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Ferruginous Hawks Benefiting Big Time from  Ferret Program --December 30, 2010 Ferruginous Hawks and Golden Eagles are the most imperiled raptors in Kansas. They were once commonly observed throughout much of western Kansas, especially during the fall and winter, and both species nested here. Golden Eagles have essentially become exist as a nesting species in the state, and there are very few nesting Ferruginous Hawks. The primary reason for the decline has been extermination of their most reliable and significant food source: prairie dogs. Three decades ago there were 26 active Ferruginous Hawk nesting sites along the breaks of the Smoky River valley in Wallace County. The county’s mandated eradication program forced virtually all landowners there to eliminate prairie dogs, and recent surveys tally only a couple maintained nest sites. The Haverfield/Barnhardt/Blank ranch complex is more like a national wildlife refuge or an Audubon sanctuary than an operational cattle ranch in terms of the diversity of wildlife benefiting from it. On the morning of November 21, Ron Klataske and Larry Haverfield counted 40 Ferruginous Hawks, two Golden Eagles and Two Bald Eagles on the property—and much of the terrain wasn’t covered in the survey. The property is an unparalleled magnet for wintering raptors. Earlier in November, several expert birders including Pete Jansen, Kevin Groeneweg and Terry Mannell visited the property and observed an estimated 24 Ferruginous Hawks and two or three Golden Eagles. In two days they traveled 900 miles in northwestern Kansas, but only saw one other Ferruginous Hawk. That solitary bird was holding court over a small remnant prairie dog colony. Although the prairie dogs on the Haverfield complex are being maintained primarily to make the ferret reintroduction possible, the benefit to other species--especially Ferruginous Hawks and Swift Foxes--is equally impressive. With this in mind, AOK recently asked APHIS-WS to hold off a couple months on poisoning (with Zinc Phosphide) 600 acres of prairie dog colonies on the complex. The treatment is an acceptable part of the ongoing management plan. However, if allowed to flourish, maybe the predators will maintain the prairie dog population at desired levels rendering this population control method unnecessary. |
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