July 2026 in Five Chapters

 

Chapter 1: Happenings at the Candelaria Nature Preserve

Every summer on the bird survey, we get to watch as the Swainson's Hawks arrive, reclaim their nest, and bring some new Hawklets into the world. At the beginning of July, we got to see these chicks in the nest.

By the last week in July, all three Swainson's chicks were fledged. Their begging calls could be heard throughout the preserve, and the parents were ranging all over to find them food. (Top photo: Adult. Bottom photo: Fledgling.)

We also found three Western Tanagers that day. Western Tanagers breed in the higher elevations. It seemed kind of early to see them coming through in the valley. This one had captured a large insect.

This is also a good time of year to see a Green Heron. 

 

Chapter 2: Mississippi Kites on the Golf Course

This is the first summer to my knowledge that Mississippi Kites have nested on the UNM North Golf Course. I read that Kites often nest on golf courses, but usually the small populations we have in Albuquerque are closer to the river. You can only see the nest later in the evening when the green is clear of golfers, and I've been visiting once a week to see what's happening.

  I  got my first sight of feeding time on July 12. The chicks looked quite small.

 

The following week, I watched the parent lay food in front of the chick to self-feed. (No good pics from that day.) By the next week, the more mature of the two chicks had branched out of the nest, with the other one still in the nest. You can see in these photos how much less down and how much more feathering is the on chick that's out of the nest.. 

When mom arrived with food, the branchling hurried back to the nest.

 

Chapter 3: The Quest for Water

In early July, I visited the Tingley Bosque. The river was completely dry, as it has been for awhile, and there was an active fire. Fortunately, the firefighters were there and had it under control. Still made me nervous to see smoke and some small flames.

 

I heard that the river was still running up in Corrales, so I made a trip up to the Romero Road Bosque to check it out. Sure enough, low but flowing.

Where the river flows, there will be Snowy Egrets, and also Dragonflies. While at Romero, I saw two new-to-me dragonflies: A Band-Winged Meadowhawk, and my first female Roseate Skimmer (I saw my first male Rosate Skimmer a couple of months ago.)

 Driving across Alameda Bridge to get to Corrales, I saw that there was also water running south of Alameda, so I retuned soon to check it out. The water there attracted Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron, and a couple of Black-Crowned Night Heron (pictured)

Chapter 4: 10K-Sometimes Just a Puddle will do

Drought affects the mountains too. I heard that the large parking lot puddle by the 10K trail that normally provides a bird bath in July had dried up. I also heard that some people were bringing water to create temporary puddles in a pothole there, and that the Red Crossbills were using it. So when I next trekked up the mountian I too brought some water.

The Red Crossbills were already using the pothole to forage in the mud left by the last watering.

I waited for them to leave to add the water I brought. They didn't return during the time I waited.  After a short walk, I came back to find the water mostly evaporated, but with two Pine Siskins poking around in the wetness that remained.

 

Chapter 5: July Sketching 

Mid-July, I took myself on an "artist date" Railrunner trip to Santa Fe. While there, I sketched in graphite pencil, including this one of the San Miguel Mission.

 

I did a quick pencil  sketch of the native vendors' market on Santa Fe Plaza. When I got home I did this watercolor of the scene, using one of my photos of the day as a reference. I've been working on capturing scenes with human activity.

 

The following Sunday I met with the Sketcher's Group at the ABQ Botanic Gardens. I followed the same pattern I had in Santa Fe: A pencil sketch while at the Biopark, then watercolors of family groups when I got home, based on some quick photos I had  snapped there. 

 

 

While the group met by the Biopark Pond to share our work, a bold Wood Duck female approached us to see is we had anything to offer. I don't think she was there to look at the art.

 This month I tried for the first time to print digital copies of my watercolor paintings on regular photo paper and put them on a card, the same way that I do regular photo cards. They turned out better than I expected, and I'm thrilled with this new possibility.  

 

Now that  I look back, July was an eventful month!  See you next time!

 

June 2026

I thought I'd open this post with something completely different. After visiting the Alebrijes and Nahuales exhibit in downtown Albuquerque (large scale sculptures based on the fanciful painted animals made in Mexico), I decided to paint my own renditions of the Bunny and the Lion-Bull. The complex designs on these sculptures made them a challenge, so on the third one (I don't remember the name of it) I decided to just stick with the photo rendition.

 

 

June continued to bring higher than average temperatures, the drying of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque for the 2nd consecutive river, and very little rain. The birds and animals are struggling for sure, but they are still here, and I honor their tenacity. In June the Rio Grande Bosque fills with the gregarious chatter of  Yellow-Breasted Chats. Once in awhile, you could even hope to see one that popped onto an exposed perch to announce their territory.

 

With water scarce everywhere, managed ponds and streams become more important than ever, like this dripping water feature in the Sandias known as the Capulin log. Birds and mammals congregate here and at similar watering holes. Lately bears have been visiting the log regularly, and many humans there for the birds have had very close encounters. Though nothing bad has happened (the bears just want to drink) I'm personally glad that the day I visited, there were only birds and chipmunks. Below: Chipping Sparrow Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird, male Cassin's Finch, Hermit Thrush with Pine Siskin, Virginia's Warbler, male Western Tanager all visiting the Capulin Log. 

 

 

 

The few species of Flycatchers that breed here must struggle. They too rely on being near water that breeds the insects they feed upon. Below: Western Wood-Pewee at Carlito Springs, Western Kingbird and Ash-Throated Flycatcher at Tingley Bosque Ponds. 

 

 

 

Speaking of insects, my butterfly aficionado friend says that there are fewer butterflies in the area this summer because of the dryness. Thank goodness there are still some, like this Queen on Horsetail Milkweed at the Tingley Ponds.

 

 

It had been predicted that the Rio Grande would run dry through Albuquerque in May this year. The river held on until the beginning of June, which is a month earlier than when it went dry last year. My heart aches for this loss, and how it affects all the creatures who depend on this habitat. This photo from June 7 is when I first saw the dry river bed.

 

 

It was a little comfort to see four coyotes running across the riverbed--they are finding some use for it, if only to more readily cross from east to west.

 

 

On June 16, after some rain up north, my friend and I found the river running at a trickle. We decided to see how far we could follow it to see how far south it was flowing. Unfortunately we didn't have to go that far. The flowing water ended in stagnant pools of dissolved organic compounds. A few days later, the river was completely dry again.

 

  

 

On June 9th, one Rock Pigeon chick started popping its head up from the nest in the tree across from my balcony. Two days later, the chick was nowhere to be seen. It may have fallen out due to heavy winds the day before. The pigeon pair (or perhaps a different pair) started hanging around the nest again a couple weeks later, but I've yet to see any brooding of eggs. 

 

 

Something new at home: I've finally created a dedicated "studio" corner for my painting and drawing. I just love walking in and seeing my art stuff set out in an inviting manner, ready to go. It draws me to come over and look more at the work I've done, and sometimes even leads me to sit down and paint. 

 

 

Here are a few of my paintings from this month. Two are from my sketching group: One from a road trip to the Jemez, the second from a morning on the UNM Campus.

I ended the month with a trip to Iowa for a cousin reunion, gathering all the first cousins from my dad's side of the family. I wrote about this trip in a separate post, which you can check out here: