BEST FIELD TRIP EVER

Sunday May 27 2018

I knew we'd be getting to help band young ferruginous hawks on our field trip (a repeat of the one I did a couple of years ago), but little did I know we'd get to help with juvenile RAVENS also!

It's a local outreach program between the Boise BLM and the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area and Raptor Research Center that gives raptor (and RAVEN) enthusiasts like me a chance to go on a field trip with biologists to assist them in banding birds of prey (and RAVENS!!!).

Our first stop was a platform nest with 5 juvenile ferruginous hawks. As the adults circled in consternation high above (they are generally not aggressive), one by one the babies were plucked from their nest, and handed off to the arms of us eager hawk holders, each bird awaiting their turn to be measured and banded.

These babies, averaging about 30 days of age, are just about as big as they'll get, but their flight feathers have not fully developed, nor the muscling needed to flap those (one day) powerful wings yet. Nor are they aware of the strength of their toes yet nor the razor sharpness of their talons. In your arms, a ferruginous hawk baby will pretty much do exactly what he does when sitting on the nest: just sit there unafraid and seemingly unworried, not trying to escape. Two of them were even set down on the ground under the truck in the shade to await their banding, and they just sat there and waited patiently.

These birds are currently plentiful in the Snake River Birds of Prey Conservation Area, on the flats north of and above the Snake River canyon. Their primary prey is ground squirrels (of which this year there are approximately a billion) and jackrabbits, though they'll also eat insects, lizards and snakes. I told the little one I held that maybe one day he'd be flying above my place in a year or two.

Our plans had been to go to band a second nestful of ferruginous babies, but due to propitious unanticipated circumstances, we instead went to a RAVEN NEST to band 4 juvenile Raven babies!

Oh, my stars. I have held a Raven before, an adult that we crick neighbors rescued from a dog injury, and nursed back to health (and it was probably Hoss, the same crick Raven that Linda raised from a baby when his nest blew down years earlier), but it's still a thrill to hold a RAVEN, any time, anywhere.

This nest of 4 was conveniently ensconced in the crook of a weather station on the flats (not far from another ferruginous platform nest), and these babies were cranky and nervous and LOUD (and so were the parents shrieking at us flying above) and they *did* know how to use their beaks and very healthy vocal cords and their feet, on the ends of which were some rather sharp talons (though not as dangerous as the hawks'). They could flap their big wings just fine, too, and were probably within a week of fledging, and would then have been uncatchable.

The first Raven I held was a bit smaller and settled down well enough while I held him/her in the shade awaiting his banding.

The second Raven I held was handed to me after banding, and he/she was bigger and really perturbed and insulted and cranky and NOISY, and gripped strongly with his claws and wanted to flap away towards his nest. I named him BRUISER, but I held him firmly in the shade and told him, too, that one day maybe he'd be flying over my place and I'd say hi and he'd remember me.

While Ravens eat primarily carrion, they'll really eat just about anything. They'll eat other birds' nestlings and eggs, reptiles, insects, seeds, fruit, garbage. They're great opportunists. They're also  known for collecting shiny pretty things. They're very smart. And I LOVE RAVENS, if that needs telling.

The opportunity to do something like this really makes you think about the birds. They aren't always just a speck in the sky or a sentence in a news report. They lead a precarious life growing up on a nest in the wild, where it truly is survival of the fittest, from weather, predators, humans.

Conservation efforts you support or don't support can effect their future, for the better or the worse. If you've made the effort to go out and see a wild bird up close and *particularly* if you get to hold it in your arms and feel its heart beat, what happens to them might really matter to you. 

And, anyway, it's just a thrill if you love birds. If you've never closely visited or held a wild bird before, I highly recommend it!

Snake River Ferruginous Hawks

Saturday June 2 2012

It was more ridiculous cuteness - a hawk banding day with the BLM on the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, just like the screech owls in May.

In addition to nest boxes, now-retired BLM biologist John Doremus also put up nesting platforms on the grass prairies above the Snake River, which the ferruginous hawks favor. Here a baby is standing up on the nest as Jessica climbs the ladder. 

BSU students and raptor banders Jessica and Patrick had the honors of retrieving the babies from the platform nests and banding them while regaling us with Ferruginous Facts.

Here Jessica is removing babies from the nest. She uses one hand to distract their attention, then puts her other hand on the back of their neck, in effect pinning them down so they can't open their wings. Once she reached underneath to grab the feet, they didn't struggle.  

The female usually lays 2-4 eggs, sometimes up to 6. The first nest we visited had 5 young and the second nest had 2 young. Both adults incubate the eggs for 28-33 days, and then tend to the young; the young will fledge at 44-48 days.

