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Greetings!
THE FRONT RANGE BIRDING COMPANY - FRBC:
A Nature Center For You and Your
Family
| Hawks, Doves and Helicopters all fly At FRBC Open House 10 AM till 5 PM |
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May 7th marks the 7th family fun festival at Jefferson Village/Kohls Shopping Center.
Each year we at FRBC love to reach out to the community by putting together a free festival that supports local businesses and charities. Bringing together local craftsmen with shoppers and browsers has been very rewarding. Additionally, the support of a local charity lets us know that the money spent and contributed stays in the community
Check out the schedule of events and mark your calendars. Each year more vendors sign up and the attendance continues to boom. Good weather permitting we expect over 1,000 attendees to enjoy the festivities.
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| Air Force Academy Fighting Falcon Mascot at Festival |
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The Air Force Academy Fighting Falcon mascot "Havoc" will have a booth. Several AFA cadets will attend and present the pride of the academy.
You can visit with the cadets, learn about falconry, and educational and career opportunities through the Air Force Academy.
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| Arts and Craft Fair, Food, Music |
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All day Over 20 vendor booths specializing in local
handmade products will be in the Art and Craft Festival. Included are photography,
watercolors, pottery feeders and baths, stained glass,
chained-sawed bears, and metal art. It is one of the
first craft fairs of the spring season and offers one-of-
a-kind gifts for Mother's Day and Father's Day. A
portion of all sales supports the Captain Jason Dahl
Scholarship Fund.
There will be interactive
informational booths from The Audubon Society of
Greater Denver, South Suburban Parks, Chatfield and
Roxborough State Parks and the Carson Nature Center." Even Rosie the Tarantula from the Butterfly Pavilion will be "on hand" for anyone brave enough to mingle with.
Those attending also have the opportunity to bid on
valuable items in a silent auction to include a
one hour flight experience in one of United
Airlines' advanced jet simulators, Denver Bronco's
football tickets, Colorado Rockies baseball
tickets, among other fine items. The winning bids
will be announced at 4:30 PM.
The open house once again will feature the Wild Coyotes Country and Western Band. They love to get the crowd involved and sidewalk dancing is highly encouraged!
Schieds Smoke Shack will have a full bar-b-q operation going with cooker, smoker, sides, and sliders. You can enjoy their great eats while attending the wine tasting event at Old Vine Liquors.
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| HawkQuest Returns! |
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From 11 AM till 1 PM HawkQuest will again present 5 raptors. HawkQuest Trainers will have a Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Harris' Hawk, and Great Horned Owl on the stage. The trainers will help you attain a deeper appreciation for the raptors and their struggle to survive.
At noon they will fly the Harris' Hawk right in front of Qdoba! The close viewing of a Harris' Hawk in free flight should prove spectacular.
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| AirLife Helicopter Joins Denver West Metro Firefighters at 1 PM |
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At 1 PM we expect the arrival of Denver's AirLife Helicopter to arrive on site. The helicopter will land next to Chick-Fil-A with the aid of the fire department.
.Everyone will have the chance to meet with the helicopter pilots, flight nurses, and firefighters. You can thank these brave first responders for their daily heroic efforts helping all in times of emergencies.
Don't forget to climb aboard a front line fire truck!
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| Captain Jason Dahl Dove Race at 2 PM |
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At 2 PM the highlight event of the day takes off with the 2011 Dove Race supporting The Captain Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund. Captain Dahl was the pilot of
United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 and a Ken-
Caryl, Littleton resident. Captain Dahl, the crew, and
passengers of Flight 93 are true American heroes
who paid dearly with their lives preventing terrorists
from reaching their Washington, DC targets.
The launch of over 100 white homing pigeons provided by White Birds Unlimited is quite a sight to experience. They will "race" back to their home lofts in Arvada.
Individuals can sponsor a dove for the Jasond Dahl Scholarship fund for a small fee and have the chance to will a $300 pair of Vortex binoculars. A goodie bag will be given to every sponsor worth over $50!
