I went on my usual 1 1/2 hour hike yesterday morning, plodding down the desert arroyo into 17 mph wind and 40 degrees, my little rescue dog bundled in a winter coat.

At the far end of my hike route, near Golf Course Blvd bridge, I saw several of the Chihuahua raven family members eating something in the ravine.

Nobody greeted me, but my coat hood was up, so they couldn't see my face. Eventually, one of the ravens suddenly flew straight at me..looming ever larger with its four-foot wingspan.

Suddenly, it did a loop-around near my face, as though rotating off a wingtip, and just sort of floated there silently, like a gossamer butterfly, gazing into my eyes from only a few feet away.

How could such a huge bird just float in the air like a piece of wood ash? It was like magic.

I froze in awe as the stream of love and joy mentally flowed between us, although it happens regularly with the local animals.

After a minute, the raven continued its floating flight on around the side of a hill and I continued my hike with Fergie.

Photo: juvenile Chihuahua raven from this spring's hatch, flying up the ravine. It soon circled around to greet me. Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.