delicate

 Watching things grow and die in the bosque over the years is quite enlightening. But the focus required often means a person could forget that there is a bigger picture here. We are all immersed in a web of life that flows and pulses like the river that directs everything. Whether our own roots are deep, or shallow, we are all connected by nature to each other.

„When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. “

John Muir

 

 

 We do not feel the pull of the moon in Corrales quite like they do on the coasts, but we are affected none the less. This picture is the night of the most recent eclipse of the "beaver hunter moon". (I did not stay up for the event). The beavers here do not, of course actually hibernate much at these high temperatures (and low latitudes). Also, they are not hunted much anymore. But they certainly have long memories and are almost never seen by humans during the day.

The small flocks of cranes are still enjoying the large fields. They seem to prefer a wide variety of habitats. They move from bare earth patches, to short grass pastures, to open woodland. They really like being able to see around them. Not surprising in a environment full of cougar, dog-walkers, coyotes, and bob-cats. This time of year they are courting and being very raucous in the middle of the day. The few we have here don't even hint at the multitudes that are down at Bosque del Apache, where the daily fly-out takes an hour to finish.

 

 The Canada geese forage on grasses during the day, but they cluster for safety on the Rio Grande river at night. The open spaces, cold mud, and fast water means no predator is going to catch them unawares. The many pairs of eyes means that nothing on the water will be sneaking up without being noticed during the night.

 

 Ducks are hunted by humans all over the US, but it seems like the pressure is far less in this state. Of course, hunting is not permitted in the Bosque Preserve or Corrales. Ducks clearly prefer the protection of ditches instead of the river and show a preference for tight places a large hawk would have trouble navigating in. They like water that is less that six inches deep and still.

 

 All animals have a "preferred" food and a "starvation" food. In the winters crows come together in huge flocks in the bosque. They forage in the local trash dumps for food, but mostly in the winter. This is likely their "starvation" choice because they meet and mate in preparation for the spring and don't have the time to cover vast open areas looking for road-kill; the "preferred" option. They also forage over large areas of open fields next to trees at this time of year. Are they looking for grasshoppers?

  

The red tailed hawks will hunt a broad variety of prey, but I do not seem them do much of that in the bosque. I suspect they mostly just watch stuff, like I do. They like to perch near the flyways in the trees where the white winged doves funnel through in the mornings, but they only watch. They are one of the few raptors that hunt mammals co-cooperatively. They likely use the bosque to roost, and hunt in the more open areas of the bajada (west side of Loma Larga in the sandy hills)

This is a very exciting photograph of a definite javelina (don't pronounce the "j", and not a pig) track. They are in the area for sure and have been seen by quite a few people now. This one is in the base of the clear ditch that will shortly be under water. They are traveling from the Sandia reservation or the Bosque beach to the lush fields of Las Brisas in Corrales at night. They seem to be levering up the flimsy wire fences at the boundary. They are new arrivals to the area from the south and will likely make a big impression when some tangle with people, pets and vehicles. Things will be bad if they find vegetable gardens and apple orchards. Personal advice; they aren't dangerous but give them their space.

Cottonwood plants do not grow as easily as you would think. They seem to need the protection of a nursery ground cover like tall grasses and must be able to tap into the shallow water table. They are very susceptible to fungal attack when older and need lots of space to spread out. Unfortunately, they are not a useful timber species, so there is almost no research into how to grow them. This also means no-one is their champion or protecting their long-term survival in a changing world.

Pyrocantha, or the more colorful gardener's name (marketing name) "firethorn". Not poisonous, but a bird starvation food. Grown because it has thorns and is a great hedge plant. The term "invasive species" has kind of lost it's meaning when just about EVERY plant is imported from somewhere else. Also, we are completely unable to do much about the spread, other than document the loss of native species they replace.

Up on the bajada side there are a few native acacia species (likely Robinia neomexicana) beginning to appear in depressions that hold moisture better than the desert scrubland. This general tree family is an invasive in Hawaii (Molucca albizia), but "behave" better where water is scarce. They stay small, compact and dense. Their deep roots often improve and anchor the soil enough that other plants and animals are able to thrive .

 

 Milkweed thistles also do better where the grass is able to grow to at least ankle or knee height. Come summer they will host a few caterpillar species. They are usually considered a noxious weed because they are poisonous to livestock, but these were found in Rio Rancho city center. No cows here, just parking lots in need of .... pollinators.

