brown

 The bosque is amazingly calm as another storm moves in from the north. Most of the time the moisture and cold do not manage to make it into the lowlands of Corrales. The Sandia range to our east rises five thousand feet above Corrales. Adapting to the weather is one of humankind's greatest achievements (shelter, clothes, communal food storage). Changing the weather itself may turn out to be one of our biggest mistakes.

I have noticed the songbirds are very vocal in the mornings. They are also flocking together into the areas they prefer. Each passerine species has a 5 acre space they seem to prefer as the sun rises. Interestingly it is not usually a bird feeder, which are stressful to the more reclusive species. Although it is sometimes a bird bath.

The larger passerines (robins, flickers, doves) seem more territorial and less found in flocks. They are engaged in competitive behaviors; territorial displays and courtship displays. They are definitely feeding too, but it is clearly not their highest priority.

The sandhill cranes feed in the morning and evening, during the day they are in small flocks and sometimes are posturing and being noisy. Most of these big birds appear to have paired off and are usually flying close to their partners. They are more solitary in Corrales than down in the Bosque del Apache preserve. This one is feeding in Heidi's raspberry patch, they low plants are ideal for their foraging style. In the early morning and evening they usually congregate with canada geese and settle near the river, depending on coyote activity.

This great blue heron is always fishing when the water is quietest, basically the early morning and late evenings. They look nothing like cranes, and act totally different as well. They usually have their necks tucked into the body when not out in the water

This red tailed hawk is reliably at a perch on the edge of the Heidi's field, I'm not sure what she might be hunting for, but she was watching a small flock of sandhill cranes, who did not seem to be very worried. The edges of a large field is their prime hunting ground for any small mammal.

Kestrels are not usually found in the bosque at other times of the year, but I think they come in to plan nesting sites in tree cavities. They are small mammal specialists, and track mice and chipmunks via their urine trails.

The start of bird nesting is officially considered to be March. This is likely an old nest from last year, but it doesn't not appear to have been used. However, the increase in bird singing I heard today is a pretty certain sign that some birds are beginning courtship, mating and hence, egg laying and nest building. The high winds over the next few days is likely to dislodge some early nest building efforts from the high trees.

The bosque meets most of what some birds need for a good nesting site, and most surveys agree there is a high number of birds in Corrales. However, some birds like dense cover to feed, and others prefer an open field. This can create many headaches when trying to decide how to manage a bosque for different birds to thrive in. Russian olives grow densely, this helps some animals thrive but excludes others. Russian Olives are considered an invasive species by the forestry department, but many smaller birds have adapted to them in the environment. They have beautiful dense wood, but often produce dense thickets of thorns that burns fiercely.

The Corrales interior drain was dug to drain the marshy area for irrigated farmland and housing. There are many complex USGS documents that basically say this. The groundwater level is returning, most likely percolating back into the land beneath our feet from the river flow. I still wonder what made it drain so fast last year, and if it will ever return to former levels. Now, of course, we need a high groundwater level to restore former wetlands for the benefit of our natural environment. They are essential for cottonwoods to thrive.

It is odd that the more information there is on a subject, the more confusing the data is. Most sites talking about these box elder bugs are from pest control companies selling a service. They often overwinter in houses. I can save you some money; all the sites say wait until spring, when all the bugs leave by themselves. These insects have a crazy amount of natural defenses against all predators, humans, insect, infections. Nature's colorful cockroach, and I mean that in a complimentary way.

This molt is possibly from some sot of bark beetle, but it could also be a moth species. Some insect high in the trees is beginning to molt into the adult phase and attracting the attention of flickers. Other than under the ground, the ecosystem in the riparian canopy is ridiculously understudied. This is well known in a biologist's advice on finding porcupines. "Keep looking up into the trees until you fall backwards, then you are looking high enough". The cottonwood riparian canopy in Western states is about 100 feet. In the East, with more regular water, the height can be twice that. Other than kids in tree houses, and the occasional deer bow-hunter, people do not spend any time living in trees.

When farmers moved towards the western US, they encountered far more erratic weather than they had seen in the East. Flood control and irrigation to tame the rain and rivers requires a lot more co-operation than most history books will admit too. Learning about water law will put anyone to sleep, but basically "muddling along" sums up the system pretty well. Most reliable water supplies are stored underground. The regulation of communal supplies is pretty sparse everywhere. However, the situation is less crazy in New Mexico than in Arizona.

There is a regular small group of "song-dogs" that visit the clear ditch each morning. They leave behind scat and sometime leave late enough that they are seen running away. They are not apex predators so are always on alert for danger. Their scat is 100% fruit (apples and grapes) as they are omnivores and hunting is pretty poor. Sometimes the scat is made up of beetle wings or sunflower seeds from bird feeding tables. They seem to also relish horse poop. They are hunted by mountain lion, though not in any appreciable numbers. Interestingly, they are killed more in areas "backyard farmers" than large farms. It is odd that people who "love nature" often are those that hate coyotes the most. Urban coyotes are going to keep thriving, but bobcats are a more likely culprit for those missing personal pets, as those are obligate carnivores.

