City has lifted some seasonal raptor closures early
This year marked another successful season for raptors nesting on OSMP. Four Peregrine Falcon pairs nesting in the mountain backdrop produced ten fledglings, making it the most productive year for this species since monitoring began. Unfortunately, Golden Eagle productivity on OSMP was low, as it was all around Boulder County. Of particular interest to OSMP, in terms of ground-nesting birds, was the influx of Cassin’s Sparrows to the grasslands. Staff detected approximately 30 Cassin’s Sparrows during seasonal monitoring. Cassin’s Sparrows are more common in southeast Colorado and it is possible that ongoing drought conditions in that area are forcing them north and west.
The City of Boulder has been monitoring raptor nesting and roosting areas since 1984. It has become an important part of protecting the species in the area. In 2011, OSMP volunteers logged more than 600 hours monitoring cliff-nesting raptor sites. They are an integral part of the success of this program. OSMP relies heavily on the public to respect the closures. The cooperation of visitors to these areas is greatly appreciated.
One Response to “City has lifted some seasonal raptor closures early”
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The park nazi will soon find reason to close all climbing on the Flatirons. You know the birds and the bats and whatever else that they can find. As if the birds and the bats didn’t have tens of thousands of Colorado rocks to nest on. But they must close THESE rocks so as to show their power to coerce. Good ol police state in the People’s Republic. The raptors nest happily on Denver skyscrapers… but in Boulder and environs, they are the mechanism of government that rules by badge and gun.