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“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.”
—Leo Tolstoy  

While this quote is widely attributed to him, there is nowhere in Tolstoy's works where this quote actually appears. Indeed, he was not even talking about nature in terms of ecosystems, but man and the nature of man. The internet widely misrepresents as much as it disseminates. Just like our bosque, constant effort is involved in keeping our wild places natural for the benefit of all. Things are not as they seem and a deeper sense of understanding is needed, especially to those who visit. This often means issues and problems can be kept out of sight when they should be seen and discussed.

 

 A picture speaks a thousand words, but the interpretation never seems to be nuanced enough. Corrales is absolutely full of beauty, of which the huge majority is hidden from simple view. This wild animal is a wood duck, on of the spectacular birds that hide in the bosque. This up close view is very unique, but sad because it is far from natural.

There are many species of duck that visit Corrales. None of them stay for too long. The American widgeon is a common duck that is smaller than a mallard but often hangs out with those bold birds. Ducks are studied in relation to their activity budget, which describes how they spend their day. All ducks need to practice foraging, not just to find food, but also to communicate and feel comfortable. Corrales does not provide the food of the larger sources like tingley ponds, or bosque del apache, but many birds seem to appreciate the calmness of the ditches.

 

Red tailed hawks have several hunting styles they use in the bosque. They fly along the ditches and roost from time to time to check on local mammal movement, like gophers and rabbits. They also sit in the treeline and watch the ducks and cranes flying out of the fields at dawn.

New arrivals in an area tend to fly in large, circling spirals as they survey vast swathes of territory. Most likely they are checking for other antagonists. They definitely focus their attention on large fields bounded by tall trees, their favored hunting spots.

 

Animals that can adapt to human activities do best in Corrales. It is a very disturbed environment, but useful to those animals that can figure out the activities of humans. This grey heron often sits at one of several favored roosts and surveys small, isolated deep pools of water.

Occasionally it will examine a neighborhood pond in the Las Brisas area, but only when there is no human activity nearby. These large birds do not feel safe on the ground because it takes a lot of time to become airborne if startled.

The El Nino weather pattern has produced a mild and wet winter so far, this also favors our stereotypical vivid sunsets. The winter solstice time means humans are outside at the right time to appreciate it, too.

The prominent Sandia mountains to the east cast a rain shadow into the Albuquerque area and often are cloud capped during the winter. We see the majority of the wet weather coming in from the west currently, this weather attracted migrant birds and changes all the ecology of the bosque both now, and for several years into the future.

 

Corrales is not famous for it's trees, but should be. They control the local weather and are absolutely unique to our village. Our ways of managing them is peculiar, though they can be inconvenient to people used to living cities where the trees are much more constrained. Not many people give a thought to living under their branches and leaves, until it's time to string internet cables or pick up fallen detritus, however. This bucket truck crew working on electric cables next to the only home in the area that has not clear cut its plot probably wishes the home owner would just clear these trees out of their way.

Cottonwoods are a form of popular, they have survived because they have no value to people as lumber. They grow crooked and are too soft for furniture, the wood is "cottony" and is not pretty to look at. They have evolved to live with large areas of themselves diseased and damaged, and they have impressive regenerative capabilities for a short lived tree . This tree received damage to the heartwood that allowed a fungus to invade unchecked. The living bark has curled around the wound and continues to grow as the core is slowly hollowed out by damp and rot. It will eventually kill the tree, but not for a dozen more years.

 

 The black locust is almost the exact opposite to the cottonwood. Its wood is dense and hard, it grows quickly and stays small. It has become naturalized all round the world from the origins in the Ozarks. Very long lived, a specimen planted in France in the 1600's is still alive today. A plant with sharp thorns and an ability to thrive in wide range of soils due to a mild toxicity and fixing nitrogen from the air to create a fertilizer source when growing in poor soils.

 

 The numbers of beaver have rebounded in the US. They prefer to feed on small twigs and rely on Russian olive to hide from predators such as mountain lion. This animal controls the growth of Russian olive along the ditches, but conversely seems to vanish in sections where this tree is absent.

There are many theories as to why the number of coyote sightings are up, and they could all be right. My pet theory is that they move closer to human habitation and activity when there is a mountain lion along the river. Cougars do not stray close to groups of people, and the coyotes probably benefit from this shelter as they are a prey item for these cats. While many people will never see a mountain lion in the wild, they can often catch a scent of a strong cat smell when out walking, which these animals use to mark territory, avoiding confrontations.

