birds

As the cold weather gets ready to hit, most animals are getting ready to hunker down. Usually this is done by going out at unusual times of the day, which is great for people who are nature watching.

Most coyotes are invisible to humans and there are a heck of a lot more of them around than everyone realizes. This coyote is acting oddly. I don't think it was sick, but was ill at ease and almost invisible against the leafy ground. Many coyotes are getting into issues right now as the juveniles move out into new territory. Many people have reported seeing these song-dogs trying to cross roads during the day, with varying degrees of success. Its ingrained for people to see coyotes and feel defensive (its going to eat my dog) or threatened (acting odd, could be rabies). I would propose another thought; how about looking at this individual and feeling empathy, or pity. What ever is going on, he ain't happy, and who among us can't relate to that?

Most dog owners know that canids (that includes coyotes) have a whole other way of communication that humans are only vaguely aware of. With scent being so important to these long snouts, it is not surprising that they use stinky objects like urine and feces to communicate. I was surprised that learn that coyote anal glands are widely purchased as lures at $75 dollars a gallon. This coyote scat/scent is used on trails to mark territory. Coyotes famously love sugary flavors, so it is no surprise that their diet contain a lot of apples and grapes. They are also very interested in the many mice that are about now in the farmyards and near people's houses.

The next few days are likely to be a period of fasting for many predators, which explains why a red tailed hawk is looking around the bosque. These birds often drop by, but are most likely to hunt along the edges of open spaces. But they are too large to catch the mice easily. I have noticed quite a few rodent burrows near houses that look like mouse runs. All human research on mice seems to be focused on killing them. This definitely indicates that mice are winning the war of attrition being waged against them.

Camouflage is important to many animals. Herons often stick out during the day, especially against a yellow background. These big birds will certainly eat any mice they spot, but they prefer to keep away from noisy human habitation, which is where mice tend to congregate. Mice have a passion for running along the edges of boundaries, relying on their whiskers to keep track of things. Houses are almost custom designed for the way their rodent minds work. These heron are much more discriminating.

The same heron then hid in the tree after it spotted me. It blended in expertly. Here, I used the bright sunlight to highlight the grey against the tree bark. But at a different angle, the hues are almost a perfect match. Those long, white feathers are used to indicate its breeding condition. Because the heron's eye is yellow, I suspect this is a female. Notice the bright white spot above the eyes. Compared to the next picture.

While superficially similar, these sand hill crane are almost opposite in every respect in their behavior to heron. They stay in groups, are loud, vegetarian, with a bright red spot on the forehead. They stay out in the open and rely on the flock to spot trouble early while their head is down to feed close to the ground.

Flocks of mallards are feeding along the ditch banks. I think they are feeding on invertebrates, worms, slugs, and plant roots. They are not gentle feeders and use those huge planks on their snouts to pull things out of the ground as well as dig after critters in the mud on the streambed. The teals often hang out with these bigger birds. They have much smaller beaks that are pale blue instead of orange/yellow and a green-winged teal can be seen at the top of this picture behind the mallards. These nervous birds are much more likely to fly off when approached, making a high pitched squeaking sound.

This bird is a Wilson's Snipe and is superbly camouflaged. They will freeze when people and dogs come near. This is a fairly common bird that visits Corrales to probe the mud in early spring with a beak that is longer than its body. I was lucky to spot it, and paused just long enough to snap a picture (came out well) before moving on and trying to act indifferent. Most cameras without a good zoom would not get a close enough picture.

As far as most plants are concerned, it is spring. These frozen shoots are from cattails in the ealy morning that are making an early start on the growing season, demonstrating why they are so prolific in our ditches.

These are the buds of Siberian elm. Each bump is a tiny flower covered by a black "eggshell". Those casings are already fluttering out of the tallest trees as the flowers start to burst forth. The green (edible) seeds are going to be here soon, no matter how many are killed by the hard frost that is coming. The buds are also forming on the cottonwoods and many ornamental trees in our backyards.

 

Most of the common weeds in a garden are incredible species that do not get the respect their deserve. This is some sort of scorpion weed, but the research online is very confusing. That name seems to describe a shape (like the stinger on a scorpion), rather than an actually genus. Botany tends to be confused when there are too many experts in a specialized field. These plants are just cold tolerant enough to be brazenly flashing green in all disturbed areas with some saline soil.

Most insects are not going to be very present in the winter, but they are out there, waiting. Looking back to last year the lizards were already out and hunting these spiders. The Southwest continues to stay unpredictable. Spiders are amazing but it takes quite a bit of basic understanding to appreciate them in all their subtlety, and who is going to take the time? I can say that with a bit of effort and maybe a mentor, these 8 legged critters are amazing and open a door on a whole new world. Notice the "boxing gloves" where the "fangs" should be; these palps are the male sex organs, just one of the many things about spiders that make them unique.