Today I was checking some Burrowing Owl locations near Warden, Grant County. Only one owl found there, but it was a banded bird. This remnant field is already partially leveled for the start of a sports complex for the school district. This is not the first area used by Burrowing Owls that has been cleared this year for school facilities (Pasco is doing it too). At another location at the NE edge of town I did not see any owls where I found one or two families last year. But Washington ground squirrels were quite busy running around. There was a tense moment for the squirrels as a male Prairie Falcon flew fairly low to the ground trying to nab one. Then I saw behavior I have never seen before in a Prairie. With barely a breeze for help, it hovered for 6 or 7 flaps about 8 feet above the ground. This happened three times before it powered off toward town. Within two minutes it was back over the field flying with a female. This area is probably five miles from a nesting cliff but an open and reliable food supply.

The Prairie Falcon usinga cliff near the Columbia NWR shop has already shown signs of initiating nesting. That Prairie has been fairly reliable for Crane Festival field trips, which are now only a week away. Check the website for details as there are still spaces available www.othellosandhillcarnefestival.org . We have 5000+ cranes here already.


Randy Hill
Othello