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.