Late

Small crowds have begun assembling at the site of our local celebrity couple. We are all wondering when the eggs will hatch. This is dad.

The air had the unmistakable sound of sandhill cranes today. This picture is poor, but this is likely the last we will see of the cranes until end of this year.

These so called March flies are a month late, and likely will be around for only a short period. They are very busy as you can see...

we get a lot of speckled dun mayflies; a fish favorite

This little guy is a microscopic hatchling. It took a lot of work to get a decent picture. I think it is a type of wasp, but I'm still waiting for analysis.

Many spiders can sacrifice limbs to avoid predators. Something caused this guy to lose two limbs.

This rare beetle is so similar to others, but not what I had expected.

The house is infested with these elm seed bugs right now. The numbers are still low, but likely rise significantly in the next few years. They were introduced from Europe and have it been here since 2010's

Another introduced species, this is a larvae of a ladybug, introduced as pest control of aphids on people's roses. There are also wild ladybugs that migrate, but they are heavily outnumbered

The temperatures are finally high enough for the frogs to be coming out. Yet another invasive species, the bullfrog is amazingly adaptable and kind of radio-bombed the PBS Children's hour podcast yesterday

I have heard that moth watching can become an obsession, so I trying to take precautions, but these insects are amazing to photograph. The colors, variety and behaviors are impressive

This species appears to be cold adapted. I can't imagine what background this brown-yellow blends in with...dry grass?

A less common species for me, a Swainson's hawk. It's delicate like a coopers hawk, but has a short tail like a red tailed hawk.

Here is a Coopers hawk portrait for comparison. It has a long tail (honest) and a heavier beak. Uhh, other than that it just looks "Coopers like"

This Swainson's hawk is nesting, and seems to be easily disturbed, hopefully she can raise a brood this year.

Usually the kingfishers don't have the crest elevated, but this one had just been intruded upon by an amorous woodpecker, and was still a little frazzled. It's laser focus on the water never faltered, though. I got to see this one dive, but it missed it's target. There are many kingfishers on the southern end of Clear ditch, near Alameda.

Someone appears to be PLANTING cattails in scuzzy ditch??! This batch showing white stem bases in the front is not from the ditch and has been added from another source. I have my suspicions who is doing this, but can come up with no idea why they would want to, other than detritus removal? The use of the ditch as a waste removal service has consequences. The leaves, grass clippings, branches and wood all change the types of animals found there by altering water levels, acidity, water color, turbidity and hiding places for fish.

Either way, this muskrat and the associated beavers will likely take care of this over planting issue if they get a chance to be left alone in peace, I have noticed that in areas with beaver dams, the upstream mill-pond region has all cattails removed. There used to be a beaver at Meadowlark and Scuzzy ditch that attacked the tasty apple trees along the edge, but this year there is a muskrat munching on grasses and cattail roots instead.

The first of the desert cottonwoods are budding and dropping the friable twigs that can root in the right type of soil. Unfortunately, the soil made by silt rich floods is no longer found here. The young trees are also prevented from growing along the acequias by mowers, and are intensely out competed for sunlight by the elms.

Many plants look like others, and a lot of the wild flowers are small, because they have not been selectively bred for size by people.

This is an apple blossom from a cultivated apple tree. The blossoms are large, but no-nonsense. Often the colors pink and purple attract daylight insects like butterflies and bees

This is a milkvetch species. The flowers are specialized to open only for a smaller native bee species.

The daytime heat has finally brought out the lizards to bask. This is a little whiptail. They specialize in being fast.

This is a fence lizard, they are good climbers with their short legs and long toes, but can't run very fast

There is a raven nest inside the cellphone tower at the police station in Corrales. No sign of chicks yet. in this picture the raven appears to be holding a large piece of processed food. Chicken nugget, maybe?

The ditch is a refuge for the animals and soon will be the safest place for ducklings. In the meantime, this mallard is taking a quick nap.

 

This red eared slider is also napping in the sun, these escaped pets have begun to grow pretty big  in their alien habitat.

This turtle is unfortunately dead. Likely it swallowed some abandoned fish bait along with the associated hook and starved to death.