poke

Politics is a mugs game, but this week with mayoral elections in Corrales it is hard to feel the typical unity of the village that is usually split 50/50 on everything. Everyone loves the bosque the way it is, yet everyone is also laboring hard to change it. In times like these it helps to focus on what unites us. The first, is everyone is annoyed by politicians. The second things is everyone likes Corrales wild spaces, the trees especially.

Obviously, the primary feature of the bosque is the wood, and there is a lot of it lying around. The dead wood is an important natural resource, however this porcupine is relying on the living wood and the associated elm buds to get it thought the nights.

A bird feeding site. These holes are very common in the bosque right now. Many birds, like cranes, pheasants, , turkeys and flickers all drive their beaks into the dirt looking for food. The location and pattern of these excavations on the site of an old ant mound beside a walking trail means this is likely the feeding location of  a flicker; the only ant feeding woodpecker I know of.

Nearby, this hole in the wood indicates the likely site for some kind of carpenter bee. The first time I saw a bumble emerge from one of these holes I was totally unprepared, unfortunately I have not see it happen since. The neatly scalloped edges suggest that a woodpecker enlarged the hole for better access. These holes in the old wood are often reused by many animal species as they are made bigger over time. This one is better suited to a mouse, being so close to the ground. The size and location of the hole is very important to the smaller, delicate birds that are not adapted to wood pecking. Many animals which are out and beginning their nest scouting trips now.

many people do not know that coyotes regularly enter the human inhabited parts of Corrales, or that their preferred source sources right now are fruit (according to the scat). This youngster is watching a pair of giant Irish wolfhounds out for a walk (on leashes). The older members of the pack are more photogenic, but also much more shy.

The interior drain and the clear ditch are one of the only areas of permanent wetlands in Corrales. Even thought they are much less than 1% of the surface area, just about every animal depends directly or indirectly on them. This makes the plans for both mayoral candidates for Corrales to develop them into buried sewer lines, pressurized hydrants, or paved parking lots for recreational fishing pretty alarming. What grows in the shallow water varies depending on water depth, movement, and whether the ducks are muddying the waters, which limits the light young underwater plants need to grow during the early spring.

The harassment of the bigger raptors are becoming more pronounced as nesting season begins. Red tailed hawks like this one do look tough. Still, once their prey is alerted to their presence by dive bombing, twittering, bird parents, the hawks will need to move on if they are going to be successful in ambush hunting.

Wood ducks are very small and shy compared to mallards, and always alert to danger. They do spend more time roosting in trees and are less likely to be in flocks. The males are some of the most colorful ducks around.

This is some sort of wren. many birds keep specific territories that they use to communicate possession to others of their species. Certain areas of the bosque reliably have certain bird species, sometimes even single, rare individuals. This bird seems to prefer this single Russian olive bush. his neighbor is a scrub jay, which is a common bird, but not often found in the bosque. Because those two birds occupy very different ecological niches, they do not compete for any resources.

The common robin are everywhere again. This communal bird becomes very territorial during the early spring. They are well adapted to taking advantage of humans bird feeders.

Mallards are the wild ancestors of domestic ducks and tolerate humans well. This bird is a keystone species of wetlands in urban areas like Corrales. Its constant foraging along the edges of the drainage canals in the winter controls what plants grow where and in what abundance.

Here is a great picture of the red feathers that give the red shafted flicker it's species name. There actually is plenty of argument about whether the yellow shafted flicker is a different species, or not. They certainly hybridize.

This is an eastern bluebird because it has a brown chest up to the neck. It should be a western bluebird, but there you go. It didn't read the manual. The western bluebirds certainly exist and are more often in the northern section of Corrales. Those birds are more often found on open fields and look sleeker.

Unlike the boisterous youngsters, this mature female is much more cautious. Even though I am a good 800 yards away, she is watching me very closely. This group crosses the open ditch area one at a time and are on constant alert. Those suspicious eyes are incredibly beautiful though. As the coyotes change their habits into more stealthy infiltration of human habitat, their evening howls and yips have faded away. Even in the dense dead leaves inside the bosque, the pack makes no sound while traveling.

The waters are ice free during the night now, allowing these mergansers to swim below the water surface in search of hibernating frogs. I have heard, but not yet seen the machine gun rattling call of the belted kingfishers.

There is a huge number of great grey herons around right now, they are also fishing long into the day. The rippling water of the spawning mosquito fish is certainly attracting their attention, but I suspect there are also other things getting their attention.

High flying crows are a lot harder to photograph that I would have thought. The sheer number involved is staggering. They look like a black river flowing from the west side garbage dumps into the bosque. They also come into Corrales from the city to the south. The amount of phosphorus brought into the forest by all these different bird migrations must be enormous, but I can't find any data.

The gradually warming trend this week is going to bring out a lot of different insects, and it's nice to have a change from all these birds! This little one looks like a leafhopper but turns out to be a psyllid. As usual, all the available info online is only how to eradicate them. Interestingly, shaving the tops of the trees like everyone does, encourages new growth, and attracts psyllids. They are almost never a pest species anyway except to citrus plants.

