Pebble

 There are many ways of learning; sometimes you can keep learning the same thing over years. Other times you can learn completely new things. Corrales New Mexico does not have much connection directly with the sea. So, I am now at Pebble beach in California, and the sea is now within earshot. I am leaving the familiar and learning about the unfamiliar.

 

While New Mexico does have some related frogs, I am most excited to find this tree frog. Amphibians normally have nothing whatsoever to do with the ocean, but the forested hills of Monterey are often shrouded in mist and the damp soil is perfect for these animals. Anurans are found in all sorts of crazy places, endlessly adaptable.

 

 The ubiquitous grey heron is found on the coast, and has adapted to the environment here just like they have in Corrales. This one is floating on a log in the ocean and hunting small fish among the seaweed fronds. All types of birds are abundant along the coastline, often this is because boundaries are often where species congregate to take advantage of conditions. Each type of bird adapts to control its own niche.

The black turn stone has adapted to living with the much more prolific and active sandpipers by developing a more robust neck, musculature and a shorter beak. They feed by foraging under seaweed and rocks, rather than below the sand.

These sanderlings are a type of sandpiper that breed within the Arctic circle. They winter along this coast. The invertebrates they feed on are in the sand and are coaxed to the surface to feed on the debris washed in by the advancing tide. The sanderlings must stab into the sand at random as the wave retreats and hopefully catch their food as it retreats deeper into the sand.

Godwits have a much longer bill that allows them to feed more slowly and methodically. They prefer mud flats to open ocean because they focus on soft bodied worms. Like most of these birds, they migrate long distances, changing many habits, behaviors and even feathers as they do so.

 

A bird's bill is typically identified with it's diet in basic biology classes. The black oyster catcher has a bladed bill for dealing with bivalves and clinging invertebrates.

Birds that don't have probing bills have to live a more active lifestyle. This cormorant is diving for rock fish along the coastline. The rest in flocks to dry out thier feathers between feeding periods.

It isn't often that I learn of new animals, but here is a flock of scoter ducks, a seagoing duck that dives for shellfish. Like the other seaducks, these birds excrete salt from their noses to be able to tolerate saltwater.

This western seagull cannot dive for food, but this species is apparently famous for interfering with San Francisco Giants baseball games. These gulls were resting before the gathering rainstorm, which would likely improve their foraging chances over the next few days.

 

 This sea otter was wrapped in kelp and eating an oyster off it's stomach. They anchor themselves to the seaweed during big swells. They were present in large numbers just off the rocky points along the central Californian shore.

There is so much wildlife invisible to those observing from the shore. However, I was lucky to see this small pod of Risso's dolphin patrolling. They have much blunter snouts and a more distinct "helmet" shaped head than the type cast bottle nosed dolphins in the public imagination.

 

 While the woodlands of Corrales are magnificent, they are not in the same ball park as the majestic redwood forests of the Westen Coast. These mossy grottos seem like something out of a fairy tale story. Complete with twisting tree trunks that stretch into the clouds above. Still, I found myself often looking more at the undergrowth, than at the sky. The recent rains had lead to an explosion of mushrooms.

The America Fly Agaric is one of the mushrooms most likely to cause poisonings in the human population. While some experts say this species can be smoked/drunk/dried/stewed it is extremely unwise and unsafe to do so because the narrow safe dosage range is not easy to figure out. Still, only about 10% of hospitalizations for mushroom ingestion in the US had an adverse outcome in 2016 (liver failure mostly).

The forests in winter are not surprisingly, low in insect species. This stink bug was a random find in a forest otherwise empty of insects, if not invertebrates.

The banana slug is a strange animal to find interesting, but I do. They have the official record of being the slowest animal on earth. Their slime acts as a local anesthetic on the tongue. They digest berries and leave the seeds with a coating that deters rodents so they help reforest open areas of woodland. There is almost nothing they won't eat.

 The Pacific Grove Village thrives on tourists who flock here to see overwintering monarch butterflies. These butterflies are impressively large specimens. Each fall a special generation of butterfly delays sexual maturity and can fly up to 2000 miles back to their overwintering sites.

