Swarm

 Love is clearly in the air, literally in the case of most ground dwelling insects that swarm. The drones hatch with wings and fly off to search for new mates. The vast majority will sadly never survive the journey, but it seems like quite an adventure.

 

This is likely an arid subterranean termite drone (reproductive male). The best info online about these are from the pest control companies. I always found it an odd source of information, but people vote with their wallets. In about a month we will be seeing the pest control trucks wandering around Corrales, peddling their wares. They are in the business of selling hope, like most sales people. The biology of the environment is still in there, but it's pretty drowned out by the message of eradication.

 

these drones landed on the north side of east-west fences, which are still frozen because they receive the least total solar radiation. As small black insects, they cooled down quickly, and became torpid and immobile. They revive quickly when placed in the dry sun.

 

 these tracks in the snow show where small birds like sparrows and juncos have scouted around and scooped up these insect morsels. Small birds that perch don't have the leg muscles to walk. Their wings are placed far forwards. This gives them an unbalanced center of gravity so they hop, leaving parallel feet tracks. Birds also use a counter current to prevent their feet from freezing, or losing too much heat to the ice that they are walking on.

  

bluebirds normally have to catch insects on the wing, so snapping these clumsy insects flyers off the ground can be much quicker. The downside is that they have to stay alert for predators such as cats, this often means they do not stay in one location for very long.

 

the bushtits never seem to stop moving and are usually the first to spot the termites land. These birds are always found in small flocks, and are not usually far from thick cover.

The lack of leaves is allowing most people good views of the active porcupines. With daytime temps in the 60's, these mammals have also been moving around a lot more, making them easier than ever to spot.

Tree trimming seem difficult enough, but this team had to work around that porcupine. Successfully, it seems.

American widgeons is the second most common visitor to the clear ditch and is often found with mallards. They look a lot like green winged teals, but don't have any green on their wings.

It's rare to see a roosting duck with the bill hidden in the back feathers to keep warm. Just after this picture was taken there was an unknown rat sized rodent spotted running behind it, which might be why the eye is open. Those rodents form runs and tunnels in the long grass by the edge of the water and are usually of great interest to hunting coyotes early in the morning.

  

mergansers are an unusual visitor that seem to be migrating through the US right now. The narrow beak and fluffy hair are two obvious differences from a typical mallard. They, and others, are here for fish spawning season. The biggest freshwater fish are much less wary right now and easier to spot.

 

 This long distance shot shows a merganser struggling with a large, thin fish. It eventually swallowed it down. Then it went looking for the next one.

Trout and carp seem to be schooling in Corrales. The air temp is the warmest it has been all year and most water is ice free right now. Trout are cold water fish. They like clear, well oxygenated water and are carnivores. Conversely, the effluent pipe at the Harvey Jones outlet is seething with frenzied carp. Those fish prefer muddy, warm waters and are unfussy eaters. The warm waters there serve as a refugia. Because there is no retention pond to hold the warm water as it cools, many invasive species of fish, bivalves, and plants thrive and spread out in the warmer months. They retreat to the warm warms during the winter and avoid being extirpated locally.

Nuthatches specialize in insects found on trees, like caterpillar, ants and beetles. They are likely to be getting busy eating over the next few days, until the next cold front comes though. They like to pick at gnat and midge infestations that attack the local trees. This is one example of where parasites benefit ecosystems by making a food source available for another animal to exploit.

 

 Many insects are coming out that probably should stay tucked away for another month, in the normal scheme of things. There are actually many spiders that hunt other spiders, like this one, found in a bedroom.

This is a member of the wolf spiders, often found at the edge of shallow water as they chase insects. They can often be present in surprisingly large numbers. Plus, some of them can get pretty large. They are all completely harmless

Chequered white butterfly (female) is a common butterfly early in the season. they use nectar from mustard greens which are a common weed right now. The caterpillars are found soon on many early season vegetables.
 

The first of the ants have begun to arrive outdoors, these are acrobat ants and they prefer tree canopies. Their distinctive pointed thorax are often seen in large numbers by summer time. The are almost always only seen during daylight hours. They are likely are predated heavily on by flickers

At the Romero burn scar, there are many migrating bird species that like the large open perches available in the dead tree snags. Here are two species; Brewer's blackbird (preening) and a female red wing blackbird (brown) these mixed species flocks are very common near good food sources like open fields bordered by trees.

