For his 8th birthday, in April, Jackson Moloney decided to give instead of receive, donating $128 he collected to the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program.
Introduced to the appeals of birding by his grandparents, Jackson was 4 years old when he first visited the Fort Collins-based raptor center. His interest in raptors often fuels his choices in books and school projects. Claire Martin, The Denver Post
Q: Why did you want to donate your birthday money?
A: At the open-house thing, I saw the injured birds, and I kinda felt bad for ’em and thought about them for a while. Then the raptor center did some programs at my school, Riffenburg Elementary (in Fort Collins), and I figured they had a donation thing, and that I really wanted to donate to them. So for my birthday, we told people that they could donate money to the raptor center instead of buying presents.
Q: What did the other kids who came to your party think about that?
A: Some of them thought they might do that for their birthday. Their parents were surprised but, like, Oh, that’s a good idea.
Q: How did you get interested in birds?
A: My grandparents love birds, and they’re birdwatchers. They go birdwatching all the time.
Q: Do you go with them?
A: I go bird-watching. In Texas, near Brownsville, we saw some interesting birds. One was a tricolored heron. We also saw an alligator.
Q: Are there particular raptors that you especially like?
A: I like the great horned owl, because we saw a few of ’em in our neighborhood, and I just like how they look, with the ear tufts. I also like turkey vultures. I really like vultures. I go to the zoo sometimes, and I like to see the snow eagles and the Egyptian vultures. I like how the vultures find food. I like the way an Egyptian vulture uses a rock to crack an ostrich egg.
Q: Have you done a lot of research, like for school projects, on raptors?
A: I did a report on the albatross. I was going to do raptors, but someone else took that topic first. So the albatross was my second choice.
Q: During the recent tornados and storms, did you wonder if the Colorado birds were OK?
A: During the tornado, they had a lockdown at our school, and I thought about the birds I see at the lake. I wondered if they were OK.
Q: Have you ever thought about working with raptors?
A: In two years, when I’m old enough, I might volunteer at the raptor center, like, feed the birds or something.