In this picture I tried to show how deep the roots of a seedling cottonwood grow. The middle red line is the base of the stem at the soil surface. The roots could be even longer than these as they many not have come out whole. Just below the soil surface, you can see the bushy lateral (surface) roots. In New Mexico, many seedling are using this time to get established and there is often a splash of green under many of the cottonwood leaves along the trails. Something is preventing the cottonwood seedling from establishing. As with most things the answer will end up being more complex than we are willing to deal with right now.

Return

 The ditch is slowly but surely refilling as the taps somewhere above the Corrales siphon are turned back on. Most people are probably surprised to know that the water passing under the bridge at Andrews Lane started flowing UNDER the Rio Grande at the Siphon and began....somewhere in Bernalillo (I think). Hiking to the source is thwarted at the Pueblo boundary. The river level is also rising. and even a few inches rise allows the ditch water to flow many miles in a flat country.

The ditch flora and fauna is going to change pretty profoundly as the water returns. The unexpected changes are the most interesting. When a dry zone become wet (ephemeral) the changes are profound.

These songdogs were following the advancing water front along the ditch. I suspect they were looking for rodents flushed out by the water from the newly dug burrows. They stayed out a little too late and got caught out by the early morning dog walkers (me). They MIGHT have been eyeing my dogs as snacks, but my observation was this one stood guard until the smaller ones had escaped, then they all left together for the safety of the bushes. This group of three has stayed in the area, traveling along the bosque paths early in the morning. I have run into them pretty frequently. We nod amicably and both continue on our separate paths.

We have not yet had a hard freeze and many insects are still around in the forest. This (I think) is a tachnid fly, common in the mountains but odd to find down by the river. Scary looking but totally harmless. Especially as the cold mornings mean this fly is basically immobilized until it can reach working temperature. In an emergency (like a person picking it up) it can buzz the wings and generate a little heat, but that will use up precious energy reserves that will be hard to replenish during the winter

This is a very common spider, the Western Parson spider. A ground spider; it hunts at night. They can be found in a house, but not usually. Most people don't realize those long legged skinny "daddy long legs" (Cellar spiders) in the corners of rooms are spider hunters and prey very effectively on the more mobile ground spiders like this one. This picture shows off the "necktie" pattern on the abdomen. These spiders prefer wooded area and are often found in the leaves of fall.

Honey bees should be hibernating by now, but this one at the local pizza joint was still out. Often bees will eject members of the hive to reduce the depletion of winter food stores. Usually the non-productive drones are thrown out to starve, but this looks to be a young female. There are no pollen in the hair sacs on the legs. After I gave her some sugar water, she went back into the cracks of the building, hopefully as part of an escaped swarm setting up in a new location. Bees have been domesticated for about 9,000 years. The western honey bee is not native and appears to have originated in Africa and is now mostly bred in southern states in a highly commercialized market.

I succumbed to neighborhood peer pressure and raked up the leaves in the yard. I have the misfortune of understanding that this is a bad thing. Those leaves on the ground do so much for the local wildlife. When combined with piles of wood, they are a habitat for all sorts of life. They are nurseries for plants, fungus, insects, mammals. They ameliorate the soil, regulate the micro climate of the ground, hold in moisture and add acidity and nutrients. They shelter larval and burrowing creatures. They feed crickets and the spiders that prey on those creatures. They hide burrow entrances and provide bedding to the animals in those burrows. The fungus that lives on this leaf substrate feed moths that the vibrant towhee and robins spend the winters hunting for. The dead leaves prevent young cottonwood tree saplings from freezing when the frosts come.

This plant is mock vervain and is bright burst of color in the otherwise dull woods. Insects are not really feeding much right now, but there are many species that could survive on the nectar this flower offers.

Oddly, my app had some trouble identifying this plant that stood out in the Romero Trailhead burn scar area. All the plants, shrubs and trees in the area are exfoliated, but there were a couple of bright green patches of this plant that stood out. I'm pretty sure it isn't NM olive.

 

I still have a lot to learn about the intricacies of water tables and hydrodynamics. In Corrales the water table is usually stable over all (fluctuates locally) but is anoxic. This has implications for plants growing in the area. There is a project about to begin replanting a burn scar near the Romero trailhead. The depth to the water table will probably be crucial to this project. Just north of that, the bulldozers are stripping off the surface soil specifically to help plants reach into this source of water.

