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.