Tree management is a VERY controversial topic, especially when municipal authorities have the resources, but private groups have a vested interest. Just like the US constitution, the peace is preserved by a negotiated peace and a delicate system of checks and balances that is always on the edge of disaster. The bosque does have to be managed heavily to remain the "natural" way that is is currently. The pressures on the riparian habitat are immense from users who love it to death, to haters who cause huge damage that can last generations. it is always important to note that the same humans that cause the problems must also be a part of the equation for bringing about improvement. I guess that also sums up politics.

Small

Humans have an odd habit of trying to twist the world into their own image, often producing unexpected results in the process. Their is no denying that we are good at modifying nature. I think on this often when I regard the wolf descendants in my house as they lounge on the couch. Sometimes, we should probably pay more attention to the fact that not all of nature is equally able to be subjugated to humanity's will.

Humans are usually very selective about our successes. This honeybee has become very successful due to human domestication. This worker is able to be out in the brief sunshine between snow storms because it lives in an insulated house, protected from predators (like skunks)  and provided with food by the beekeeper. The colony is robust because basically, only the queen of the hive is not disposable. As long as she has everything provided that she needs to make more bees the colony will continue by their constant activity.

 

 In contrast, this field cricket survives in spite of everything people do to keep them out of the house. They eat anything, survive everything and seem perfectly adapted to whatever might come their way. We don't domesticate them in this country, but people say they could one day replace cattle and chickens as a major food source.

 

Most people divide everything in the world into "good" or "bad". But there is also the "other" category. This insect is not a mosquito, or a "good" pollinator. It is a Chironomidae species. More commonly called a "non-biting midge". But it is part of the ecosystem. Many insects like these specialize in emerging early in spring precisely because insects and their predators are not around early in the year. Most insect eating birds are consuming various seeds and berries as a carryover, or migrating, while the bats, fish and dragonflies that also eat them are not active yet. There are actually many flowers for adult midges to choose from for nectar, from mustard grass to mistletoe. These insects are also able to feed on tree sap via the cambium layer (xylophagous). Because they are in the category of "other" and not an identified pest of orchards, there is very little study done on them. Not that it matters, they have a short life span making it kind of pointless to try and kill them.

New Mexico is going through rapid temperatures changes and can be quite unpredictable. While this is normal, it is also concerning for the future. Not just because of climate change, but also because modern lifestyles are becoming less robust, even as we consume ever more resources. Very few people in New Mexico even have cold weather gear, and many people would run into shortages if severe weather lasted more than a few days. The problems around an electric infrastructure, as well as a complex supply system are likely to be seen again in our lifetimes.

Kestrels have been seen with more frequency along the interior ditch. This likely has something to do with the availability of unfrozen water for non-migrating species such as sparrows and mice that make up the diet of this little hunter. The Corrales interior drain is one of the only places wild animals can access the groundwater in Corrales.

The long tail on this medium sized raptor means it is probably a Cooper's hawk, but some of the colors and patterning is wrong. This is not unusual for raptors. Some variations are called "morphs" and are endlessly debated in bird identification online forums. This bird was getting a lot of interest from migrating crows, but because nesting season has not started, the amount of harassment was light. The crows wanted to get to the city for protection from the coming snow flurry, and the raptor wanted a meal before the prey hunkered down for the cold period.

The doves thrive on the kind of open dirt found along the dirt driveways bordering the drains in Corrales. They swallow large amount of coarse grit to help feed on seeds and also the emerging insects like midges that are found on the snow-free, southwest facing slopes of the canals. This one is showing the facial colors of a breeding bird. Red eye, blue skin around that, and yellow throat colors with black chevron.

An unusually bold skunk is a sign that mating season is beginning for these intrepid mammals. Skunks have very dog-like appetites and change their diets according to what is available, like most animals do. Because they can often be head-strong, young animals like this one are likely going to have problems with human and pet interactions. Still, humans provide them with everything they need to thrive and they are doing well as a population.

The problem with naming birds according to their most distinguishing feature is that the feature is not always there. This is a female red winged blackbird. It has the characteristic sharp beak needed to feed on cattail seeds. They live and thrive in cattails like those that are now in the Corrales interior drain. While the cattails are mowed every year, there is enough left standing to allow these birds places to feed and nest. In the summer and fall the males, with their distinctive red patches, sing from the tallest reeds they can find. The cottonwood tree it is in here has the dense cover they prefer because it has a heavy growth of parasitic mistletoe.

A large red tailed hawk is an imposing sight. They often have preferred roosting sites in cover, so once you spot one, it will usually be in the same area for 3-4 days until the local animals realize this, and it has to move on to an easier hunting ground.

I have never seen these birds hunt ducks, but I notice they watch the comings and going of mallards with great interest. Also, if the ducks are not in an area they should be, there is usually a red-tailed hawk in a nearby tree.