 A part of learning is experimenting. Near a national forest I found a deliberate pile of these things. To me, they seem to be a chestnut species, and a few were about to sprout. The story of the American chestnut is a long and complex one and I cannot help but wonder if someone is trying to re-wild the American chestnut from stock. These nutty plans will usually be controversial, but will be clandestinely attempted by misguided individuals all the same. The question is, will this be a new frontier, or another cautionary tale from lessons that must continue to be relearned by each generation? Time will tell, hopefully by older and wiser heads than we have now.

Ice

 The connections between wood and the animals that live around wood are far more varied and subtle than at first appearance. Most of the weight of living trees is from water, not wood. The trees, shrubs and grasses use sunlight and air to elevate moisture levels. That changes everything about the local environment. The air moisture moderates temperature extremes and affects what insects are in the bosque during the winter.

Whether a bird is domestic or wild can largely be a matter of opinion. Scrub jays, like this one, are really attracted to large seeds at bird feeding stations. They are noisy, a joy to watch and very much adapted to urban life around people.

While herons do not go to bird feeders, they are always nearby the Corrales ditches and usually in the same hunting perches. They are not very active birds, but regal, haughty. They are fun to watch, with a little patience.

All the different raptors have different niches and lifestyles. The little kestrels visit for short periods in the winter.  I see them often stoop and dive into the burrows on the edges of the interior drain, I think they are after small rodents such as mice or voles.

Red tailed hawks also choose to visit for short periods of time. They prefer open fields with a tall tree borders. I have seen them stoop on rabbits, but their success rate seems very low. I suspect raptors have to keep moving, because it doesn't take long for prey in an area to notice them and go into hiding. These birds get very irritated when humans notice them and give away their hiding spaces.

Insect behavior is affected by the winter. If there is no snow, most insects will be around in low numbers by the afternoon. Wolf spiders are hunters that don't use webs, they appear once the ant colonies have disappeared at the end of summer.

 

 The common earwig was introduced in to the US in the last 100 years and thrives at night in the US. While the are nocturnal, there will always be exceptions, like this one. Those pincers at the end are completely harmless, in spite of what folk lore around the world would tell you.

Many moths can survive impressively low temperatures, but only for short periods of time. Most moths use furry bodies and vibrate their flight muscles to stay warm. The wings on this one blend in with patterns found on winter pine trees.

Woodpeckers are a varied genus of birds whose species eat everything from tree sap, termites, and wood-boring grubs. They rely on old, dead wood to excavate nests. You can see all the sections of wood where bark has been removed when this industrious downy woodpecker chased insects up and down the branches.

Cranes like open fields, and fallen stalks of corn rows best of all. They are often found in the apple orchards in the north of the village near to Wagner's farm. But the most impressive numbers are found far to the south at Bosque Del Apache.

 

 Cedar waxwings are impressive looking gregarious birds the occasionally appear in the bosque as the feed on Russian olives. They really don't hang around very long, and Russian olive do not provide that much nutrition, but are fine as pit stop road snacks for birds traveling through. Notice the small flashes of red and yellow on the tips of the wings and tail

White crowned sparrows are so common we often don't even notice they are around. They often forage in mixed flocks a short while after sun-rise. This one is feeding on four wing salt bush.

In cold weather, most small birds puff up into these fluff balls. This species of sparrow is also one of those animals that can sleep using only one half of its brain. This allows it to rest in dangerous areas, or while migrating.

Flickers are a type of woodpecker that is usually found feeding on insects on the ground in the summer. This one seems a little nervous about the mist it found itself in.

Ducks visit Corrales in small numbers, but can often contain high diversity. This year the ditches were mowed and dredged so many ducks we would normally see did not appear. Gadwalls only visit for short periods of time and never occur in large numbers, unlike the mallards.

 

 It can be hard to remember that Corrales is very far from a nature environment and almost everything is controlled by people. Without maintenance by machines, the ditches would quickly collapse or become choked by vegetation. The trails and paths are shaped by constant mowing, leveling and cutting trees. While human recreation is important, the primary purpose of all this labor is to corral and contain the flow of water for the benefit of farmers and the buildings. Without control, this area would revert to a marshland within 5-10 years.

Trees dominate the Bosque, followed by shrubs and short plants. But there are many other plants, occasionally the rare plants are seen such as fungus, or this moss growing along the ditch banks.

 

 The growing season for the Brassica species has already started. This picture is of London rocket. While the plant is used around the world, here it is simply considered a weed. Most plants have already begun to produce nectar bearing yellow flowers. The mistletoe flowers and London rocket appear to be pollinated by fungus gnats which have begun to emerge due to the warm, wet climate.

Wetlands in the southwest are critical habitat for many animals that both live here, or simply passing though. Only humans see these areas as spaces that need controlling, but that view is also slowly changing. We often forget that the water table is often less than 10 feet below our feet near the river. It is kept in check by the drainage canals that drain into the river.

Hoarfrost is not often seen in the Southwest. Its formation needs cold, wet, and still air that is also in contact with wet vegetation. Fallen leaves piled up trap a surprising amount of water close to the ground where seedlings and insect grubs can access it. These form the base of a pyramid that supports trees, mountain lions and everything that makes this part of planet earth as a desirable place to live.

 

 Humans hate the cold and dark with a passion. We use elaborate rituals each night and at this time of the year just to reassure ourselves that the cold and darkness can be held at bay. Ironically, we use trees for these rituals, either by burning, or by dragging into our houses and wrapping up in bright lights and tinsel.

While wood is a hugely important part of the human experience, there is much more that can be done with it other than burning, building, or pruning. Sometimes we can be more creative and mediate on the deeper connections between earth, air, fire, and water that wood represents. The trees control our environment on a very fundamental level, down to the water in the air we breath. While it might be a stretch for us to all be a little more grateful, it isn't too hard to feel we could all learn a bit more about our world that the trees have built for us over the last 400 million years.
 

Break

Humans are an inquisitive species and we can discover amazing things by asking what if, and having a little free time and resources. Sometimes, this ability to seek answers can lead to trouble, especially when it comes to exploring remote areas of nature. There are too many off-road vehicles chasing an ever smaller area of wilderness, mostly because we can now discover new places faster than ever before thanks to vehicles.

 

Every rural place has a beauty to it, but New Mexico is pretty awesome for wide vistas, both on the mesa or in the bosque. Seeing the sunrise over the Sandia mountains is quite a spectacle, especially with Canada geese honking from a cold, steaming river before the noise of the human commute begins to shake them out into the grazing fields nearby

Avian influenza has been spreading down the continental US from the North-east this year. New Mexico has found only 1 case in a cinnamon teal duck in Bosque Del Apache, so far. However, it is more likely this animal died as a result of trichomoniasis, avian pox, or salmonella. Bird feeders are common sources of bacterial infections in doves. Even if a dove survives to adulthood, there is a 60% mortality rate.

 

Coots, or "water chickens" are usually feeding on plants during the winter. This one is feeding voraciously on duckweed, which is a very cold tolerant, and is not algae, but rather one of the smallest species of flowering plants in the world. This frenzied feeding suggests this bird is a recent migrant to Corrales but their migration patterns are poorly understood.

 

 I think this is a hairy woodpecker. These genus of birds tend to stay in an area year round and their numbers are supported by the blocks of of suet that are put out on winter bird feeders.

The flicker is another type of woodpecker that has adapted to feeding on burrowing insects found on the ground, such as termites or beetles. New Mexico also has sapsuckers, which are another type of woodpecker that can sometimes drink tree sap, but they tend to be found at higher elevations. As always, the number of sites dedicated to treating woodpeckers as pests far outnumber those that talk about their benefits. However, in this case, the "treatment" for nuisance woodpeckers appears to be put up suet blocks in the winter, and build nest boxes as an alternative to drilling holes in houses and trees. Humm, pays to have federal protection.

 

There are not many insects around right now, however the afternoon brings out small flying insects and there are still many hunting spider species prowling during the day like this grass spider.

Coyotes are very misunderstood, and some people know this. However, the details are still interesting. The coyotes of Corrales appear to prefer grapes and apples when they are available, according to their abundant scat that they leave along prominent trails. They also hunt for mice in the pre-dawn hours and after ditch mowing by the MRGCD along the ditches. Research conducted by Santa Ana Pueblo shows they are a common prey item by mountain lions, so they are always nervous when alone, just like people. While they are not wolves by any means, they do not turn down an opportunity to snack, such as a sick bird.

