The inquiry:
>>Does anyone out there know of a reliable place for Ferruginous Hawk in WA
>>state?

The reply:
> We've seen Feruginous Hawk nests in two Benton County locations this year:

The locations are specified. Comments on one include:
> These birds were seen on a nest but then have not been seen in
> the past couple of weeks and may have moved on.

Biologists will survey Washington for Ferruginous Hawks in early May.
The timing of the aerial and ground-based surveys is meant to coincide with
the greatest likelihood of nests being occupied by incubating hawks. Earlier
visits to nesting areas may cause hawks to abandon their site. (This is not
meant as a reproach of the observers quoted above; it is simply echoing a
widespread concern among biologists familiar with the species' behavior.)
Please take care when visiting territories of Ferruginous Hawks and
other species that are sensitive to disturbance. Use your vehicle as a
blind; resist the urge to approach nests on foot. Delay visits until hawk
pairs have invested time in their clutch or brood.
Washington's Ferruginous Hawks eat pocket gophers, primarily. They find
many pocket gophers in alfalfa fields--watch for hawks foraging away from nests.
The state population stands at roughly 54 breeding pairs, distributed in
several counties but concentrated in Benton and Franklin. The Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the Ferruginous Hawk as a State
Threatened species and will publish a recovery plan this spring or early summer.
Observers may report sightings to WDFW or other bird records compilers.

Scott Richardson
WDFW Wildlife Diversity Division
richasar at dfw.wa.gov
(360) 902-2362