This is a western lynx spider. Many spiders move indoors when the weather is cold and wet. They are a peculiar mix of a daytime ambush spider that also makes a web. They specialize in small insects that are plentiful and easy to catch, but not terribly calorific.

This oily sheen is the effect of a bacteria that are "breathing" a metal, like iron or manganese. Humans and most animals use oxygen as a terminal electron receptor to bind to hydrogen and produce water. Some anaerobic bacteria can use any metal to release the energy their cells need to live. The organic matter in the water from leaves, and human sewage, keep the water acidic and metals reduced to lower activation states. The free oxygen is taken up by other bacteria and cannot precipitate the metals. But when the dissolved metal reaches the surface of the water, oxygen in the atmosphere reacts and forms a thin film of mixed metal oxides that reflects light.

These seeds are rapidly growing, taking advantage of the moisture and warmth. The seed bank contains many species just waiting for the right moment to appear. The exact types of foliage we will see for the next several years is affected by weather conditions now. Not all plants are annuals that re-sprout each year. In fact, only six percent of all plant species do.

 

 The humble dandelion can survive for 5-10 years. They are usually one of the first plants to appear in the spring. Because dandelions are considered a weed, its many virtues have been ignored. But once, the white sap they exude was considered as a replacement for economically important rubber. The roots can be used as a coffee substitute. The flower produces a vivid yellow dye.

 

 Wood ducks hide under Russian olive that overhang the ditches Fishermen who leave their tackle tangled up in trees are an unexpected hazard for them. This picture shows the same duck at the beginning, but prior to the rescue that was performed by the Corrales animal control department.

 

 The Corrales animal control is a small organization belonging to the Police department that is tasked with an impossible job. The number of loose dogs reported in the village is staggering. Add to that the numerous other domestic and farm animals, as well as the feral and wild animals, and the job is overwhelming. This department copes with a supplies budget of $2000 and a requested training budget of $500 in FY 2024. In 2021 their training budget request was $8000. Even their empty new facility has been delayed until April due to problems with the foundation. Many of the problems they encounter could be avoided, like this rescue.

  

    Wild animals suffer more from captivity than domestic animals, and wild bird rescue is nothing like a dog rescue. Luckily, in this case the duck was released apparently unharmed. The fishermen who caused this problem are completely unaware of the problem their abandoned tackle caused, and this is not the first time this area has had problems with animals being cause up in fishing line. The number of birds in the bosque during this year's survey shows a decrease, and events like this are part of the reason why. Still, it helps that there is a network of caring professionals who are at hand ready to help when things go wrong.

    Corrales bosque is not kept natural by random chance, and every day people do it harm by neglect and acts such as this that they consider harmless. That the bosque is such a charming place of nature is an amazing act of happiness for those who live here, even if the naturalness of the bosque is somewhat of a myth.

 

 

Skills

 “Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

 Plants and their relationships to us is complex, thought provoking, and often misunderstood. It is undeniable that our lives are closely connected with those of a photosynthetic ilk.

 

It is a fact that the mistletoe is a misunderstood plant. There is a lot of internet data about it's use in Christmas traditions, and also how to eradicate it. The prodigious amount of repeated data on the internet seems to be obscuring and also plain wrong. Even the earliest descriptions by Pliny the elder of druids climbing oak trunks on the sixth day of a waxing moon to collect a fecundity decoction after sacrificing two white bulls seems to be a bit of an insider joke. English forms of mistletoe very rarely grow on oak trees.

In Wales and Somerset, growing mistletoe on old apple trees is seen as a way of encouraging a good harvest and there is much talk about elves hunting for children during the winter solstice and other pagan imagery dreamed up by a 13th century poet known as Thomas the Rhymer.

Comparing the myths of mistletoe with that of this little shrub, know as "pussy-toes" due to its soft furry leaves that help it survive cold nights and dry days is a study of contrasts. While the plant is well known, there is almost nothing noted, or of note about it. Maybe because it is common and doesn't have myths associated with it being poisonous, or useful for amorous stunts at Christmas time.

I honestly don't know what this common plant is, but I know the new crop is busy growing now and is likely to be very common come summertime. They like well drained sandy soils and exclusively found on open, disturbed soils with heavy traffic. While birders will often share their information with random strangers, botanists tend to keep their knowledge a secret.

 

 The american coot usually prefers open and deep waters, but they are found in Corrales from time to time. Like all the new arrivals, it takes a few weeks for the anxiety around people to dissapapte

 

 A coot is not a duck, and while it swims well, it's feet are lobed, not webbed like a duck, the genus is actually closer to the crane family. They can dive, unlike the mallards, which are just too buoyant to go much below the surfac. They build floating nests which means their eggs never become flooded.

 

 The say's phoebes are insect eaters so will be seen on their ambush perches once the insects begin to appear. Their quick, furtive movements are very endearing

 

 The ubiquitous red tailed hawks commonly watch over the open meadows from a lofty perch. Their powerfully build bodies are well adapted to pouncing on small mammals below. While they prefer open ground, they usually need a tall perch to hunt from.

 

The cooper's hawks are much smaller and better at dodging around and through thick vegetation. This one has just captured a roadrunner. It was startled during feeding by me, and after failing to fly off with the carcass, in now standing its ground. You can see the blood under the hooked bill. The prey weights about 10oz, the same as one large avocado. People's small pets have nothing to fear from this pint sized predator.

 

Roadrunners are infrequent visitors to the bosque. They are pretty safe in open grass lands where they crouch close to the ground when they see an aerial attack coming. This one is spreading the feathers on it's back open to be able to feel the warm sun on it's bare skin patch. 

 

 Predators have specialized needs when it comes to hunting. The crab spiders use camouflage to get close to their prey. They have the ability to walk backwards, which is kind of rare in spiders.

 

 Running crab spiders are related to the long legged crab spiders, but more built for movement and travel rather than pouncing and grappling. The second pair of legs are the longest, and they look more slender over all.

 

 Cellar spiders have been evolving for over 300 million years and are perfectly adapted to living in your house. This accidental coincidence is because they are designed for living in dry caves, which is what a house essentially is. Their thin legs are very sensitive to vibrations, which is helpful where there is little natural light. Their prey diet is very sparse and small. While this seems odd, they do not have competition from other spiders so do not need heavy mandibles and tough armor. They specialize in huge sheets of non sticky webbing and actually are pretty adept at catching other spider species. Those long appendages are good for wrapping a struggling insect at long range.

 Dragonflies have been seen catching over 100 mosquitos per hour in favorable conditions. Their complex breeding cycle actually prevents too many hunters being found in any one area, though so their presence is not a surefire way to eliminate them.

  

It can be depressing to consider the humble mosquito and human's reactions to them. These insects have constantly evolved to be resistant to new insecticides. They have adapted to living in urban environments. This means they can survive freezing winters by living in drainage pipes. No one system is effective at eliminating them. Our best treatment, DDT, nearly wiped out birds before we knew what was happening. Even worse, the most effective program to eliminate mosquitos is found in Florida...at Disney Land.

People living up on the Bajada of the western slopes of Corrales get amazing views of the many moods of the wild Sandia mountains. You can see thick clouds flow over into the lee slopes that shine with wild hues of gold, pink, greys and purples each evening. The effect is enhanced in the winter with the thin white blanket the rocks are covered by.

 

 The longest day of winter is almost upon us and we light the fires to hold back the darkness in that vain effort to be comforted in the icy blackness. Actually this was the 2023 Corrales Fire Department bonfire and the green chile stew was quite comforting.

 Not all animals are as happy. Its a tough time to be a mammal right now. The porcupines have begun to run out of fallen fruits like apples and New Mexico does not furnish much hard mast like nuts, so they have begun to chew the inner cambium of young trees until the buds appear. Actually some trees do have buds, including elms and cottonwoods.Mistletoe appears to be a favored food, due to its succulence. During the winter porcupines seem to spend almost all their time in older trees snoozing in the crook of a branch

All the mammals, from porcupines, gophers, rabbits and skunks are moving around more right now. The skunks are foragers and love to explore horse barns looking for mouse nests. The species gets hit often by cars, especially at the south end of the Corrales Main street where there is a large apple orchard on the west side. The vast majority of the roadkill deaths are amorous males, dying in search for love without the benefit of mistletoe to smooch under.
 

Flying

 ""Until I came to New Mexico, I never realized how much beauty water adds to a river." - Mark Twain

Mark Twain used to be a river boat pilot and has a very deep understanding of rivers as seen in his book "Life on the Mississippi" Oddly, there does not seem to have been much improvement of our river understanding in the days since.

The physics of water allows all the life to grow around us. The vascular plants draw water up to their leaves by simple capillary action. The fact that plants do not need energy to pump water up into their leaves is a core concept of plant biology is called water potential. The physics is amazing and borders on magical. For those of a more lyrical bent, the vascular system of cottonwoods in the twigs look like a five pointed star when snapped, and many stories about this have been created through the centuries. Once a year or so, the temperatures, humidity, and oblique sunlight are just right to allow the vapor trees transpire to be visible. The ethereal smoke effect is a gift.

Plants transpire a large amount of water into the atmosphere during the process of transmogrifying carbon dioxide into simple sugars. Here you can see the droplets forming at the tips of saltcedar leaves. As the leaves evaporate off the water, the salts left behind force more water to rise up into the leaves by osmosis and is used by this particular plant to survive in brackish areas.

Amazing at it seems, the next crop of insects is already pacing around. The true bugs seem to be the first, but the midges also are swarming and actually pollinating some flowers. Elm seed bugs are present, but slow.

Carpenter ants are unfortunately named. although the appellation of "bi-colored" as apropos. The scouts appear as soon as a part of the day rises above 60 degrees. Most of these slow down markedly as the temperatures drop again, at least allowing for a good close up of an otherwise very fast moving subject.

The number and variety of ducks is continuing to increase. Each type of duck is a little different in temperament and habits. It is interesting to note the numbers of birds is actually very high right now, we are accustomed to summer being the time of the most variety of avian critters.

In the winter the flocks of large birds head south and into New Mexico. The open fields of places such as Bosque del Apache, Valle del Oro, and Bernardo Wildlife area are far more active with geese, cranes, and other species. Many visitors are surprised by the number of birds found in these hidden wetlands areas.

The smaller region of Corrales still interest these majestic birds. Mostly they like to explore, forage, and court in open fields. Many local people also put food out, where the birds quickly learn to trumpet for in the early morning. Feeding wild birds seems to have caused many unexpected behavior changes, but you can always guarantee a lot of mess and commotion.

The water in Corrales runs just below the surface and the many ditches act both as drains and irrigation, depending on their level relative to the water table. The terrain here is very flat, but a small change in elevation can have large consequences. A careful management system involving many large earth movers are necessary to keep everything "natural"

The conditions for growth of grasses and other plants is actually quite favorable right now. Water doesn't evaporate quickly and competition for space is quite low, especially if you are a plant able to grow on the edge of water, like this grass.

 

 Grasses are a relatively recent evolution, with the first pollen grains appearing about 55 million years ago, around the great dinosaur extinction event. Their major feature is that they can survive, and even thrive in periods of upheaval. They use fire and floods to extend their range, and they can tolerate heavy grazing pressures. They evolved to not need insects for pollination. They are tough, diverse, and now dominate many landscapes. Grass grows from "culms" and sends stems out sideways, as well as upwards

 

Many animals of the bosque rely on the boundaries of trees and grasslands. These areas have the widest mix of desirable features. So this raptor is able to use tall trees perch up high, hide among the branches, and survey an open field for prey, while also having room to pounce if prey is spotted.

Education, especially in biology, relies heavily on teaching students a model organism. This has the benefit of efficiency, but a lot of valuable learning is lost in the nuance. For example, these are mistletoe flowers, which is a species related to sandalwood. No one is ever going to put this into a floral display, so few people learn of the value of mistletoe to insects when compared to a daisy.

The common mullein is a European plant introduced to be used as a fish poison by early settlers. The hairs seem to help reduce insect herbivore attack and also insulate the leaves from desiccation. While many people swear it is used to help with symptoms of bronchitis, there is no actual proof it works. The plant thrives in wet conditions but has many adaptations to survive dry periods.

The recent rainy periods have encouraged the growth of some other strange plants. Mushrooms should be sprouting in the wet leaves soon. However the rarer growths are plants like the mosses, lichen, and  slime mold communities that are not often seen. Mosses are among the oldest known plants and many species can be found in areas of damp, still air, like in the deep creases of fallen cottonwood trunks found in the shade.

Lichens are a fungi that grows with an algae intertwined in its threads. This picture shows a shield lichen with the characteristic grey green "leaves" that give it the name.

The river levels have begun rising again to "normal" levels and the moisture can be seen everywhere. Rising in the damp soil in patches, along the river banks and in the ditches. It can even be seen in the delicate patterns of hoarfrost in the chill mornings. All of these sights occur because of the presence of the river and the water that lies just below our feet. Water is the main reason we all live in this beautiful location and we should not takes its beauty so much for granted