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Raptor Chronicles
By Colorado's Oldest Raptor Sanctuary
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Message From the President
This edition's President's Message is going to be short and sweet: if you've been watching raptors migrate over the last few weeks, and wondering exactly what species you've been ogling, please sign up for our Wings of Winter raptor ID class below!
Secondly, I'm SO thrilled to feature a story on Senior Docent Jennifer Redmond, one of three winners of an inaugural scholarship from HawkWatch International for raptor conservation and education. We have arguably the very best docent training program in the country, and it's very gratifying to watch Dr. Redmond spread her wings to expand her efforts for raptor conservation in our community.
Leaves are finally falling here in Denver, and this morning I watched a kettle of at least 25 turkey vultures spiral like a test tube up to the heavens. If only merlins flew that slowly!~Anne Price, President
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Presenting: The Wings of Winter
The Best Raptor ID Class in Colorado Returns on November 12th!
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After a three-year hiatus due to Covid, we're pleased to present a raptor identification class that you're not going to want to miss! Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) Senior Raptor Volunteer Raptor Monitor Karen Metz and Anne are teaming up once again in a brand-new class that will feature winter migrants in Colorado. The class will be held at the Barr Lake State Park Nature Center on Saturday, November 12th from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Karen's outstanding slides will be accompanied by nine of our raptors for up-close viewing, comparisons and photos. Coffee, tea and other morning refreshments will be provided.
Early Bird Pricing Valid through October 9th, 2022
The class fee is $50 for current REF members, and $60 for the general public. Please note that the class will be limited to 40 participants, so don't wait to register. October 10th prices increase.
Special thanks to Park Manager Michelle Seubert for helping to arrange use of the
wonderful Barr Lake facilities!
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Update on August Monsoon Damage: Half-Way to our Goal
Parking Lot Camera Footage Below
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Thank you very much to the folks who've contributed so generously to the repair of our Buteo pen! We're half-way to our goal of $500 to cover our insurance deductible, but additional funds will also be required to cover the supplies necessary to re-anchor and refurbish at least one of our specialized shelters (we call them raptor "pods") that are adhered to the leaning west wall. |
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Above, you can see our male Harlan's hawk huddling in the west-facing pod with his buddy, our female rough-legged hawk, immediately after the worst of the wind and the rain ceased. Within 24 hours, the entire fence, along with the pod mounted on it, were listing to starboard, so to speak.
Please donate here and THANK YOU for your help!
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Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Redmond |
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I often tell folks that I have the BEST docents and volunteers around...and I'm not exaggerating! Jennifer is an optometrist along with her husband in the south Denver metro area, is a mother of three, and is in the process of completing a Master's in Biology at Miami University. "Dr. Jen" as we call her, has been with REF since 2004 and is an invaluable partner in helping to assess the health of our birds' eyes, especially as they age.
Read more here to learn about her award as one of three inaugural recipients of a scholarship in honor of the late Jerry Ligouri, one of the premier raptor ID experts and biologists in the US.
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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 42nd anniversary by purchasing our
three books at this special price!
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Our Online Store is Open!
A new look...click on the image below.
SORRY...OWL PURSES SOLD OUT
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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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Listen for us the first Saturday of the month at
12:00 Noon for five minutes of "raptorous"
delight with the BirdTalk Guys,
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At long last, our friends at Jabebo have given raptorphiles what we want: the most ubiquitous hawk working with humans around the world! The new Harris' hawk design took a bit longer than expected; getting the dark eyes to stand out against dark plumage turned out to be harder than Anne or Kevin expected, but we're thrilled with the results! Get yours here!
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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 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
in case you missed any!
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The Diel Migration
It's the largest migration by number and mass in the world, occurring every 24 hours, and most people know nothing about it. It's also one of the largest examples of naturally occurring carbon dioxide sequestration. Read more about the DVM.
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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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We hope you enjoy the next in our series of Colorado raptors, excerpted from our film shown at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is Anne's very favorite raptor of all, and this spectacular footage features the wild pair at Wildcat Mountain in Highlands Ranch, a suburb of southwestern Denver. Our now-22 year old male also makes an appearance, filmed during one of our photo safaris...ENJOY!
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Global Harvest Appearance |
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On September 16, we made an appearance for Global Harvest Foods (GHF) at the True Value convention which took place at the Colorado Convention Center. Global Harvest Foods is the largest producer of a wide variety of foods for seed-eating birds in the United States. Their slogan, Healthy Birds, Happy People seemed strange to us at first, since many raptors feed upon seed eating birds! But when you look at the life cycle of Mother Nature, keeping seed-eaters healthy with excellent seed mixtures serves to keep any avian hunter like a peregrine falcon healthy too! We definitely had some fun with the whole idea. The convention attendees were very happy to see our raptors at the GHF display of their new wild bird seed offerings. Convention attendees asked many questions about raptors and what we did with our non-releasable ambassadors. Special thanks to Karen Ogle for some wonderful pictures and thanks again to the GHF team for the opportunity to keep those birds and our birds healthy!
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Has She Found Someone New? |
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Peter visited the Commerce City nest location on September 21 and 22nd and discovered two adults at the site. What appears to be the male in the nest, was the same bird that showed up several times last year. The faint eye stripe and dirty-looking beak were clear identifiers. This may be a new male which the female attracted to the area, which is very promising news.
We won't know until the breeding season actually starts, but Peter will keep checking the site to see if anyone else appears. There is also considerable construction happening on the the west side of the nesting grove. Stay tuned!
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Join the 55 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 the USA, our Facebook followers are found in the following countries:
United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Pakistan, Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, Australia 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: Phil Carter, Kevin Corwin, Karen Gonzalez, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jennifer McAllister, Zachary Nastri, Peggy Plaus, Anne Price, Jennifer Redmond, Peter Reshetniak, Beverly Rice, Mitch Skinner and Ann Stanz
Docents in Training: Kristy Bortz and Karen Ogle
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