blow

New Mexico has a lot of different ecosystems. But they are also not all the same throughout the state. The difference between the bosques are less striking than the differences between the deserts. The birds in the bosque are basically same species, but the south has more of the migratory buzzards and different hummingbirds.

The southern desert has Gila monsters and other amazing reptiles. Compared to those, Corrales looks very deficient.

Water is still often the limiting factor. The dragonflies work hard to establish dominance for each species by fighting for territory. The range of colors is eye catching.

This is a tarantula hawk wasp. Most know about it's use of the giant spider as a nursery for it's grub, but few notice that the rest of the time, the wasps are being pollinators of trees.

This is an oil beetle. I think it is a blister beetle, but there are so many species in the desert. Range maps show this should be the edge of it's known territory.

A clown beetle. Weird little critter. Apparently, they predate on house flies. We need more of these guys.

After a large meal, turkey vultures often have to wait for the heat of the day to create thermals, because they are poor fliers on a full stomach. There was a large group this morning waiting for air movement. The white under the eye is called caruncles and help the birds literally establish peaking order.

Great blue herons love pond areas for fish and frogs. Flooded fields are perfect for brief visits.

The American coot prefers shallow ponds filled with water weed. The red eye means this is likely a male. Most birds are very active during the nesting season, that runs until end of August.

A type of tanager. While the bright orange/red summer tanager is big and noticable, there are many other species around too.

This is a bunting. I don't know much about this species. It seems very sparrow like.

A ruby throated hummingbird. The species that dominate tend to come and go.

The lizards in Gila are fabulous and varied. I recognize many fence and whiptails,but there are others I am not familiar with.

Most fence lizards have lost tails to some predator or possible territory battles.

The whiptails specialize in insects hiding in the leaf littler. The range of sizes are impressive. The small jaws show they are not aggressive, preferring to flee.

There are not many bats this year noticable, which is odd, as there are plenty of moth for them. This is the body of a small sized bat found by an abandoned barn. I think it is a abandoned pup, long since dead.