Colorado "Governor's Tag" Raffles

[LopeHunter]

Congrats to the winners and thank you for all those that make this so smooth. Am always glad to toss some money in the hat for this mission and if never win then still feels pretty, pretty, good.

 

[Hummer]

I thought I'd follow up by showing the Optics #1 winning, and to encourage fellow Hunttalkers to enter the RMBS drawing again next year. The drawing I won was for the Swarovski EL Range 10x42 binoculars or another Swarovski optic of equal value. I needed a new spotting scope more than binoculars so I ordered the STX 85mm spotting scope with the padded stay-on covers, the compact carbon tripod with the compact tripod head. I gladly paid the difference for this awesome setup. The package arrived Thursday evening just in time to watch a Common Raven nest in a sub-alpine fir only 40 yards from our back patio. A large spruce had fallen the day before, giving us a clear view of the nest. We count four young in the nest and there might be a fifth.

Here's a pic of the scope where we can watch nesting American Dippers in front of the cabin. Yesterday, the hen placed a white fecal sac at the entrance of the nest for the male to take away. It signals the hatching of the first nestling dipper.