New Mexico Nature, Urban and Rural

A common black hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) in the Rio Grande Bosque, Albuquerque, New Mexico. This hawk did not appreciate my presence and twice it dive-bombed me. Photo taken on June 16, 2021.

A male ladder-backed woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) on a suet feeder in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Distinguishing traits include the evenly spaced black and white stripes across the back. The red on the head shows that this individual is a male. Photo taken early on June 5, 2021.

Female merlin (Falco columbarius) on the power pole behind my house in Albuquerque. Merlins catch sparrow-sized birds on the wing, and you can see one such victim under one of the merlin's feet. Photo taken on March 6, 2021.

A Curve-Billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) in the Spruce Hill neighborhood, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo taken on March 6, 2021.

A black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) in the Rio Grande Bosque, Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's common to see black phoebes watching for insects flying just above flowing water, including in the local irrigation drains. Photo taken on March 5, 2021.

A female Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) in the Rio Grande Bosque in Albuquerque. Photo taken on March 7, 2021.

An ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) in the Rio Grande Bosque, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The cinnamon on the wings plus the "pale lemon" belly help with the ID. Photo taken on June 1, 2021.

A snowy egret (Egretta thula) in the Rio Grande Bosque in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo taken on May 27, 2021.

A Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) on the bank of the irrigation drain that flows past the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. This master of concealment was not only superbly camouflaged, it stood absolutely still for several minutes to avoid being detected. Photo taken on March 25, 2021.

An immature Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii). The narrow breast streaks help distinguish an immature Cooper's from an immature Sharp-shinned (whose breast streaks are wider). Photo taken at the west edge of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, Albuquerque, on April 1, 2021.

A Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) on a snag in the Rio Grande, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo taken on April 3, 2021

An osprey (Pandion haliaetus) at the edge of the Rio Grande Bosque in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo taken on April 2, 2021.

A male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) at the Albuquerque Biopark in New Mexico. Photo taken on April 3, 2021.

An adult White-Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) at the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo taken on April 16, 2021.

A coyote (Canis latrans) in Max Evans' back yard, in Albuquerque's Ridgecrest neighborhood. Evans passed away in August of this year, and it seems fitting that a coyote would roam there. Photo taken on October 29, 2020.

A North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in a cottonwood tree, in the Rio Grande Bosque in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The easiest way to see porcupines in Albuquerque is to find them napping in trees along the river. Photo taken on April 3, 2021.

A Southwestern fence lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi) seen along the Tecolote Trail in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. This photo shows the broad gray stripe down the middle of the back that helps with the species ID. Photo taken on May 30, 2021

Sacred datura, also known as Jimsonweed or thornapple (Datura wrightii) seen along an arroyo in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you look closely you'll see a bee taking a deep dive for nectar. Photo taken on June 22, 2021.

A prairie coneflower or Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera) found along an arroyo in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is a native species but also popular in xeriscaping. Photo taken on June 22, 2021.

A flower on a Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium foliosissimum) in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. This example is paler than most flowers of the species I've seen. The plant got its name because the compound leaves reminded someone of ladders.

While the alkali swainsonpea (Sphaerophysa salsula) has lovely red flowers, where I live it's an introduced species and often considered invasive. Photo taken in the Rio Grande Bosque, Albuquerque, on May 27.

Also known as American licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota). The roots of this plant are often sought by herbalists. Photo taken in the Rio Grande bosque, Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 24, 2021.

A spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) climbs its way out of a sacred datura (Datura wrightii). Photo taken in Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 22, 2021.

An adult convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia Penstemon strictusconvergens) on a Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus) in the Sandia Mountains of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo taken on June 6, 2021.

Larvae and pupae of the cottonwood leaf beetle (Chrysomela scripta) on a branch. Photo taken in the Rio Grande bosque in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 24, 2021.