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Greetings!
FRBC: A Nature Center For You and Your
Family
| FRBC OPEN HOUSE SET FOR MAY 3RD |
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Store Celebrates International Migratory Bird Day
A full day of fun and events will take place at the
Jefferson Village/Kohl's Shopping Center from 10AM
till 5PM. HawkQuest is a featured attraction from 11AM
to 1PM as they present a live Bald Eagle, Burrowing
Owl, Peregrine Falcon, and Harris Hawk for
display. You can get up close and personal with each
of these exquisite birds of prey. Their expert trainers
will actually fly a Harris Hawk outdoors for all to see at
12 Noon. The Butterfly Pavilian will have Rosie the
Tarantula exhibit and the West Metro Fire Department
will have on hand their front line fire truck for touring.
All during the day local artists and craftsmen will have
their wares available at an outdoor crafts fair. In
addition, local park rangers, Division of Wildlife
officials, and the Audubon Society of Greater Denver
will man educational booths. Together they offer
interesting and intriguing nature programs for both
adults and children to enjoy.
At 2PM the 4th annual "Dove Race" takes place. Over
100 white homing pigeons for local charities will be
released. These doves will "race" back to their home
lofts in Lakewood, CO.� The 1st place prize is a pair of
Vortex Viper binoculars worth over $600! Individuals
can sponsor a dove for a small contribution to The
Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund. This year a silent
auction for the charity will also take place. Incredible
items such as a 1 hour full motion United Airlines
simulator experience, Rockies and Bronco's tickets,
and a hot air baloon ride over Chatfield State Park are
up for bid!
Local businesses and restaurants have supplied
many other prizes. The Squeeze Juice Bar, Abo's New
York Pizza, Qdoba Mexican Restaurant, Noodles & Co,
Lagarto's Restaurant, Chili's Restaurant, Chick-Fil-A,
and the Texas Road House are providing treats and
refreshments for dove race attendees. Albertson's will
have an old fashion outdoor cook-out with fresh-off-
the-grill braut's, chips, water, and soft drinks. Two
local bands will provide live music for
entertainment during the festivities. Big discounts on
food and beverages will be available at participating
restaurants in the
shopping center.
Jason Dahl was the Captain of United Flight 93 on
9/11/2001. Jason was a Littleton Ken-Caryl resident
and an outstanding member of our local community.
His story is well known for the brave acts he
preformed that fateful day over 6 years ago. The
foundation named for him raises money for
scholarships at Denver's Metro State.
Last year over $10,000 was raised at the 2007 dove
race, all of which directly benefited the local
community.
Come on out to the open house. It promises to be a
blast for the entire family!
Schedule of Events:
10AM - 5PM Arts and Crafts Fair
Butterfly Pavilion Exibit
Open Air Cookout
West Metro Fire Department
11AM - 1PM HawkQuest! Live Bald Eagle,
Burrowing Owl, and Harris Hawk, and Peregrine
Falcon
12 NOON Live flight of Harris Hawk
10AM-4PM Silent Auction for charities
�2PM Presentation of scholarships andDove
Race
2PM - 5PM
Live Bluegrass music
The Wild Coyote Band
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| GETTING READY: SPRINGTIME IS COMING TO MY BACKYARD By Shannon Jennings |
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It's time to start spring cleaning and that includes the
birds too. Make spring cleaning easier by stocking up
on a few useful tools. Here's what I keep handy. A
sturdy scraper tool, such as a rigid plastic or metal
kitchen spatula, comes in handy for lifting old seed
out of tray feeders and for scraping off dried bird
droppings. we have a product called Poop-Off bird
poop remover which is non-toxic and biodegradable
and saves a lot of scraping. A good sturdy brush with
short, stiff bristles and a long handle is good for
scrubbing out tube feeders. We also carry a good
variety of brushes for all your cleaning projects.
You can use a chlorine bleach solution of 9-10 parts
water to 1 part bleach. But for heavy duty jobs, we
carry Scoot brand Bird Feeder Cleaner which makes
cleaning much, much easier and can be used on
wood, metal, and plastic feeders. Make sure that you
rinse, rinse, rinse your feeders to make sure there is
no reside. Be sure that the feeder is thoroughly dry
before refilling. A clean feeder means clean, fresh
seed, and less rick of disease. Don't forget to clean
your suet feeders too. Suet feeders can get a greasy
build up from the rendered beef suet used in the mix.
I also clean up any sunflower or other seed shells
and any uneaten seeds that may become moldy on
the ground in my feeding station area. The platform
ground feeder is easily cleaned by using a good stiff
or wire brush to clean the screen and get rid of any
build up in the corners. I'm so happy to see the
Mourning Doves back again and I have a nice clean
area for them and the other ground feeding birds. I
highly recommend and use Feeder Fresh. This
product will help keep the seed in your feeders dry
and free from mold. It is safe for birds and acts as a
moisture trap and seed preservative.
It is always a good idea to have some sort of water
feature. I have a concrete bird bath and use a wire
brush to clean off any algae or yucky build up. We
carry Care Free Enzymes Birdbath Protector. It
prevents stains, mineral deposits, and organic
contaminants. Stop in for a free sample, while they
last. I even use an old dog bowl for water in my
feeding station area where it just sits on the ground
away from the feeders.
The Hummingbirds have arrived! We carry special
brushes just for hummingbird feeders. We have The
Perfect Little Brush for cleaning out the ports, a feeder
mop, and the HummerPlus brush which is curved for
easier cleaning. We also carry the Songbird
Essentials Best Hummingbird Combo set of brushes.
It claims to be the only brush kit that cleans every part
of hummingbird and oriole feeders. Have a great
spring!
Shannon
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| HOGBACK HONEY |
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Pure raw local honey.
Our bees had a great Winter's nap and are ready to
spring into action! We anticipate a good 2008 crop.
Flowers are popping early. Come in and try our great
local raw honey straight from the hive to you.
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| 20% OFF SEED SALE IS ON FOR THE OPEN HOUSE |
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Save 20 percent on anything birds eat when you visit
us at the 2008 Open House.
You will be able to use our seed vault program and
save on seed all year long. Buy as much as you like
on sale and pick it up fresh at your convienience.
We have a great selection in stock of all the premium
seeds available from our outstanding suppliers at
Petersen Pet Provisions, Wild Delight, and Excello
Commodities.
We will contnue to search for the highest quality
products and bring them to you for the best prices
possible.
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| FRBC SPRING BIRD WALK & TALK SCHEDULE |
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Share your birding & wildlife experiences. Call us and
sign up for a free bird walk. Bring a snack, binoculars,
and wear long pants. Always dress for the weather. All
hikes are moderate to easy. Call to reserve your
space at (303) 979-2473.
Saterday April 26 9am-Noon
Roxborough St Park
Saturday May 3rd 9am-Noon
Roxborough St Park
Join naturalist Alison Kondler to learn basic birding
skills while enjoying the beautiful sites at Roxborough
State Park. Children 12 and older are welcome. Call
as space is limited 303-979-2473.
Sunday May 4th 8am-Noon - Walk the Wetlands.
Audubon Center at
Chatfield St Park with the Audubon Society
of Greater Denver.
LEADERS: Hugh & Urling Kingery (303-814-2723),
Doris Cruze and other Master Birders
Pre-registration is NOT required.
MEETING PLACE: Parking lot at the Audubon Center
at Chatfield. The Audubon Center is located on
Waterton Road, 4.4 miles south of C-470 and
Wadsworth. (driving directions)
DESCRIPTION: We will hike along the South Platte
River and look for winter birds such as raptors, ducks
and seed-eating perching birds. We always find
surprises. Dress in layers for the weather. Bring
binoculars, field guides, water and a snack.
Sat May11 8:30am-Noon
Roxborough St Park
Join naturalist Alison Kondler to learn basic birding
skills while enjoying the beautiful sites at Roxborough
State Park. Children 12 and older are welcome. Call
as space is limited 303-979-2473.
Sunday June 1st 8am-Noon - Walk the Wetlands.
Audubon Center at Chatfield St Park with the Audubon
Society
of Greater Denver. LEADERS: Hugh & Urling Kingery
(303-814-2723), Doris Cruze and other Master Birders
Pre-registration is NOT required. MEETING PLACE:
Parking lot at the Audubon Center at Chatfield. The
Audubon Center is located on Waterton Road, 4.4
miles south of C-470 and Wadsworth. (driving
directions) DESCRIPTION: We will hike along the
South Platte River and look for winter birds such as
raptors, ducks and seed-eating perching birds. We
always find surprises. Dress in layers for the weather.