The north end of Corrales is seeing many projects lately, a lot of change in the river and on the banks. All that activity is going to have many uncertain changes downstream. For example, the Rio Grande is at a late stage in the geographic river profile. With the introduction of the weir at Siphon beach (to protect the siphon with silt) the water action has changed from silt deposition to a scouring action below the site. Also, you can see a steep cliff forming on the pueblo side of the bank at the Siphon as the soil is eroded. This picture is further downstream, where a meandering curve in the river has faster water eroding into (east facing) bank. Notice the older tree has died as it's roots were undercut and many new seedlings are fighting for territory in the sunlight and water available at the base.

Next to that soil bank erosion, the wooded area had been planted with a willow species (probably Gooding's). This species of tree has shallow roots and needs access to water. For whatever reason, the water table is too deep for these plants to become established. None of the planted trees (identified by this anti-beaver chicken-wire screen) appear to have survived. The invasive tamarisk trees are so insidious because they draw down the water table locally, killing seedlings whose species are adapted to easy access to groundwater, like cottonwoods and willows.

Notice the dangling legs of this porcupine the legs should be tucked up into the body. It is actually dead and has been for a while. The face on this individual (zooming in) had been attacked by some sort of pathogenic fungus. Other photographers have seen this same individual, but not looked into it much. Alarmingly, there appears to be reports on the east coast of a deadly fungal outbreak spread to porcupines from domestic pets. But mortality events related to starvation seem to happen to porcupines often during the winter as these slow animals face increased stressors at a time when the food available (bark) is of a low quality. Fungal infections have affected many animals , such as snakes, and frogs. Often the cause is linked to people's activities such as the pet trade (frogs imported from South east Asia brought chytrid fungus to Central American populations). Dogs and cats often transmit diseases like ringworm to wild animals. These diseases often are not noticed in the pets who are warm and well fed, but can be lethal to a native wild population facing hunger and cold conditions normally.

tidy

The best, and worst thing about nature is how it defies our expectations at every turn. Even though it is winter, the temperatures and locations means nature is adapting in unexpected ways. While most trees are dormant, many small plants are growing in the leaf litter underneath them. While hummingbirds have left, cranes are now here.

There are many Red tailed and Coopers hawks in the bosque right now, and they have different hunting niches. I usually see the larger hawks hunting morning rabbits and the smaller ones chasing doves, but there is over lap. Many raptors watch the ducks, but I don't think they are very successful at hunting them for many reasons.

These ducks are preening and calm. They show none of the typical agitation we are used to seeing in ducks being fed bread at the Tingley ponds. The duckweed around them in uneaten and undisturbed, so this flock is new to the area. They are preening as a group using oil produced in a tail gland to keep their feathers organized and water repellent.

peacocks travel around the bosque and surrounding uplands but seem to be unable to survive without human support. They are feral rather than wild. They do not form flocks for protection from predators.

When ducks have been in an area for a short while, they often form these open ponds by dabbling in the mud and eating or displacing the floating duckweed. If the area is favorable, then ducks can change the environment pretty significantly.

Of course, this year the ditches have dried out. At the Cabezon trailhead there are actually four different canal courses. One of them still has water, but the others contain plants growing like crazy in the moist dirt that is now full of air pockets. This picture shows a small desert marigold, which is growing pretty thickly in some areas.

These leaves are some sort of aster species. I wasn't able to figure out which species it will eventually become, but I think it is annual sunflowers.

Cockle-burrs are pretty amazing plants and found along the loose sandy edges of the Rio Grande river in large numbers.

Humans are a big influence of the nature in the bosque. The easiest way to prevent human's destruction is simply to prevent people from going into places. A surprisingly large part of the bosque is off limits to people. This is not practical along the public ditches, so a delicate balancing act has to occur.

The bosque is not a very natural environment. It really is just natural when compared to the busy cities most people have come from. Many different public entities spend a lot of time during the winter months controlling growth and cleaning up after people. Here, the MRGCD are spraying to control weed growth along the edges of a canal. This is for the purpose of weed control to reduce fire risk, which is very high this year.

This picturesque photo is actually showing the dust kicked up by the heavy trucks that haul away all the trash humans produce. The bosque is often used as a park by many thoughtless humans who do not see the effort that has to go into cleaning up after their quick visit into "nature". The lack of moisture and the relentless pounding of the delicate soil by rubber tires has turned many dirt roads into dust clouds. There actually is a speed limit of 15 mph on dirt roads to keep the dust down. I have never seen a vehicle follow the posted "Slow no dust" signs.