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| Sign Up for a Festival or Free Spring Bird Walk Outing |
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Walk the Wetlands with ASGD
The first Sunday of every month from 8 AM till Noon
Join with the Audubon
Society of Greater Denver and
Hugh and Urling Kingery along with other Master
Birders with the ever popular "Walk the Wetlands"
series in Chatfield State Park. Easy walking. Meet
at
the Audubon Center at Chatfield on Waterton Road,.
(Take Wadsworth 4.4 miles south of C-470.) Call
303-
979-2473 for details.
Chatfield State Park with Master Birder Joey Kellner
We now support master birder Joey Kellner with his Chatfield State Park walks the last Saturday of of each month from 8 am till noon.
Joey Kellner began birding as a teenager (many years ago) and has served as president of the Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO), Joey is a naturalist, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm of not only birds, but reptiles, amphibians, mammals, butterflies, etc. Joey has been leading monthly bird walks at Chatfield State Park for over 13 years.
Joey's Chatfield State Park bird walks are scheduled for 4 hours, but participants are welcome to leave whenever they need to. We will look for birds in a number of locations inside the park.
Meet inside Chatfield State Park at the Platte River parking lot (just east of Kingfisher Bridge.) No reservations necessary, just show up! Bring binoculars and scope if you have. Please no pets or small children.
Roxsborough State Park
On Saturday, May 28, 9a.m. - Noon Enjoy a morning hike in beautiful
Roxborough State Park, looking for both
birds and spring wildflowers. A Colorado
native plant specialist will story-line each
wildflower and its importance to the
ecosystem. Expect a songbird symphony as
each species announces itself and proclaims
its territory.
On Saturday, June 25, 9 a.m. - Noon Hike Roxborough's flatiron country and
learn about its geology from Precambrian
to Late Mesozoic. Learn why many rocks
sport their signature red color and more
about our ancestral Rocky Mountains.
We'll also look for nesting Golden Eagles,
Peregrine Falcons, and the reclusive Canyon
Wren.
On these Roxsborough walks children 12 and older please.
Call 303-973-3959 for reservations. Space
is Limited. CO Parks Pass / Day Pass needed.
On all walks be sure to check the weather and dress
appropriately. Wear a hat, long pants, and dressing in
layers is always a good rule. Also be sure to bring
binoculars, water, and a
snack lunch.
These free hikes are very educational and
popular. Call us at the store for details and directions.
Space is limited so call early to reserve your quick tour
of Front Range natural habitats.
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| Our Partner - White Birds Unlimited |
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The good folks at White Birds Unlimited graciously
donated all 200 doves for the Jason Dahl fundraiser.
We cannot thank them enough.
If you have a special occasion that would be
enhanced
with a dove release, your wishes will come to life with
their expert services.
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| CHECK OUT THE FRONT RANGE BIRDING APPROVED TOURS |
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June 4-11 and June 11 to 17, 2011 Bird North Dakota and Boreal Forest of Minnesota
with Bill Schmoker (pictured ), as Guide
This trip covers the prairie potholes habitat in North Dakota and the boreal forest in Minnesota. Numerous other habitats are visited with excellent opportunities to view many species to include as many as 20 nesting warblers and the pictured Northern Hawk Owl. We are offering two trips.
This trip is almost full, only 2 or 3 spots left! For More Information or to Register for trips, call Charles at 888-203-7464 or Charles directly at 720-320-1974 or by email at [email protected].
Visit www.pibirding.com for a full description on all trips.
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| Bird Australia October 21 - November 7 2011 with TOURS BY TURNER |
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pictured is an Australia Regent's Bowerbird. photo by Bill Eden
Those in the know love the birding adventures offered
by Bill Turner.
Led by Bill Turner with expert
local
birder/naturalist guides.
