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Raptor Chronicles
By Colorado's Oldest Raptor Sanctuary
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President's Message
Spring has sprung, and as you'll read below, the ever-critical ritual of courtship, egg-laying and raising of babies is in full swing. There is a palpable feeling of hope in the air, particularly here in Denver where our winter was so very dark and cold.
Years ago, I read a book by Charline Bockhold Kay and Kenneth Kay, titled The Magic Dolls. It's an evocative and fanciful story about life on a Kansas farm in the 1930s, with a line that has remained etched in my brain, concerning weather on the short-grass prairie: "...the narrow window between blizzards and bugs". I can testify first-hand that I found grasshoppers that survived our first snows in October, and even though weeds are starting to defiantly poke through the pea gravel in some of our enclosures, I am fully aware that we've probably not seen the last of the snow. That being said, I believe we're about to step through that "narrow window", and I am especially grateful for it this year!
A few months ago, I was chatting with one of our members/supporters and stalwart friends, about the phenomenon of "demonizing" as she phrased it, certain species. Her comments were extremely insightful and got me thinking. Native vs. non-native is a common differentiator; an over-abundance of one organism, compared with a dearth of another. Ecology science is complicated, and ecosystems are constantly changing. But one of the traits I admire most about raptors, is their pivotal role in every ecosystem they inhabit. The great annual cycle of the seasons, as well as that of each organism on the planet, seems especially significant to me in the spring at these temperate latitudes. We all spend our lives growing, giving, and then going back...
I hope to see many of you at the Denver Botanic Gardens on April 7th!~Anne Price, President
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Due to the very long distance to the aerie, this video suffers from atmospheric distortions, however, the essence of the prairie falcons isn't lost for the dedicated raptor enthusiast. We estimate that the nest became active within the last week*. While filming the activity at the site, Peter watched both parents suddenly plunge from the rock shelf in pursuit of a raven that had wandered too close to the nest. The female returned quickly, but the male falcon (called the "tiercel") made a lightning-fast stoop after the large corvid.They vanished over the horizon within seconds and the male returned within a few minutes and assumed a lookout position on a nearby outcropping of rocks.
Stay tuned for more on this well-established falcon aerie with a stunning view of Denver and its suburbs to the east.
*Activities were recorded on March 3, 2023. Copulation recorded on March 5th below.
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Raptor Day at Denver Botanic Gardens Returns! |
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Please join us for Raptor Day at DBG on April 7th! Ticketing information can be found here. We are very excited to partner with DBG once again to share our wonderful raptors with a wider audience who enjoy the outdoors, and excellent raptor habitats! There will be multiple opportunities to meet our birds and engage with our handlers in Mitchell Hall, the Freyer-Newman Atrium and the Helen Fowler Library. A brand-new film, shot and produced by us, will also be shown in the Sturm Family Auditorium.
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We are thrilled to announce that the author of our two Fidget books, Stacey Patterson, will be featured in the library for children's story book time throughout the day, which will run from 10:00AM to 2:30 PM. Autographed copies of Fidget's Freedom and Fidget's Folly will be available for sale in the Freyer-Newman Atrium throughout the day. There are timed entry slots available on the Denver Botanic Gardens website listed above, so we encourage those of you with small children to plan your day around a reading, a visit with a peregrine falcon just outside the library, time in Mitchell Hall with the rest of our raptors, and a restful viewing of the 20-minute film in the auditorium.
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America's Eagle Owl:Two Nests Now! |
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This video above is of the second owl nest Peter is monitoring, and on March 13th he managed to be there when one of the owlets made an appearance. The first adult in the video is Dad who is hanging out just about 75 yards from the nest tree. As you can see, Mom is sitting quite high in the nest. She may have two or three little ones beneath her. Watch her body moving up, down and sideways...it's quite possible that more than one squirmy little owl is beneath her.