Nature is always finding ways to overcome difficulty. This picture shows dandelions growing through ice on the bottom of the ditches. While they are well know for their presense in grass lawns, they grow everwhere. Dandelions, coyotes, and bow elder bugs are adapting to life with humans. Maybe one day humans will learn how to live with them, too.

Ice

One of the best things a picture does is to tell a story. My favorite pictures are not the artistic and beautiful pictures of dramatic birds in flight, but a picture of something people see with their own eyes everyday. Sometimes, there is a process going on there that can be quite mind-blowing.

Dramatic bird pictures are quite nice, of course. I have a few, most pictures are poor quality, like this one. Still, a story is also there to be told. This is a long range shot of a red tailed hawk resting on a cottonwood snag in the evening light. It is watching for the rabbits, who are tiptoeing out to try and sneak in some grazing before the ice and cold of this week's storm arrives.

American Kestrels, like this female, are usually found below the Intel site in the Summer, where they prey on chipmunks and small rodents. If they are in the bosque in December, they could be looking for cavities to nest in. Usually that would happen in March, according to other blogs. Kestrels prefer open fields for hunting, with a few trees along the edges for perches.

There is a slight promise of rain/snow as a strong stream of moisture is forcibly pushed over the Sierra Neva Mountains and into the arid southwest. We will definitely get wind. This photo is supposed to show the early clouds coalescing in the ABQ valley this morning. Our climate is totally controlled by mountains, both the Sierra Nevadas, and Sandias

This is a picture of the moon rising through the trees before the clouds moved in during the winter solstice. Now, the days will begin to get longer and heat will return.
 

New Mexico does not have much ice compared to other parts of the world. The little we do have, however, can act oddly and often have strange effects. Here, the sun is melting the ice on the west side of a ditch before the east side, affecting many types of ecosystems in north/south irrigation and drainage ditches. The groundwater is kept liquid by the insulation and retained heat of the earth. Notice that where the water froze, it is lifted above the ground by its expansion; a unique property of water that allows life to survive below the ice.

The fundamentals of the properties of ice are well understood by most high school students. There is always more to learn if you delve further into the subtleties however. Both water and ice can tell you stories, if you can listen and see. 

In this picture, the story is that the miniatures that local laborers used to smuggle onto construction sites have been replaced by larger bottles. Frozen in ice after being thrown out the window on the way to work. I'll probably fish them out later, once the ice has released them all.

 

Right now, the ice forms first where the heat loss is the fastest during the night. Physics can be weird, though. Turns out ice formation relies on a "delta heat". Basically, we call it the Mpemba effect, and move on. It is a cautionary note about how little humans know about simple things. You can see for yourself the odd concept that where the trees (and reeds) shade the water from the afternoon sun, the water stays ice free. Counter intuitive.

 

 Other things prevent the ice from forming. Here, the reeds shelter small fish that are constantly moving. Ice needs a bit more time to freeze when water is moving, so the area stays ice free. This allows oxygen to reach the fish below. The air inside the reeds is actually colder than the surrounding air because the sun does not warm it during the day. The liquid water often ripples in response to all the movement below it.

 

 The ducks keep their own areas ice free by constant movement during the night. Aquatic, air breathing animals have many behaviors they need to use to live with ice in their environment. Whales and seals in the Arctic are a good example. Humans still seem to poorly understand these interactions

Wood stacked up on the side of the path was used by someone to break the ice, probably for fun. In the summer, these same pieces will be used by turtles as sunning spots. But as the ice melts, and re-freezes at night, any sign of damage will disappear. leaving a smooth, untroubled surface again. Like a hawk watching the sunset before a storm.

travels

 There is a lot of parts to our bosque. Some of the bosque is permanent, like the water (-ish). Some of the bosque comes and goes, like green grass. The birds visit based on what is in the bosque. Some are year round, others only at certain times. Often, we only notice when things become very unusual, and often that's when it's too late to do anything. This why paying attention to the small changes can be very important; to be prepared.

The herons are back after the dry ditches we have seen recently. Apparently, water is being sent downstream from Jemez and Cochiti (From Nichols reservoir in Santa Fe) into Elephant butte reservoir. This is to pay part of the Texas debt we incurred from a wet 2019 season. The silvery minnow captive program used this flush of water to release spawning fish. This heron undoubtedly helped itself to some of those. Here is the "disarmed" version with the head drawn in.

