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Raptor Chronicles
By Colorado's Oldest Raptor Sanctuary
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President's Message
Many years ago, I attended an Easter Sunday service at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. It was a magnificent, blue-sky day, with zero fog anywhere in sight. I was so VERY much younger than I am now, not yet a mother, with far fewer responsibilities. What I remember most about that day, and that service, were the words of the officiant:
"Joy! Joy, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Practice joy, even if it is a private, personal act of defiance."
As optimistic as the reverend's words were, we all know that it can be challenging to maintain that level of hopefulness. Birds can help...it's that simple. Spring is coming, and we're having our first Open House since 2021. I will be "overjoyed" to see many friends in person once again.~Anne Price, President
Open House is Free, so PLEASE register
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American Kestrel Attracts an Audience |
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Peter's regular checks of the Commerce City eagle's nest take him down to 112th Ave and Chambers Road, and he often sees this male American kestrel. Normally, the little falcon doesn't give Peter much time to capture any footage. On this day however, Peter got very lucky and over a 45 minute period he watched America's smallest falcon hunting off of poles and electrical lines. It was a sunny day and the large open field on the north side of 112th Ave provided the male some opportunities for pursuing prey. Unfortunately, Peter never got to see him capture anything, except for a very attentive audience of starlings which appeared quite curious about the goings on. They also seemed to be unconcerned about being targets themselves. Though male kestrels are capable of capturing bird as large as starlings, they typically pursue smaller birds like sparrows, and rodents such as mice. |
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Valentine's Day Celebrations |
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Peter has started his observations of the Wildcat Mountain golden eagles, and as luck would have it in the last issue we reported that the pair was back together. The GIF in the last newsletter showed the pair flying along the cliff face. This time, however, Peter got even luckier when he visited on February 4th and recorded the activities you'll see in the video above. Hopefully, practice makes perfect, but so far, the female isn't incubating as of February 26th. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this historic nest location becomes productive again this year. Last year two eaglets fledged, which for golden eagles is unusual. Prior to 2023, the pair had failed to produce any young for the previous three years. This year a cellular camera has been installed to monitor the nest directly by the Highlands Ranch Backcountry biologists. Those images will not be available in real time, but may be shared with the community at a later date. Peter will continue his visits to record activities at the nest as often as possible...stay tuned, and thank you to Lead Biologist Mark Giebel. |
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Lots of Other Ways to Help! |
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A Special Anniversary Offer on All Three of Our Books!
Celebrate our 44th anniversary by purchasing our
three books at this special price!
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Our Online Store is Open!
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Help Our Book Fly Higher:
Order Today!
Reviews
“A unique book aimed at introducing young and beginning birders to the world of raptors. . . . Creative for certain! Helpful, too.”–Jim Williams, Wingnut Blog, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A very cool new book.”–Doc Kirby, On The Bookshelf
“Bird enthusiasts of all ages will find this book full of educational fun.”–Skipping Stones
“All the essays were well-written and provided lots of easy-to-understand information, which allows the reader to identify many different types of raptors. I also really enjoyed the further reading at the back of the book about the kestrel box. The instructions were clear-cut, and the activity was easy and fun to do.”–Hannah, age thirteen, Kids’ BookBuzz
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The newest Jabebo earrings are here! Jabebo received requests for this species from several nature centers in Florida, and by coincidence, our photographer friend Jeff Wang spent a few days chasing two species of kites, including the fascinating snail kite. The two designs are taken directly from Jeff's photos with very little editing; the male is on the left and the female, carrying a freshly-caught snail, is on the right.
Feeding almost exclusively on apple snails, this unusual raptor frequently practices ambisexual mate desertion, a reproductive strategy designed to maximize the number of young that survive to fledgling. Thank you, Jeff and Kevin Abbott, founder of Jabebo!
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Help us put another 1,000 eagles on the streets of our great state! Qualified members of REF are entitled to display them on their cars. Put Colorado's first and best environmental plates on YOUR vehicle!
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One of our members sent us this picture of his Cobra with our license plates. Anyone else out there with a classic car wearing our eagle? Send us your image! |
Special thanks to The Kroenke Group & THF Realty for extending our lease and keeping the fee at zero dollars though 2023! Support like this ensures we will make it through these challenging times.
Thanks to our past and future partners, THF Prairie Center Development, L.L.C., THF Prairie Center Investors, L.L.C. and the City of Brighton, for creating the best intersection in Colorado just a minute or two north of our headquarters!
As the new villages grow at Prairie Center, so do the streets with cool names! Check out some of the newest intersections as of October 2021.
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WISH LIST
We're still looking for a gently-used, 20-25 foot RV (Class C) that would serve as a mobile office for traveling programs around Colorado and farther away. Or maybe you have an SUV or pickup truck you would like to donate? We can put it to good use! Please give our office a call if you have a vehicle you think we could use!
(303) 680-8500
Thank you!
Raptor Chronicles
Just in case you've missed any issues, we currently have issues dating back to January 2020.
