“I had heard rumors about a zone-tailed hawk nest in Turkey Canyon in the Guadalupes and hiked the canyon with a friend to check it out. I was hopeful but skeptical. It had been 50 years exactly since the bird had nested in the Guadalupes—coincidentally, it had been in the same canyon. Over many years, I had walked the canyon and never seen the bird, which resembles a turkey vulture in many aspects.

It was a hot June afternoon with little activity of any sort—the type where insects are making all the noise and drowning out everything else. As usual, the rains were late and the forest was crisp and dry.

As we walked further into the canyon, doubt grew that we would be successful when all of a sudden, a pair of zone-tails were flying, screaming and diving before us!  I had seen the bird many times before, but never like this. While I was overjoyed at the experience, I suddenly felt hope. This bird had appeared again after many years and maybe there was a chance for the other species that once were common and now couldn’t be found. Even turkey vultures got into the act flying down through the trees and near us to see what was going on. We quickly located an active nest and left immediately.

There may be as many as 10-12 of these birds in the Guadalupes now, nesting every year and hopefully expanding. Over the years I have taken people to a nest site, and as we approach the nest I pay attention to their reaction when the birds see us. It is always the same wide-eyed smile I know I had that first time. I know that a brief moment has enriched their lives just as it has mine.

It is easy to get down when you are fighting for spaces and creatures that can’t fight for themselves, but every now and then, on a hot summer afternoon, you can see some hope. It is this hope that instills in you a commitment to never give up.”