 

 Birds flock together in the evening to roost for protection from all predators. Most water fowl like ducks, geese and cranes spend the night on sand bars in the open river where it is impossible for a predator to either sneak up, or rush them, before being seen. As the sun rises, the birds become increasingly anxious to unexpected sounds until they alight into the air as a group and head out to an open space with either a lot of open space, or fences, to feed. You'll notice the birds are all looking in different directions to assess for danger. If they are all looking in the same direction, then you should be, too.

    The MRGCD is responsible for maintaining the integrity of flood defenses and supply of irrigation water to farming communities in Corrales, but it is everyone's responsibility to look after the preserve. While the Bosque is a fascinating place, it is best explored by foot, bike, or horseback. An open gate like the one shown here is not an invitation to bring a vehicle onto the preserve and is only used to perform ditch maintenance activities. 

    Most people know they should not drive in the bosque, but there is still a strong desire in most of us to want to explore new places. If we have a comfy chair inside a steel box with heating and cup holders, all the better.

Thanks

 Thanksgiving is for a lot more than just stuffing our faces, although that seems to be the clear and stated goal of most gatherings. The same is true in the natural world as well.

Cranes gather in the fields around Corrales to indulge in free corn hand-outs and fallen apples, However, if you look closer you can see the interactions of displaying and group behaviors as these big birds begin to court and pair off. Officially, cranes breed in early spring when they migrate north, but cranes are one of the few birds that actually mate for life, and pair bonding is an important part of their normal behaviors.

The male wood duck's behaviors are very odd, and seem to be mostly about drawing attention away from the drab female and toward itself. The crazy red eyes are very prominent and the male is protective and overbearing towards the quieter female. Still, these birds are quite shy. They flee and hide under low hanging branches in the water readily when approached, all while whistling shrilly.

 

 Ducks, and especially mallards are famous for forced copulation and hybridization with at least 40 other duck species. This is as a result of the weird sexual selection pressures that encourages bizarre and colorful courtships and structures in most birds. Mallards are very adaptable to human presence. Indeed, they are the ancestors of the larger and more plain colored domestic duck.

The American widgeon is a smaller duck often found with a flock of mallards. These birds prefer more secluded and wooded lakes and beaver ponds of the far north.

 

 The great blue heron is not often seen fishing as they seem to prefer the quiet period between dusk until dawn. Dog walkers who are out in the evening can often be startled by the loud "gronk" sounds of a disturbed bird, interrupting the calm hooting of the horned owls in the trees.

 

 The belted kingfisher is a very noisy and twitchy bird that also hunts the ditches in very distinct territorial areas. These are not easy birds to catch on camera while holding still. This is my excuse of the blurry picture, anyway.

 

As the water begins to freeze in the mornings, the fishing birds will need to move to areas of more open water, and deeper water. Shallow water freezes solid, but because ice floats, most water deeper than a few inches stays at a constant temperature of 4 degrees Celsius until warmed by the afternoon sun. The rich black mud below often hides many types of hibernating creatures. From tadpoles to crayfish, insects, and turtles.

Clay is used for a lot more than just pretty pots. Clay particles travel long distances suspended in water and settle out in predictable locations where water is not flowing. In prehistory times humans used  a wrapping of clay to cook food in fires, like foil. Puddled clay was used long before adobe brick to build solid houses. Clay is water impermeable even when not fired, but also holds water in electrostatic bonding when it is found in sandy soils. If the water and air are removed by repeated pounding of trail traffic, the resulting compact mass is air and water tight and cannot support any plant growth. Moisture from rain, and the resulting freeze and thaw cycles, craze the surface into roughly hexagonal cracks. Conversely, drying out clay mud also forms hexagonal cracks as the calcium salts within the alkaline mud crystallizes and contracts. This dry mass often forms a fine powder during the summer on the trails.

 

 The surface of the levee roads are composed of clay mixed with enough sand to prevent these cracks. The herons rest here to digest fish caught. The open spots between stand of cattails are often liberally splattered with the white, guanine rich deposits of digested fish which are a mixture of feces and concentrated uric acid. Apparently, someone once wrote a 100 page book on the excretory habits of the great blue heron, but I was unable to preview a copy.

 

"The Defecation Behavior of Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets in the South Carolina Piedmont, and Greenhead Shiner Responses to Great Blue Heron Feces". By Lawrence M. Slavitter.