REF Event Bulletin Board
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Limited Edition Eagle Pin |
An exclusive creation for us, this fine pewter pin has been hand painted to let everyone know what you think of America's living national symbol. Available in a very limited edition, while they last. This beautiful pin measures 1 1/8" by 1 1/2". Two clasps keep it firmly attached. $50 each includes shipping. Discounts for multiple purchases. Click here to order.
If you don't wish to use PayPal, then please click here.
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On February 3rd the Eagle Festival at Barr Lake State Park took place on a snowy, rainy and windy day. It was perfect for our indoor presentation at the Barr Lake Nature Center with a full house. With standing room only, everyone met our nine year old female bald eagle. The intimate look at America's national symbol was followed by a Q & A session. Thanks to Jen Redmond for being our expert eagle wrangler, while Peter presented the program. Special thanks to member Dorothy Gibson for sharing her photos! |
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Brighton Fire Inspected by Our Bald Eagle |
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We've recently completed some electrical upgrades, which will ensure reliability of heaters in the summer, and better lighting at night. The good and vigilant folks at the Brighton Fire District paid us a visit to begin the process of inspection, and it wound up being a bit of a field trip for the crew. Dawn Blunt is on the right of the photo; she is the Public Information Officer and also does quite a bit of education on fire safety. Two of the crew with her are still in gear, as they had to respond to a nearby call in the middle of the tour. Fortunately they were able to return for the "grand finale". Thank you, Brighton Fire!
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Join the 62 Families Supporting Our Raptor Sanctuary
Help Us Reach 100 Supporting Families!
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Have you signed up for the King Soopers Community Rewards Program yet? Do you have a Loyalty Card and digital account? Just visit https://www.kingsoopers.com/o/store-services/community-rewards , log in and enroll to have REF receive donated funds from King Soopers and Kroger! We'd love to increase the number of families supporting us...please share with your friends and family!
OUR COMMUNITY REWARDS NUMBER IS TF405. Simply log into your account, look for "Community Rewards" on the left hand side, and enter TF405. Our name will appear, and you can link your card to REF. You save on groceries, earn fuel points, and we'll receive a quarterly donation from King Soopers.
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Video Update on Osage Nation's Triumph |
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Robert Bryce, writer and reporter on energy issues, and one of the best friends of eagles and other wind farm victims is producing a series on the creation of electrons and their benefits to civilization. The series called Juice, is named after his first documentary he introduced at an energy conference we attended a number of years ago, when he first became aware of our programs. The video series is well worth watching.
And, in my home country, locals are now seeing justice as the damage from infrasound frequencies generated by wind turbines has been recognized in court. Despite big wind trying to influence judges in the matter before the court, the citizens of Victoria win. Wind turbines are a threat to human health along with the death of wildlife species of all types.~Peter Reshetniak, Founder & Director of Special Projects
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The ferruginous hawk, Buteo regalis, is the largest hawk in North America. A bigger cousin of the red-tailed, this subtly-colored hawk has feathers all the way down to the tops of its feet, like the rough-legged hawk and golden eagle.
Prairie dog specialists, these raptors are often seen standing on the ground at the edge of the "towns" or small colonies where prairie dogs live underground and raise their families. The "gape" or opening of the mouth, running well under the eye, is very large, allowing them to swallow a prairie dog skull whole.
The hawk here is displaying the very pale, sun-bleached plumage which is typical of many Colorado raptors. The dark eye also indicates that this is a very mature bird, at least five years old. He or she certainly seems to enjoy surveying the kingdom!
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We've welcomed a new gyrfalcon to our family! She is sixteen years old, and a retired breeder. And, as you can see, she is the black morph, which is found only in the Labrador/Newfoundland region of Canada. Gyrfalcons are the largest species of falcon in the world, with some white morph females topping the scales at up to 70 ounces. Our new lady is a modest 50 ounces, and a magnificent slate gray from head to tail. Interestingly, the black morph appears to be a sex-linked trait, and even with selective captive breeding, it is nearly impossible find males (or "gyrkins") as dark as the females. Thank you to Lance C. in Iowa, and Chris R. in Nebraska. Photos below by Jeff Wang.
Be sure to come visit her at our May Open House!
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In addition to America, our Facebook followers are found in the following countries:
United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Pakistan, Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Mexico, Ukraine, Russia, New Zealand,
Australia, Brazil, Argentina, and France!
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Automatic Monthly Donations: Thanks to everyone who has set up a monthly donation via PayPal. We have people from both coasts, a few states in the middle and in Colorado contributing automatic monthly pledges...thank you!
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REF Staff: Anne Price, President & Curator; Peter Reshetniak, Founder & Director of Special Projects; Savannah Grout, Mews Manager
Docents & Volunteers: Kristy Bortz, Megan Considine, Kevin Corwin, Karen Gonzalez, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jennifer McAllister, Denis Murray, Karen Ogle, Peggy Plaus, Anne Price, Jennifer Redmond, Peter Reshetniak, Beverly Rice, Mitch Skinner and Ann Stanz
Docents in Training: Clarissa Cigrand, Robert Mitchell, and Mila Ringo
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