Message from the President

The summer doldrums of heat and weeds have definitely set in at our Little Mews on the Prairie. The grasshoppers are just starting to get large enough to catch, while oddly, my friend down south, just north Pueblo, has watched several different species of every color and shape devour her lovely patio plants bought in May. I harvested a few dozen in a meager attempt to help save her flowers, and our Mississippi kite ate like a queen for about a week!

As you can see below, I'm rather fond of our US kites, so after featuring the kites of my childhood in the previous newsletter, it's time to enjoy some new photos of Colorado's only native kite, Ictinia mississipiensis. These ephemeral beauties grace us with their presence for just a few months each year, from late May to about mid-September. Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina are their primary homes for most of the year. Our kite is a Colorado native, having been blown out of her nest in Lamar, Colorado and illegally raised and imprinted to humans.

Jeff Wang surely deserves another shout out of thanks from me in this space. Not only is he a great friend and fun to hang out with, he's generous with his images and has an unmatched level of enthusiasm for the natural world. Yeah, I know this bird below isn't a raptor, but it IS a bird of prey and yet another exquisite example of the remarkable diversity of nature...and Jeff's photographic prowess!* (see the bottom of the newsletter for species ID!)

Be sure to read the announcement below of our October Raptor ID Class!~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

Save the Date!

"Raptors of the Colorado Shortgrass Prairie" Identification Class

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 11th for our annual raptor ID class featuring Karen Metz and a cast of REF raptor ambassadors. More information coming VERY soon!

Jeff Wang photo: "Did someone say SHORTGRASS PRAIRIE? "Tell me more!"

Golden Gate Canyon State Park Program

We so enjoy our annual visit to Golden Gate Canyon State Park, one of the crown jewels in Colorado's State Park system. Located high above Golden and the Town of Blackhawk, this gorgeous park at around 8500 feet is home to nesting goshawks and dusky grouse, one of which greeted on the winding road as we climbed through the lodgepole pine forest, aspen groves and wildflowers.

The Reverend's Ridge Campground hosts the perfect amphitheater where campers of all ages can gather for a variety of programs showcasing the flora and fauna of the area. This year our audience got to meet our new turkey vulture, and the weather was simply perfect...around 70F, compared to the 102F which greeted us upon our return to Brighton. Thank you again to the staff and rangers who make this great experience happen!

Kill TWENTY Eagles & Get ONE Day in Jail

USFWS Hiding Data About Eagles Killed; the French Defend Golden Eagles and more

A Virginia man killed twenty eagles hawks, confessed, and somehow managed to get only ONE day in jail and a fine of a few thousand dollars. Who did he know, and if that isn't wildlife terrorism, I don't know what is. Read more here.

Anybody outraged?

Are golden eagles on the path to extinction in the American west? "“Is it fair to suggest that the golden eagle might be on a wind turbine-induced glide path to extinction in its western US habitat, and potentially other areas of the world that are blighted by massive nature-destroying turbines? The answer is yes, the threat is real, it is undoubtedly growing, and it is ignored by mainstream media and political discourse." The reality of this statement should be explored here.

Golden eagles cannot survive more wind turbines being installed. Their populations are already feeling the impact of the vast killing fields spread over the western states, as reported by two new extensive studies seen below. In France however, they have a message to those promoting unreliable energy schemes that kill eagles. I never thought I would be saying this, but it is time to listen to the French.

From journalist David Wojick:

"Imagine there is an industry product that is killing thousands a year and the number is growing. The government is tracking it closely, while keeping the data secret in order to protect the product. Outrageous, right? But that is exactly the case with wind power killing eagles. Every wind-killed eagle found at an industrial wind site is quickly reported to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). Every year each site also submits an annual kill report to USFWS. None of this data is publicly available.

The USFWS eagle kill data is all a big government secret designed to protect the wind industry from public outrage. This has to stop."

Anybody outraged?

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 wind energy 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

Jeff Wang's Summer of Kites

Here in Colorado know that summer has officially arrived when we receive reports of the first Mississippi kites. They're very rare in the Denver Metro area, but residents of Colorado Springs and Fort Collins, south and north of us respectively, can catch glimpses of these birds if they drive just a short distance outside the city limit. The city of Pueblo (the Home of Heroes...check it out) is home to many of them, as they are communal nesters and will often gather in cottonwoods around parks and golf courses. Above, Jeff captured this photo of eight kites soaring, but he said he saw probably 30 in the air at one point.

The two birds above and below are nicely displaying some of the key field marks for identifying this species. In flight, they are larger than merlins, but smaller than a prairie falcon. Note the very short outermost primary on the edge of each wing. The top bird has a small insect in its beak; this species is highly-insectivorous. They are also capable of taking small birds and bats in flight, and Jeff photographed one with a frog last year.

Below, check out that gorgeous rufus-red wash on the dorsal surface of the primaries! It nicely matches the red eyes of the adult birds as well. These kites are about three different shades of gray, with very short legs almost gecko-like toes which enable them to grip skinny tree branches.

This great shot captures a kite doing its best peregrine falcon impression! Apparently there was a turkey vulture roosting in some trees in the kites' territory, and they were all taking turns dive bombing the tree, attempting to drive the vulture out of their space. Even though they only weigh 7-11 ounces, like any parents, they aggressively defend their young.

Thanks again Jeff!

Flocks of Other Ways to Help!

A Special Anniversary Offer on All Three of Our Books!

Celebrate our 45th anniversary by purchasing our

three books at this special price!

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AWARD WINNER

Help Our Book Fly Higher:

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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.

Burrowing Owl Bonanza

Just 15 minutes from our Brighton office, and a few hundred yards northwest of DIA, Peter found this family of burrowing owls.This will be the first of several videos featuring these avian equivalents of African Meerkats. Enjoy another raptor encounter brought to you by Colorado's first and oldest raptor sanctuary!

Join the 87 Families Helping Our Raptor Sanctuary

Help Us Reach 100 Supporting Families!

Wildcat Mountain Golden Eagle Nesting Season Ends Successfully!

This is the last video for this year's nesting cycle at Wildcat Mountain. Peter will, no doubt, continue to make a few more impromptu visits to the site to see if he gets lucky and catches the pair hanging out. And who knows, maybe their offspring will still be around. Young golden eagles have been known to spend 100+ days with their parents after fledging, learning critical skills including soaring and hunting.

*Answer to the top species ID question: Partially-leucistic juvenile black-crowned night heron

In addition to the United States of America, our Facebook and YouTube followers are found in the following countries:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, 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; Karen Ogle Assistant Mews Manager

Docents & Volunteers: Kristy Bortz, Clarissa Cigrand, Megan Considine, Karen Gonzalez, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jackson Lincoln, 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