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Who is our new neighbor, and why is he so noisy?


Photojournalism by Julie Montoya

Recently, neighbors in Forest Park have noticed there is a new member of their community, and he is making a lot of noise. This new resident is a fledgling red tail hawk. Accompanied by his parents, this youngster has ventured out of the nest, but is not quite ready to move on. A concerned neighbor contacted Kin Quitugua, owner of HawkQuest, a Parker non-profit organization that specializes in raptor education. Quitugua explained that this young hawk is not ready to leave his parents, and that all of the noise is actually the parents talking to their baby, trying to convince him that he needs to hunt. These parents are doing what any good parent would do to teach their “kid” a lesson … they are withholding the goods!

Quitugua went on to explain that the young hawk’s parents will continue to feed their baby, but only enough so that he does not starve. They are pushing their baby to hunt, and all of the crying that residents hear, is nothing more then this youngster pouting and whining about it! Eventually, he will need to take care of himself, and this fledgling will fly the coop. As soon as that happens, Castle Pines residents on the 18th hole can go back to enjoying the quiet life.
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Colorado is home to some of the most amazing birds of prey. HawkQuest is a non-profit organization committed to educating people in understanding and appreciating these amazing creatures that roam our skies.

Kin Quitugua is a master falconer and long-time environmental educator who founded HawkQuest in 1986. Quitugua has spent years creating a peaceful sanctuary for birds of prey, most of which have come to him after an injury or following a circumstance that left them unable to be returned to the wild.

Quitugua has saved the lives of creatures that otherwise would have been destroyed, but more so, he ignites passion in people by educating and inspiring everyone … up close and personal.

For information onHawkQuest, visit www.hawkquest.org.

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