Adults are white and rust colored - hence the name ferruginous, which derives from the Latin ferrugo, meaning rust. The legs are feathered down to the toes, but not underneath, which makes sense, so that the feathers don't get soiled.

They're a little larger than a red-tailed hawk; females are larger than males. You can see the difference here - female is on the right, male on the left (Patrick said this male is a little older than the female).

Main prey is the jackrabbit and ground squirrels, both of which are abundant in this area. The hawks also eat gophers, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. We found remains of ground squirrels in both nests.

The adults left the nest long before we got anywhere near it. The pair at the first nest were quite vocal and made some half-hearted dives at the first 3 people at the nest, though when the rest of us approached after the babies were down on the ground, the enraged pair flew high above screaming their contempt. At the second nest the adults were not so vocal nor aggressive.

These nestlings are panting because of the heat and stress, though once you get a hold of them out of the nest, they really relax and tend not to struggle, because they don't have those instincts yet - their instinct is to sit still and hunker down at this age. 

When we handled the birds we kept them shaded and handled them gently, just keeping hold of the feet. They aren't able to use their wings to flap or struggle yet, and they don't use their feet as weapons yet - and good thing, because look at the size of those claws and talons!

Here Patrick fits a silver band with a federal number on the baby's leg. All but one of the babies was banded, he was deemed a little too young (about 24 days), and his legs would probably grow a little larger. The other babies' (ranging from roughly 28-34 days) legs were already adult-size.

Notice this circular path in the cheat grass around this nest - it must be predators - coyotes? - circling the nest, eyeing the contents - it's a dog eat bird world out there, and chances of survival for the young are against them. With luck they will successfully fledge and learn to hunt and survive in the big world.

More ridiculously cute Ferruginous Hawk baby pictures.

I tried to slip one in my pocket to take home but those darn banders know how to count.

Snake River Screech Owls

Saturday May 19 2012

I've been lucky enough over the years to have helped with spotted owl research and banding. And I was lucky enough to participate in helping to band screech owls with the Boise district BLM! They take out a handful of people on raptor banding trips throughout the year. I signed up for this one about 6 months ago.

Retired biologist John Doremus started working with raptors for the BLM in 1972, and he was the raptor biologist for the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Owyhee County along the Snake River since it was first designated a Natural protected area in 1993. He started hanging nest boxes and building nesting platforms for raptors, and banding and monitoring the birds; and as the BLM manages this NCA, they continue this raptor banding and monitoring today.

A group of us went to a number of these nest boxes occupied by screech owls along the Snake River. 4 of the 5 boxes were occupied; 3 nests had owlets too young to band (1 week old and 2 weeks old); we banded one nest with 5 young (3 weeks old).

Here's how you catch a screech owl: Greg Kaltenecker from the Idaho Bird Observatory was the Master Raptor bander. He climbed a ladder to the nest box, opened the top, and reached in and removed the adult (presumably) female screech owl and handed her off to one of us;

then one by one he reached in and removed the 5 owlets.

When owls are upset or feel threatened, they snap their beaks. All around us were the Snap! Crackle! Pop! of agitated owls. After a while though, as long as you don't make loud noises or make sudden movements, they relax in your hands.

Greg attached a silver federal band, each with a unique number, to the right leg of each owl, then weighed each of them, while Jill recorded the info.


The owlets were sublimely, ridiculously cute, and of course we all posed with our fluffy little treasures before Greg tucked them all snugly back in their nest box, putting mama screech in lastly on top of them.


One day, maybe each of these babies will be sitting on nests of their own along the Snake River.

[slide show here]

Owyhee Fandango Day 2: Substitute Jockey! - Part II

Saturday May 28 2011

Part II

We're off to the northeast across the highway for the 25-mile Loop 1, on one of my favorite trails through the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. We won't go all the way to the river, but this trail is quite scenic anyway. We have a couple of trails around here that we call "Badlands" because they are our Owyhee version of the Badlands of South Dakota.

We plug Batman, with 12-year-old Junior Ben riding, right behind me and Jose. John and Rushcreek Mac are next, followed by Laurel, riding her horse Bluffdale Delight. Laurel and Bluffdale can use an escort, because it's Bluffdale's first 50, and as she is off the racetrack, she thinks she's going to arrive at the racetrack... for 50 miles she thinks this, dancing on her toes any time we stop moving.

We have a good chance of showers today (no thunderstorms forecast! yay!), but while it's cool enough to wear three layers, it's looking like a pretty great spring morning to be out riding.

The trail takes us along the Bates Creek Rim, and to the highway crossing, where the Snake River Amateur Radio Club has a check-in spot. The group uses this annual event for a spring outing - it's a camping party for them, and work practice. They are stationed at basecamp, out vet checks, and various points along the trail, at highway crossings or water tubs, to keep track of riders and times. It is always a great help on the 100 miler on Day 3.


Ben's sharp eyes spot a coyote (uncharacteristically, Jose misses it!) as we turn onto the single track trail leading down into the Badlands. Jose loves trotting along the narrow, winding path that rolls along the sage covered hills. When we slow to a walk, all the horses (except maybe Bluffdale) snatch at the abundant grass all along the way - especially Mac. He is the biggest eater ever. I think it comes from his Rushcreek Ranch horse days - you might have a long day and you might starve - so eat when you can! (Though I'm pretty sure the cowboys don't let their horses eat while they are working.) If ever Mac stops trying to eat on the trail, we'll know something is wrong with him.


Our trail descends and widens out onto the flats, and eventually turns back toward the highway into a deep narrow twisting wash.


Jose is starting to get a little agitated because Batman is hanging right on his butt, and Jose doesn't like it. Batman is young and... well... while he is the kindest horse, he's not the brightest bulb in the socket. (Steph says he has A.D.D.) All he really knows is how to go FAST, but Jose and I are trying to hold the group down to a low roar, because Batman is not that fit to do a fast 50, and Bluffdale doesn't need to go so fast either on her first 50.

But Jose does not like Batman on his butt (and Ben is having a hard time holding him back - it's an excellent learning situation for him! : ), and my mount is pounding along with his head up in the air, his (already swayed) back hollowed, and occasionally he's double barrelling at Batman, without missing a stride. I hear a connection with hooves on flesh a couple of times... but Superhero Batman is not to be denied; he takes the blow and then he's right back on Jose's butt.

Because he's a bit discombobulated with a Big Black Horse on his butt, Jose gets a bit spooky in this wash so I often have to keep two hands on the steering wheel. I'm constantly working at trying to get his head down, and trying to keep him to a slower trot while trying not to pull on him.

But nevertheless the miles fly by, and soon we are back at the highway, zipping back towards home for the hour hold.

Jose and Batman must have worked something out over lunch ("Hey Batman, I'll give you some of my grain if you stay off my butt the next loop." "OK Jose"), because on the second loop, Batman has backed off a bit and Jose relaxes a bit more. (Or, maybe Ben muscled up after the hamburger that his mom made him for lunch.)


25-mile Loop Two is to the southwest, across Hart Creek and dipping down into the Brown's Creek drainage. The skies are a little heavier, but it still doesn't look threatening.

Jose is happily leading the way, more relaxed, his head down, his back more rounded, his trot smooth, no more spooking. He seems to know where we're going - I could almost swear he is following the ribbons tied to the sagebrush.


A herd of young cows sees us coming along the trail and - unlike grown up cows who know better, they run towards us. Maybe they are so lonely for their mamas that any 4-legged beasts will do for company.


We splash our way through Hart Creek (Bluffdale puts her nose in it, but she's not much interested in stopping and standing still long enough to drink); then we turn towards Brown's Creek. Far in the distance we can see where yesterday's trails took us.


Our loop brings us back to Hart Creek and through an old Homestead, where you can still see the leftovers of life there: a root cellar, an old plow, parts of a wagon. I always wonder what life was like for them here.


We climb up out of the Hart Creek drainage by way of a sharp ridge, with a view that goes all the way back to the Boise Mountains 90 miles away. Ahead of us the Owyhee mountains have disappeared in the rain showers that are starting to fall lightly on us - you can call it rain when your helmet starts to drip.

But the showers pass as we keep up our steady trot, turning towards the home canyon for the last couple of miles.

The sun hits Pickett Creek Canyon as we pull into camp - another 50 mile day completed.


Many, many, many! more photos of the 3-day ride are here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2011Fandango/

Pronghorn Surprise

Friday March 19 2010

It can run so fast nothing can keep up with it. 45, 55 miles per hour, and it can keep that speed up for miles.

While it's often called a pronghorn antelope, it is not technically a true antelope. The pronghorn has branching horns, which it sheds annually, whereas true antelope do not. It's the fastest animal on this continent.

It's rare to see pronghorns on this side of the highway - they prefer the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA to the north. It's even more rare to see, while riding around here, 1 pronghorn standing on a ridge and watching us in the wash below, (then keep running along the ridge, turning to watch us, and posing, several times), and for another 3 pronghorns to be waiting for us in Blond Cow wash before taking off on their romp.

The lone Arnie P. Antelope was posing on the ridge above Spring Ranch wash and watching us proceed for quite a while before he took off running. He stayed right along the rim, in sight, and he kept turning to stop and watch us again. He made a bold statement posing on the ridge against the blue sky. (Bummer, no camera today!)

