watching

coyotes can be very hard to see until they move. This one is holding still with alert ears forwards, only observing. However it is not exactly frightened.

one of the jobs of people who observe nature for a living (that is not me, I'm just speaking from hearsay) is to try to show people a common sight in a new way. Are coyotes killers of livestock, threats to pets, humans, and a general public nuisance? Maybe to some. But if you look closer, into the eyes, you might also see soulfulness, alertness and a complexity of emotions in a familiar, and yet totally unknown and beguiling creature. This animal is totally at home in a natural wild environment.

A more unusual water bird that usually prefers areas more marshy than Corrales can provide is this American coot. It is more adapted to walking and uses the wide lobed feet (not webbed) to stalk around in the shallows and muddy areas. They can often be mistaken for a duck expecially when swimming, but they actually live a totally different lifestyle

this red tailed hawk is giving us a great example of how they get their name. Once again, this one was watching a group of ducks, but these hunters are nowhere near as reliant on birds as a source of food as the Coopers hawks are.

eventually it flew off to find a quieter perch. It gave us a great view of the primary flight feathers at the ends of the wings. They are all spread out in this view to allow for maximum lift at slower speeds, this bird is just crusing slowly with the wind.