2 Spots opened, Dave Leatherman, "A Visit to the Butcher's Shop"

[Pam Piombino]

This very special outing in our, "Interludes with Nature",  is brought to you by Boulder County Audubon.  Proceeds from these trips support our Teen Naturalist Scholarship Fund.  This year's awardees include J.C. Chandler, Luke Pheneger and Topi Martinez.

A Visit To The Butcher’s Shop

David Leatherman

 

Date:  Saturday, May 27, 2017

2SPOTS LEFT:  Limited to 10 people in 3 cars

Donation:  $60 per person

 

Butcher’s Shop?  Be prepared to enter the fascinating and often macabre world of the Loggerhead Shrike. This plains denizen, is also known as the, “butcher bird” for its habit of impaling prey on twigs, barbed wire or thorns.  Indeed anything sharp enough will suffice because although this species has a classic raptorial bill, it lacks grasping talons to secure its prey.

 

Dave, a retired Colorado Forest Service entomologist, is a superb observer and another great all-round naturalist in our Interludes series.  He has found shrike territories in Weld and Larimer Counties that will simply amaze you with the variety of insects, reptiles and mammals with which these Shrike have stocked their larders.  You might find beetles, grassphoppers, lizards and birds which have all fallen victim to this predacious species.  Learn of their natural history and enjoy a day on the prairie with an expert.  Read more in Dave’s column, The Hungry Bird in the Colorado Field Ornithologist’s Quarterly, Vol. 49, No.4, Fall 2015, available on line.

 

BCAS will provide a gourmet lunch.  Bring water, cameras and a sense of awe.