Birds of Prey Slide Show

Tuesday, January 5; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce Street, Louisville 

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior, and ecology of these magnificent birds.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, January 9; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Nature of Snow

Sunday, January 10; 10:00am to Noon
Mud Lake Open Space; drive north approximately 2 miles on Highway 72 from the Nederland traffic circle to County Road 126 (just past mile marker 34), then west on 126 about ¼ mile, turn left and follow signs to parking lot and trailhead.

Snow is an amazing substance! It changes form, it’s sculpted by the wind into beautiful shapes, it insulates, it fractures into deadly avalanches, and also makes winter survival possible for many plants and animals. Join naturalist Larry Colbenson on a winter hike to explore the many properties of snow, and to examine the snowpack and learn how some plants and animals have adapted to life in the cold. Bring drinking water, and clothing and boots suitable for cold and windy weather. Ski or hiking poles are also recommended due to icy trail conditions. Everybody should be prepared to hike about two miles in snow, above 8,000 feet in elevation. All ages are welcome.

A Kid’s View of Raptors

Wednesday, January 13; 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Lafayette Public Library, 775 west Baseline Road, Lafayette

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies above Boulder County. During the slide presentation you’ll see some of these awesome birds up close and learn about where they live and what they eat. You will also get to see how your “wingspan” measures up against a hawk or eagle. This program is for families with elementary-age children.

Signs of Life – Wildlife in Winter Hike

Saturday, January 16; 10:00am to noon
Caribou Ranch Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road 126; meet at parking lot kiosk

Join volunteer naturalists for a hike in the high country to learn about the many ways that wildlife survives winter in the Rocky Mountains. We’ll talk about hibernation, dormancy, migration, and various strategies for animals that are active all winter long. We will also look for signs of wildlife activity, including tracks, scat, and browse marks on trees. Bring drinking water, and clothing and boots suitable for a moderate 2-mile hike in snowy, cold and windy weather.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, January 23; 9:30am to 2:30pm (extended tour)
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Nature Hike for Seniors

January 28, Pella Crossing Open Space; 10:00am to noon.

The last Thursday of every month Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors. Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and current resource management projects.

For more information and directions, please call 303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large group, so we have enough naturalists at the program. 

Winter at the Walker Ranch Homestead

Sunday, January 31; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Walker Ranch Homestead; 7701 Flagstaff Mountain Road, approximately 7.5 miles west of Boulder on Flagstaff Road, on the left just past Pika Road

How did early settlers prepare for and survive the harsh winters of Colorado? What did they do when they were snowed in for weeks at a time? What were their evenings like without radio or television? These questions and more will be answered as you explore the Walker Ranch homestead in winter.

In addition to a tour of the ranch, you can see working demonstrations in the blacksmith shop and the log house will be filled with wonderful smells of food being prepared on the woodstove.
Be prepared for cold, windy weather, and to walk in snow. For more information, call 303-776-8848 or send e-mail to tmcmichen@bouldercounty.org. No dogs, please.

Birds of Prey Slide Show

Thursday, February 4; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior, and ecology of these magnificent birds.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, February 6; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Prairie Winter Hike

Sunday, February 7; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm; North of Broomfield at the junction of South 104th St and Dillon Road; meet at the Stearns Lake Trailhead

Learn how grassland and wetland wildlife respond and adapt to winter on the prairie along the Colorado Front Range. Volunteer naturalists will lead this easy walk to explore and learn about the different winter strategies employed by wildlife that migrate through or are resident to the prairie ecosystems of Boulder County.

Track Tales - Snowshoe Hike

Saturday, February 13; 10:00am to 12:30pm
Caribou Ranch Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road 126; meet at parking lot kiosk

Winter is the perfect time to learn about the story left behind by wildlife. Join Park Interpreter Michael Bauer and Volunteer Naturalist Susan Jones for a snowshoe hike to learn about predator-prey ecology and how to identify tracks and other clues left by winter wildlife. Be prepared for a moderately strenuous 2-mile hike above 8,000 feet, in cold and windy weather. Bring a winter hat, gloves/mittens, wind protection, plenty of warm layers, gaiters, snowshoes, water, lunch or snack, binoculars, and writing materials. Ski or hiking poles are also recommended due to icy trail conditions.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, February 20; 9:30am to 2:30pm (extended tour)
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Story in the Rocks - The Geologic History of Boulder County

Wednesday, February 24; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder

The geologic history of Boulder County goes back over 1.7
billion years. Ever wonder where the rocks came from, how they formed, what the earth was like back then, or why the ancestral and present-day Rockies formed? Rocks contain a record of earth history that can be read like the pages in a history book. Join geologist and volunteer naturalist Sue Hirschfeld for this PowerPoint program and learn how to read the story in the rocks and interpret the landscape that has developed in Boulder County over the last two billion years.

Nature Hike for Seniors

February 25, 10:00am to noon
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm (meet at Stearns Lake parking lot on S. 104th Street)

The last Thursday of every month Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors. Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and current resource management projects.

For more information and directions, please call 303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large group, so we have enough naturalists at the program.

Trickster Tales

Saturday, February 27; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Rabbit Mountain Open Space; NE of Lyons on north 55th Street; meet at group picnic shelter

Coyotes live throughout most of North America, and coyote tales are found in many native cultures. Sometimes coyote has the power of creation, other times he battles supernatural enemies, and sometimes he’s a trickster, outsmarting people and animals alike. Join volunteer naturalists for a moderate 2-mile hike at Rabbit Mountain Open Space to learn more about this clever, adaptable character. Dress for the weather and bring your sense of humor.