Wowowow! After a terrible, no good, very bad day in the office, and getting sick on top of everything else, a silver lining appeared in the form of a family of Great Horned Owls at the Federal Courthouse park recently.

Here’s how it came about. With family and friends, we were throwing a frisbee after eating take out, (already an excellent end to the day and week), when I decided to investigate the very vocal flock of crows that were insistently alarming around us. I thought our presence might be causing this. I walked over to where they were clustered and looked up to see a VERY LARGE BIRD, a Great Horned Owl, perched stoicly on a tree branch above me.  I immediately called the others, and we lay under the tree for a long time, watching the owl watch us, and gradually accepted that this huge and beautiful creature was not going anywhere, despite the flock of crows (and our) best efforts.

We gave up our hope to see flight and wandered back to our picnic table to watch from a distance. Owen then noticed some bird poop plop down from the tree above us. He looked up to see two MORE Great Horned Owls, a mama and her baby, sitting RIGHT ABOVE US!!!! They must have been there the WHOLE TIME (watching us eat dinner, play frisbee, etc.) It’s amazing how oblivious us humans can be!

The baby Great Horned Owl looked a bit like a seal with fuzzy teddy bear fur, and big dark eyes. Baby and mama perched and observed us with curiosity, not at all afraid, while we did the same of them. (Although at one point the kids wondered if we might be mistaken for prey!) Finally, as we were leaving, the mama gifted us with witnessing her flight to a nearby tree.

So many questions raised – what were the crows trying to accomplish? Was the owl threatening the crows’ young? or another baby bird’s nest? Or were the crows threatening the baby owl? The mystery and the magic of the time remain, and remind us that signs are everywhere and one can never underestimate the power of nature – to nourish, to heal, to put us in our place and to put things in perspective. Paying attention to bird language is a really simple and easy way to learn about what is happening in the forest and world around you.  Next time you hear a bird sounding alarmed, pay attention. It is definitely for a reason!

The Owl’s Adventures:

This week our Owl campers had a great time exploring the Wonders of Water! Our first hike of the week was at Little Tesuque where a short hike was rewarded with lots of play time in the stream that ran alongside the trail. Some owls practiced building dams, others scooped out reservoirs, or built a beautiful gate made of sticks for the water to pass through! Going along with the theme of water, we discussed the power of water and flash floods and the campers got first-hand experience preparing for a storm, quickly suiting up for, what turned out to be, a sprinkling of rain. Wednesday was a blast at the Beaver Ponds where we explored the area and looked for clues of beaver activity. The kids also played games, and enjoyed more water play, this time turning the river into an imaginary “Meeker Village” with a working floating restaurant! that sent pretend orders of “red lobster” and salad (it did look like salad) down stream. Thursday the Owls took off for a private tour of the watershed. They studied the local trees and also got knee deep in the Santa Fe River to scoop out aquatic macroinvertebrates. It took some patience to spot the tiny forms of life in the trays, but soon they were thrilled as they identified stoneflies, mayflies and various other wiggling creatures. To wrap up our week, the campers visited Bandelier where we hiked a sunny trail and picnicked in the shade. To cool off on a pretty hot day, we made our way down to the water and played in the river that was so essential to life for the ancient Pueblo people. The kids ended their day sharing ideas of how the Pueblo children must have spent their hours and days in that place. Crafting toys and helping mom and dad gather water and hunt for food was generally agreed upon. It was a rapid week of water learning, and so much fun!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Hummingbird’s Adventure:

This week the hummingbirds enjoyed playing, splashing, and exploring in water. We began our week at Little Tesuque where we learned about how water travels through the mountains. Avoiding the rain, we finished our first day at the Little Tesuque picnic Area and we attempted to make a small campfire to keep ourselves warm in the cool mountain air. On Wednesday we enjoyed playing in the river at the Beaver Ponds and we looked at the fossils, which came from a time long ago when New Mexico was completely covered in water. Thursday we headed to the watershed where we learned about where our drinking water comes from. We hiked passed Nichols reservoir to the river where we searched for aquatic macroinvertebrates. We concluded our water week at Bandelier. There, we built dams in the creek and learned about the effects of flash floods. It was a splashingly fun week at Mountain Kids!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Hummingbirds and Owls at the Santa Fe Watershed!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Mountain Biking Adventures:

This week Mountain Kids tore up the trails of La Tierra and Galisteo on their mountain bikes! Over the course of the week the mountain bikers enjoyed the outdoors while improving their biking skills. It was an adventure packed week for these bikers!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Snack and Social:

Our weekly snack and social allows the campers, counselors, and parents to celebrate the adventures of the week with sweet treats and fun games. Every week we are grateful for all the fun, creative, and adventurous campers that come to celebrate nature with us!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.