This American crow was sounding pretty chill as it advertised its presence in the area with soft grunts. That large gular throat pouch is inflated as a mating display for females. This guy was looking pretty shiny on his perch.

The Romero site is particularly favored by raptors like this red tailed hawk. It was actually chased off by the crow in the previous picture, so this site must be a high traffic area, or the crow just felt like flexing.

 

Raccoons are a secretive species and often only noticed by their distinctive footprints in the soft mud of ditches. They originally were mistaken for a porcupine. It took a while before I realized this was a coupling pair, a doubly rare picture.

A bird dropped this seed casing on some outdoors furniture at my house. I actually haven't been able to figure out the plant species yet....working on it still.

This is a species of dock plant, usually found in the sandy arroyos. The roots are high in astringent tannins and give it the common name of "tanner's dock". It doesn't look like a typical desert plant because of the broad green leaves. I have often seen other plant seedlings growing under the leaf cover. The plant dies off quickly before May after they have released their seeds so do not need the typical desert adaptations to a dry environment.

Mistletoe is a surprisingly convoluted topic. The plant interactions, life cycle and ecology is complex, and this topic is certainly emotive for gardeners. Most things about it are contentious, and there is certainly a lot of misunderstandings and myths. Birds certainly benefit from its presence. It has also be reported as a keystone species, which, when removed has a negative and cascading effect on many other species. Some people see it's presence as a symptom of a thriving ecosystem.

Sap

  The Corrales bosque is well known as a birding hot spot, but few people actually know much about the diversity of the birds that pass though here every year. Even the birding lists that are published weekly no not seem to catch the diversiy of what is in our ditches right now.

 

 This striking bird is part of a small flock of domestic duck/ mallard hybrids. The mallard is not only the ancestor of domestic ducks (other than the Muscovy duck), but it is well known to hybridize with many species of duck. Its part of the reason that mallards do so well in altered environments.

 

The variety of ducks is increasing, and soon there will be many different species out there. I have a little of the birding bug now, and am trying to catch a good picture of some double crested cormorants I saw recently with striking orange faces. This wood duck was annoyingly shy, a shock after all the fall robins and mallards who seem to strike a pose on cue for the photographer.

 

 The fish eating birds tend to have a few more interesting behaviors compared to the dabbling ducks, who just seem to do the same thing all day. Here is a grumpy heron watching the clear ditch bank the day after the snow fall.

 The heron's neck is its most striking feature (pun intended) so it keeps it warm behind those large, noticeable chest feathers, buried in a literal feather boa. The reason birds stand on one leg is because the other one is deep in the pockets of its coat. The perching birds usually settle down over both legs to cover them.

This time of year, the sparrows are usually digging around in the dirt. They may be looking for grit to aid digestion, or picking out bits of calcium carbonate for egg laying, maybe they are picking up the first of the year's insects that have begun to emerge.

Towhee are leaf litter specialists and are found wherever the under-story is the thickest for fallen leaves. Their rustling in the undergrowth is often mistaken for a much bigger creature.

As soon as the ground thaws, there are many insects that begin hatching. This is a non-biting midge. While they are not much of a snack individually, they are plentiful and many birds will eat them preferentially.

There is huge variety of insects and most of the small winged ones go unnoticed, but are key to the ecosystem. This could be a species of humpbacked fly.

In the winter, many animals eat whatever they can. Porcupines usually eat cambium (bark) while the buds and berries are not available. Siberian elm currently are producing buds, but this porcupine decided to spend quite some time debarking this tree anyway. By going all the way around the base, this tree has been killed, and will likely become downed wood. The much older tree next to it avoided a similar fate by having a much thicker outer bark that would take much more work to get through.

This high fibre diet leaves a procupine's distinctive scat looking like wood stove fuel pellets. It is usually odd to see ground level girdling, especially if porcupines are trying to avoid predators but for some reason this area had a lot of this damage.

The local coyote pack is very active right now, traveling into and out of the bosque. Their scat has gone from pure fruit to a much more variable smorgasbord. They are smart enough to leave porcupines alone, though.

The temperature changes in the bosque are pretty extreme from week to week right now. The sand hill cranes and ducks appear to be in their element, but most other animals do not appear to be enjoying the changes. The tracks of the desert cottontails are widespread as they range further afield in search of grass shoots, exposing themselves more to watching predators.

The days are already noticeably getting longer. We still have some winter to go, but the early season plants should already be staging a regrowth. A new season cycle is already preparing to begin, even as the future of anthropogenic weather changes will certainly bring new challenges.