Bring binoculars, field guides, water and a snack.
Saturday June 21 9am-11am
Roxborough St Park. Join Tom Bush and
Naturalist Sue Marino for an early
morning hike to search for birds and learn about the
history of Roxborough. Children 12 and older are
welcome. Call as space is limited 303-979-2473.
Look for our upcomming Optics and Digiscoping
workshop this summer. The time and date TBA in the
next newsletter.
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| Thank you for supporting us at FRBC. See you at the Open House! |
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Sara Nelson releases doves at the 2007 Open House.
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Tom, Sara, Diane, Shannon, and David
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| JOIN FRBC AT THE COLORADO FIELD ORNITHOLOGIST CONVENTION IN CANYON CITY MAY 16-19. SEE US AT OUR BOOTH. |
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CFO will host the 2008 Convention in Ca�on City, May
16-19, with Richard Crossley. Richard is one of the
authors of The Shorebird Guide and will give the
keynote address "Past, Present, and Future."
CFO offers some of the most innovative and
interesting field trips in Colorado. The birding field
trips around the Canyon City area are fabulous.
Check them out online at http://www.cfo-link.org.
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Front Range Birding Trips: Monte Vista Crane Festival By Sara Nelson |
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The weekend of March 7-9 my husband Kevin and I
drove down to the San Luis Valley for the Monte Vista
Crane Festival. The festival is an annual event (this
year was the 25th!) celebrating the migration of
Sandhill Cranes through the area. This year's festival
included sunrise and sunset bus tours, an arts and
crafts fair, educational presentations and a dinner.
The Sandhill Cranes we were all there to see are part
of the Rocky Mountain flock, which winters in Texas,
New Mexico and Mexico. In February, they begin their
migration north to breed and spend the summer in
Idaho, Montana and Canada. Along the way they stop
and spend some time in the San Luis Valley, mostly
on Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge
is managed in a way to provide habitat for the cranes.
The birds spend their days "loafing" and eating grain
to prepare for the rest of their trip. Before sunset they
take to the skies to find open water where they
congregate for the night. They are very social birds
and find safety in great numbers. And the birds and
their numbers are impressive! Imagine a field full of
four feet tall birds, as well as a sky full of birds with a
six foot wingspan, all constantly calling to each other.
We arrived in Monte Vista just in time for the bus tour
we had signed up for. The bus tour was lead by U.S.
Fish and Wildlife staff and took us to the best
locations to see the cranes on Monte Vista NWR. In
addition to thousands of cranes we saw Great Horned
Owls, several duck species, mule deer, and elk. After
the bus tour we went to a presentation by Jim Harvey,
a Durango resident, on his trips to look for the Ivory
Billed Woodpecker. He didn't prove the existence of
this bird long believed to be extinct, but did see three
birds that maybe could have been ivory bills.
We spent the rest of the weekend visiting Great Sand
Dunes National Park & Preserve (still have sand in my
shoes), and driving around the valley looking for more
cranes and wildlife. We took pictures of a Great
Horned Owl on her nest, saw more waterfowl, and
even saw a porcupine. On our way home on Sunday
we stopped at Alamosa NWR, and rounded out the
trip with two bald eagles.
We had a great time; the magnificence of the cranes
in such a beautiful setting is something I truly
enjoyed. I also loved the chance to visit more National
Wildlife Refuges, a system which I find to be a
national treasure. This trip was so much fun, I'm
thinking about the Snow Goose Festival in Lamar for
next year!
Sara
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The Front Range Birding Company - A Proud Corporate Sponsor of the Audubon Society of Greater Denver
Check out for Spring: Life is Good & Tilley Hats: Great gifts for Mom & Dad
Look for the best in Optics here at FRBC
LEICA OPTICS NOW AT THE FRONT RANGE BIRDING COMPANY
CHECK OUT OUR FULL LINE OF DROLL YANKEE FEEDERS & CORINTHIAN BELLS WINDCHIMES HANDMADE & HAND TUNED IN USA
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