Roger B-9 No Water

Corrales B-9 Fire Truck

We went out for a walk on the ditch after sundown. The Corrales Fire Department was working at the bridge setting out water for use in putting out bosque fires. As anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows, I often complain about the Conservancy tearing out the beaver dams because the beaver dams were keeping the water levels up in the clearwater ditch that created a wetland for many species that live in Corrales and many other species that stop in Corrales on their migrations. Another thing the beaver dams provided was water for the Corrales Fire Department to fight bosque fires. There is an arsonist who’s been starting bosque fires, and there is so little water in the clearwater ditch right now that a fire pump sucks the ditch dry in minutes. The Fire Department is building dams in the ditch to try and raise the water level, plus they are adding water to the ditch. However, without the dams, the added water will just flow downstream and soak into the mud. By removing the beaver dams, the Conservancy has created a really serious problem for all the critters and people who live along the Rio Grande.

 

Here’s Bite Em On The Old Shin Bone for anyone who hasn’t seen it.

Chem-trail in the dark

Moon and Tangle Heart Tree

Wet Coachwhip Snake

I got a video of a Coachwhip Snake (Masticophis flagellum testaceous) swimming in the irrigation ditch. I know a lot of people have trouble with snakes, but they are really quite beautiful. It’s not often I see a Coachwhip Snake taking a swim. After we got back from checking on the owls and walking in the bosque this morning, I wrote a song to go with the video, appropriately named Coachwhip Snake. I recorded the song and put it all together in the above video this afternoon. Enjoy!

Coachwhip Snake
Lyrics: Timothy Price
Music: Timothy Price

Verse
Slither swimming in the ditch
Sloppy sine wave between the wake
Slips the bank scales in cross-stitch
Stops and eyes me with suspicion

Bridge
We stand we stare he and me
Paparazzo and snake admiration

Chorus
Masticophis flagellum testaceous
That’s what I said
Beautiful snake, braided scales
Colubrid whipped up in western red

Verse
Slither swimming in the ditch
Sloppy sine wave between the wake

Bridge
We stand we stare he and me
Paparazzo and snake admiration

Chorus
Masticophis flagellum testaceous
That’s what I said
Beautiful snake, braided scales
Colubrid whipped up in western red