This is a view of Square Tower House at Mesa Verde, taken from below the site. The best perk of working at Mesa Verde has to be the opportunity to become familiar with the ruins and the environment. It is a sort of home-away-from-home. Far from being silent and haunting, the dwellings are full of life. Swallows and ravens roost in the alcoves above, and their calls ricochet across the rock walls. We've seen spotted owls, turkey vultures, and packrats take shelter in the rooms. Canyon wrens, various lizards, rock squirrels, and deer mice also explore the ruins. Ant lions thrive in the soft sand that collects at the base of the erroding sandstone. And perhaps strangest of all, dung of a bighorn sheep was found recently in a shallow alcove that once hosted a small village.