A raven is busy gathering twigs from a Pinon Tree recently behind a residence on Barranca Mesa and building its nest across the canyon, as it lifts spirits all over Los Alamos. Ravens are among the smartest of all birds, gaining a reputation for solving ever more complicated problems invented by ever more creative scientists. Ravens are acrobatic fliers, often doing rolls and somersaults in the air. One bird was seen flying upside down for more than a half-mile. Young birds are fond of playing games with sticks, dropping them and diving to catch them in midair. Source: allaboutbird.org. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan

A raven gathers twigs from a Pinon Tree recently behind a residence on Barranca Mesa and builds its nest across the canyon. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan

A raven gathers twigs from a Pinon Tree recently behind a residence on Barranca Mesa and builds its nest across the canyon. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan

A raven gathers twigs from a Pinon Tree recently behind a residence on Barranca Mesa and builds its nest across the canyon. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan

The raven drops its twig and looks up in surprise. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan