Subject: [Tweeters] Ferruginous Hawks
Date: Apr 9 19:01:26 2010
From: Carol Riddell - cariddell at earthlink.net


I continue to marvel at the tidbits of great information that I keep
finding in Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion (2006).
(Thank you, Kevin Purcell, for recommending this great book!)
Naturally I didn't read about Ferruginous Hawks in it until I
returned from my last weekend outing to Eastern Washington, spent in
part with Ruth Sullivan. Dunne describes this buteo as an uncommon
to locally common western breeder and winter resident. It nests in
the same habitat as Swainson's Hawk and the presence of prairie dogs
and ground squirrels is a good indicator of the bird's occurrence.
Since Western farmers and ranchers have had an ongoing war with
prairie dogs, and prairie dogs seem to be a preferred food source, I
wonder if that accounts for population declines of this hawk. Dunne
goes on to describe the Ferruginous Hawk as an accomplished
bushwhacker that waits on the ground next to rodent burrows and grabs
the critters as they emerge from their dens. So for those who travel
to Wilson Creek to try to see this species, consider scanning the
fields as well as the perching sites. As Dunne notes, "Less tolerant
of humans than many other buteos, and commonly hard to find--in part
because of its penchant for sitting on the ground."

Using your car as a blind is always a good way to go and seems
particularly appropriate for this species. And even if you don't
find it, the shrub steppe in that area is gorgeous and the blackbird
nesting site on the Crab Creek marsh is worth seeing, too.

Good Birding,

Carol Riddell
Edmonds