Our Window on Nature

With vision so sharp it equals that of a man with binoculars, a bighorn ram gazed down the mountain. In the open vistas favored by this species, keen eyesight far overshadows the need for acute hearing or sense of smell, so we were certain the animal eyed us long before we spotted him. Even so, he seemed more curious than alarmed.

We hiked up Truchas Peak in New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains especially to see bighorn. As in any designated wilderness, if you want to visit the critters, you walk. Gradually, our eyes picked out several more bighorn, less visible against the rocks. Oh, for their surefootedness as they ambled down the almost-vertical slope. We couldn’t believe they were actually approaching us. Could it be that there were enough hikers along here to turn these wild, free creatures into panhandlers? Surely not.

(Read the rest …)

By December of most years we’ve retreated from the northern cold, with our journey usually ending in the deserts of the Southwest. Some people go to the deserts only to escape - we return year after year because we love the open spaces, the low humidity, and the many desert creatures that live there year-round.

Many travelers driving through the desert believe it is almost devoid of life. They see a vulture circling on a thermal and wonder how the poor creature gets enough to eat. But those who take time to understand the desert find it well populated. And they find that desert animals have developed surprising ways of living with their harsh surroundings. (Read the rest …)