This is the "armed" picture. Humans have seven neck bones, a heron has 20, plus one that is flexible and elongated. There is a bunch of other, weird stuff about their necks, but this blog can describe it better than me.

Usually I see killdeers in the summer, when they walk along the shores of shallow streams that have tadpoles in them. This one was snapping up some sort of aquatic insect species, or eggs. They are always moving.

I have heard of cedar waxwings in Corrales, mostly in the north end of the bosque where all the New Mexico olive berries are. This is the first one I've seen here. They are an uncommon visitor here in the winter. The recent cold front will often bring in odd birds. In April birders report many more of these distinctive looking berry eating birds.

If you look closer at the mallards gathering in the ditches, you can often see there are a few different species mixed up among them. The other green and cinnamon teal ducks are hard to spot, but these smaller wood ducks stand out because of their more skittish behavior. They have an odd whistling call and are the first to fly off when they see you.

The edges of fields that have young, dense stands of trees often will have flocks of small birds in the mornings. Near the Parks and Recreation center there is often a flock of bluebirds in the trees. While they are year-round residents, they are more visible during this time of year. This one looks like an Eastern Bluebird, but I am not the expert, so I follow the advice of the range maps.

No worries about this the house finch. These birds are found everywhere, all the time. This one is looking at grass seed that has been scattered on a dead patch on the soccer field. The males have a red cap and breast.

The flicker has an amazing tongue, as all the woodpeckers do. The flicker is specialized for eating ants and it makes drinking water difficult. that's why this bird is doing a quick sun salutation and showing off it's trademark black gorget (throat).

Most bird baths are vital this time of year as most natural water sources are frozen in the mornings when the birds are looking to drink. Ice formations com ein many types. This twig has been exposed to moist air from the river, and the fine needles grew outwards into the vapor as the ice cooled

Many birds forage by the edge of the water once the mud has thawed. Here it is still solid, so no birds are wading along the shoreline

The bosque has many fruits that are edible, but not exactly preferred. This tree is a hackberry species many birds will eat the berries, but only if they have no other choices

The mistletoe plants are vascular parasites that use their roots to tap into the vascular system on the host plant. In this case it appeared to be an elm species, which is unusual. The white berries are sticky and the seeds inside are transferred in the bird's poop and on their feet to another tree. The fruit is mildly poisonous to mammals, but not birds.

This mild winter we are having means many insects will try to begin the mating season early. This will likely be a mistake. Many insects rest on the sides of walls. When they do, this false widow will be waiting this one was found in Taos, it is not related to the black widow. Actually, there are many spider species called the false widow, the scientific name of this particular one is Steatoda grossa. This is a male as it has red(-ish) legs. Black widows are in the Latrodectus genus and are unrelated.

This mayfly seems to have been recently hatched. During the spring and summer, many insects rest and develop their wings  on the stucco. These wings are still rumpled and soft. This is likely the Baetis magnus, but I did not focus on the all important three whiskers on the tail to clinch the identification. Confusingly, this insect is best known because of trout fly fishermen, who call it by the name blue-winged Olive, because those are the colors used to tie the fly to a hook. The taxonomic knots these fishermen can bend themselves into, goes a long ways towards explaining why taxonomy is the most hated basic biology discipline. It is also rapidly disappearing as a skill in biology, to the detriment of everyone.

This is a fungus gnat. Species unknown. Some species actually use antifreeze proteins to be tolerant of cold weather. The grubs appear to eat just about anything.

 

People know surprisingly little about wasps, yet everyone knows yellow jackets sting. This one actually IS a yellow jacket. It was not in the least aggressive, but was just drinking from drips on the outdoor water tap

This picture driving to Taos showing the every dry conditions around the state right now. The hot temps are not going to control the insects that damage trees in this state. The mountain peaks are not showing the usual snow pack that would provide moisture though the summers. The dry trees on their slopes will die in huge numbers from the stress of insects, and fires.

Back in Corrales, bosque there is a burn scar from a 360 acre fire that started at the end of Romero Road in June of 2012. The hot fire laid down a waxy layer, reducing germination of new plants and keeping the soil too dry. The water table at this point is 12 feet down, which has to be reached for newly planted cottonwood trees to take root.

New shrubs need to be carefully selected, (not least of which is that there is no budget). Irrigation, full sun tolerant donated native shrubs and cottonwood poles, and volunteer workers are needed. The site has to be monitored over the years for vandalism, and fire has to also be prevented from recurring. Then, in 10-20 years, a different bosque might return with a bit of luck.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in" - Greek Proverb

Poetry

 

“in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” ― Mark Twain 

Corrales is only one of several parts of the Bosque within walking distance. Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Sandia Pueblo all are nearby. Each entity has different resources and pressures that are brought to bear on them. Corrales has an abundance of birds in our bosque and relatively few people because access is poor and there is not much money or focus to develop trailheads, trails or interpretative signage. The actual area of the bosque preserve is narrow and small, but dense. But marvels are everywhere.