October 21-November 7, 2011 - Lamington and Kakadu National Parks and the Atherton Tablelands of northeast Queensland. Visit sub-tropical and tropical rainforests and archetypical Australian outback. Among the birds we saw on our almost identical tour last year were golden bowerbirds, Victoria's riflebirds, wedge-tailed eagles, Gouldian finches, hooded parrots, laughing and blue-winged kookaburras, and a cassowary, to mention but a few of the many birds observed. In addition to excelling at finding and identifying birds, our local guides are outstanding all-around naturalists. Other wildlife we saw last year were eleven different kinds of kangaroos and their kin, flying foxes, dingo, platypus and two species of crocodiles.
We stay in comfortable accommodations and relish tasty meals. Maximum group size is 14. If you enjoy visiting wild places teeming with wildlife with knowledgeable local naturalist guides in the company of fellow travelers who appreciate nature as you do, then consider this tour to spectacular settings. The land cost is $5495 per person double occupancy.
For complete itineraries and bird list, please contact
Bill Turner at (303) 795-5128 or e-mail him at
[email protected].
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| DOVES AWAY! |
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Be sure to sponsor a dove for The Captain Jason
Dahl Scholarship Fund. You might win a $300 pair of
binoculars.
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| See you at the AirLife Landing! |
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From all the crew at Front Range Birding - Thanks for
your support of our nature store.
Tom, Diane, Shannon, Dave, Jennifer, and Sara.
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FRBC Festival Bird Walk Begins the Day's Activities |
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Above Meredith McBurney with group at Chatfield RMBO banding station.
Kick-starting the May 7th FRBC festival day will be a fantastic bird walk along the South Platte River in Chatfield State Park with local bird expert and author Mike Foster. and RMBO bird bander Meredith McBurney. This is the perfect time of year as migrants are returning and avian courtship is in full swing.
Mike will lead you through several rich habitats including shoreline, riparian, woods, and grassland sure to produce a wide vareity of birds.
In partnership with The Audubon Society of Greater Denver (ASGD) and The Rocky mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO), this free bird walk will be from 8 AM till approximately 11:30 AM. The group will meet with Mike at the Audubon Center at Chatfield State Park to begin the excursion.
To get to the center take Hwy 121 (Wadsworth) and go 4 1/2 miles south of C-470, turn left on Waterton Rd and immediately left into the Audubon Center. Meet Mike and the group in the center's parking lot.
Following the easy trek along the Platte, you will visit the RMBO bird banding station with banding Expert Meredith McBurney. At the station you will observe the mist net capture of birds and the documentation of their vital statistics. Many will actually participate in the release of the birds back into the wild.
At the conclusion of the bird banding station visit at approximately 11 AM, all bird walkers will have the opportunity to attend the birding festival already in progress at Jefferson Village just 5 miles away
Mike Foster will join you at the festival as he presents his new book The Ties That Bind: Birds, Nature, and Us.
Mike tells how he became fascinated with birds and committed to helping them in their struggle to survive. He discusses the challenges facing birds, and he suggests how you can make a difference. His essays combine openhearted encounters with Nature and pointed insights into contemporary culture. He will be available to personally sign a copy of the book for anyone.
The walk should produce a great variety of migrant arrivals and raptors,
ducks, and warblers. We always find surprises. A visit
to the banding station is a special treat. Be sure to bring binoculars if you have them, water, a snack, hat, and dress in layers.
Space is limited on this very special outing. We expect it to be a dawn chorus of many pre-nesting species. .
If you are interested please call us to sign up at 303-979-2473.
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The Front Range Birding Company - A Proud Corporate Sponsor of the Audubon Society of Greater Denver
CORINTHIAN BELLS WIND CHIMES BY QMT ASSOCIATES: The folks at QMT of Manassas Park, VA are committed to providing the best chimes on the market, all proudly made in the USA.
Great Optics are here at FRBC. Leica, Swarovski, and Vortex are offering exceptional deals on their high quality products.
PARASOL HAND-BLOWN GLASS HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS
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