Valentine
Alpha Flag Code:
JT
Capture date:
May 26, 2017
Sex:
Female
Location:
Heart Mountain, WY
Namesake:
Valentine got her heart-themed name because she lives near Heart Mountain in Wyoming!
![Jay works with Fernando (a Brazilian PhD student at U of WY) to release JT, with scenic Heart Mountain in the background.](https://www.boisestate.edu/ibo/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2019/10/JT_Coates_Release.jpg)
Curlew research has taken biologists to some pretty amazing areas throughout the Intermountain West, and our curlew Valentine happens to live in one of those places- Heart Mountain, Wyoming. This spectacular geological wonder, called the Heart Mountain Detachment, is the product of the world’s largest terrestrial landslide occurring roughly 49 million years ago! It rises 8,123 feet from the floor of the Bighorn Basin creating a beautiful backdrop for Valentine’s release (above).
![Valentine gets weighed before she is released back to her nest near Heart Mountain.](https://www.boisestate.edu/ibo/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2021/10/JT_HeartMt_MarkDavis_optimized.jpg)