With Gratitude
May 24th was an incredible day! Friends gathered online for Raptors and Riesling—to enjoy good company and conversation, see what’s blooming and flying at Sharon Audubon Center, meet a Barred Owl on camera, hear about our new online programs, get an inside peek at the Wildlife Rehab clinic, and finally, link to a video of bird releases.
Thank you to all those who were there with us online.
Thank you to all those who could not be with us, but provided your generous support.
Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make it a great event.
And thank you to all our generous Raptors and Riesling 2020 sponsors.
You are all making a difference for the birds, other wildlife, and people of the Northwest Corner. Be sure to visit us this summer and enjoy all that Sharon Audubon Center has to offer!

Soar with us from the comfort of your home! This year's celebration of Wildlife and Conservation in the Northwest Corner is going VIRTUAL.
Sunday, May 24, 2020 at 5 p.m.
Each year in May, Sharon Audubon Center welcomes you to soar with the birds at Raptors and Riesling, celebrating our wildlife rehabilitation and conservation efforts.
This year, instead of flocking together, we invite you to celebrate safely at home in your own nest! You will receive a link to our special Raptors and Riesling video, to be posted on May 24th. It will feature the highlight we all look forward to: the release of one or more recovered raptors back to its wild home! (We also hope to see you at aviary tours later in the year.)
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic at the Sharon Audubon Center is the only staffed facility in Northwest Connecticut that cares for injured and orphaned wildlife. Your support helps Sharon Audubon Center care for hundreds of bird patients and the habitats they depend on. Raptors and Riesling is a significant part of our annual budget. Thank you for your generosity and shared dedication to nature!
As a sponsor participant of this year's virtual celebration, you will be recognized on our online coverage of Raptors and Riesling. Proceeds from this event support conservation, education, and wildlife rehabilitation at Sharon Audubon Center.
Register Here
IF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP FOR RAPTORS AND RIESLING, WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR A MESSAGE ON THURSDAY, MAY 21. The email will include a link to the online event, via Zoom. No need to sign up for a Zoom account, just click the Zoom meeting link in your email.
For last-minute sign-ups, we'll be sure to send you an email with the Zoom link too before the event on Sunday, May 24.
Sponsorship Levels
- Sky’s the Limit!—Over $2,500
- Golden Eagle—$2,500
- Barred Owl—$1,000
- Red-Tailed Hawk—$800
- Peregrine Falcon—$550
- Kestrel—$250
Sponsorships at $550 or more include membership to the Soaring Wings Society with special thanks and access to exclusive events.
Questions: email raptorsandriesling@audubon.org or call 860-364-0520 x120

Thank You to Our Generous 2020 Sponsors
It’s never too late to become a sponsor! Early sign-up will give you a spot here on the event web page, but your sponsorship is welcome up to the day of the event.
*Sky's the Limit! - Over $2500
- Dinny & Ed Greene
*Golden Eagle - $2500
- Susan & John Allen
- Alexandra Peters
- Helen Cantwell & Mark Racanelli
*Barred Owl - $1000
- Michelle & Geoffrey Kalish
- Jane & Bob Keiter
- Kathy Metz
- Marianne Smith & Kevin McSherry
- Janet & David Offensend
- Kathryn & Bruce Taylor
*Red-Tailed Hawk - $800
- Elaine & Lou Hecht
*Peregrine Falcon - $550
- Sherwin Goldman & Andrew Barnes (2x Peregrine Falcon sponsorships)
- John Brett
- Lorna & Daniel Edmundson
- Mara Fizdale
- Gerry Freedman
- Florence & Rodger Liddell
- Susan Hassler & Robert Maxwell
- Suzanne & David Oliver
- Ileene Smith and Howard Sobel
- Rosemary & Richard Vietor
- Joan H. Wallace
- Cynthia Walsh
Kestrel - $250
- Bill Arnold
- Lynn Blagden
- Diane Engleke
- Audrey & Ed Ferman
- Maryellen Geisser
- Gretchen Hachmeister
- Adelaide & William Harris
- Ed Herrington, Inc.
- Kim & Ralph Hohlfeld
- Amy Jedlicka
- Angela & Thomas Keesee III
- Katherine Kinsolving
- Roxana Laughlin
- Raymond Learsy
- Vicki & John Lynch
- Margaret Martinez
- Lyn & Skip Mattoon
- Ellen Petersen
- Anne & Henry Putzel
- Caroline Herrick & Ted Sands
- Anita & Harvey Shapiro
- Sandra & David Slemmer
- Audrey & Bob Tobin
- Jean Vitalis
- Valerie Von Volz
- Arete Warren
- Joel Weber
- Charles Wright
- Josephine Wright
Additional Event Sponsors
- John Bisbing
- Carolyn Bluhm
- Liz Faulker & Walter Brett
- K. Lee and Barbara A. Collins
- Katherine & Jacob Fricker
- Sandra Fiebelkorn
- John Mascheroni
- Emily Nissley
*Members of the Soaring Wings Society
With Your Support, We Can Do Great Things
Kestrel Nest Box Program Keeps Populations Steady
How do we increase the statewide population of American Kestrels? One nest box at a time.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic
Each year our center admits hundreds of injured and orphaned birds, mammals, and reptiles—with the goal of providing them with needed care and releasing back into the wild
Meet Our Resident Animals
Our center is home to many species of non-releasable birds and wildlife who are nature ambassadors—teaching thousands of people each year about the importance of animal and natural habitat protection
Help make the world a better place
Learn & Explore
Where birds thrive, people prosper. Help us transform local communities into places where birds flourish. Learn what you can do to nurture wildlife, nature, and conservation in Connecticut.
Support Our Work
Through land stewardship, science, education, and advocacy, we work to preserve habitat and protect bird species that are of state, national, and global concern. Your gift makes a difference.
Join Our Family
When you become a member of Sharon Audubon Center, you are protecting critical woodlands and a natural heritage for generations to come. Help us do great things.