Color

The temperatures are falling fast now, and the animals are adapting accordingly. They signal their interests by different colorations, which shows off well in the bright snow and against the light sky.

 

 Hot blooded birds like this American kestrel usually have ample reserves of energy for short term hunting. Their high glucose levels, high metabolism and blood pressures mean they stay powerful and focused in all weather conditions, but only for short periods of sustained bursts. The reddish brown coloration of those feathers is a complex topic, but might be related to their high diet of protein.

These birds, and the Coopers hawks were harassing a flock of Junco in much the same way tuna dive into bait balls of fish in the oceans.

 

Their prey were roosting in the apple orchards. The flock always kept moving and the raptors mostly were looking for any individual bird that was straggling or acting oddly. Having many eyes in a flock watching is a big help to not being singled out by a hunter. The flickers don't form flocks and prefer to stay hidden down in the branches. They certainly shrieked a lot from shelter when the flock was being eyed by the pair of raptors. The flock stayed up high on the branch tips where they could see and maneuver better. 

After the raptors had moved on, the junco flew down to pick up as many tiny fruit seeds as possible before the snows covered them all up for a few days.They had to move fast to pick up enough to get a decent meal.

 

The cold morning allowed the 2-3 herons that regularly fish at the end of Andrew's Lane more time together, as the dog-walkers were delayed by the cold This large bird chased off another from the old tree snag that seems to be the "throne" for this area. 

 

The reason the smaller bird did not want to leave was that it had dragged out a large fish from the ditch. It seemed a bit confused what to do with it. It had a reason to be cautious. Herons cannot rip fish up, and some have been documented to choke to death on prey that is too big to swallow whole. Here, the heron is showing off the black patches of feathers along the leading edges of it's wings. These are feathers with high melanin granules that give feathers extra abrasion and bacteria resistance where it is needed most, the belly and flight feathers. The dark green/blue/black color of the trout's back reflects the light sky and dark ground along it's back.

 

The sides of the trout distinctly show the rainbow hues of the guanine lined silver scales. The straight line down the side are the pressure sensors used by the fish to detect movement underwater. There has been more study done on this Russian import than just about any other fish on the planet. The Latin species name is "mykiss" and sums up most people's thoughts on this creature.

 

In western cultures, black is seen as the color of death, and it is for land animals. But is east Asia and Egypt the color of death is white. Upside down trout stands out clearly, due to the white of the abdomen. This color scheme was studied by an artist known as Thayer and is called counter-coloring.

 

 Clear ditch has a large number of dead trout right now. There could be many reasons; from disease, too low oxygen, no food, or nitrate shock. I admit many things about stocked fishing makes no sense to me. But it is undeniable that many people appreciate this form of recreation. These large fish are also a clear source of food for those animals that usually survive on a sparse diet of apples, too. It turns out, there are many other people, beside me, who study coyote poop

 

Tracking animals is a calling and with a lot of time, the sign of an animal can give a lot more nuance to the story of the animals. For example, this coyote scat has apple mixed in with this high fur, grey, slimy scat. The fur is likely rabbit down, but the grey color comes from a diet high in fat. Likely this color comes from a diet of a hatchery raised fish or two. Coyotes do not cross bridges, and each morning there are water trails leading out of clear ditch and back into the bosque preserve.

 

Nearby, the scat was apple, too. But on the right is a black scat (digested blood) full of little rodent bones (likely house mice). On the left is some scat containing scavenged goose feather quills (non digestible) 

This woodpecker did not seem to be bothered by the falling snow, but zooming in, I couldn't help but notice the feathers were pretty unkempt and waterlogged, this might be a side effect of all that headbanging, but wouldn't the loss of heat be a problem? The stems the woodpecker was attracted to appeared to have been debarked by a porcupine

 

 The porcupines have thick fur as well as sharp spines and appeared to be having no issues with the cold or the wind. We spotted five today they were all hunkered down high in the tree branches. This one was the only one still eating. The rest were asleep in a tight ball.

The paths have a good covering of snow now and there is not many animals out. By tomorrow there should be some impressive tracks around as the animals adjust to their new environment.

The outdoors appears to be pretty unwelcoming right now, with the biting cold and darkness, and full of uncertainty. But the stories in the tracks on the ground tomorrow will tell of adventures of rodents, and birds, the hunters and those hunted. All stories being written now and waiting to be discovered by someone tomorrow...
 

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.