eaten. These ones are not wood chewers (Much...)

These cutworm moths are out in the early evening in small numbers. That will change.

Biology is complicated, so this bird is looking at the ground is looking for lazy lizards and not termites (maybe moths). This one is "On point" so has probably found something exciting. The stance is erect, the crest is up and the stiff tail feathers are down. This bird is related to cuckoos, but looks just like it's ancestral dinosaurs

The doves are definitely moving into the bosque and can be seen most mornings in prominent locations to catch the sun, and to check out the landscape. The seem amazingly bold in the mornings especially, not at all like the skittish ducks and passerine birds. But I also notice there are no raptors around in the early mornings. Very few coopers hawks around during the day as well...

The rabbits are probably the reason the coyotes have been vocal again in the evenings. The ditches provide fresh grass but are exposed. The forested patches have cover, but less green sprouts to browse in peace. Like the birds, the solution is a twice daily commute between shelter and forage. Rabbits have an extra trick; they store food in their stomach, poop it out half digested...and eat it again. Birds do the same thing, but store food in a "crop" which is basically a carrying pouch in their throat. Humans use their mouth to mechanically process their food with teeth. Crayfish use two stomachs, one for mechanical processes, and another to chemically digest. Cows use four stomachs and their teeth to mechanically crush, store, ferment and chemically separate sugar and salt from fibres.

The food is beginning to run out for these cranes. They need the roots to be more plentiful, and the grubs and lizards to be more active. There are also no crayfish and freshwater animals moving about right now. While a few individuals can live year round in New Mexico, most have to seek richer pastures further north.

A new arrival that probably came down the western Flyway is this wood duck pair. There will be many more soon, they like to be in big groups. They are very beautiful up close, but I not only did I not have my zoom camera on me (battery issues) but these guys are very shy. All birds are nervous around people when they first fly into Corrales, but these birds in particular have been hunted into near extinction

Strangely, the savior of these ducks might also be hunters, so be careful of preconceptions. This is because not only do people hunt ducks, but the forested and marshy habitats waterfowl live and breed in has disappeared over the last 200 years. The combined pressures of hunting and habitat loss dropped their numbers. Conservation is a valuable goal, which also means it is expensive. Hunters can have deep pockets for some causes, and are willing to spend their money on space to hunt. Birders less so, and the general public spend virtually nothing on land (per person). The money can also be very well focused. Hunters of fish and ducks both put money into "habitat stamps".

Conservation and hunting activities are not usually opposing in most states, but New Mexico in particular is very fractured. The money from the general public for conservation is huge, but does not go into wetlands in particular. Everyone will have to make up their own minds on these political opinions. There is more than one solution, certainly.

As nest building season starts, birds spend more time preening. These green winged teals have stopped traveling in pairs and are now spending time in groups. Mating is probably complete, so now group protection is back on their minds. I have noted earlier in this blog most birds have become bolder and more relaxed, and the flocks are very species specific right now.

The mallards are usually the most gregarious of the ducks, so this individual is a bit odd. Birds that stand out attract the wrong sorts of attention. Although this one did not care that humans were watching it, unlike the nervous wood ducks. Looks like he only had food on his mind.

This dove is also standing out, and could easily be mistaken for a raptor at a distance. Those big birds also perch on lone snags to survey the landscape, but there are very few hawks and herons out right now. Seems a little cheeky to me.