Many people probably do not appreciate that Corrales has 2 rivers; one above ground, and one below it. People dig ditches to irrigate the ground, but also to drain away the high water table. This area was originally a fertile marsh. The ditches transport soil material and often have to be cleared out. In the winter this has less chance of being as destructive to wildlife.

This picture shows that the water table will seep back into the channel, if the ditch is deep enough. The sediment in this ditch is pretty thick. Notice the water is very clear, it is literally filtered and free of any plant growth.

These pools are going to be colonized very quickly by organisms nearby. Clams, mussels, snails and crayfish likely will need some rain and a little heat to be able to move into their new homes. This water came from the aquifer, not the siphon far to the north.

how animals move is pretty fascinating. This tiger butterfly caterpillar is traveling between trees. It is surprisingly fast for such a small insect.

This picture shows a proliferation of puffballs, moss and lichen. The fine spores fly into the air and might settle in a suitable habitat. The odds of successful travel seem minuscule.

Seeds in angiosperms do much better by investing more in their protection. This rose hip has protected the seeds inside. incidentally, the fine hairs found inside this rose hip are used to produce itching powder.

Trees are adapted to their environment. This big old tree is well balanced and firm. Notice how there is no other trees under the leafy umbrella. This old tree has a guardian protecting it's environment

This cottonwood stand shows how the many canopies interfere with each other and the trunks will all be more scraggly and weaker. On the left are two branches that have grown into each other and risking infections. The bosque is in dire need of thinning in many places for many reasons. There simply is not enough room for all the life trying to grow here.

This elm shows the bark stripping of a beaver. This tree was fed on, but not chewed enough to try to bring it down.

This tree was protected by wrapping a wire collar around the base. Unfortunately, not only will a beaver chew through this, but the leaves have been trapped against the wood and has begun to rot into the sapwood.

Old cottonwoods often have broken ends from rough weather and old age.. The rot from fungi is not usually a big problem, the softened wood is usually going to have a few woodpecker holes in them and often a few hidey holes for squirrel or small bird families. You can see the bracket fungus in the middle of the picture.

Here is a butt rot in the bottom of the tree. This injury is likely to lead to the death of the whole tree. I think the wire was added afterward in a classic case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

This old tree is also rotting, but the rot is likely not going to be lethal. The general rule of thumb seems to be that loss of less than a third of the diameter of the tree will allow the tree to stay upright.

The season now is the time for mowing the ditches because most birds should not be nesting. It is interesting to see the huge amount of cattail seeds that are left after the cutting has happened.

The mowing always seems leave the plants too short to me, but there might be other reasons to cut the plants short. I have noticed the city up the hill and down the valley like to keep things short to reduce trash build up, or at least keep it visible.

This picture shows an earthen dam placed to divert the irrigation water into the upper sluice channel. Presumably this means they are about to clean out the ditch that runs along the South end of the Corrales main road.

Another earthen dam, but this one is made courtesy of a local beaver. The stillness of the water is pretty impressive with the reflections of the bright yellows from the sky above. I notice the beaver earthen dams are removed by people far less that the stick dams they create further to the north of Corrales Village. Maybe more camouflaged?

Another beaver pond showing how these animals are able to naturally prevent cattails from rooting in the deeper water. I know the muskrats that live in a beaver dam also like to eat these tubers.

The planets and moon in the sky put on a light show these last few nights. Quite a few people commented on the view of Venus and the moon in conjunction.

The moths that use the moon for navigation seem to still be out. The temperatures are way hotter than they should be for this time of year. The species is one of the common noctuidae species. I am finding many moths hiding in the leaf litter of open fields during the day.

The katydids seem much too large to be invisible, but in the green trees they can only be heard, not seen. I guess now they have suicidal tendencies that everything is yellow. This one is not going to live long on this concrete post.

A migrating carpenter ant. This species is out and looking for old trees to form nests in. I don't think they are very dangerous to home constructions, but I'm know most people tend to kill first and ask questions later.

 

Here is some sort of ground beetle I found hiding under a log in the ditch. The colors seems completely unnecessary for an insect living beneath a log. The small gold legs give this insect a feel of a piece of jewelry. The surprise I get learning new things about nature is a never ending present to myself. It is oddly satisfying knowing I will never know it all.