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Raptor Chronicles
By Colorado's Oldest Raptor Sanctuary
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An "Owl-O-Ween" Message from the President | |
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Happy Halloween and Día de Los Muertos everyone!
Fall is FINALLY in full swing here in Denver, but this has been the warmest October on record. We went from 80F to 30F in only 48 hours, which means we are still running around in a frenetic state between decommissioning sprinklers and air conditioners, and connecting heaters at our Brighton facility. As one of my more sardonic docents says, "It's the little things that make or break you at this age", so I was fist-bumping no one in particular, when the ceramic heater for our turkey vulture cave fired right up after three years of sitting idle.
The change of seasons looks very different on the prairie than it does in the mountains. At elevation, bugling bull elk charging through aspen groves delight residents and tourists alike, but I think the stars of the flatlands are our majestic cottonwood trees (the favorite real estate for Colorado's nesting bald eagles) and, if you listen carefully, migrating sandhill cranes. The very first "V" formation of Canada geese always puts a smile on my face, and it means that flights of ducks aren't far behind. Though I have yet to see a merlin. I very recently saw my first sharp-shinned hawk of the season right over our mews, stubbornly fighting a strong north head wind, which slowed her progress so much that she looked almost like a butterfly. I'm sure she knew what she was doing, likely looking for a warm place to spend the night.
The birds always seem to know what's coming and what to do; we can all learn a lesson or two from them, if we just take the time to watch. We had a very busy summer with new programs in new locations, and I'm gratified that hundreds of people had a chance to "watch" our birds for the first time. Be sure to enjoy the video below of our October 19th raptor ID class, which sold out in record time. Thank you to Karen Metz for co-presenting with Anne and the REF team of birds and docents. We'll also be attending the annual meeting of CPW Volunteer Raptor Monitors on November 9th, engaging with these highly-trained citizen scientists who assist Colorado biologists in monitoring raptors in over half of Colorado's state parks.
For alpine ski racing fans, there will be double the excitement this year in Beaver Creek, with Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup running two women's races down the Birds of Prey course, for the first time in the course's 27-year history. We'll be there both weekends at the John and Karen Arnold Red Tail Stadium, cheering on the world's fastest skiers as they fly down the mountain. I hope our Summit and Eagle County members will join the party and stop by and say hi to us and our female bald eagle!
Digging out my sunscreen and heated gloves next week. I'm in no hurry to handle a snow shovel, however. Thank you for reading!
~Anne Price, President
A Few Quick REF History Links
White House Visit, Colorado’s First Environmental License Plates, Best Raptor Book Ever, Our Raptors Cruise to Alaska, Consulting on National Memorial Sculpture, US Naval War College Special Program, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Birds of Prey International Skiing Championships, International Falconry Festival, National Geographic, State & County Fairs, Natural Solutions Consulting Services
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2024 Raptor ID Class Report | |
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Raptorphiles were treated to our annual intensive raptor identification class on October 19th at Barr Lake State Park. Karen Metz, long-term raptor conservationist and monitor, joined Anne Price and the REF docent corps to deliver a three-hour class featuring Karen's excellent slides and twelve of REF's non-releasable raptors.
For the first time, participants were able to view side-by-side, the three largest raptor species (by wingspan) seen in the Colorado skies: our female golden eagle, male turkey vulture, and female bald eagle. Karen's custom-curated presentations teach even novice raptor watchers how to compare and contrast similar species, all the while learning to identify basic raptor groups by observing wing shape, tail and head length, and flight style.
This comment from the sold-out class sums up many other comments we received after the class concluded:
"I attended your Raptor ID class over the weekend at Barr Lake State Park and had an AMAZING experience meeting the raptors up close and learning about the different ID traits. I was blown away.”
Jesse Carlson, Wildlife Biologist, Kimley-Horn, 10/21/24
We are grateful to the Colorado Parks & Wildlife staff and volunteers at Barr Lake State Park for the use of their Education Room and kitchen facilities. Special thanks to Lead Ranger William Restrepo and Park Manager Lisa Gill!
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Back to the Knolle Farm & Ranch visit in Texas, in early October 2024...we heard about a "white hawk" not too far from the property. As luck would have it, on the morning of the day we were leaving, we took one last trip down an old, barely paved road that borders the ranch and came across this stunning white bird. At first it almost looked like a snowy owl parked on the post!
Using the full 1365mm zoom on the Canon produces a "noisy" image, but the hawk would not come any closer. He flew from one hunting post to another about 500 yards away, but still stayed far from the road. Enjoy!
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Here's another video from the October 2024 visit to the Knolle Farm & Ranch property near Corpus Christi, Texas. As you can see, this one features a very common raptor from the area, but one that is rarely thought of as a falcon. The crested (sometimes called "northern") caracara is a member of the Family Falconidae, but it hunts like a hawk, and scavenges like a vulture. They are highly-observant and skillful raptors, consuming everything from insects to mammals, birds, carrion, and even fallen pecans in orchards. | |
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YouTube Request!
For those of you enjoying the videos posted on our channel, we very much appreciate your viewership. If you like what we're doing, please subscribe and please post comments! The latter improves our status with YouTube analytics in several key areas, and when we get to 1,000 subscribers, we can benefit from advertising revenues. Right now, we get no financial support from any of the promo pieces that appear with our videos.
Additionally, if you forward our YouTube videos to people that are of the avian inclination, our subscriber base will grow faster. Thank you for your support! ~Peter Reshetniak, Director of Special Projects
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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 45th anniversary by purchasing our
three books at this special price!
Just click
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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!
| 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 2024! 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 street names!
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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
Previous Issues Archived Here
Just in case you've missed any issues, we currently have issues dating back to January 2020.
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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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A Horizontal Hawk's Quandary
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Look carefully at the behavior of this young Swainson's hawk, and be the first to send your description of what's going on to our office. The winner will receive one of the prizes listed at the end of the video. Our email address is info@usaref.org.
Good Luck!
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How a priest became "Saint Peregrine", and the pursuit of a cancer cure.
Read this fascinating story of the canonization of a priest, in the multi-thousand year story of chasing a cancer cure. Click here.
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Join the 82 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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Jeff Wang's Kestrel Kaptures | |
Once again, Jeff Wang has delighted and amazed us with photos of America's smallest falcon. A long tail, and long wings...check out this beautiful female above, perfectly captured by Jeff taking off from a thistle. Note the differences in the tails of the female kestrel, with bands from the base to the tip, and the male below, with a single black band and white tail tip. According to Jeff, the male was turning his head skyward to keep an eye on his mate above him. | |
The interesting twist to these photos is the fact that this pair of kestrels (male on the left below, and female on the right) were hanging out together and chasing each other around this month, not during the spring breeding season. Many of Colorado's kestrels are non-migratory, dispersing only short distances from their nesting territories to hunt and find shelter and warmth to survive Colorado's cold winters. | |
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In addition to the United States of America, our Facebook followers are found in the following countries:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama,
Russia, Spain, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
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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 all! | |
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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, Clarissa Cigrand, Megan Considine, Kevin Corwin, Karen Gonzalez, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jennifer McAllister, Denis Murray, Karen Ogle, Anne Price, Jennifer Redmond, Peter Reshetniak, Beverly Rice, Mitch Skinner and Ann Stanz
Docents in Training: Robert Mitchell, and Peggy Plaus
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