I don't really understand birding, but I see that many people do like the sport. This bird is an American pippit, a new species for me, or in birding parlance, for my "checklist". It is all "floofed" up to stay warm on a very cold, but sunny morning by the river. The longer, narrow bill helps identify this species as separate from more common birds like sparrows and thrushes. But until I checked online, this was just another small brown bird to me.

 

The herons all have their preferred fishing locations and clear out quickly once the dog walkers begin to arrive at the end of Andrew's Lane in the morning. As long as there is ice free water, these patient hunters are usually nearby, waiting for their audience to go away. Almost all birds feel more comfortable in a high location, but have to come to the ground to feed.

 

The Rio Grande river's banks are undergoing continuous long, and short term changes from season to season and over people's life times. This picture is showing the seed heads of ravenna grass, an invasive grass species slowly moving it's way north along the bosque from Albuquerque, where it was introduced by gardeners as a landscaping plant in the 1970's. It is unstoppable for many reasons, but I will still try. This 5 gallon bucket represents and hour's worth of effort at reducing its reproductive rate. The tussocks provide cover for many fossorial mammals such as pocket gophers, but potential problem is that the monoculture crowds out all other plant species, severly changing the ecosystem. We don't know yet whether this new development will "good" or "bad" for humans, but I know the future results will be as unpredictable as they are inevitable.

Heat

 New Mexico has always had many contrasts. Dry deserts and flash floods. Cold mornings and hot afternoons. Dusty desert arroyos and muddy river banks

 Sunrises are most impressive before a snowstorm, or right after high winds. This sunrise was impressive even for New Mexico; the land of awesome sunsets.

 

  In contrast to the fiery sunrise,this was a picture of the the cool, white/yellow light from the setting moon. Unlike the predictable sunrise, the moon seems to be in the sky at much more unpredictable times, coming and going as it pleases.

The weather is continuing to alternate between hot and cold. The last snow storm disappeared pretty quickly. The next one is already predicted next week.

Often, seeing a common bird in an unusual location can be interesting. This is a common scrub jay, just not seen in the bosque much. Notice that thick, powerful beak. This picture does not show the blue back very well.

This great blue heron also has an imposing beak. Something is attracting the fishing birds to Andrews lane right now. Probably trout, but it could easily be a dozen of other common fish species.

 

The level of the Rio grande river seems to be rising slowly, and the interior drain, which also reflects the underlying groundwater level, also appears to be increasing incrementally. In the bosque, there are some monitoring stations. This picture shows a site that appears to be abandoned at the moment. The capped white pipes sticking out of the ground are typically drilled down by hand to about 15-20 feet to measure the water table.

 

Mistletoe is "planted" in the tallest tree by birds while they are roosting. They take several years to actually form plants with berries and flowers. They form links in an ecosystem and are a sign of high biodiversity. They also attract birds and mammals that recycle nutrients.

Because they are hemi-parasites (sort-of-parasites) they help redistribute resources like minerals back to the forest floor. They are succulents and the leaves are full of proteins and sugars. This group of leaves ended up on the forest floor because of a mammal browsing on the stem.

 mixed in with themistletoe and cottonwood leaves was the tell tale wood pellet scat of porcupines. These animals often clear mistletoe from dense forests as they browse individual trees for mistletoe, buds and bark. They usually feed in that order of preference.

It's a little hard to see in this photo , but this is a haul-out site for beaver, which is where they slide into and out of the pool created by their dams. The pile of debarked and pointed sticks in the water is a clear giveaway of what is otherwise a pretty secretive species. They often store sticks underwater and also use them for building materials after the sticks have been gnawed on like a bone.

the long fingers on this track mark shows that the raccoons has begun their long nightly walks to look for mates and territories. If they find a food source on the way, so much the better. The pickings for them must be kind of slim right now.

much of the activity on the bosque revolves around food. During the cold winter, the majority of the food is vegetable. Birds rely on drupes, like these Russian Olive seeds that are deposited in helpful sites in bird scat to sprout in new locations.

Song sparrows often eat these fruits, they also have been seen dropping many of the Russian Olive fruits into the ditches below where the ducks scoop the fruits out of the water.

Flickers will eat these fruits during breaks from mating. Even though they specialize more as insectivores and seem to choose ants, they will eat seeds and fruit. They do not frequent bird feeders much, however.

 the robin feeds on many seeds and fruits. They feast on New Mexico Olive, Russian Olive, and mistletoe berries, as well as just about anything else that is around.

The towhee will even take a break from hunting for months on the forest floor to eat the fruits. But they take the time while up in the canopy to also let other towhee know they are around, with a quick song.

 Wilson's Snipe are very shy and secretive and are not often seen in a group. It takes a while to see them. Because of their camouflage and the fact that they freeze very effectively.

 This picture shows that everyone can find a way to make a buck. It is a sobering reflection that the bosque is in very severe fire danger with fire starters literally lying on the trail, even as people ignore no smoking signs in the public preserve.