Message from the President

The wild, wet, end-of-winter weather of March has begun. Just a couple of weeks ago, we went from -7F on a Tuesday, to 67F by Saturday. It's definitely challenging to manage bird weights, enclosure cleaning and maintenance, and our inside barn temperatures when conditions fluctuate by the day, even the hour! Fortunately, our dedicated docent corps keeps a weather eye on all the thermometers, heaters, fans, thermostats, and now, weather apps--they definitely help.

Unfortunately, the warmer weather has not affected the prevalence of HPAI (Highly-Pathogenic Avian Influenza) here in Colorado. Numerous birds of various species (not just waterfowl) continue to be infected and admitted in dire conditions of neurological distress to rehabilitation centers. Because this deadly virus doesn't seem to be going away, we've made the difficult, but prudent decision to cancel our Spring Open House this year. We are also stepping up our biosecurity measures at our facility for visitors and docent/volunteers alike out of an abundance of caution to keep our ambassador raptors as safe as possible.

We are however, still accepting reservations for tours of up to six people at a time. A foot dip in a bleach solution will continue to be required for all visitors. If you'd like to come visit us, please use our online Visitor Reservation system here.

I remain cautiously hopeful that the warmer temperatures of summer will drive away this virus, and that if it does resurface next fall, it will be far less virulent. Keeping hope in your heart can be difficult some days, but I've also found that my outlook will more often than not, create my reality...it's an important lesson that needs to be repeated, frequently!

Thank you for your support.~Anne Price, President

A Few 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

Four Eagle Nests

Peter's trip home takes him by four eagle nests and on February 25, 2025, he was very lucky to record this video compilation all within a 60-minute time span. The last nest site featured was at Bluff Lake Nature Center which captured nest upgrading activity, however, no incubation yet. Stay tuned as Peter visits this site on a regular basis.

Stop Eagle Killing Machines

Mike Lockhart, a former U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist, has been using satellite tags to track eagles since 2014. According to the petition against "Rail Tie", an approximately 160-turbine project planned for southeastern Albany County in Wyoming, Lockhart’s research found that 82% of the documented eagle deaths were human caused and 43.5% of the known deaths of tagged eagles were caused by wind turbines. This is more than vehicle collisions, hunting and electrocutions combined. The entire story can be read here.

We have been officially against killer watts since 1993 when the "science" promoting the logic of industrial scale alternative energies was starting to seduce scientists with forever subsidies.Our Stop Conflict Energy Stickers, were part of a small effort to bring attention to this expensive, unreliable, and tragic system for killing wildlife and wild spaces based on faulty science. It is time to lift the green veil on killing eagles, and ask yourself why an entity like the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds favors these avian assassins?~Peter Reshetniak, Director of Special Projects

Wildcat Mountain Golden Eagle Update

Peter's February 22nd visit to this historic century old golden eagle's nest updates the status of activities for this breeding season. Stay tuned for more of Peter's visits as we keep our wings crossed that these golden eagles are successful this year after last year's breeding cycle was interrupted.

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

AWARD WINNER

Help Our Book Fly Higher:

Order Today!

Winner of the 2020 Skipping Stones Honor Award for Nature and Ecology Books

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

“Beautiful, educational coloring book.”–Katie L.Burke, American Scientist

“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

Orders Here! Or you may order on Amazon. Peek Inside

Read more about the author and the illustrator.

New Earrings Arrive!

Presenting: Falco mexicanus!

We are VERY excited about Jabebo's newest earring design, the hardy and beautiful prairie falcon. This large falcon, about the same size as a peregrine, is found only in the dry, Great Basin of North America. Surviving in landscapes tested by drought, wind and snow, this versatile falcon will hunt mammals, as well as birds. Get yours here!

Special thanks to The Kroenke Group & THF Realty for extending our lease at very affordable rates for the next 5 years. 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!

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.

Bubos Are Back!

This great-horned owl nest is just a few minutes west of our Brighton location, which makes it very convenient to monitor. Peter was informed on February 21st that it was active once again. Last year this nest produced three youngsters (check out our videos), and if we're lucky, we'll see three more this year. Stay tuned for more to come!

Join the 87 Families Helping Our Raptor Sanctuary

Help Us Reach 100 Supporting Families!

A Puzzzling Encounter

Peter's encounter with this young male red-tailed hawk at Bluff Lake Nature Center is the focus of this vignette. He was included in the previous video introducing our readers to this 123-acre nature center on the east side of Denver's former airport, Stapleton. The hawk appears to be blind in his left eye, as evidenced by the misshapen pupil. The iris (pale brown color in the eye) may have been torn or ruptured, which is why the black pupil is no longer perfectly round.

Capturing a Coop

Peter and Marie's chance encounter with this immature female Cooper's hawk in Seattle's Magnuson Park provided some great looks at the most common urban Accipiter. Because the hawk had been banded, this made her easily traceable. The Urban Raptor Conservancy which is conducting a study on urban Cooper's hawks in Seattle, informed us that this female was trapped and banded on February 20, 2025 and her weight was recorded as 448 grams. 454 grams equals one pound, so she's a very healthy hawk. When she was weighed, she had no crop, which is the golf ball-sized lump below her throat. This is where her recently captured meal is stored, before it's processed in one of two stomachs that birds possess.

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.

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!

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, Karen Gonzalez, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jennifer McAllister, Denis Murray, Karen Ogle, May Ann Ottinger, Anne Price, Jennifer Redmond, Peter Reshetniak, Beverly Rice, Mitch Skinner and Ann Stanz

Docents in Training: Robert Mitchell, and Peggy Plaus