One advantage of all the large diameter abandoned wood lying around is that we have a great number of insects in hibernation. Most people are not looking for and will never think to search for treasure under rotten logs. More of us should. This is a hibernating millipede. Probably Orthoporus ornatus but no one really knows. The big logs keep the moisture for much longer than the surrounding area. Some detritvores like millipedes eat fungus exclusively and have been for 250 million years. New Mexico will never have the moisture like the coastal areas, so the specially adapted fungivores found here are going to be overlooked by experts for a while yet. This millipede was found in a patch of fungi but is not known to be associated with eating fungus...as far as we know.

This is a common earwig. The pincer found on the rear are a coupling device for males and not used to bite anything. They are not hunters, but eat...anything. It pays to be adaptable, especially around humans.

This trail is really only visible in early morning or evening as the long shadows from the sun show up the scratches of a beaver dragging twigs through the dust into a concrete lined ditch to begin the process of replacing a dam recently destroyed by humans. My money is on the beavers.

The river in Corrales is channelized and mostly narrow. Below the San Juan pumping station on Alameda the river is more spread out and resembles a wetlands. Seagulls recently stopped over here during a migration. There are patches of marshland all the way down the river to at least Bosque del Apache, 90 miles south.

The cause of the wetlands is this diversion dam. The plants growing in the shallows can be seen on the right. The rapid water rise can be seen on the left, where the taller plants have been recently submerged. This happened because the water can now be diverted due to increased releases from Cochiti Dam, many miles upstream. The natural river level has been raised by a foot. In flat land like this basin, that means a huge area of wetlands has been created almost overnight. The birds have noticed.

The narrow ditches in Corrales benefit strong vertical fliers like ducks, but do not work for the large winged geese, who prefer open spaces to feel safe. They are hard to see in this small picture, but there are large flocks of geese here.

Invasive Ravenna grass helps to trap sediment and stabilize soil. This is usually a bad thing for a river that likes to spread out, but in practice is more of a mixed bag for the shelter and micro-environments it creates. Below the Alameda road that divides Corrales bosque preserve from Rio Grande State park this tussock grass is taking over pretty large sections of the river, especially noticeable from the bridges over the river.

The Bosque is monitored by a pretty large organization. They produce good data about the changed affecting the river available to those who are interested in such things. Their activities do not get the notice it probably deserves, but then again most organizations in environmental science could claim the same thing.

This picture shows the reason why the ditches have to be constantly maintained. The right side shows a cleared ditch. The water is deeper and flows down the gradient of a slope On the left the reeds have trapped sediment and raised the overburden of soil, choking off the water flow and trapping construction trash like foam insulation. Heavy machinery to clean the ditch is only allowed to operate until April, which is bird nesting season. This limited window means work has to be identified and done very quickly, usually over a large area. This means an organization like MRGCD or the USACE has to be involved. These huge organizations often cannot be attentive to the special circumstances and concerns found at the local level, they will turn picturesque areas into generic construction sites overnight.

Here is a humble beaver dam achieving exactly the same thing as a mechanical digger; under budget, too. The work involved is actually pretty impressive and the structure gets pretty big if left alone.

The beaver itself is almost never seen, neither are the entire ecosystems of animals that benefit directly from the changes in the water level. Here, a raccoon (I think) has died. These large mammals often forage along the edges of beaver ponds in the summer, looking for crayfish. But they are very susceptible to avian influenza, which affects many birds too.

Heron prefer shallow, isolated pools of water to catch medium sized fish. They also use the large snags of dead cottonwoods to rest and watch for opportunities. They clearly prefer solitude, but habitiuate to noisy humans as the year continues.

Flickers prefer more dense vegetation and are hard to photograph, as they never hold still. This one was foraging and also chasing away a territorial rival, multitasking as usual. While related to woodpeckers, they have a much more generalist lifestyle and appetite.

The mallards are also impressively adaptable. They often migrate from the intense bread feeding ponds at Tingly to the more sedate ditches in Corrales for the evening, where they are more relaxed and pair bonded. Country life versus city commuting. The ones that roost in the city often prefer to spend the night in trees. probably to avoid city cats.

This Red tailed hawk seems pretty quiet. Not the fierce presence they usually project during the days of summer when they are protecting territory or nests. If their diet is mostly cottontails, then they are likely to not be hunting actively once the sun has risen. Being territorial, their density in any one place is very low, but they are very common and visible. One of the best benefits of Corrales is the bird watching and probably partly explains the high prices of the homes here. Of course, most people will complain about the lack of investment in infrastructure in the same breath. It's what we don't have that is the most keenly noticed. However, it pays to read Mark Twain and to look at what is actually out there for true satisfaction.