High Hopes at the Santa Fe Raptor Center

(A version of this story first appeared in Santa Fean magazine in the summer of 2021. Since then, New Mexico has experienced the largest wildfire in the state’s history, at one point approaching the small town of El Rito where the Raptor Center is located. Director Lori Paras told me she had to evacuate all the birds from the center while the fire raged. While … Continue reading High Hopes at the Santa Fe Raptor Center

Big horns, big viewing

(A version of this article first appeared in Santa Fean magazine in December 2020. Although it focuses on where to view bighorn sheep in Northern New Mexico, it includes some fascinating facts about Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep that should interest any wildlife lover. It’s part of my SouthWest Wild series.) And you thought you had it hard this winter.  Quarantine is no picnic, but it … Continue reading Big horns, big viewing

What happens to tarantulas in winter?

(Tarantulas live throughout the Southwest. But where do they go during our cold high altitude winters? I wrote this piece for Santa Fean magazine, where it first appeared in October 2020. It’s part of my SouthWest Wild series) New Mexicans are used to seeing tarantulas on roadways and trails in the early fall, when males leave the safety of their burrows on a grueling march … Continue reading What happens to tarantulas in winter?