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Raptor Chronicles
By Colorado's Oldest Raptor Sanctuary
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Greetings, Everyone!
Well, as you can see below, we've been in a bit of a "falcon frenzy" since May 30th. Last month was incredibly busy with our Open House on May 4th (yes, the Force was with us!) and our annual "Raptor Day" at Denver Botanic Gardens. We have lots of news and videos of those events, but for now, please read below for some tremendously exciting news!
More flying your way soon!~Anne Price, President
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There's been an VERY exciting discovery made in downtown Denver, courtesy of Cricket Montague of Comerica. A pair of peregrine falcons is living, hunting and RAISING YOUNG in the Mile High City!
We're working with the building owners, as well as a new high-rise going up nearby, to confirm the number of eyass (nestling) peregrines, and their approximate ages. It turns out, according to building managers and the firefighters across the street, that the pair of falcons has been using this area for at least four years. No one is sure if they've successfully raised any babies during that time.
Peregrine falcons were taken off the Endangered Species list in 1999 and have made a remarkable nationwide recovery. There are many "eyries", or nesting ledges, throughout Colorado, but this is the first time a breeding pair has been observed and documented in downtown Denver.
We're confirmed that there are two young falcons who willl be learning to fly in the coming weeks. Find out more about how YOU can volunteer for the peregrine monitoring team here as well as help support this unique project. Five videos of the downtown peregrines are already published for everyone's viewing and educational enjoyment. Be sure to read the full story of how the peregrine pair was discovered. There will be more stories and videos to come.
UPDATE!
Well, sure enough, Mother Nature and peregrine families have their own timelines for things, and on June 18th, we received a call that one of the fledglings was down on 19th Street. Fortunately, Anne was in east Denver on an errand, and quickly changed her plans and "raced" (it was rush hour) downtown.
Noah Thomas, the Lead Building Engineer at Unico Properties LLC, called Anne en route and gave her the "boots on the ground" info. Fortunately, the Hensel Phelps construction crew, northeast of 1875 Lawrence, saw the young falcon come out of the building, and land around the corner on 19th Street. These guys and gals sprang into action immediately, called Noah, and formed a ring of safety around the fledgling on the sidewalk, keeping pedestrians at a safe distance.
Anne arrived at 4:50PM, and was immediately assisted by the HP crew for parking, and getting to where the falcon had moved a bit west, and into an alley. With plenty of hands to hold gear, and discourage the falcon from flying back towards the busy street, Anne was able to capture the falcon on the ground.
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The photo above is the fledgling on the sidewalk, prior to Anne's arrival.
Below, Anne and the Hensel Phelps crew making their way east down 19th to Denver Fire Department Station #4.
The photo above and the two below were sent from the Hensel Phelps crew...not sure who, but Thank you!
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Denver Fire Department Station #4, directly across Lawrence from the 1875 (the red brick building with the eyrie, seen in videos) was apprised of the situation weeks ago and the very helpful crew there agreed to do whatever they could to support monitoring efforts, and assist if a rescue were needed. The best part is that their building's roof is very flat, with a short brick wall surrounding it, and a higher parapet, all of which is would be very visible to the parent peregrines should we need to place a fledgling out of harm's way...which as it turned out, is exactly what we did.
Above, Anne and the HP crew have walked up stairs to the main roof level, and she's preparing to transfer the falcon to one arm, in order to climb the iron handholds up to the top/parapet level to place the little falcon in a safe corner.
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Photo: Alexander Reshetniak |
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This energetic little boy sat still in the southeast corner of the parapet for exactly ten minutes before running and hopping around and starting to explore the fire station roof. We watched his movements via phone on the Hensel Phelps camera which was pointed at the roof, and before we even exited the building and were down at street level, he'd jumped up to the north edge, facing the HP building under construction (photo above). Fortunately, he spent the rest of the evening and overnight right there.
The saga and story continues...fledgling number two is surely not far behind, but we now have a good protocol in place.
Our profound gratitude and appreciation to:
The building staff at 1875 Lawrence--Noah Thomas, Building Engineer, and Maria Clark, Property Manager for Unico Properties LLC.
Nathan, Corey, Sydni and all the crew from Hensel Phelps, who sprang into action immediately, protected the young peregrine, and so ably assisted Anne in getting him to safety
Denver Fire Department #4: Captain Michael Aragon, and all the guys and gals on shift that afternoon/ and evening! Fire stations are indeed a safe haven for everyone! Last but not least, thanks to Wayne Soong, District Wildlife Manager for Colorado Parks & Wildlife for his assistance and support.
For lots more videos please click on this link to help.
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Join the 75 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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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, Panama, 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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