Fur

Many people take rainbows for granted, but there is a lot of science that goes into making that perfect band of colors across the sky. The secrets of rainbows are well understood, but taking the time to observe is an underappreciated skill.

 

 There is a lot of science involved in rainbows, but most people have the basics; A rainbow happens when there is sun and rain together. There is also magic in the nuances (ever heard of moon rainbows? they exist). Also, the appearance of rainbows in New Mexico is a special wonder.

 

New Mexico loves to have weather that is unpredictable. The wet October is causing a flush of new growth of cool weather plants. Most of these should be grasses, but there is always surprises. Modern human land use puts a lot of pressure on seedlings that prefer disturbed soil. The effects of the autum weather will be noticed for at least the next 4-5 years as these plants grow.

Many mammals like this Botta's pocket gopher are getting stocked up for the winter. This one is likely trying to dry out the surface tunnels they use to forage for roots and search for other gophers. A good growth of roots now will help them do well through the winter.

 

 This crow is at a roost waiting for the drizzle to end. This time of year, the crows are near to human habitation because that's where the food and warmth is. (french fries and heating units at the malls)

This is a more unusual bird, a sharp shinned hawk hunting small birds close to the ground. It did not appreciate this photographer advertising it's hiding space. It was stalking silently along the ditches and then popping up into the low tree branches from below, catching the vigilant sparrows by surprise.

Red shafted flickers are loud, bossy birds. They are plentiful right now as well. Still, when seen up close they are also incredibly beautiful. The black throat is called a gorget and contrasts well with the red patches on the cheeks. They have a white patch on their back that is displayed when they fly away.

Many birds are noisy, but the belted kingfisher is one of the champions of fussiness. They use a few favored perches to flit along the ditches screeching out warning to other birds and sounding just like a tiny machine gun. When not moving, they blend in surprisingly well with the tree branches, but they seldom sit still for long.

The numbers of wood ducks is slowly increasing in the clear ditch. Right now they are in small groups, bu they will pair off soon. The amazing colors of the males distracts predators from the somber females. But they are also in their breeding plumage right now, agitating their rival suitors.

Turkey tracks and sandhill crane tracks are very similar, except turkeys are never solitary, and their tracks are usually "bulbous" These tracks look like sandhill crane, which I have seen flying over, but not yet in any fields this year. I should have pictures any day now.

The weather is still warm enough to see many turtles. This common snapping turtle seems very much at ease swimming down the ditch at the end of Via Oreana at the Upper Corrales Riverside drain.

Cattails can be a nuisance because they clog up the drains in Corrales with sediment. However, they provide much needed habitat to many animals. This is a Giant wetlands Wolf spider that was flushed out by cattail removal carried out with Albuquerque Open Space. This one was impressively large, with a body length of a finger joint. Many people do not know that wetlands have many spiders adapted to life on the water.

 

 The grass lynx spider is another hunting spider that does not use webs, thisspecies has an unusual arrangement of eyes on the head and dense, bristled legs to help capture insects. Many spiders are coming out in the evenings now, both hunting and also being hunted by birds and ants.

Birds are suffering as they complete their migrations. Not only do birds suffer from window strikes, loss of habitat and disorientation from artificial lights, but they periodically suffer avian flu pandemics that causes populations to crash. Even thought the flu season for birds is just beginning, there are many wild birds acting oddly as they try to feed while having trouble with co-ordination. This coyote has noticed a bird on a fence behaving strangely. Normally birds would not be on the menu for these canids, but in nature, no opportunity goes unexamined. The ability to observe is important indeed.