Where are all the raptors?

The Little Lost River Valley has been the haven for wintering raptors for many years with rough-legged hawks often numbering between 100 to 200 birds. Not so this winter.

Last Saturday, I drove every road from the Idaho National Lab to Howe and from Howe to Warm Springs Creek and saw five raptors in total. I saw one rough-legged hawk, two northern harriers, one kestrel and one golden eagle.

“We really haven’t seen any hawks around this fall as the voles have disappeared, which is a good thing, but I really like seeing the hawks,” said one rancher that I talked with. “When their food source disappears, the hawks also disappear.”

As I drove the roads through the agricultural lands, I observed two coyotes hunting the edge of a field looking for something, probably a vole, to eat. Both had rough-looking fur and probably had mange and found nothing to eat. They went around a herd of cattle, probably hoping for the cattle to scare one out, but for them, their fast continued.

I saw no prairie falcons and only one small falcon, a kestrel, that was chasing a flock of house sparrows near a cattle feed yard. Also near the feed yard were about 30 ravens filling up on kernels of corn from the silage being fed to the cattle. There were also a host of collared doves and pigeons.

There were several large flocks of sheep grazing on the hay fields throughout the valley. Near one of the flocks a golden eagle was watching the sheep from a power pole, and it flew over to another power pole near another cattle feed yard. It was near a grove of evergreens along the Little Lost River Road that headed to Warm Springs Creek.

I found one of the owners feeding the cattle and got permission to walk through the evergreens to look for owls. During last year’s Howe Christmas Bird Count, I walked the grove and found four species of owls and saw about 20 individuals. I walked through the grove three times last Saturday without seeing or flushing a single owl. The ground was littered with old, bleached owl pellets under some of the trees, but there were no owls in them. I also did not see any evidence of recent vole activities that I saw a year ago.

Being very disappointed with the lack of raptors for the morning, I decided to head to Warm Springs Creek where I have often found eagles, falcons and northern harriers. There is also a cattle feed yard near the creek and as I got near the creek, I observed a pair of harriers harassing starlings and collared doves near the cattle.

I parked by the creek and one of the harriers flew past me to chase a robin through the willows. The robin escaped, but the racket that it made caused several Virginia rails to answer it. After the harrier left, I watched as three different rails came out of hiding and put on a show for me.

With the Rexburg Christmas Bird Count coming up on December 27, and the Howe Christmas Bird Count coming up on January 3, we should know for sure if there will be some raptors showing up. Hopefully they have not migrated like they normally do and will show up, but as of now they are very few in numbers.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas – travel safely and if you see a lot of raptors, let me know.