When we turned the corner into Blond Cow wash, we saw the three antelope ladies; they took off running up the wash and up onto the next ridge, frolicking along the rim in sight a while before they disappeared.

Mac was quite bold. He ignored all the deer we saw today, he Stink-Eyed the cows, and he watched the pronghorns with interest. He led the way, trotting all the way up Blond Cow wash to the end, where the trail takes us up onto the ridge where the antelope ladies had gone.

When we were fifty yards from the top, the three lady antelopes appeared again. Instead of turning tail and running from us, they started running towards us, following the perpendicular rim trail that we were approaching. The closer they came, the faster they ran. They passed within 30 yard ahead of us, hitting warp speed as they bounded effortlessly along. I swear they looked like they were going to take off into the sky. (I'm thinking now that Santa Claus uses pronghorns disguised as reindeer.)

By the time we reached the trail - within seconds - they had disappeared, nothing left of them but their tiny hoofprints in the dust. And on the next ridge to the left, there was Arnie P. Antelope, still posing on the rim, watching the proceedings. Maybe the ladies had been looking for him. Maybe he was trying to give them the slip. He turned and ran the opposite way along the rim.

The antelope ladies were out of luck today.

(The above photo is a public domain photo, it's not mine.)

The February Eagle Report

Friday March 5 2010

The golden eagle is not on the federal list of endangered species, but some states list it as endangered, some list it as a candidate, and some state and federal agencies are greatly concerned about golden eagle populations. Here in the Snake River Birds of Prey Conservation Area, the golden eagle population has declined by 30% since 1970.

Retired bird biologist (and endurance rider) Karen S helps monitor golden eagle nests in this area, and I've been out with her to a couple of nests the last couple of years, by vehicle, on foot, and on horseback.

We drove out Tuesday to check on a couple of nests.

First, the new golden eagles on Bates Creek. They are not nesting yet, though I see them almost every day that I drive down the road past the nest. At least one of them likes to sit on his pointed cone on the distant rim, from where he has his eagle eye view of the nest. Sometimes I'll see them both soaring over the creek, and occasionally one will be sitting in a tree near the cottonwood tree with the big nest in it. One day last week I saw one of them standing on the nest, and a neighbor saw one of them fly to the nest with sticks. They are still giving indications that they will use that nest, but no egg-laying or sitting on the nest so far.

I worry about the proximity of the nest to the road, and the traffic on the road. Mind you, it's a dirt road, and the traffic might be 1 car twice a day, or at the most 4 cars twice a day, but that still might be too much for them. Anytime I slow down when one or both are in or near the nest tree, they fly away. Perhaps they are waiting for the leaves to come out on the cottonwood tree to shield them, in which case humans won't even know they are there, and if we do know, we won't be able to see them.

Or maybe they won't lay eggs at all. So far, all we really know is that they are still interested in that particular tree nest on the creek. We'll know soon one way or the other.

Second, the Browns Creek canyon site I discovered on my hike. Karen hadn't known about it, and thought perhaps it was a previously unrecorded site. Moreover, when we went there, Karen spotted the eagle on one of the nests that I'd only glanced at on my first visit, because I'd been concentrating on the largest of the 6 nests on that cliff, the one that looked like it was going to be used.



In fact the eagle I'd seen fly off on that first day had probably been the mate perching nearby, and the other eagle had likely been on the nest and I'd just not seen her (or him - both male and female eagles will incubate the eggs). Today she seemed not the least concerned with our presence, hardly deigning to watch us. She'd picked ultimately the best positioned nest; this one got morning sun, but not the blazing afternoon sun. Heat is a main killer of young eagles in cliff nests; that won't happen here with this nest. It's a fair sized nest, built up at least 3 feet over the years, partially tucked in a crevice, and you can see the fresh (brown) sticks and grasses on it.

Third, Castle Butte.
Karen was unable to check this site last year, but the previous year, a pair had laid eggs and incubated them, but ultimately failed. The three nests on this cliff face are directly in the sun all day - a tough obstacle in a hot summer. Karen put her scope on the most likely nest - one which had whitewash, and fresh 'greens' for 'decoration' (or in this case 'browns' - since there isn't much green in the desert right now). It's a sizable nest too, about 3-4' tall.
We soon spotted one eagle soaring over the butte... and after a while saw the second one soaring with it. Likely the nest was unoccupied so far. There's still time for them to lay eggs.

It wasn't a bad golden eagle day: 5 golden eagles, 3 territories, 10 (or so) nests. But only one pair nesting... so far.

(And there are more territories to check soon.)