THANK YOU to everyone who's contributed to our van's new transmission! Our first big road test, eight hours on the road to Southwestern Colorado, proved that the old gal can handle both mountain passes covered in snow and the dry desert air. We just can't say enough about Paul and Becky over at Dave's Auto . We wouldn't be cruising along with them!
Thanks to the following people who have contributed $3305.00 so far:
Angel Anichin, Susan Anstine, Martha Barnhill, Keven Bateman, Cheri Bossio, Sharon Carabetta, David Carr, Deborah Carstensen, Jeffrey Carter, Peggy Chan, Kathleen Cottingham, Louise Crosby, Christine Cunneen, Russell Dymond, Judith Ferrell, John Graves, Kim Herron, Janice Kolk, Kimi Kondo, Maureen Kuiper, Kenneth Layman, Josette Mastra, Sharon Minzer, Scott & Deborah Nicholson, Steven Polsky, Miriam Reed, Terrie Sajbel, Jeffrey Snyder, Bernd Sokolowski, Carol Stuart, Scott Van Vleet, John Walker, Millie and Richard Young .If we've missed your name, please let us know and we'll correct the list
Thank you for your donations on the web, by check, or please call 303-680-8500. Our mailing address is REF, PO Box 200400, Denver, CO 80220. Your contributions are greatly appreciated! If you don't wish to use PayPal, you can go to our storefront;
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Message from the President
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I wish all of our members and supporters a safe and meaningful time with your families, whether it's virtual, or around the dinner table. This has been a hard year for all of us, and a heart-breaking year for so many families who will have an empty chair at their gatherings this year. Please take a moment to lift each other up when possible, and give thanks for all that is still good and present in your life. I know I am very thankful for the support of our members, and the extremely hard work of our docents and staff who strive tirelessly to keep our birds healthy and happy.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ~Anne Price, President
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Quantum Biology Explores Bird Navigation and Photosynthesis |
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Join participants at the World Science Festival as they listen to cutting edge developments in the new field of "quantum biology" to increase the understanding of the amazing capabilities of bird navigation and photosynthesis. During the video, MIT Professor Seth Lloyd discusses quantum biology with Professor Thorsten Ritz from the University of California Irvine and Professor Paul Davies from Arizona State University. The topics include quantum entanglement and understanding the quantum aspects of evolutionary adaptations. This 90-minute video is one of the best I've seen in ages. Your birding buddies will be blown away! The professors and moderator make all the quantum stuff pretty easy to grasp. Visit our Raptor Discoveries page and enjoy!
~Peter Reshetniak, Founder & 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 41st anniversary by purchasing our three books at this special price!
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This poster is available for a limited time. Printed on heavy poster board, 11.5" x 20" Special offer details here.
One Left!
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Our Online Store is Open Again!
A New Look...Click on the Image Below
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Help Our Book Take Flight: Order Today!
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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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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!
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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!
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Garry & Ming Adams, owners of the Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch near Cortez, Colorado hosted a special day of raptor culture, science and ecology on October 29th. Take a look at the video on the right!
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Canyon of the Ancients Special Program Video |
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Join the 31 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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Assisted Living for Raptors |
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Managing a collection of 28 non-releasable raptors includes adapting to their changing needs as they age. In some species that means we may be caring for them for decades. Their captive life spans can easily be double or triple their wild life spans. For instance, our female golden eagle is turning 40 years old next March, and she's been with us since six months of age. The average wild lifespan for golden eagles is 20-25 years.
The image above is of our turkey vulture's cave where he shelters in the cold winter months. Last year I installed a custom-built ceramic heat emitter (A) that has worked quite well for the upper levels of his "cave." This year I replaced the previous ground heater under the gravel with a repurposed sub-soil seed heating pad, (outlined in red). We also use a a similar heating pad as part of our water system. Our vulture now has a floor heater that will help alleviate some of the symptoms of the arthritis he's developed at 19 years of age.
Our reserve water supply tank of 330 gallons was outfitted with a titanium aquarium water heater last year which worked exceptionally well. However the top portion of the tank would spike to over 120F, while the lower end would drop closer to freezing. All the heat naturally rose to the top, so this past summer I installed a submerged re-circulation pump and it's been keeping the water at about 63 degrees even when the outside temps dropped to around 6Fs during the October cold snap. A remote thermometer has tracked the setting on the heater thermostat to within three degrees and it's now reading the BOTTOM of the tank...hooray!
The end result is that we have reliable, warm-ish water, and we even have the option for outdoor hot water cleaning in January if we wish. Hot tubs anyone? Thank you for all the extra donations which have allowed us to continue ensuring that our birds are well-cared for during these pandemic times and the coming winter months.~Peter Reshetniak, Founder & Director of Special Projects
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Peregrine Adoption Tribute and a Special Tribute to a Conure |
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We'd like to acknowledge the generous donation of the Bernd Sokolowski family, in memory of their dusky conure, Clover. She was a special member of their family for many years, occasionally believing that she too, was a raptor at heart.
The second special tribute is in memory of Marcia Lyman of Rochester, New York by Berni Simmons. Marcia was involved with the peregrine program at Kodak in Rochester, and as you can see on our Tribute Page, Marcia and Berni have followed us for years. Thank you all!
If you love peregrines like many people do, don't miss the youngsters growing rapidly on a high rise building Down under in Melbourne. See the live stream link below.
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Hudson Street Red-Tails Revisited |
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Over the past three years I have featured videos of a nesting pair of red-tailed hawks across the street from my house...see our YouTube channel.The parents have been quite successful with three young fledged last year and two this year. My neighbor across the street captured some great images of this year's babies after they fledged and were perfecting their hunting skills. Our older neighborhood has lots of cottontail rabbits, mice, insects of various sizes and a variety of birds, including some backyard chickens. Chris Marino's two photos below have caught the young buteo either missing its target or possibly capturing a bug, which is very typical of many young raptors learning how to hunt. Or maybe the hose was a snake to kill? The top picture is a great look at the paler iris color of young red-tailed hawks. Remember, the iris darkens as red-tails age, achieving the deep brown color after age five.
You may know some of Chris' work if you are a foodie. He directed and produced the very popular international television series Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations starring Andrew Zimmern. After twelve seasons Chris has retired and now is expanding his outdoor enjoyment skills learning to fly fish and hunt images with his camera. Thanks Chris!
~Peter Reshetniak, Founder & Director of Special Projects
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Chris captured these birds within a block radius of their nest. Originally the nest was home to a pair of Cooper's Hawks, which have been featured in previous posts of Raptor Chronicles. |
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Nesting Peregrine Down Under |
We have the perfect cure to those of you who are suffering from "End of Nest Cam Season": take a look Down Under to the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere! Peregrine falcons are found world-wide, on every continent except Antarctica, and there is a 4K nest cam on a very experienced pair in Melbourne.Three chicks have hatched! This is one of the best raptor cams anywhere on the planet!
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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 monthly pledges automatically...thank you!!
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REF Staff & Docents: Anne Price, President & Curator, Peter Reshetniak, Founder & Director of Special Projects, Savannah Grout, Mews Manager ( PT) Docents: Elise Bales, Morgan Brantmeyer, Kevin Corwin, Karen Gonzalez, Bernhard Hafner, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jennifer McAllister, Anne Price, Jennifer Redmond, Peter Reshetniak, Beverly Rice, Mitch Skinner, Ann Stanz
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PO Box 200400,
Denver, CO 80220
Phone: 303-680-8500
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