 

 Sounds like riveting reading, and might actually cover many interesting topics about predator defense, tree nesting, parasites, weight of water, and other topics. The internet, however mostly focuses on articles related to its effect of car paint. The world we live in.

There are over 12,000 species of grasses currently known, so it is no surprise that this plant family has a lot of variety. The most noticeable, from this picture, is that some grasses grow throughout the winter, and others die back after seeding. The implications of the difference in behavior between annual and perennial is very profound and is one of the major divisions used by gardeners to choose plants for a garden.

 

 In this field are the invasive plumes of the Ravenna grass, that is just beginning to make itself felt in Corrales after moving up the Rio Grande Valley since becoming established in the 1970's at the Biopark. Pampas grass is a pretty ornamental grass from Brazil that dies back because it cannot survive the cold winters. Ravenna grass is a related plant, but on steroids in that it is absolutely cold hardy. This makes it attractive for gardeners and has allowed thick stands of feral stands to become established along the river banks. As of right now, the chances of eradication are non-existent. The consequences of this plant thriving are uncertain, but likely bad without co-originated action.

Beavers are well known as watershed engineers. If left alone, these mammals help manage and control water flows and the associated ecosystems. Beavers control cattails by raising the water level. The dam structures also host musk rats that eat cattails directly. It is a pity the dredging operations keep moving these busy guys away, but they always seem to come back, and appear to be thriving.

The value of the interior drain is argued about by different groups. This picture shows a drain section just south of the Elementary school. With the overburden of soil removed, the poplar seeds were able to contact wet ground and have grown into three year old cottonwood trees. This area, right in the median of 2 busy dirt roads, is one of the few places in the bosque that cottonwoods are thriving in their ideal growing conditions. Even though we know where and how to grow cottonwoods, competing interests mean that with our children's lifetimes, cottonwoods will likely be replaced by species such as Siberian elms, Ravenna grass, and box elder.

 

 When Corrales has the choice to grow, development looks very different than what people would expect of a village with a nature preserve, historical society, and thriving arts and culture. This brand new fire hydrant by the school does help expensive houses reduce the costs of insurance and undoubtedly helps the fire department do the job it is here to do. Sadly, however, right next to this new hydrant are the remains of the Elementary school constructed wetlands treatment system that was abandoned once the new associated sewage system was installed. Plans by the interior drain committee would extend these pipes along the interior drain, destroying this wetland ecosystem balance of plants, insects, and animals.

 

This is the turkestan cockroach. This is rapidly becoming the most common roach in the Southwest. It is rare in Corrales because of the colder winter temperatures and increased animal predation. It is fast replacing the oriental cockroach as it breeds faster and does not interact with humans and their poisons as much. The problem is, along with drain flies and the inland mosquito, they survive better and breed inside underground pipes and are likely to become far more common as wells and septic systems are replaced with water treatment plants and fire hydrants.

Ants are very common in Corrales through out the year. Most rural ants stay away from human houses because they have no need to be inside. Their diets change depending on resources and most ants cache seeds in the spring and summer, and often scavenger dying insects in the fall. This one has found a small honey snack. The ants in the city survive by aggressively seeking out human food and defending it from other ants through sheer weight of numbers. With the combined weight of ants on the planet equal to 20% of total human biomass, it is clear they cannot simply be eradicated.

Many insects rely on humans. This grasshopper is resting on stucco on an east facing wall. This means it will warm quickest, all insects are at a disadvantage in the cold, but are still surprisingly active by the warm afternoon.

Flies lose much of their zip in cold weather and it is actually rare to see them outside in the morning. This common house fly can actually be picked up until the air temperature reaches at least 40 degrees.

 

Hunting spiders can tolerate colder temperatures and probably rely on this to extend their hunting season. This type of ground spider runs down its prey, making it perfectly adapted to catching cold stunned insects in the mornings.

The grey buckeye butterfly is one of the last butterflies to disappear as the days get colder. They can sequester plant poisons and have warning coloration in those wing spots.

The bosque is an ever changing place that is artificially managed and yet more under the control of nature's cycles than most parts of the state of New Mexico. While the problems and threats faced by nature are numerous, I am still thankful to be able to live in such a vibrant and thriving location of breathtaking natural beauty. That is something we could all take a moment to feel more thankful for.