The video below is of both nests featured together, and at this point in their development Peter has seen three youngsters in the western nest, and two in the eastern nest. Both nests are about five minutes west and east of our Brighton office! Thank you to Matthew Lift for allowing us onto his property to get closer to the western nest.
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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 43nd 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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As promised, here are the first earrings for 2023! The iconic, secretive and beautiful northern goshawk is the largest of the three North American accipiter species, and all three are found here in Colorado! With their deep red eyes, misty gray bellies, and long tails, these birds are occasionally seen during the fall and winter in Denver, but they prefer to hunt in coniferous forests. The model for the left-hand earring was the female we had for 17 years, donated to us by a falconer after fracturing her left wing. Thanks again to our wonderful partners at Jabebo. Buy them 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 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
in case you missed any issues, we currently have 44 issues dating back to January 2020!
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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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Wildcat Mountain Golden Eagles 2023 |
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"Sky Dancing" is a general term to describe the spectacular, undulating flight of raptors which are courting a mate, and reinforcing the pair bond. But it hardly does justice to the magnificent, seemingly-joyous artistry which the pair of golden eagles display over Wildcat Mountain south of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
This long-established pair perform their annual ritual each February, while beginning the additions and upgrades to their nests. The male is visible in the first part of the video, rising and falling in the sky. At 0:48 the female, who had been sitting in a dead pine on the west side of the cliff, appears, heading north. We've slowed down the motion so you can see her absolute command of the wind, as she balances perfectly on the strong current.
Don't we all wish we could rise into the heavens, leaving our cares below, and fly out of sight?
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Love is definitely in the air on Wildcat Mountain!
As we continue documenting the courtship and nesting behavior of the golden eagle pair, we first see them relaxing on one of their favorite perches below the eyrie. At 1:35, the female glances skyward to see her mate soaring overhead. Approximately ten seconds later he makes a spectacular banking dive, and what follows might be described as coming home with chocolates, a dozen perfect roses and a diamond anniversary bracelet. Without a doubt, this is a very tightly-bonded pair.
We're impressed...and keeping our talons crossed for this season!
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Join the 56 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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On March 15th we paid a semi-surprise visit to the Denver headquarters of DarkOwl, who recently adopted our eight-year old male great-horned owl. This extremely cool firm literally enables companies to see in the "dark", accessing, monitoring and utilizing data from the darknet (also known as the "Dark Web" or Dark Internet") to manage security threats to governmental and corporate operations...check them out at darkowl.com
Employees gathered in-person and via Zoom from around the country to meet their adopted owl up close, and explore the amazing sensory skills, including hearing and night vision, which owls possess. We are very appreciative of their support of the largest of the owls we care for!
Interested in a corporate adoption of one of our raptors? Give our office a call at (303) 680-8500.
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Much of what I get to see and turn into something our raptorphiles might be interested in, is based on timing and luck. This event on February 28th is a perfect illustration of that premise. I arrived at the Star K Nest (Morrison Nature Center) in Aurora at about 4:30pm and mostly just sat, waiting, camera rolling, but it was boring. And then I noticed that Mom started calling, which you can see in her body language. As I watched, it was obvious that she was about to leave, and as she lifted off of the nest and took off to the northeast, I wasn't prepared for what happened next. I've never seen this type of shift change happen in hundreds of hours watching eagles on nests.
The Commerce City nest is still active, but my visits there have been rather dull in comparison to the luck I've had at the other nests in this issue. Enjoy! Peter Reshetniak, Founder
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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, 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: Kristy Bortz, Kevin Corwin, Karen Gonzalez, Kim Kistler, Linda Julia, Jennifer McAllister, Denis Murray, Zachary Nastri, Karen Ogle, Anne Price, Jennifer Redmond, Peter Reshetniak, Beverly Rice, Mitch Skinner and Ann Stanz
Docents in Training: Clarissa Cigrand, Robert Mitchell, Zachary Nastri and Peggy Plaus
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