birds

 The bosque is not only endlessly diverse, but it is also endlessly changing. It is only one ecosystem among another endless number of other ecosytems within the borders of New Mexico. Just within the 4 square miles I wander around three times a day I never seem to see the same thing twice. Definitely not in the same way, anyway.

 

The hummingbirds have been around a while, but they are making their presence known more as their territories become more defined. This one has found a favored perch to watch for rivals, which in turn allows me to actually focus on one of the boogers.The species is black chinned.

Spider webs are a mind blowing awesome biological creation. Many of the large spiders people are finding lately near the river are a one of several types of large wolf spider that make flat web sheets like this. They are actually tarantula hunters and only distantly related to them. Some make trap doors, others make funnel webs, both types pounce on nearby critters (insects, lizards, spiders), and/or lay eggs at the bottom of the web structures. Not one of these species is "dangerous" to humans. The hummingbirds have began collecting the old webs to use as binding material in their thimble sized nests. VERY occasionally, the feather brains end up as arachnid dinner instead.

This shy bird is some sort of green back heron. The variety of fishing birds has been increasing lately as the small fish proliferate, gorging on the insect abundance. The night herons should be appearing soon (if this isn't one).

Most birds have defined ranges and territories. I don't see many goldfinch in this part of the bosque, but here one is. Clearly he didn't read the rulebook , more likely he's following the bird feeders.

The small birds are being hunted by this coopers hawk. This species seems to have changed tactics and are now more ambush hunting from the shadows for songbirds rather than cruising low and flushing the doves up into the sky for easy pickings. i wonder if hummingbird harassment is responsible?

The abundance of frogs warms my stony heart, even if they are all invasive. This one sticks out being bright green on a grey/brown/ olive background.

This bullfrog has all the same landmarks (boomerang behind the eye, big ear, big everything) but is a different color. I have watched bullfrogs for many years and seen them slowly change colors over the course of a few hours (almost every color, except red and blue). It's very noticeable as the shadows pass over their backs during the day.

 

Garter snakes need tadpoles, so them coming out is a sign of true spring. The small snakes vanish just as quickly as snake hunting specialists make an appearance in the summer (bullsnakes and coachwhips)

 

The whiptails are out, being very loud and proud. this one looks a lot like a snake, but has the telltale earhole, eyelids, and skin fold over the neck.

The turtles are very cooperative right now. This is the usual red eared slider. The red "ear" is just behind the eye. The back is smooth, with clear lines of yellow all over.

This square shaped dude is a grey box of attitude.A long tail, big head and spikes on the butt  make him a common snapping turtle. Alligator snapping turtles are a totally different dinosaur and not found here.

Many turtles have this awesome extended snout. Yes, it helps them be more submerged and still breath, but there is definitely more to the story here. Surprisingly, there is a no research on this that I could find. Also notice the small chin spikes that act as touch receptors underwater. There is a fearsome looking notch in the upper lip to help hold prey. The front feet have sharp claws that are used to cut and tear prey instead of using teeth.

Corrales is full of little secret areas like this dead end pond that are brimming with unknown and mysterious things co-exising in small puddles. There is far more going on here than mosquitos breeding. Maybe one day I'll find an actual salamander in one of them (on my bucket list).

 

The toad tadpoles are becoming more recognizable as animals now. The strings are being laid anywhere the toads can meet and find water. They are poor swimmers, especially in amblexus, where the male is clasping the back of a female.

This devil's candy cane is the caterpillar of the mourning cloak butterfly. The adults were common until recently, and now the next generation continues their legacy.

Caterpillars are endless variable in their strategies to avoid being eaten. on the left are the coccoons of individual bagworms. On the right, the sun is shining through the pillowcase of webbing made by webworms and are protecting a whole colony of the vegetative pests. They defoliate this tree every year. I let them. The tree doesn't seem to care. Webworms have been burnt and sprayed since the 1940s and are still here. Those webs are impressive.

The moths at night have the place to themselves. We do not yet have any sign of the irregular miller moth swarms that crop up some years. This one has a "bleeding heart" on it's back. This only is seen during the warmer months.

 

 Moth coloration can beautiful, for uncertain reasons. In the fall we will begin to see the largest ones, like the sphinx moth.

this guy looks just like peter rabbit looking for his coat. Rabbits typically freeze when they are spotted by a predator. Plain grey is a surprisingly effective camouflage.

This is a stand of bamboo growing at the edge of the ditch. Pretty soon, no one will be able to eradicate it. This is actually a grass species and seems to be indestructible.

The lilies are experts at growing where the water level is constantly changing. The floating leaf attaches to a underground tuber. The cloudy water is the result of frenzied carp activity below the surface.

This trailing rose species is delicate, and cultivated to offer perfume, color, and the sense of "green-ness" prized by all those who love nature enough to control it with pesticides, lawnmowers, and fences.

Here is one of my favorite flowers. The silver nightshade plant is not poisonous (not the deadly nightshade), it hosts the tomato hornworm (AKA sphinx moth). This plant thrives on bare, disturbed soils. It is tenacious and if you try to put this weed not only do they have long, woody stems with needles at the base, they will also break off and quickly regrow. It has a complex character, and a beautiful flower.