Colorado State, Division of Wildlife to Offer Class on Birds of Prey

Birds of prey will be the focus of a class to be offered on three consecutive Saturdays beginning Oct. 31 at Colorado State University.

The university and the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Watchable Wildlife Program will present the daylong programs featuring lectures, demonstrations and a field trip.

Classes will be taught by Judy Scherpelz, director of Colorado State’s Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. The Oct. 31 session will cover anatomy and physiology of birds of prey, courtship and breeding, population trends, migration and environmental issues.

The Nov. 7 session will use slides and live birds to examine individual species and to present information on the habits and identification of hawks, falcons, eagles and owls. The final session Nov. 14 will consist of a field trip throughout northern Colorado concentrating on field identification, how and where to observe birds of prey and local areas and birds of interest. Attendance at one of the first two sessions is a prerequisite for the field trip.

Classes will be held in Room A221 of Colorado State’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, 300 W. Drake Road in Fort Collins. Classes are $50 per person ($125 for all three) and proceeds support the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. Registration is requested by Oct. 28 but registrants will be accepted at the door.

For more information or to register, call (970) 491-0398.